In case anyone is still looking at this page, here's an update, based on a ski outing yesterday.  There is still about a foot of snow in the bush, although there are bare spots on open south facing slopes.  The trails are icy and rutted.  We now have "reverse tracks", where the former track is now higher than the adjacent snow.  I don't recommend skiing on the trails. Off-track skiing was not bad yesterday.  There is about 2 cm of new snow, which helped to provide a bit of control.  In the current cold conditions the crust is very firm - there is little chance of breaking through. 

Kolapore Trail Guide

We were skiing on Sat and Sun but the conditions are now poor as the melting and freezing are making the trails too soft.   Sat was okay we did the Paradise Trail, and Sunday was terrible as the colder night with the soft snow on Sat was now frozen and big ruts in the tracks.

Sue

Sunday may have been the last day this winter for prime powder snow conditions.  Skiing was great (as it has been most of 2015)!  Temperatures Monday got up to + 3 or 4, so the snow softened, and froze overnight.  On Tuesday I waited until the crust had softened slightly, and had some pleasant skiing in the County Forest.  I went out again on Wednesday, and discovered that a skier out late on Tuesday had frequently broken through the surface, leaving the track very uneven.  I persisted past where the skier had been, and discovered that I was also breaking through the surface, even on well packed trail.  I would describe the skiing as "crappy".  So, it was a short ski today, and it may be the end of my Kolapore skiing for this winter.

Kolapore Trail Guide 

The Kolapore trails are generally in good condition.  With relatively little new snow this week the skiing is getting faster.  The snow gauge is at 61 cm (24"), so there is a lot of base.

The Kolapore Wilderness Trails Association is now responsible for managing and paying for the plowing of the Kolapore parking lot.  If you want this service to continue (along with trail maintenance and the provision of a toilet), please support the Association by joining or donating.  You can join or donate online - click on the "join us" or "donate" tab.  Of course, we are also happy to receive cheques.

Kolapore Trail Guide

Kolapore received several cm of new snow overnight, but it is hard to estimate exactly how much because the strong winds drifted the snow.  We also received some freezing drizzle, but the overall conditions were still powder snow with a bit of crust.  The tracks on Paradise Highway - Kolapore Church were somewhat washed out in places because of the heavy use on the weekend.  Other trails were in excellent condition.

The Kolapore Wilderness Trails Association is now responsible for managing and paying for the plowing of the Kolapore parking lot.  If you want this service to continue (along with trail maintenance and the provision of a toilet), please support the Association by joining or donating.  You can join or donate online - click on the "join us" or "donate" tab.  Of course, we are also happy to receive cheques.

Kolapore Trail Guide

Kolapore received about 2 cm of new snow overnight.  This will start to refresh the trails, although the 10 cm of snow that is predicted for tomorrow will do an even better job.  I will post tomorrow after the snowfall.

Kolapore Trail Guide

Depending on your perspective, the subject line could be either "Beautiful and fast" or "Beautiful, but fast".  Kolapore has only received a few cm of snow over the past week, so most trails are well packed.  Fortunately, the cold conditions have maintained the beautiful powder snow. The most popular trails are starting to get scraped on the hills, so caution is advisable.  Less heavily used trails are generally in excellent condition.

We took a look today at the parking situation at Entrance W (west end of the County Forest).  It is possible for about 4 cars to get partly off the road.  If there are more cars than that you would need to park on the travelled part of the road - we do not recommend this.

Kolapore Trail Guide   

The track was completely covered by snow in several areas (open fields), the going was hard on regular classic skis. The forest runs were enjoyable

A dusting of new snow on an excellent base of 24 inches as measured in the County Forest.  

Snowmobile damage on the southern part of the Kingsway was disturbing.  Otherwise, a perfect day. 

The skiing was very pleasant today.  About 2 cm of new snow helped to freshen the trails.  Most trails were in very good condition, and the milder temperatures meant that there was a lot more glide today. 

A pair of black Burton mitts were left behind at the Kolapore Soup and Ski event today.  If they belong to you, let us know so that we can arrange for their return.

Kolapore Trail Guide