Conditions Report, March 6, 2020

Well, with the dearth of new snow and recent warm temps, our great ski season is taking a beating these days. There is an interesting forecast for next week, so we’ll see if we get a stay of execution. Trails were regroomed earlier this week, but there are about 4 or 5 thin, narrow sections that require a lot of caution to ford. They’re quite short, but be careful. Skiing was stellar on Tuesday, but things change quickly with long, warm, and sunny days.

Sweet March skiing conditions out in the upper meadow
View of Cerro Abrigo out in the Valles Caldera
Early March, 2020: our grooming rig on Camp May, heading out for a long night…

Wacky Late Winter Weather

Weather is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna get, especially around here this time of the year. That storm was weird, with warm rain below 8,000′, and wet slop above that until about 9,300′. The snow that did fall on the lower parts of the trail mostly just added water until it got colder and finally accumulated about 2″-3″, and above a certain level, was pretty good stuff. The new snow in the meadow trails was quite good.

We did get out and groom everything, then it snowed 2″ more (good snow) and the wind blew. So, there’s a mish-mash of conditions, but mostly are quite good. The skiing in the trees should be nice, with a good classic track (probably requiring some klister combo) and a firm skate lane. The meadow trails will likely be wind-blown drier snow. Gonna be cold these next couple of days, then there’s a warm-up over the weekend followed by another (bigger?) wet storm for next week. Roller-coaster weather season, for sure.

Image result for forrest gump
You never know what you’re gonna get with New Mexico weather!

February 20, 2020 – Still good skiing

Things are holding and thankfully the intermittent warm weather from these past couple of weeks hasn’t killed our season. We’ve received just a bit of snow in between warm days, strange pattern, and now it’s cooler, so there’s still good skiing out on the trails. Be VERY careful on the now very thin and narrow “Front Hill” access trail from Camp May up to Point A. It is very narrow and icy when it’s cold. Hopefully, this warm, wet storm will grace us with a big dump of high-moisture snow, followed by a cold snap. Conditions reports are posted on the club blog site.

With 1″ new and a crusty layer underneath, it was worth a quick grooming pass on the lower trails

All Groomed! 2/13/2020

A big thanks to Travis and Zach for getting things roll-packed (with the nice corduroy compactor wing down) the other day after the storm. It made a full grooming effort possible last night after the kids’ group practice. Conditions are just about as perfect as they get, so be sure to get it before it transitions too much. Kevin Reid is planning on freshening up the skate lane Friday night, so weekend skiing should be nice. Check our blog site for more info.

Some beautiful conditions – here’s a bit of that narrow section on Dave’s Dogleg

New snow coming?

Looks like a good storm coming tonight, with another couple on its heels this week, along with colder temps. after this past weekend’s warm-up, we could use some new snow. Most of the trail system has a good base with good conditions, if not a bit transformed (and icy when not freshly groomed), but there are those few little sun-exposed sections that have suffered some melting from the warm weather. A good storm should fix that. Trails were groomed well for the weekend, with a freshen-up Saturday night under the full moon. Should be improved by next week.

Grooming Report 2/5/2020

Trails were groomed in the bitter cold after yesterday’s storm. No classic track set just yet so that things will firm up first. Should be great skating conditions. SWNSkiKids practice this afternoon at 4pm if you want to join them for a nice skate ski.

Be careful on the “front hill” access – it’s very narrow and icy underneath this new snow. It’ll likely hold up for a while longer, but keep an eye on it…