Tania Williamson

9:45am – GROOMED: Starlight, Caboose and Cabin Lanes, All of Essex Road, Pileated, Towering Pines, Boy Scout Crossover, Essex Creek, Highline, Spring Hill

We will head to the River Trail tomorrow.

8:00am – It is BEAUTIFUL out there! There is Classic Track set all over the place!

GROOMED: Starlight, Caboose and Cabin Lanes, Essex Road to Kendi’s, Pileated, Towering Pines, Boy Scout Crossover, Essex Creek, Highline, Spring Hill

Up Next: The rest of Essex Road and maybe the River Trail

6:45am – It is currently 13 degrees, snowing with a light breeze. We are forecast for a high of 13 degrees with wind chill values as low as -22. A bit of a shock to the system after all of that warmth but happy it feels like winter again and we have gotten some fresh snow. We got close to 2 inches of snow in the last 24 hours. Grooming report will be posted as soon as I hear the details!

6:15am- Gooooooood Morning! Did you hear the rumble in the wee hours? She has awakened! Gloria (the PistenBully) is feeling all better. She is out chewing up the snow and spitting out sweet, sweet corduroy! More info to come very shortly………after I make some coffee.

9:45am SNOWGLOBE DAY! It is dumping beautiful, huge flakes of snow! The temp is hovering around 32/33 degrees. Come enjoy a ski in a Winter Wonderland!

GROOMED: Starlight, Essex Road, Towering Pines Downside, Pileated Downside, Highline Upside, Essex Creek Upside

Everything turned out great, there is some chunkiness on Essex Road from Starlight to Dickey Road.

6:30am – STORM DAY!!! Gooooood Morning! We are finally getting some snow and we finally have a machine running to tame it. The snowmo-grooming was successful yesterday and we are at it again this morning! I will update when I get a report from the groomer.

It is currently 31 degrees and snowing. The NWS is calling for a 100% chance of precipitation decreasing to a 70% chance by afternoon. Our high today is forecasted as 35 degrees. Our low tonight is 4 degrees. We received an inch of snow in the last 24 hours.

Get out there and enjoy the storm before the cold temps take over. We are looking at a chilly weekend!

Did you know the earth is closest to the sun in our winter? In January, the Earth is about 3.1 million miles closer to the sun than in July.

 

1:45pm SNOWMO GROOMED: Starlight, Pileated, Essex Road, Highline Down, Essex Creek Down

12:15pm We are snowmobile grooming! A machine has cooperated with us!

GROOMED: Starlight, Pileated, In Progress: Essex Road from Starlight to Dickey Road

8:00am – Season Pass Holders- Stop in to the Izaak for a Hot Chocolate or Coffee on us! Sorry for the delay of grooming!

6:30am – It’s Snowing!!! The trails are still in really good shape. The PistenBully continues to be out of commission. We have diagnosed the problem and are working on getting the parts to fix the issue. Fingers Crossed!

We are offering free trail passes today. I will update later this morning, we may be able to snowmobile groom some trails.

By the way, what is it called when a snowman is having a temper tantrum?

A Meltdown

6:45am – GROOMED: Starlight, Pileated to Boy Scout Crossover and Shortcut, Lower Essex Creek and then the groomer sprung a leak….not the person, the machine. The Groomer (the person) is assessing the groomer (the machine) currently. The snow surface is too firm at the time for snowmobile grooming. If we get some fresh snow, we will groom with the snomo. FORTUNATELY, all trails have been groomed in the last 48 hours! They are still in quite good shape, just missing that nice layer of fresh corduroy. I will update if we are able to get Gloria (the machine) back in action today.

What did one ocean say to the other ocean?

Nothing, it just waved!

6:00am – Good Morning fellow ski enthusiasts! It is currently 25 degrees and the groomer has been cruising along making the most of the dusting of snow that has fallen this morning. It is currently lightly snowing, we have a 32 inch settled base. There is a 70% chance the snow will continue for a little bit of accumulation. The trails were fabulous yesterday. Fast and smooth and full of smiling folks! It is looking like we will have similar conditions today.

 

7:45am GROOMED: Starlight, Cabin and Caboose Lanes, Spring Hill, Towering Pines, Pileated, Kendi’s Crossing, Highline Down, Essex Creek Down, Essex Road (from Starlight to Kendi’s)

UP NEXT: Lower Dickey and the rest of Essex Road

Howdy! Good Day to you All!

It is 6am. I am happy to report (yes, I am actually happy at 6am), it looks like snow in our future.  The weather guessers are calling for 2-4 inches in Essex tonight, they are 80% sure it is going to happen. Currently, it is 27 degrees and we are forecasted for a partly sunny day.

The trails were excellent yesterday and are coming out great today as well. The groomer is concentrating his efforts on the trails that did not get groomed on 1/20 and the ones that saw heavy ‘traffic’. We will update as the corded velveteen or elephant cord or pin cord or rib velvet or Manchester or kotle or kebrity gets laid. (All of these terms are other names for corduroy according to Wikipedia).

Mid January on Junction Circle, nice kebrity!

12:00 – In addition to the 8:30 update, DICKEY ROAD was also groomed today.

8:30am – Excellent Grooming conditions today! Our temps are dropping.

GROOMED: Starlight, Spring Hill, Caboose and Cabin Lanes, All of Essex Road, Kendi’s Crossing, Highline, Essex Creek, Upper Dickey Loop, River Trail

There will be one more update when grooming is complete!

6:30am – Good Morning! We are happy to report we got snow! Just an inch but better than none at all. It is grooming in nicely. Just like kindness, a little goes a long way! It is currently 29 degree with a forecasted high of 30 degrees and mostly cloudy. We have a 32 inch settled base.

So far today,

GROOMED: Starlight, Spring Hill, Caboose and Cabin Lanes, Essex Road to Kendi’s Crossing, Highline

Next up….Essex Creek and then we shall see….hoping to get 20km or more beautified for your skiing pleasure.

What do you call a snowman with a six pack?

An Abdominal Snowman

Image by brgfx on Freepik

10:00am – The groomer says things came out VERY NICE.

GROOMED: Starlight, Cabin and Caboose Lanes, All of Essex Road, Pileated, Towering Pines

6:30am – Good Morning! It is currently 28 degrees and cloudy. Forecasted for a high of 33 degrees and a 40% chance of snow. While we have a great base, it has been slowly shrinking, more snow is always appreciated! Put on your snow dance pants and get moving! We are down to 32 inches in the Starlight area and around 42 inches by Kendi’s Crossing.

Today’s Grooming Plan: Starlight, Cabin and Caboose Lanes, Essex Road, Pileated, Towering Pines

We will update when we hear how things are turning out. In the meantime, stop in and share how you attempt to make it snow. If you need some dance inspiration, check this out https://sleddermag.com/how-to-snow-dance.

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!

Fun Fact:

Snow Isn’t Actually White

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!