March has arrived with spring-like conditions. The heat wave that began in the last third of February continues and it is having a dramatic impact on the trails. This winters meagre snowpack is rapidly melting and disappearing.
The sunny, south facing and ridge-top single track trails are mostly bare dirt. Shaded and sheltered trails are a mix of packed snow and ice, with bare or muddy sections. The best travel conditions are early in the morning, if there has been a good overnight freeze. As temperatures warm above zero celsius, packed snow will become soft and slushy, ice will change to water and frozen dirt becomes mud. This makes trails susceptible to damage, so please avoid travel if you are leaving ruts or visible footprints. Check individual trail reports for current conditions.
Two weeks of melt-freeze cycles since the last XC ski grooming have resulted in very icy and rough ski trails. XC skiing is not recommended at this time. There is the possibility of a snowfall on Monday/Tuesday, but we will need at least 10cm of new snow in order to groom the trails. Even then, it is not likely to last very long because more warm temperatures are forecast for the rest of the week. Check Nordic Pulse to confirm any ski grooming, in the event of a good snowfall.