2011-2012 Trail Roport Archive

2/13- A Dickson
Top loops were tracked today. There was barely enough snow for tracksetting, no base. Trails are bumpy and there is considerable debris in the snow. NWS is predicting another snow event this Friday.

1/24- A. Dickson
Good news/bad news as of this afternoon. The good news is that base has survived and the upper trails are still frozen. The bad news is that the base is icy and bumpy. Caution is advised until sufficient new snow arrives.

Light snow is predicted tonight. More significant accumulations are predicted by NWS Friday-Sunday.

More good news: the Cat has been returned to service and is ready in the summit barn. Whether the icy base and new snow can support the Cat for weekend grooming remains to be determined.

1/21- Jack L.
Echo Toby. Thin but definitely skiable. Would not use your best skiis. Understand the lower Ridge/Patterson may be too thin. All upper loops good to v.g. Poling challenging, not enough lose cover. Forecast not great for Mon. but things should hold up through tomorrow.

1/21- Toby
I went this morning and all the trails were good, I could glide well with the temps in the 2o’s.

1/19- A Dickson
Friday 1/20- About 2-3″ had fallen this afternoon at the summit and an additional 1-4″ of new snow is predicted overnight. The park advised they will double-track the top loops tomorrow (Fr 1/20).

Sat 1/21- NWS predicts 3-6″ additional inches of additional snow Friday evening with the highest amounts probably along the PA line (that’s ASP!). The current park plan is to double-track the entire system again early Saturday.

Grooming will be done by snowmobiles, as the Cat is still up on the lift awaiting the new wheels.

1/18- J Snyder
The summit received a dusting of snow overnight. We will be attempting to set double track after lunch as we are getting snow now. We had very high winds so the staff will be cleaning any downed trees while they set track. Yesterday we received a bunch of rain and had temps in the mid 40′s. If you are on the trails and notice downed trees please report it to park staff.

1/17- D. Schwenk
Thanks to the groomers for excellent ski tracks this past weekend. Tracks held up well. Wax held up for almost 4-hour ski. A two hour trip for us to ASP but well worth it. Very nice to know there will be real grooming (and reports from real skiers) when the snow gods smile on us.

1/16- Larry S.
Skied all five loops today; 1/16. A few thin/bear spots in the usual places, but nothing that couldn’t be skied around. Good double track was set everywhere, but Ridge Run. Ridge has single track. It remained below freezing and quick until about 14:00. We all know about the upcoming thaw and rain : ( Only picked up a few sticks, so others must have tossed most off to the side. Nice job.

1/14- A Dickson
Chad got one set of tracks set on everything except SS this morning. Kudos to Chad for spending 4 hours horsing a 700 pound sled and drag around the trail and giving us set track.

The base held up and new snow Friday night and this morning was usually sufficient for the tracks set today. There are occasional wet spots around the trail which can be side stepped. Tracks were firm, straight and held up. Poling was sometimes soft with an occasional slip but will improve with more grooming. My wife’s waxless skis were icing. Skied three upper loops and Leonard had the most wet spots- about 5. CH was drifted where we installed snow fence (!) but is in great early season shape. SW dry and also in good shape.

There are occasional sticks in the snow that have to be stepped over. If everyone would pick up three or four, the trail would be in great shape!

Sunday morning 1/15 he and Pat will set double tracks using two Scandics. Should be a great brisk ski tomorrow.

Some rain is predicted Tuesday turning to heavy lake-effect snow through Thursday. Hopefully, the cat will be ready for next weekend grooming.

1/12- C. Walker
I hiked parts of the upper trails on Wednesday January 11th. The bad news is that the trails are covered by thin packed snow and ice, but the good news is that if at higher elevations some this current rain comes down as wet snow then with more snow coming Friday, the upper trails may be OK for backcountry style skiing by Sunday January 15th. However, another 6 inches will be needed for the first grooming to be done.

1/12- J. Snyder
The trails are ice covered and treacherous this morning. Do attempt to ski on trails until we get some additional snow. The weather forcast is only calling for 3 inches we do not expect this to be enough snow to correct the treacherous conditions. I will report more tomorrow.

1/12- A Dickson
Stopped by the summit shed to deliver equipment. A slushy base remained as of late afternoon on the top loops. If left alone, sometimes this kind of base can drain, dry and revert to a manageable crusty texture instead of blue ice. I’m hoping the remaining base has kept the ground frozen so that new accumulations won’t disappear as fast as they did last week. If that is the case and we get enough snow, we might have set tracks this weekend. Through Saturday AM the forecast now is for 8-14″ with more coming on Saturday. Chad stopped by the shed when I was there and advised he has the go-ahead to manage his ours around the grooming needs of the trails this weekend. If he grooms, it will probably be Saturday AM using the Scandic and a single track-setter so that he can pack and track in one pass and cover as much of the system as possible.

1/10- Toby
Lets keep our fingers crossed for this weekend, snow and colder weather starting Friday!

1/9- from J. Snyder, ASP
Conditions poor on all trails. The lack of snow and seasonable warm temperatures has negatively impacted all trails. We are forced to wait until the next round of snow before we can do any additional grooming or track setting.

1/8- Hans
In the afternoon of 1-7-12, I skied SW and CH. There were bare spots on both. I hiked these sections until the snow reappeared. I would definitely stay away for now.

1/8- Toby
This is the worst year I can remember for snow in my 40 years of playing in it. Hey, maybe they were on to something with that whole global warming theory. It is finally starting to come our way now. Don’t sell your skis just yet that first good ski will make the wait all worth while.

1/6- Brad S.
Skied Christian Hollow & Leonard Run Fri afternoon. Thin in spots and another warm day in the 40′s might finish off trails until next snow. Ridge Run, Patterson were groomed.

1/5 -Sue Wyss
Jan 5 Good conditions on Sweetwater this afternoon. Well groomed single track. No wet spots. Should still be good tomorrow.

1-5 Jack L.
John, thanks for the updates. Although neither has great news, both keep us aware and that’s what we seek.

1/5- John Snyder
We have between 3 and 5 inches of snow and it is fading quickly due to warmer temps. We have many wet spots on all trails. If the snow holds up we will consider setting a single track again tomorrow.

1/5- John Snyder
The new tires for the LMC were ordered last week and they shipped yesterday from the west coast. We should have the tires delivered the middle of next week. It is a massive undertaking to remove both tracks, eight tires and reinstall them. We expect this to be completed about the 18th of this month.

1/4- Brad S.
Skied Christian Hollow and Leonard Run wed morning. Conditions were good. The temp was in single digits so any potential wet area was frozen solid. Ridge Run, Patterson and Snow Snake are not groomed. Other trails are groomed with one set of tracks. Thin base but decent considering the season so far.

1/4- Thomas
NWS on weather.com said Olean received 5.8 inches of snow as of Tuesday, January 3 at 8:58 am EST.

http://www.weather.com/weather/alerts/localstormreport/USNY1275

Editor’s note: Jamestown reported over 14″. ASP probably got something between Jamestown’s 14″ and Olean’s 6″, as the park is about halfway in between. The lake effect bands that set up stayed mostly along I86.

1/3- Toby
Anyone know how deep the snow is at Art Roscoe after this latest lake effect happening today? We only have a couple inches south of it here where I live in Pennsylvania.

1/3- John Snyder
We were able to roll/compact today with the scandic today. They followed up that with setting a single track with the other scandic.

1/3- Jack L.
It would be great if we could get an up-to-date report on grooming, both actual and anticipated. People will be looking, espec ially approaching the weekend.

1/2- Larry S.
Skied the three upper loops and Patterson today – Monday, January 2nd.. The snow coverage was good, but wet spots persist under the snow – causing snow to stick to the skis. Although the snow that has fallen is not sufficient to set tracks, it would be good if the park has the opportunity to roll it to set a good foundation after the upcoming single digit freeze.

1/2- Northtowns
Here in the snowless city of Buffalo, we are wondering if the trails are filling with snow? Any reports?

12/31- A. Dickson
Barely enough coverage to ski but some die-hards were on the trails anyway. Chad reports that the Cat is inoperable until replacement wheels arrive, date uncertain. Initial grooming will be done using the Scandic. NWS predicts significant lake-effect snow 1/2 & 1/3 and Chad expects to begin grooming as soon as there is enough snow.