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UPDATE: 8am We are trying to catch up after the storms that dumped 2 plus feet over the past week. So far this morning the groomer has gotten to Starlight, Essex Road Up (towards Kendi’s crossing), Towering Pines and Pileated.

Merry Eve of Christmas!!! Happy Above Zero Morning!!!

At 6:30am, it is currently 5 degrees and snowing. Looks like we are going the have a heat wave today. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high of a balmy 31 degrees with a 90% chance of snow continuing through the day. Pretty neat that we get to experience close to a 50 degree difference between yesterday and today!

The groomer is in his sleigh now and we will update as soon as we hear how things are going. The grooming plan: Starlight, Essex Road, Pileated, Towering Pines, Essex Creek and Highline. Have a beautiful day!

                                             

GROOMING UPDATE:

It has been determined that it is too cold for our groomers to be safe out there. It has warmed up to negative 17, so not much warmer. We were able to groom Starlight and Spring Hill. Fingers crossed that the forecast for tomorrow is accurate and we will get well above zero!

Good Morning!

It is 6:30am and negative 21 degrees. We are forecasted for a high of 3 degrees, however the wind is still a factor with a wind chill value as low as negative 25. There is a 90% chance of snow with 1-3 inches possible.

We are resuming grooming this morning.  We hope to get about 16km groomed but with the large amounts of snow we got this week and extremely cold temperatures, we will have to see what the groomers can get through. I will update this post as I hear from the groomer. He is heading out a little later than usual hoping for it to warm up a bit.

Be safe, cover your skin, lots of layers and come inside to warm up by the fire with a warm beverage!

Yesterdays Bluebird Skies Were Gorgeous!

 

BRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!! It is frigid out there. At 6:30am, it is negative 29 degrees. There are stars in the sky and a slight breeze.

We have a 47 inch settled base. We received about 16 inches of snow from the Tuesday storm. With all of the wind, it is hard to say for sure however. The temperatures continue to be extremely cold. We are forecasted for a high of negative 15 degrees with sunny skies. If the wind picks up, the National Weather Service is predicting a wind chill value as low as negative 52!

Yesterday, Wednesday, we groomed Essex Road from the lodging area to Dickey Road, Starlight and all of the trails around the cabooses and cabins. With the lodging loops, we have about 5 km of very cold, squeaky snow for your enjoyment today. We will not be grooming today. We plan to keep our staff close to the Inn due to these very extreme temperatures.

If you choose to recreate outdoors today, PLEASE dress warmly, go with a buddy and stick close by to the Inn and lodgings so you can get inside to warm up at regular intervals! We will have a fire going in the lobby and plenty of hot beverage options to warm you up.

Here’s some pictures of the last few days in Essex….

Tuesday Night on Parma Drive

Wednesday Morning

Wednesday Evening

Update: It is -12 and the winds have remained calm. The groomer did Starlight and Essex Road from the lodging area to Dickey.

WOW! It was another wild night in Essex.  It is hard to tell the amount of snow we have received due to strong winds but we have gotten over a foot of snow in the last 24 hours. The snow plows have not come off the highway thru the town of Essex since yesterday morning. They have been extremely busy keeping the highway open. We are very thankful for all of their hard work.

This is the National Weather Service forecast for the Essex area today:
“Widespread blowing snow, mainly before 8am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny and cold, with a high near -16. Wind chill values as low as -55. Blustery, with a northeast wind 23 to 28 mph decreasing to 9 to 14 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 39 mph.”

Due to the excessive amount of snow and such extreme temperatures, we are focusing our efforts of snow removal. I will post an update if we are able to get any trail grooming done. We have groomed all of the areas around the cabooses, cabins and schoolhouse.

Good Morning!

THE RIVER TRAIL IS CURRENTLY CLOSED.  PLEASE RESPECT THIS CLOSURE.  THANK YOU!

It is a beautiful day in Essex!!! The groomer got out to knock down some of the 7 inches of snow we have gotten since yesterday morning. There is beautiful corduroy on Essex Road, Kendi’s Crossing, Towering Pines Up, Pileated Down, Starlight and around all of the lodgings in the trail system.  Get out there and enjoy the beautiful day. It is a balmy Zero degrees! The winds are low and the skies are clearing.

UPDATE:  It’s been snowing all day. It is 2:30 and 0 degrees. In addition to earlier mentioned groomed trails, Spring Hill down, the Upper Portion of Dickey Loop were groomed today.

It was a wild, windy night in Essex. Temps plummeted and we received 6 inches of snow. At 8am, the temperature is negative 2. It is currently snowing lightly and we have light wind. The forecast is for a high of 2 degrees with a wind chill value as low as negative 26 degrees.

Short loops, lots of layers and coming to the inn between laps to warm up by the fire or with a hot beverage in the Dining Room or Flag Stop Bar is highly recommended. Today we are grooming Essex Road, Starlight, Pileated, Towering Pines, Essex Creek Up and Highline Down. Yesterday we groomed the entire complex, Spring Hill and the Upper stretch of Dickey Loop. We will post an update if we are able to groom more today.  They are looking into the River Trail today, I will post an update about it’s condition as soon as I hear.  

 

UPDATE: In addition to the earlier mentioned trails, we groomed and opened Spring Hill and the Upper Portion of Dickey Loop.

Good Morning! It is 6am. We have a settled base of 28 inches. We received 4 inches of feathery light snow in the last 24 hours. It is currently 19 degrees and snowing gently. The forecast is for a high of 19 degrees with a wind chill value as low as -3. Bring plenty of layers with you on the trails today!

We plan to have 16 km of trails freshly groomed for your enjoyment today. We have 21 km of trail open for use.

Today’s grooming plan: Starlight, Essex Road, Pileated, Towering Pines, Essex Creek and Highline. Dickey Road ended up getting groomed yesterday to the Dickey Lake trailhead. The groomer plans to have a look at and track pack some of the closed trails today to assess their progress.

Essex Road was beautiful last evening with a few inches of the lightest snow ever covering a smooth groomer!

8am Update: It is dumping light and fluffy snow.  Get out early to enjoy the corduroy!!!

Good Morning! It is 6am. We have a settled base of 27 inches. We received 1 inch of snow in the last 24 hours and that inch fell overnight. It is currently 18 degrees and snowing gently. The forecast is for a high of 18 degrees and mostly cloudy.

We plan to have 16 km of trails freshly groomed for your enjoyment today. We have 21 km of trail open for use.

Today’s grooming plan: Essex Road, Starlight, Pileated, Towering Pines, Essex Creek and Highline. Dickey Road was last groomed on Dec 11.

We are continuing to hope for snow to get the rest of our trails open. Spring Hill and most of the River Trail have been track packed but are currently closed. Spring Hill still has quite a bit of bushy business on the uphill. The River Trail has stumps and logs that need better coverage. Dickey Loop has creeks that haven’t quite filled in yet. Fingers Crossed that this upcoming storm will give us what we need!

A female moose (solo) has been spotted on Spring Hill and within the Complex Trails, specifically hanging out in the Pileated/Towering Pines areas.  BE ALERT! If you see a moose, give it plenty of space. Stay calm. Talk, make your presence known and slowly back away in the direction you came. If a moose charges you or chases you, hide behind something solid like a tree. If the moose attacks, play dead.  Curl up in a little ball and protect head and neck with arms. There has never been an issue with moose reported on our trails.  Respecting the wildlife is appreciated!

Good Morning!

This is the Izaak Walton Inn ski report for Thursday, December 15 at 6am. We have a settled base of 26 inches. We received 2 inches of snow in the last 24 hours with no new snow overnight. It is currently 20 degrees and cloudy. The forecast is for a high of 21 degrees and partly sunny

The groomers are working on getting 11 km of trails groomed for your enjoyment today. Starlight, Essex Road, Pileated and  Towering Pines Up are on the roster for grooming this morning. On the rest of the trails, the base if nice and firm under 2-3 inches of light powder.  Super fun on skate or classic skis!

A female moose (solo) has been spotted on Spring Hill and within the Complex Trails, specifically hanging out in the Pileated/Towering Pines areas.  BE ALERT! Give the moose plenty of space. Stay calm. Talk, make your presence known and slowly back away in the direction you came. If a moose charges you or chases you, hide behind something solid like a tree. If the moose attacks, play dead.  Curl up in a little ball and protect head and neck with arms. There has never been an issue with moose reported on our trails.  Respecting the wildlife is appreciated!

It is currently 25 degrees, cloudy and calm at 7:00 am.   We have a settled base of 26 inches.  No new snow in the last 24 hours.

The groomer is out and plans to groom Essex Road, Starlight, Pileated, Towering Pines, Highline, Essex Creek, and Junction Circle. Dickey Creek Road was groomed yesterday and has seen very little use as of last night.  There will be an update if any new trails are able to be groomed today.  The River Trail is closed until we get more snow.

The Outer Complex Loop (Essex Road to Highline Down and Essex Creek Down) and Essex Road to Dickey Road have been groomed several times and have set up very nicely.  The interior trails of the complex have been groomed twice now and are beginning to firm up a bit.  The corduroy has been coming out beautifully due to perfect temps!

The forecast is for a high of 31 degrees and a 50% chance of snow after 11am.  Come enjoy a super fun day on the Izaak Walton Inn ski trails!

Ski passes and maps are available at the Front Desk of the Inn.