Nordic Nuts-Snow Report

This page will cover snow conditions wherever I happen to be. At the moment, it will probably focus on trail conditions on the Ashland trail system. CANSKI has a great page on conditions for Mt. Valhalla here.

I will be using a modified GNC rating system developed at the Gonzaga Nordic Center, detailed below.

Excellent-Better than very good. Over three inches of base and well packed and set up. I would actually use good skis.
Very Good-Great skiing by our standards. Probably only good-fair by most others. Very good amount of snow, probably over 2 inches of base and it has been well groomed and it has set up. Very rare. You could use good skis, though I would still use my good rock skis. No bare patches at all.
Good-Good skiing by GNC standards. Probably still fair-poor by most others. Definitely possible to get a workout in now. I would still reccomned rock skis, but I would use my "good" rock skis. Base will be over 1-2 inch, hopefully set up well. There may be a couple bare patches, but overall very good.
Fair-This is fairly good skiing. You could get a workout in now. Really bad rock skis are still recomended, though you could use "good" rock skis if you were careful. I would use bad rock skis. Base is consitently over .5 inches. There may be intermittent patches of no snow, but overall skiing is doable.
Poor-Skiing is teetering on the brink. Rock skis are a total necessity and chances of hurting yourself are real. Snow will be patchy all of the time and most people probably would not consider it skiable. Difficult to actually get a workout in, more just out there for the fun of skiing. Base may be up to an inch or two in places, but very very patchy.
Goose Poop-Skiing is not possible. If you actuallly consider this skiable, you need help. Basically no snow whatsoever. I will ski on conditions that most would consider unskiable, and I consider this impossible.

Ashland Trail System Conditions

3/29-Poor-I skied again today, and things had deteriorated somewhat from yesterday. A lot of places that were thin yesterday had melted throuhg, making for more running on the skis. I would guess that we have a day or two of poor skiing left, just enough to get us to the weekend.

3/28-Fair to Poor-I skied today in town and only took of my skis once, and I probably could have gotten through without doing that. I definitely spent the majority of the time actually skiing though there were a fair number of bare patches to run through and some pretty good streams and puddles. I would give the trails a day or two, maybe week at most before they deteriorate from Poor to Goose Poop. The worst pair of skis you have is definitely reccomended.

3/21-Good-The groomers rocked and groomed full width and set tracks. I skied yesterday and things were all set up and good, with some untransformed areas of snow, some icy spots, and a couple of pretty typical bare spots. I used good rock skis and didn't do any damage. My mom skied today and tells me that things are melting pretty significantly. Sounds like its about time to switch to rock skis, but I think we have at least a week of usable skiing left.

3/5/-Excellent-Againt excellent skiing. Good skis with now doubts. A couple of thin spots in the classic track, but quite easily avoidable. I did a nice easy two hours there, and it was snowing almost the whole time I was there. There should be another inch or two of fresh snow by the time all is said and done. If we can keep our precip on the freezing side of things for the next day or so, we should be in good shape. Regardless, barring a total heat wave, there should be skiable snow for another two weeks.

2/28-Excellent-There are still a couple questionable spots out there, but if you can't avoid them with your good skis, you really shouldn't be so worried about your skis. I skated for 30 minutes today and had a super good time. Things were nice out there, if a touch on the slow side. The classic tracks were pretty good, but could use re-setting. Best day so far this year.

2/7-Very Good-The trails are looking great. Much the same as the last report, but a touch more snow and nice and hard packed. I skated for an hour and things were good. Classic track is getting worn away, but still there. Very nice hard and fast skiing today.

2/2-Very Good-I had a nice classic ski this morning. There is a photo set here. The classic track was pretty shallow, but that kept it from going through to bare ground, so it was definitely the right call. Overall things were very good. I still wouldn't use good skis, but you could definitely get away with it if you were careful. If the snow predicted for the next 24 hours happens, things will be looking lovely. Very nice looking skate lanes today. I hear it got kind of warm in the afternoon, but I doubt it will get too icy.

1/21-Very good-I got out for a nice classic ski this afternoon. The trails are in the best shape of the season right now with packed, fresh snow. Skating is very good and you could probably get away with good skis if you were really careful, but I would use the "B" skis. Classic has more areas that are questionable, so I would still reccomend rock skis. Doty's Doodle isn't going to be looking real hot this winter unless we get loads of snow, but definitely is skiable. Get out there and enjoy! Only thing holding conditions back from being "excellent" is a few bare spots.

1/20-Very Good-Another 4" of snow on the 19th. I haven't been out yet, but I talked to one of the groomers who said that things should be the best they've been all year and there may be enough snow now for some shallow classic tracks. I'll probably get out tomorrow for a first hand report.

1/17-Good-The 4" of fresh snow last night did wonders for the condtions. The ice is pretty much covered and most of the bare spots are filled in at least enough to be skiable. No classic tracks yet as there really isn't enough snow. Things were a bit soft today when I was out at 4 p.m. or so, but with a good cold night tonight, should firm up nicely. I used rock skis, but would definitely use "B" skis. With care I think you could use good skis.

1/11-Fair-Its been a while since I skied in Ashland. That's mostly due to Valhalla being phenomenal lately. I ran out of time and needed to get out on skis for a bit of double poling. I was pleasantly surprised by the conditions. Not great skiing, but only a few icy and/or bare spots. Definitely useable to get a workout in. The warm temps today (12th) may have done some damage. I'd say we're about 6" of snow away from anything good.

12/24-Fair-Conditions in are definitely feeling the effects of the warmup. I classic skied, or actually shuffled because I didn't pick a warm enough klister, for about an hour today. Not real bad yet, but definitely a step down from where they were. Some form of base should survive this warm spell, but the trail will definitely need a few inches to be back in good shape.

12/19-Good-A couple more inches of snow on the ground, which were groomed last night. Trail is set up rock solid now, but not icy. Not enough snow for tracks, but I classic skied for an hour anyway. I would still reccomend rock skis, but things are getting better with each snowfall.

12/16-Good-Three inches of dense snow overnight really did a lot of good for the trails. They had been rolled when I got out this afternoon but were still a bit on the soft side, especially if you really hammered on them. The inch or two we've picked up this evening will help. I would still reccomend rock skis, but overall cover is vastly improved

12/12-Fair-Snow over the weekend took the trails from poor to fair. Snow forecast for Tuesday evening and Wednesday should take things up to good.

snow report
Home	Racing	Links	Snow Report	Etc.
This page will cover snow conditions wherever I happen to be. At the moment, it will probably focus on trail conditions on the Ashland trail system. CANSKI has a great page on conditions for Mt. Valhalla here.
I will be using a modified GNC rating system developed at the Gonzaga Nordic Center, detailed below.
Excellent-Better than very good. Over three inches of base and well packed and set up. I would actually use good skis. Very Good-Great skiing by our standards. Probably only good-fair by most others. Very good amount of snow, probably over 2 inches of base and it has been well groomed and it has set up. Very rare. You could use good skis, though I would still use my good rock skis. No bare patches at all. Good-Good skiing by GNC standards. Probably still fair-poor by most others. Definitely possible to get a workout in now. I would still reccomned rock skis, but I would use my "good" rock skis. Base will be over 1-2 inch, hopefully set up well. There may be a couple bare patches, but overall very good. Fair-This is fairly good skiing. You could get a workout in now. Really bad rock skis are still recomended, though you could use "good" rock skis if you were careful. I would use bad rock skis. Base is consitently over .5 inches. There may be intermittent patches of no snow, but overall skiing is doable. Poor-Skiing is teetering on the brink. Rock skis are a total necessity and chances of hurting yourself are real. Snow will be patchy all of the time and most people probably would not consider it skiable. Difficult to actually get a workout in, more just out there for the fun of skiing. Base may be up to an inch or two in places, but very very patchy. Goose Poop-Skiing is not possible. If you actuallly consider this skiable, you need help. Basically no snow whatsoever. I will ski on conditions that most would consider unskiable, and I consider this impossible.
Ashland Trail System Conditions
3/29-Poor-I skied again today, and things had deteriorated somewhat from yesterday. A lot of places that were thin yesterday had melted throuhg, making for more running on the skis. I would guess that we have a day or two of poor skiing left, just enough to get us to the weekend.
3/28-Fair to Poor-I skied today in town and only took of my skis once, and I probably could have gotten through without doing that. I definitely spent the majority of the time actually skiing though there were a fair number of bare patches to run through and some pretty good streams and puddles. I would give the trails a day or two, maybe week at most before they deteriorate from Poor to Goose Poop. The worst pair of skis you have is definitely reccomended.
3/21-Good-The groomers rocked and groomed full width and set tracks. I skied yesterday and things were all set up and good, with some untransformed areas of snow, some icy spots, and a couple of pretty typical bare spots. I used good rock skis and didn't do any damage. My mom skied today and tells me that things are melting pretty significantly. Sounds like its about time to switch to rock skis, but I think we have at least a week of usable skiing left.
3/5/-Excellent-Againt excellent skiing. Good skis with now doubts. A couple of thin spots in the classic track, but quite easily avoidable. I did a nice easy two hours there, and it was snowing almost the whole time I was there. There should be another inch or two of fresh snow by the time all is said and done. If we can keep our precip on the freezing side of things for the next day or so, we should be in good shape. Regardless, barring a total heat wave, there should be skiable snow for another two weeks.
2/28-Excellent-There are still a couple questionable spots out there, but if you can't avoid them with your good skis, you really shouldn't be so worried about your skis. I skated for 30 minutes today and had a super good time. Things were nice out there, if a touch on the slow side. The classic tracks were pretty good, but could use re-setting. Best day so far this year.
2/7-Very Good-The trails are looking great. Much the same as the last report, but a touch more snow and nice and hard packed. I skated for an hour and things were good. Classic track is getting worn away, but still there. Very nice hard and fast skiing today.
2/2-Very Good-I had a nice classic ski this morning. There is a photo set here. The classic track was pretty shallow, but that kept it from going through to bare ground, so it was definitely the right call. Overall things were very good. I still wouldn't use good skis, but you could definitely get away with it if you were careful. If the snow predicted for the next 24 hours happens, things will be looking lovely. Very nice looking skate lanes today. I hear it got kind of warm in the afternoon, but I doubt it will get too icy.
1/21-Very good-I got out for a nice classic ski this afternoon. The trails are in the best shape of the season right now with packed, fresh snow. Skating is very good and you could probably get away with good skis if you were really careful, but I would use the "B" skis. Classic has more areas that are questionable, so I would still reccomend rock skis. Doty's Doodle isn't going to be looking real hot this winter unless we get loads of snow, but definitely is skiable. Get out there and enjoy! Only thing holding conditions back from being "excellent" is a few bare spots.
1/20-Very Good-Another 4" of snow on the 19th. I haven't been out yet, but I talked to one of the groomers who said that things should be the best they've been all year and there may be enough snow now for some shallow classic tracks. I'll probably get out tomorrow for a first hand report.
1/17-Good-The 4" of fresh snow last night did wonders for the condtions. The ice is pretty much covered and most of the bare spots are filled in at least enough to be skiable. No classic tracks yet as there really isn't enough snow. Things were a bit soft today when I was out at 4 p.m. or so, but with a good cold night tonight, should firm up nicely. I used rock skis, but would definitely use "B" skis. With care I think you could use good skis.
1/11-Fair-Its been a while since I skied in Ashland. That's mostly due to Valhalla being phenomenal lately. I ran out of time and needed to get out on skis for a bit of double poling. I was pleasantly surprised by the conditions. Not great skiing, but only a few icy and/or bare spots. Definitely useable to get a workout in. The warm temps today (12th) may have done some damage. I'd say we're about 6" of snow away from anything good.
12/24-Fair-Conditions in are definitely feeling the effects of the warmup. I classic skied, or actually shuffled because I didn't pick a warm enough klister, for about an hour today. Not real bad yet, but definitely a step down from where they were. Some form of base should survive this warm spell, but the trail will definitely need a few inches to be back in good shape.
12/19-Good-A couple more inches of snow on the ground, which were groomed last night. Trail is set up rock solid now, but not icy. Not enough snow for tracks, but I classic skied for an hour anyway. I would still reccomend rock skis, but things are getting better with each snowfall.
12/16-Good-Three inches of dense snow overnight really did a lot of good for the trails. They had been rolled when I got out this afternoon but were still a bit on the soft side, especially if you really hammered on them. The inch or two we've picked up this evening will help. I would still reccomend rock skis, but overall cover is vastly improved
12/12-Fair-Snow over the weekend took the trails from poor to fair. Snow forecast for Tuesday evening and Wednesday should take things up to good.