Snow Report: April 11/11

Good Morning - its snowing. We had our first bit of rain this morning, drizzling here at -2 and spitting in Crowsnest Pass with clearing skies to the east. Looked like it was snowing up top and as soon as I sat down to write this it dropped a degree and started snowing down here.

Reports from guests this weekend and from Justin and his crew (frequent sledders here) were that Heartbreak and Rain Gauge were amazing with one crew going up and over from one to the other. Lots of snow - even fresh to the tune of 4-6 inches and it wasn't totally hero snow yet so there were lots of chances to get stuck. Another group went to Limestone and said it was still fluffy up there too. Another group went to the Notch and although the trail is starting to get rough there wasn't too much gleezing about it. They said that there was lots of fresh snow the further south you went it got a few inches deeper. There was a crust layer in places with loose snow underneath - a note for picking steeper terrain and avoiding slides. Rave reviews all around saying they haven't seen this good of snow at this time of year in a very very long time.

Thought I would show you our yard. Snow still piled up. Our road is thawing and the dirt is showing through in about 1/3 of the yard. I wanted to show you the "line" where the snow starts and that our trail still has a bunch of snow on it but at this time of year I would save your muscles and endurance for riding the trees and saddles by staging as close to the alpine area you want to ride as possible. Right now snow is being lost around the 4500ft mark in this area - we are at 4600ft. You'll be riding around the 6000-7500ft level for reference.

We are still open for sledders! Special rate of $150/night flat until I don't think the snow is worth spending your vacation days or dollars on. Then you will have about a month to winterize your sled (unless you are hardcore and are going to try for June sledding which is possible if you aren't afraid of a bit of gravel) and get your quad/dirt bike tuned! Tim (Over the Top Rentals in Calgary) if you & Tom have a few days off - its still worth it! Cheers - V