Happy Wednesday Morning everyone!
No grooming today but with some cooler temps (28) and a little snow refresh we’ve got the makings of a beautiful day up here in Essex!
Might be a good day to come look for critter tracks on the trails! You might get lucky; it’s been rumored that a wolverine travels our trails every once in a while…
Good Tuesday Morning!!
Happy Monday!
9:13AM GROOMED: Starlight, Spring Hill, Cabin and Caboose Lanes, Essex Road, Towering Pines, Highline, Pileated, Essex Creek, Lower Half of Dickey Loop
7:00AMGrooming is in progress and the groomer has reported that it is turning out even better that it has over the past couple of days! It is currently 32 degrees. The forecast is for a high of 35 degrees and a 40% chance of precipitation before 11am.
GROOMED: Starlight, Spring Hill, Cabin and Caboose Lanes, Essex Road to Kendi’s, Towering Pines, Highline
FUN FACT: Moose Calves can outrun a human by the time they are 5 days old.
9:30am – The trails are super fun right now. Perfect for a skate or classic. They are firm but not frozen and will definitely soften as our temps rise. We are still at 33 degrees. The skies are clearing, it is turning into a beautiful day!!! Grooming is almost complete, should be done around 10:30am.
GROOMED: Starlight, Caboose and Cabin Lanes, Spring Hill, All of Essex Rd, Towering Pines, Highline, Essex Creek, Pileated, Junction Circle, Upper Dickey side of Loop (Lower was groomed yesterday), River Trail, River Loop
7:15am – Sounds like we got surface freezing last night. The grooming is coming out mostly good but variable in some locations. If you are going to skate ski, do it early before the predicted temps warm up the surface. Due to the surface freeze, we are unable to set track in most places.
GROOMED: Starlight, Caboose and Cabin Lanes, Spring Hill, Essex Rd to Kendis, Towering Pines, Highline, Essex Creek, Pileated, Junction Circle
Groomer will be heading on Dickey Loop to the River Trail and then return on Essex Rd from the Dickey Rd intersection.
6:30am – GOOOOOOOD MOOOOORRRRNING!!!! Despite this warm, wet weather we are experiencing, guests reported nothing but GOOD conditions yesterday for skiing. So many big smiles on the faces of all the folks coming in from the trails! Things started out slightly firm and softened as the day went on. It is looking like we will have similar conditions today.
The current temperature is 33 degrees and it was lightly snowing as I made my way to the Inn. The forecast is for a high of 40 and a 30% chance of precipitation throughout the day. Still waiting for the grooming plan but will update once the groomer is in communication range. The groomer has been out since 5:30 so we should hear something soon!
Snow is actually clear. Snowflakes are made out of ice crystals, which are clear, so when light passes through, it bends and bounces off each individual crystal. On average, snowflakes are made up of about 200 individual crystals. The entire spectrum of light is reflected back to our eyes, therefore we see snow as white. Pretty cool stuff that I have never thought about before.
10:00am – We groomed what we could before it warmed too much!
GROOMED: All of Essex Road, Highline, Essex Creek, Pileated, Junction Circle, Starlight, Cabin and Caboose Lanes
6:45 – This just in….today’s grooming plan….Essex Road, Highline, Essex Creek, Pileated, Junction Circle, Starlight, Cabin and Caboose Lanes. We are through about half of that list. Will update when complete.
6:15am – It is Snaining. Not a word in your vocabulary? Snaining is my word for a “wintery mix” of Snow and Rain. Yes, I know…..the R word. No one likes to hear the R word in the winter. It is currently 33 degrees with a predicted high of 40 degrees with a 60% chance of precipitation throughout the day. Despite the Snain and warm temps, the groomer is reporting that he is chugging along freshening up the trails for y’all to enjoy. They will be fun to ski for sure. Make sure to carry your glide wax as it warms and a good layer to fend off the Snain. We will have a fire burning in the lobby to dry you out and plenty of delicious beverages and appetizers to sate your thirst and hunger!
This morning’s beautiful corduroy!
9:00am HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!! The grooming has turned out EXCELLENT. Temps have dropped to 28 degrees. YipYip!!!
GROOMED: Starlight, Cabin and Caboose Lanes, Spring Hill, Essex Road, Kendi’s Crossing, Towering Pines, Essex Creek, Highline, Lower Dickey Loop, River Trail, River Loop
Good Morning. It is 6am and it is “warm” out there but the groomer said things are turning out pretty darn good. It is 31 degrees. The forecast is for 37 degrees with patchy fog in the morning then mostly sunny. Should be a beautiful day with some blue skies to buoy the spirit! Grooming started out on Starlight and Spring Hill. The plan is to do a lap in the Loop Complex then head to the trails that didn’t get groomed yesterday. We will update as soon as we can! Just a reminder, the Izaak Happy Hour is from 3pm-5pm.
Left: Essex Creek Trail and the Moon at 6:15am
10:00am – Grooming turned out nicely but we would love some more snow!
Groomed by the Real Deal: Starlight, Caboose and Cabin Lanes, Essex Road from Starlight to Kendi’s, Pileated, Towering Pines, Essex Creek, Highline, Junction Circle
Groomed with Snowmobile (1 pass) : Spring Hill (Down Side of Loop), Upper Dickey Loop, 1 mile of Dickey Road, Essex Road to Starlight
7:00am Goodest Morning! It is 19 degrees and partly cloudy. The groomer is out doing his thing. We are forecasted for a high of 37 degrees with a 30% chance of precipitation. With our refresh of snow earlier this week, the trails are in great shape. The Lower portion of Dickey Loop continues to deserves some extra attention paid as you zip downwards. Some brush still exists.
The groomer has headed up Essex Road towards Kendi’s Crossing and plans to groom the loops. We will update as we hear how things are going. We are hoping to get 15km of trail groomed for you enjoyment today.
Skate skiers on Essex Road – Dec 2022
7:00 AM:
Its a warm (31 degrees), white morning here in Essex. We woke to about 3″ of wet, plaster-like snow. We might or might not be able to groom…stay tuned!
Essex is, as always, beautiful with a little white refresh! The fire is crackling and the restaurant cooking; come visit us if you need a little bit of winter adventure!
9:00AM:
Good news! Our fantastic groomer has reported things are turning out rather nice this morning….
GROOMED
10:15 FINAL GROOMING REPORT: Starlight, Cabin and Caboose Lanes, Essex Road, Pileated, Highline (Down side of loop), Essex Creek (Down side of loop), Spring Hill, River Trail, Lower Dickey Loop
8:45am- GROOMED – Starlight, Cabin and Caboose Lanes, Essex Road, Pileated, Highline (Down side of loop), Essex Creek (Down side of loop), Spring Hill, River Trail
6:30am – OWWWOWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! It is 22 degrees, the grooming is coming out top notch, our temps have remained friendly and the moon is, again, super beautiful this morning. We did not get any snow in the last 24 hours. Skies are partly cloudy. The forecast is calling for a high of 35 degrees and a 40% chance of snow today. At this point, all of our trails have been groomed. Most are in excellent condition. Ski with alertness on the Lower Portion of the Dickey Loop. There is some vegetation to navigate. Grooming Plan for today – Starlight, a loop in the Complex, Dickey area, River Trail.
The River Trail and River Loop are open and in excellent condition.
Check out the lovely ladies to the left jumping for joy!!! It’s because they love the Izaak Walton Inn and the wonderful trails here. ALSO, they are excited about Happy Hour!
Happy Hour is from 3pm to 5pm daily at the Izaak Flagstop Bar. If you show your Season Pass, Day Pass, Room Key or avalanche transceiver you get your first beverage for half price!
CHEERS!
9:00am – IT IS BEAUTIFUL IN ESSEX!!!!! THE SKIS ARE CLEARING. THE SUN IS OUT!
GROOMED AND GORGEOUS: Starlight, Cabin and Caboose Lanes, Essex Road, Junction Circle, Kendi’s Crossing,
Pileated, Towering Pines, Essex Creek, Highline, Upper Dickey Loop, Spring Hill
6am – Who howled at the Wolf Micromoon last night besides me???? It’s not too late. Go on out right now and give it a try. The moon is blazing in the sky as I type and it is beautiful!!!
We have continued to be fortunate and temps have stayed below freezing even though we have been forecasted for warmer. Let’s hope the trend continues. It is currently 28 degrees and we are forecasted for a high of 38 degrees and partly sunny. Some sunshine sure would feel nice and the River Trail is a great place to do that! It was in FABULOUS shape as of 4:30pm. Perfect skate skiing conditions and SO FUN! In case you missed it, we opened the River Trail yesterday. Please respect the rules of the trail! Visit the post from 1/6 for details.
Sunset on the River Trail 1/6/23
The Groomer is reporting EXCELLENT corduroy this morning!
Today’s Grooming Plan: Starlight, Caboose and Cabin Lanes, Essex Road, Spring Hill, Pileated, Towering Pines, Highline, Essex Creek, Kendi’s Crossing, Junction Circle
A Micromoon is when the moon at close to or at it’s furthest distance from Earth. It is the opposite of a Supermoon. The current distance between Earth and the moon is about 250,000 miles or 400,000 km. How long would it take you to ski to the moon?