The Kolapore snow gauge is back up to 31 cm (12").  Ski conditions were good today.  As noted in the previous post, there are some wet areas where caution is required.
Kolapore Trail Guide  

Ski season on the Kolapore Wilderness Trails started yesterday.  There was 30 - 35 cm of snow at the south end of the trail system.  (Today the snow gauge was down to 23 cm - the snow is settling and melting from the ground up.)  I skied in the County Forest and up John's Portage, and skiing was quite pleasant.  Some caution is required.  Because of the wet summer and fall, there are numerous puddles on the trail, which are now slush under the snow.  In the County Forest the three worst wet spots in the middle of the trail are: between 6 and 11 (it's easy to ski on the north side off the trail); between 6 and 7 (there is an alternate trail marked by flagging tape); and in the usual wet area west of 4.   There are undoubtedly a number of other wet areas, but the one part of the trail system that I would strongly recommend avoiding is the cedar swamp on Quiet Pastures south of 58.  When I cleared this trail in early November, it was awash - the corduroy logs were floating in the puddles.  Please post additional updates - follow the instructions above.  If you are aware of a major problem, please also send an e-mail to info@kolaporetrails.org
Kolapore Trail Guide  

After the Kolapore Vision Meeting yesterday (watch the News page for updates) the Kolapore Trail Guides went skiing in the County Forest.  The snow gauge is up to 30 cm (12").  There is good snow coverage in the bush.  With the warmer temperatures, you need to be prepared for spring conditions.  This means that it can be either soft and mushy (when the sun warms the snow) or hard/icy, particularly in the morning if it cools down overnight.
Kolapore Trail Guide 

Since my last post on Monday, there has been about 20 cm of new snow, and today it is still powder snow.  In the next day or two I think that there will be decent skiing in the bush, as long as you don't mind spring skiing.  The sun is very strong, so the snow surface will be starting to melt even if the temperature is below freezing.  As the previous post noted, it is best to avoid open areas such as Northwest Passage, because the earlier snow base will have melted and the strong winds this week may have blown off the new snow.
Kolapore Trail Guide

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