2013-14 Trail Report Archive

Sue, November 27, 2013 at 3:40 pm
We skied the ridge to the Leonard Run Trail head this morning. We had to make our own tracks but the snow was great and it was nordic nirvana. When we returned there were 2 trucks plowing the whole parking lot. Could they be tracking today? Hope so. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! See you on the trails.

Cheryl, December 2, 2013 at 8:55 pm
Skied Sweetwater Sunday (12/1/13) afternoon. Tracks were laid by other skiers, but conditions pretty good! Had the place to ourselves, beautiful and tranquil!

Ski warming hut was not open, so we had our lunch at the Redhouse Administration Building and it was lovely!

Jan & Stan, December 8, 2013 at 1:14 pm
Allegany is cross country skiing nirvana. Thank you to all the volunteers who keep it a safe place to ski. We are from Canada and would really appreciate frequent updates on skiing conditions before we set out across the bridge! Ski on!

12/11/13 Updates
Park officials report only a small amount of new snow from the current storm system as of this afternoon.

The summit equipment barn has is being insulated and heated. This will address icing issues for the Cat, mitigate the need for a block heater and generally make the Cat more manageable to the crew that has to climb in and coax it around the trails in sub zero temperatures. Work will be completed in the next few days.

The Cat will be in its warm digs by early next week after some new parts arrive and are installed. The Scandics are ready to set first tracks if the base is too thin for the Cat.

The park expects to do the lion’s share of groom with the Cat pulling two implements in tandem. The roller will attach to the Cat and the double tracksetter will attach behind the roller. Last year the Cat pulled the roller and two individual tracksetters. This worked fairly well but no renovation took place allowing washboard bumps and a center ”crown” to appear by mid season. The new configuration should result in flatter trails side-to-side and even better tracks.

Park crews will be out clearing the trails of fallen trees in the next day or two.

The last day of muzzle loader and bow season is 12/18 and grooming will begin in earnest after that date.

If anyone is able to get onto the trails in the next few days, please pick up fallen tree limbs and sticks.

Hapklein, December 14, 2013 at 8:35 am
Thanks for the update!
I must try it this year.
In the mid 1960′s the folks at Adventure Bound in E’ville told us of the trails. We rented equipment and got hooked for life!
It was so edifying to see the Parks Department continue to expand and improve the trail system and Summit Area.
I am zooming at 80 and celebrate a good part of good health from those many, many runs on the Art Roscoe trail complex.

Michael, December 16, 2013 at 7:37 am
Sunday Dec 15th skied upper loops. Only tracks were from other skiers. Excellent coverage about 8-10″ no bare spots and only minumal wet areas. Tracks were not fast but overall a great day! Ridge Run had old tracks and Patterson had no tracks. Warming hut was locked.

Doug Bargar, December 17, 2013 at 3:26 pm
Just got back from skiing a few loops at the Art Roscoe area(Dec. 17th). Conditions were great with machine groomed double tracks on most of the upper area trails. Grab your skis, slap a little wax on them and enjoy the beauty of Allegany State Park!

Skidoer, December 21, 2013 at 10:08 am
Bad weekend to ski, if you plan on it cancel and schedule for later this week. Temperatures will drop starting Monday until then it’s rain!

Skidoer, December 25, 2013 at 12:23 pm
Does anyone know how much snow if any survived the rain storms we had last weekend? Temperatures are good for skiing I’m an hour south right now and there’s not enough right here, it’s only about 2 inches of fresh snow over the grass.

Sue, December 26, 2013 at 7:37 pm
We skied Ridge Trail this afternoon. There was about 4 inches of snow. It was barely enough to ski on and better if you have old beater skis that you’re OK with scratching. The forecast is for a few more inches of snow tonight.

Ray, December 26, 2013 at 11:59 am
I hope everyone had a great Christmas, yesterday, 25 Dec we “hiked” the ridge trail. There was about an inch of new snow on the ground but there did not seem to be any surviving base underneath. Also, we counted seven blown down trees on the trail.

12/31/13 UpdateWinter weather is on the way. NWS is predicting 10-12 inches by mid-day Wed 1/1 with significant additional accumulations Wed PM to Fr 1/3. Extremely cold temperatures with Friday high of only 6F.

1/2/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails have about 5 inches of fresh snow at this time. There is little to no established base below this new snow. It is currently 12 degrees and snowing at the summit area. The ground has begun to freeze up on most trails. Park staff is on the trails today clearing downed trees and attempting to create a base while rolling with a snowmobile. The National Weather Service predicts that we will get another 6 inches of snow from now until 6:00 AM on 1/3/2014. We will attempt to roll and set track with the groomer tomorrow if conditions permit.

Doug Price, January 2, 2014 at 2:15 pm
Tried skiing on New year’s day. Not enough snow to make it worthwhile. 3-4 inches of light snow over crusty frozen ground. Also, a tree is down across the main trail 100 yrds past Snowsnake. Will need a chain saw to clear. Snowing like crazy today.. better times are coming. Happy New Year to all.

Lawrence S, January 3, 2014 at 9:00 pm
Park did a nice job clearing the trails of downed trees (a lot of saw dust piles) and setting track on the trails. Skied all the trails, but Snow Snake – to make up for not doing Snow Snake I doubled up on Leonard, Ridge, and Patterson. If you can get out this weekend, do it – the skiing is good.

Barb Endersen says January 3, 2014 at 2:29 pm
Just got back from the park. Cold but sunny and no wind. Trees had been removed from trails. Trails were rolled and tracked and it was just gorgeous. I did Christian Hollow and Sweetwater.

1/3/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails have an average of 8 inches of fresh snow at this time. The temperature at the summit is 0 with very little wind and sunny skies. Park staff was able to roll and set double track on all trails (except Snow Snake) with the groomer this morning. Snow Snake was rolled yesterday so it should be favorable for back country skiing with the additional snow we received last night.

Brad & Wendy says January 4, 2014 at 1:58 pm
Skied Ridge Run & Patterson. Conditions are excellent, somewhat thin cover in a few spots but no bare areas. Well worth the trip.

Ed H, January 6, 2014 at 9:46 am
Conditions very good. rolled base, 4-8”. machine set double tracks. Skied Sweetwater, Christian Hollow, Leonards and Ridge. Soft kick wax, Toko yellow worked at first but started to ice as the temp dropped. Only problem was the the elm leaves on the trail sticking to the wax! (editor’s note: no date given for ski but it appears to be 1/4 or 1/5)

1/7/14
Coverage was minimal before the rain Sunday. Base may have survived but little new snow is predicted from this system at ASP.

1/7/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails have an average of 6” of base at this time. Currently it is -3 degrees at the summit and very windy. The park has received only a dusting of snow since the last snow event on 1/2. No grooming operations are planned until we receive measureable snowfall. Tracks are still visible from the efforts on 1/3.

1/7/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails have minimal coverage and are icy with bare spots in various locations. The forecast does not call for any measurable snow at this time. When the park receives measurable snow we will eagerly begin grooming operations.

Dan Proto January 7, 2014 at 12:02 pm
Skied Monday 1/6. 1 inch new snow over rain damaged track. Lots of water seeping through. With these cold temps today, 1/7/14, skiing would be dangerous. We need 5 inches of new snow and it to be tracked.

Gary Reif January 18, 2014 at 7:52 pm
1-18-2014 Skied Art Roscoe – about 4 inches of snow over whatever was there- mostly ice. But still decent skiing. Worst was not being able to pole due to ice slip.

Debi Leinbach January 20, 2014 at 5:34 pm
Skied fire tower loop and start of Sweetwater for a bit on Sunday Jan 19 with a new skier. Not much loose snow except on edges. A couple of inches of packed snow over ice so poling not great. No tracks, but we still had fun. A “bad” day at Art Roscoe is better than good days many other places. As we packed the car to leave our cabin today (Monday, Jan 20) it was sleeting and about 30 but turned to snow by 10am.

1/23/14- Park Mgmt
Park forces removed down trees and sticks while they rolled and set double track with the groomer on 1/22. The trails are icy with fair coverage on upper trails, Sweet Water, Christian Hollow, Leonard and parts of Ridge Run. The Patterson and Snow Snake trails have poor coverage with heavy ice and some snow. The national weather service meteorologists will not commit but they allude to the fact that snow is coming for this Saturday. The temperature at the summit was 0 degrees with sunny skies and no wind at 7:30 AM

Michael M January 26, 2014
Skied upper loops, ridge and patterson Sunday. Tracks were excellent, thank you groomer!! Snow a little thin at bottom of patterson but overall excellent. Started skiing temp was -1 and finished at noon only 5 degrees.

Jack L., January 26, 2014 at 4:08 pm
Upper trails packed and tracked. Good coverage. No ice. Extra blue was a little sticky. More snow in sight. No melt. Should be good thru next weekend at least.

ray, January 26, 2014 at 1:31 pm
Sunday, the park trails are in good condition. There is a 2” or so packed base. Tracks were set this morning and are very good for the amount of snow. Due to the thinness of the snow coverage there are quite a few sticks coming up through the tracks especially on Leonard trail. Also, undulations in the base can make for less than perfect kick at times but overall conditions are great.

Nancy H, January 26, 2014 at 11:46 am
Just skied Sweetwater. Nice, undisturbed tracks & good coverage.

Sue, January 26, 2014 at 10:06 am
Sat. the upper trails were good. Very nice glide. We got about 4 or 5 inches new snow overnight. Does anyone know if the park groomed Sunday morning?

1/27/14- Park Mgmt
Park forces groomed all trails on Sunday morning 1/26 with the CAT, Roller and Double Track Setter. Conditions were very good according to staff and patron reports. Trails had fairly good coverage on them at that time and a nice base. Unfortunately we have received heavy winds in excess of 30 MPH , we expect to find downed branches and trees the next time we groom. Temperatures at night are expected to be very cold with high winds this week. When the wind settles down later this week we will attempt to groom again.

Brad Schottin, January 29, 2014 at 2:45 pm
Skied upper loops. About 2″ snow over packed base. A few areas were partially drifted in but overall it is good. Once it is packed again it will be excellent. Very little debris blown onto trails. Maybe the parks crew could let us know when its packed – hopefully by the weekend.

Jack L., January 31, 2014 at 5:41 pm
Fri. pm. Sweetwater was relatively good. Base still good. Blue extra with VF50 under the toe. Agree with Dan that tracking would be better Friday. Forecast for Sat. not promising. a.m. may still be OK.

dan proto, January 31, 2014 at 7:56 am
Skied Christian, Sweet H2O, Leonard -decent track with 2 inches new snow great glide, great kick-it doesn’t get any better. It would behoove the Park to track Friday, 1/31. This would consolidate the base and protect it from the coming rain/sleet

1/31/14- Park Mgmt
Park forces are planning to groom trails on 2/1/2014 in the early morning. We are expecting an inch or two of new snow to arrive this evening. Conditions at the trail head are fair with coverage on most trails. I will update tomorrow if grooming operations take place.

Park forces are currently on the trails with the LMC CAT with a roller and setting double track. The operators stated that conditions look beautiful and it is about 24 degrees at the summit with warmer air expected today.

2/1/14- Park Mgmt
Park forces are currently on the trails with the LMC CAT with a roller and setting double track. The operators stated that conditions look beautiful and it is about 24 degrees at the summit with warmer air expected today.

Conditions look very good however we did not receive any new snow last night.

pAUL cASENHISER, February 2, 2014 at 10:13 pm
Our Ohio group visited the park for the weekend. It was our annual trip. The conditions on all the trails were great! Thanks groomers. Really enjoyed ourselves. Hopefully back soon.

2/4/14- Park Mgmt
Park forces plan to quickly groom up the upper loops today to confirm that we have no downed trees while they freshen up the tracks. We are tentatively planning to groom all trails at first light on Thursday morning. We are also anticipating another significant snow event this weekend, information on this event is spotty but we are watching it.

Jan & Stan, February 4, 2014 at 11:56 am
skied on monday. asked an expert just coming in and he said conditions were good , fast and ice , as an average skier the conditions were very rutted with ice not great ,meet some more inexperienced skiers and they were just trying to get back in the conditions were too tough for them

2/6/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails have received about 11 inches of new snow. The majority of this granular snow has fallen within the last 36 hours. Park forces are currently on the trails grooming with the LMC CAT, roller and double track setter. The snow is packing down into solid tracks. The temperature at the summit is 10 degrees with little wind and plenty of blue sky. The trees are coated in layer of snow which makes for a quaint winter scene.

2/6/14- Bjorn
Skied Ridge and Snow Snake late afternoon. Nice new tracks all around. Thanks Pat & Chad. Good base on top and on lower elevations. Firm polling. Still thin enough coverage that lumpy trail or icy base makes for some bumps. Few skiers today and cold temps tonight will translate to well hardened tracks tomorrow (Fr).

Jack L., February 8, 2014 at 5:32 pm
Very good to excellent. Track somewhat chewed up in spots due to numbers. Great coverage and relatively hard track. Looks good for the next few days. Would be great if they tracked early Sunday (hint!) This may be as close to as good as it gets this season.

michael m, February 8, 2014 at 7:25 am
Skied Friday 7th. conditions were perfect!! snowsnake very fast and scary going down. there are 6 drops from the parking area to patterson. Drop 3 is insane, go slow there is an s curve that is difficlut to negoiate going fast! Drop 5 has a hard right turn in the middle, fortunately there are run out areas to go off in deep snow to slow down. Drop 6 is alittle scary as well. anyway great challenge to stay upright. enjoy!!

ray, February 10, 2014 at 11:30 am
The trails have a 10 + inch base. The Park groomed the upper, Patterson, and Snow Snake trails this past Sunday morning. Unfortunately, the tracks are on the shallow side, park equipment was unable to punch in a deep set of tracks. Due to the cold temps there is very little water coming thru the base and the system is in excellent shape.

2/11/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails have an average of 10 inches of well established base. We have received about 2 inches of fluffy snow over the past 48 hours. Park forces hit the trails Sunday morning grooming all trails with LMC CAT, roller and double track setter. No measurable snow is expected in the near future, however there is a chance of snow this weekend. Park forces will be grooming the trails Saturday evening to prepare for the Art Roscoe Loppet Race which is scheduled for Sunday. Registration opens at 8:00 AM at the warming hut.

Sue, February 12, 2014 at 3:59 pm
Leonard Run was very nice today. Great glide. Much to my surprise when I finished skiing at 1:30, the groomer was out tracking Sweetwater. Should be fantastic skiing tomorrow on fresh tracks.

2/13/14- Bjorn
Most recent posts indicates park groomed 2/12. Do not know extend of groom.

dan proto, February 13, 2014 at 6:46 pm
Thursday, Feb. 13th Sweet H2O is the only trail recently tracked. All tracks (Christian and Leonard) are shallow and firm. glide is excellent (no plowing)- enjoy.

Dan, February 13, 2014 at 2:11 pm
After a long wait for me, I finally got down to the state park. I arrived just after the groomers had finished. I skied on Sweetwater. Very nice to ski on with fresh tracks laid. Easy to ski down hill.

I went and explored Snow Snake for the first time. It wasn’t groomed but still nice to ski on especially when you factor in the clear blue skies and bright sun.

Nice work!

Dan, February 15, 2014 at 10:48 am
Just so everybody knows, there is a significant warming trend coming with rain and upper 40′s by mid week or so. If you want to ski in excellant conditions, this is the weekend to do it. Don’t wait.

The disclaimer is: Now that I typed this msg, the weather will do the opposite:)

2/19/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails have received an additional 6 inches of snow on Tuesday 2/18. Park forces hit the trails early this morning rolling and setting track with the LMC CAT. Right now we are experiencing the finest conditions of the season with an established base of 12-14 inches. Warm temperatures are predicted and we will not be grooming again until we receive measurable snowfall.

Lawrence S., February 22, 2014 at 10:04 pm
Skied all 5 loops today. Was icy, fast, and hard when I first started out, but the warmth softened the snow so hills and turns could be negotiated more easily later in the day. Talked shop with the Good Dr. on Sweetwater. If you ski tomorrow (Sunday) be careful and be prepared for hard icy conditions. If more snow falls, what is there will make a good base. Surprisingly, with the high winds, there were no downed trees.

2/25/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails held up very well despite the warmer temperatures we experienced over the weekend. We have received two inches of new snow since Monday morning. Unfortunately the high winds have created drifting and most of the snow that fell is now on the sides of the trails. We will attempt to groom possibly Wednesday or Thursday if the winds subside. The current base is around 8 inches, the surface of the trails are icy and packed.

dan proto, February 26, 2014 at 8:20 am
3 PM 2/25 Tues.skied SW, C , and Leonard-3-4 inches new snow and tracked by other skiers no ice it’s very safe . Park should track today(wed,2/26) . I would suggest not using roller -the tracking sled will do a better job. great skiing

2/28/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails received an additional 4 inches of snow this week. Park forces are on the trails grooming with the LMC Cat and double track setter. Coverage of the trails is mostly good, however we have areas that are thin due to high winds earlier this week. Temperatures are now hovering around zero with very little wind and the sun is shining brightly. The current base is around 9 inches, the surface of the trails are icy in some areas and powdery in other areas.

dan proto, March 1, 2014 at 11:21 am
2/28/14 2PM skied Sweet Water, Christian, & Leonard. Trails in excellent condition and there is no ice.

Lawrence S., March 2, 2014 at 8:46 am
Skied all five loops yesterday, March 1. Conditions were decent – not much snow fell during the week; about 3 in. Snow Snake had the best formed tracks. There is significant additional snow falling now which should make the skiing for the upcoming week good.

dan proto, March 3, 2014 at 7:10 pm
3/3 4PM skied upper trails 3 inches new snow It would behoove the Park to track before warm weather comes

ray, March 3, 2014 at 11:25 am
The park has good snow coverage, on Sunday the park failed to groom the additional 3” – 4” inches of snow. Skied in tracks were a bit messy.

Jo Ann, March 3, 2014 at 10:51 am
Skied Ridge-Patterson yesterday. Conditions were good through out. Tracks were a little messy in places, but very skiable.

dan proto, March 4, 2014 at 8:39 pm
3/4 3PM same conditions as yesterday. the 3 inches of unpacked snow would make great track . Get the CAT out there.

3/5/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails received an additional 3 inches of snow since the last tracking. Park forces are on the trails grooming with the LMC Cat and re-surfacer with double track setter. The crew states “it is looking real nice out here”.

Jack L., March 5, 2014 at 9:00 pm
Thank you Park personnel. Mid-week grooming made for primo skiing! Allegany Blue was workin’. Freshly tracked with light snow falling. If you’re thinking of coming, do it. Forecast is for a warmup Friday but no rain.

dan proto, March 6, 2014 at 10:37 pm
3/6 4PM skied all upper loops excellent track! doesn’t get any better Thank you ASP for new tracks! Great Job!!

RAKendall, March 6, 2014 at 5:53 pm
3/6 1040 Temp -9 to -6C Skied upper loops, good tracks, especially on windward side of hills

3/7/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails received a fair amount of traffic since grooming on Wednesday. Park staff is currently on the trail system with the LMC CAT with a resurfacer. They were able to touch all of the trails with this configuration. Track is setting a little on the shallow side however the bright sun and clear skies will make for an enjoyable day at ASP.

3/8- Bjorn
Trails were fast and hard this morning at 9:30AM…too fast and hard for us and several others who showed up early. CAUTION ADVISED ON SUNDAY 3/9 FOR NOVICES. LITTLE NEW SNOW HAS FALLEN. TRACKS WILL BE VERY FAST AND HARD.

RAKendall, March 10, 2014 at 6:04 pm
3/10 11AM +1C to +4C Skied Christian, Leonard, Ridge & Patterson on waxless. Some ice spots but mostly enough softening to get grip.

3/11/14- Park Mgmt
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning in effect from 8:00 AM Wednesday to 2:00 AM Thursday. They are changing the forecast as the two fronts make there way towards our area. Some models predict that we could receive measureable ice and others are predicting 5-10 inches of snow.

The Art Roscoe Ski Trails have deteriorated due to warmer temperatures and lack of new snow. If we receive measureable snowfall we will make all efforts to groom the trails in preparation for the upcoming weekend.

dan proto, March 13, 2014 at 10:19 pm
3/13 4PM skied upper trails- fresh track in excellent condition great job ASP

3/13/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails deteriorated earlier this week due to warmer temperatures and lack of snow. The park received about 6 inches of snow yesterday during the day and evening, however we received almost an inch of rain prior to the snow. The rain we received prior to the snow significantly reduced the amount of snow that actually piled up. Park staff just headed out on the trails setting double track with the LMC CAT. The crew is planning on grooming the entire trail system, as this may be one of the last snow events of the ski season. With temperatures nearing 46° tomorrow, this will significantly reduce the established base and the track that we set today.

Come out and enjoy the skiing as this is one of the last chances for this season.

ray, March 17, 2014 at 10:14 am
The ski trails still have great coverage. The transitions after the recent grooming have left a shallow track which are a bit fast/icy when temps are cold.

Larry S., March 17, 2014 at 12:51 pm
Skied all five loops Saturday, March 15. Complete snow coverage of all trails. It started out icy, hard, and fast, but the day’s snow put enough coverage down to make for decent, in-control, albeit a little slow, skiing. One remarkable thing, the rotten trunk down on Patterson came down just as we were skiing up the trail to it! Hard to predict if this week’s rain and > 32°F temps will erase the snow coverage.

3/18/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails have begun to deteriorate due to warmer temps and sunny skies. During the morning hours the trails are hard packed ice and they begin to soften up in the afternoon. Coverage is fairly good on most trails however wet spots are reported to have started to appear on a few trails. The park will not do any additional grooming until we receive significant snowfall. The forecast is not currently predicting significant snowfall.

3/27/14- Park Mgmt
The Art Roscoe Ski Trails have further deteriorated due to warmer temperatures and sunny skies. Trails are extremely icy below a thin blanket of fresh snow. The end of the season is near and no further grooming operations are expected to be completed this season.