Tried to ski Northwest Passage yesterday afternoon but had to give up due to lack of snow over rocks and in open areas.  There was more of the fresh snow mentioned in the previous post in the bush.  Even there, rock skis are a must.

I went out for a St Patrick's Day ski at Kolapore, and it was better than I had expected.  Kolapore received about 5 cm of new snow Saturday night/Sunday morning, which considerably improved skiing from when I was out on Friday.  I skied through the east end of the County Forest (which has some rutted areas because of logging), and then had a pleasant ski around Kingsway, Jackrabbit and John's Portage.  I scraped rocks a few times, so "rock skis" are desirable.  As noted in my previous post, open areas may have very little snow left.   As I've mentioned previously, there is a special public meeting to develop a longer term vision for the Kolapore Trails and the Trails Association on Saturday March 23.  Everyone is welcome - see the events tab for more information
Kolapore Trail Guide

There is still snow on much of the Kolapore trails, although the base is diminishing.  At the snow gauge we have 20 cm (8").  About  5 cm of this is newer snow on top of a firm base (in the bush).  In open areas and on south facing slopes the base can be down to 0.  I skied around County Forest yesterday and would describe the skiing as mediocre.  The trails are starting to develop "reverse tracks", where the old tracks are higher than the adjacent snow.  This happens in the spring because the tracks are compacted, and melt more slowly than the adjacent snow.  The most pleasant skiing  is off track in open deciduous forest - you can go anywhere.  We've had a cm or two of snow overnight.  I'm planning to ski at Scenic Caves today - I think the skiing will be much better than on the Kolapore trails.
Kolapore Trail Guide  

I didn't ski today, but I did watch a couple start in this morning.  They quickly returned because the trails were icy.  By this afternoon the trails would have softened enough that skiing would have been OK (if you like spring skiing).   Now that the trails are into a freeze/thaw cycle I strongly recommend that you don't go out skiing unless it is warm enough that the snow is at least slightly soft.  The Kolapore trails aren't much fun when the trails are icy.
Kolapore Trail Guide 

Sadly (in my opinion) we are seeing the start of spring skiing conditions on the Kolapore Trails.  Although the temperature has probably not gone above zero, the sun is warm enough that it is melting some snow, particularly on south facing slopes.  At night it is cold enough that the snow refreezes, and creates a light crust.  In sheltered areas, there is still powder snow on the trails.  The skiing was pleasant today, but will deteriorate as the thaw/freeze cycle continues over the next few days.  (The snow at the snow gauge has gone from 49 cm on Sunday to 43 cm today, as the snow settles.)
One problem that you may encounter if your skis aren't adequately prepped is clumping or icing.  This occurs when a ski picks up some moisture from warm snow, and then hits an area of cold snow.  My wife had serious problems with icing yesterday.  Icing can happen on the tips and tails of any ski - the remedy is to ensure that your tips and tails are adequately treated with glide wax which repels water (there are liquids that are very easy to apply).  Non-wax skis are susceptible to clumping underfoot in conditions around zero, and the fishscales should be treated with spray-on silicone or liquid glider. 
Kolapore Trail Guide     

As predicted, the skiing was great this weekend.  Kolapore received quite a bit of new snow today - 10 cm plus.  If you can, get out skiing in the next day or two before it warms up.  As noted in the previous post, there is enough snow now that the skiing at the east end of the County Forest is OK.
The Kolapore Wilderness Trails Association is holding a strategic planning session for the Association and the Kolapore trails on the morning of Saturday March 23.  Check under the events tab for more information.
Kolapore Trail Guide 

Based on the snow conditions and the weather forecast, I'm very optimistic about the skiing this weekend.  The snow gauge is up to 43 cm (17").  Once the trails are skied in, they should be in good condition.  The only minor note of caution is that there is a light crust under about 10 cm of powder snow - this may necessitate additional caution on some of the steeper trails, especially if you go off the skied-in track.
I skied the east end of the County Forest today.  There is now enough snow to cover almost all of the ruts left by the logging in January, so it is reasonable to ski in this area.  However, some of the intersection numbers are missing.
As I noted in my previous post, the Kolapore Wilderness Trails Association is holding a strategic planning session for the Kolapore Trails and the Association on the morning of Saturday March 23.  Anyone interested in the Kolapore Trails is welcome.  Check under the events tab for more information.
Kolapore Trail Guide 

I can't yet give an on-the-trail assessment of ski conditions, since I've been away for a few days.  However, when I returned to Kolapore this afternoon there was about 15 cm of new snow - some of it quite wet, with slightly lighter snow on top.  Trail breaking may be work, but I'm reasonably optimistic about skiing conditions once the trail is broken.  I will provide more information tomorrow.
Kolapore Trail Guide
PS - if you haven't already done so, please read the information (on the events page) about the strategic planning session for the Kolapore trails and Kolapore Trails Association that is being held the morning of Saturday March 23.  Anyone interested in the future of the trails is welcome. 

I skied Kolapore for the first time feb 23. It was outstanding.  I was stunned at the quality of the trails and it reminded me of cross country skiing in Quebec when I was a kid.  I will be donating to the association and thank all of those involved in making Kolapore available to the public.  Also, this website is very good.  Thanks.

Kolapore had some light freezing drizzle this morning, followed by some light flurries.  Ski conditions were generally quite good.  The snow gauge is at 39 cm (15").  I skied on non-wax skis today, and another trail guide skied on waxed skis (waxed with special red) and we were both quite happy with the skiing.  I had a bit more grip with non-wax skis, and he had more glide.  However, we met skiers with non-wax skis who were clumping underfoot - I was glad that I had sprayed the fishscales with silicone.
Kolapore Trail Guide