February arrived with a light 5 cm snowfall and a burst of arctic temperatures. The only real snow event of the season was back in November, followed by multiple melt and freeze cycles.
The single track trails have a thin fresh layer of snow on a base of hard packed snow and ice in shaded areas or dirt on ridges and sun exposed slopes. Studded tires and traction devices are recommended. Conditions are good for hiking, trail running and fat-biking, but poor for snowshoeing.
Volunteers have put in hundreds of hours of snow harvesting, to maintain a consistent snow base on the core Crystal Line, Sundog and Loggers XC ski trails. That base is thin and hard packed, but the 5 cm of new snow has made those trails skiable again. The longer, more sun exposed trails had bare ground and very icy sections, which are now hidden under a thin blanket of white, making them poor to marginal for skiing.
The weather is forecast to be extremely cold, with minimal new snow, so conditions will remain as they are for the next week.