Great conditions with 4" of new powder on the trails at 4pm today. Under that is 3" from last Friday/Saturday, with an old base of a few inches. Some downed limbs in the trails still need to be carefully skied over, especially when bombing downhill. By the time the storm wraps up, they will no longer be a problem.
Two skiers had headed in already when I arrived. Very nice skiing in their tracks and the old tracks still showing under the new blanket of snow. Snow? A real, honest-to-goodness 4" of new light, sharp-crystal snow! I didn't have great glide on the dry and new snow, especially when breaking trail, but that's just fine. I had great downhill runs though.
I skied D-spur Rd. to Spring Rd. and skied Spring past the C-4 Loop to the rarely visited Big Bowl. Climbed out of there and skied the Connector Valley Trail back to D-spur Rd. Skied up to South Loop Rd. and took that all the way east and out the east gate, then I skied the Forest Edge all the way back to the parking area. I was able to do a few tele turns of no beauty, I assure you, on the hill leading down to the parking lot. I felt good and skied D-spur again to beyond Spring Road, turned around and warmed down all the way out.
Started 4:30pm, ended at dark at 6:00pm
Skis: Black Diamond Polar Star, 3 pin set up.
Rockwood State Forest
Click the Photo for the Song of the Month---Richochei "Perfect Like You"
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Great new snow
Friday night into Saturday and squalls all day Saturday. Some great packing snow, a little on the dry side which made it silky under the skis.
Haven't been over to Rockwood yet.
Gloversville 4.00" 2/25/2012
Hoffmeister 6.00" 2/25/2012
Haven't been over to Rockwood yet.
Gloversville 4.00" 2/25/2012
Hoffmeister 6.00" 2/25/2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Nothing Local
I heard there's good skiing along the Rte 8 corridor from Hoffmeister to Piseco...such as G-Lake, Piseco Lake and the Northville-Lake Placid trail heading north.
Peck Lake 2.50 2/22/2012
Hoffmeister 3.00 2/22/2012
Peck Lake 2.50 2/22/2012
Hoffmeister 3.00 2/22/2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
No Luck
| Fulton County -- Precipitation Reports | ||||
| Town | Amount | Type | Since | On |
| Broadalbin | Trace | Snow | 8:00:00 AM | 2/17/2012 |
| Gloversville | 0.04" | Rain | 12:00:00 AM | 2/17/2012 |
Monday, February 13, 2012
New Snow
| Fulton County -- Precipitation Reports | ||||
| Town | Amount | Type | Since | On |
| Ephratah | 1.00" | Snow | 12:00:00 AM | 2/13/2012 |
| Broadalbin | Trace | Snow | 7:00:00 AM | 2/13/2012 |
| Gloversville | 0.50" | Snow | 12:00:00 AM | 2/13/2012 |
| Fish House | Trace | Snow | 4:00:00 AM | 2/13/2012 |
| Hamilton County -- Precipitation Reports | ||||
| Town | Amount | Type | Since | On |
| Wells | 0.25" | Snow | 12:00:00 AM | 2/13/2012 |
| Hoffmeister | 4.00" by | evening | 6:00:00 AM | 2/13/2012 |
| Indian Lake | Trace | Snow | 6:00:00 AM | 2/13/2012 |
| Piseco | 2.00" | Snow | 12:00:00 AM | 2/13/2012 |
Monday, February 6, 2012
No Softening Up
The air temperature, even above freezing, was not enough to soften up the tracks for good skiing. Strangely, the tracks on South Loop Road had just enough soft snow in them that I got good kick and glide. Otherwise, roads with old tracks were hard, frozen, with no give.
With highs hovering at freezing and no new snow in sight, it looks bad for any more skiing.
I parked at the east gate and skied in from there. I gobbed some Swix Red Special wax on my kick zones but didn't get any grip for the longest time. I skied the Out-of-Bounds trail to the intersecting 4WD Road at the meadow, turned around and skied back, then toward South Loop Road. I went south on D-South Rd to the forest boundary (this trail was okay, since there was a few inches of old snow on even older tracks.) I turned around and skied back. Somehow, as I skied South Loop Road toward D-Spur I started getting great kick and had enough soft snow to make it fun.
D-Spur on the way out to the road was terrible, hard, frozen and rutted. I turned onto Chimney Loop Trail, so as to avoid the parking lot (almost forgot, the parking lot is an ice rink), and climbed and climbed by stomping my way up in the crust to the left of the old ski track. Then I followed an old, grown over trail out to the Forest Edge trail along the road. But I couldn't ski along the road. I expected it to be soft since it's exposed to the sun, but there was less give on the Forest Edge trail than in the woods. I took off the skis halfway and walked the rest of the way to my vehicle at the gate.
40 degrees
4:30-5:45 (dark)
Fischer Snowbounds and a sweater
With highs hovering at freezing and no new snow in sight, it looks bad for any more skiing.
I parked at the east gate and skied in from there. I gobbed some Swix Red Special wax on my kick zones but didn't get any grip for the longest time. I skied the Out-of-Bounds trail to the intersecting 4WD Road at the meadow, turned around and skied back, then toward South Loop Road. I went south on D-South Rd to the forest boundary (this trail was okay, since there was a few inches of old snow on even older tracks.) I turned around and skied back. Somehow, as I skied South Loop Road toward D-Spur I started getting great kick and had enough soft snow to make it fun.
D-Spur on the way out to the road was terrible, hard, frozen and rutted. I turned onto Chimney Loop Trail, so as to avoid the parking lot (almost forgot, the parking lot is an ice rink), and climbed and climbed by stomping my way up in the crust to the left of the old ski track. Then I followed an old, grown over trail out to the Forest Edge trail along the road. But I couldn't ski along the road. I expected it to be soft since it's exposed to the sun, but there was less give on the Forest Edge trail than in the woods. I took off the skis halfway and walked the rest of the way to my vehicle at the gate.
40 degrees
4:30-5:45 (dark)
Fischer Snowbounds and a sweater
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Well, it's not frozen crud...
Today's rain and a high of 45 degrees softened up the cover; not so much the old ski tracks, which is good. The woods have 8" of old, soft snow and it's work to ski it; I was sinking and dragging tails. A ski with a wide tip and waist would be best for the untracked woods, like 80/60/70.
There is 4 inches in the ski tracks on the roads and trails, and it's still supportive. D-Spur and Spring Road have been roughed up by snowmobiles. Where I found old ski tracks on the lesser roads and trails, it was okay skiing. It's kind of dirty with branches and other stuff, old and very wet snow, but soft enough to still make tracks. Watch out if things freeze overnight, maybe later in the day is best. Bring the Red kick wax or the waxless skis with a good fishscale for above freezing temps through the weekend. Things will be best later in the day.
The parking lot is very icy. D-Spur is a mess going in. I climbed Camp Road Trail from D-Spur, went over to the chimney and then beyond to Rte29 and skied along the road to the east gate. I went back in and skied the trail leading to South Loop Rd, and then South Loop to D-spur and headed out.
4:30-5:45pm (dark)
Fischer Snowbounds and a sweater
There is 4 inches in the ski tracks on the roads and trails, and it's still supportive. D-Spur and Spring Road have been roughed up by snowmobiles. Where I found old ski tracks on the lesser roads and trails, it was okay skiing. It's kind of dirty with branches and other stuff, old and very wet snow, but soft enough to still make tracks. Watch out if things freeze overnight, maybe later in the day is best. Bring the Red kick wax or the waxless skis with a good fishscale for above freezing temps through the weekend. Things will be best later in the day.
The parking lot is very icy. D-Spur is a mess going in. I climbed Camp Road Trail from D-Spur, went over to the chimney and then beyond to Rte29 and skied along the road to the east gate. I went back in and skied the trail leading to South Loop Rd, and then South Loop to D-spur and headed out.
4:30-5:45pm (dark)
Fischer Snowbounds and a sweater
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