Feb 19/15 - Dry Yard

Our yard is dry. Snow on the trail but at the Corbin hwy it's all dirt for too long of a stretch to be able to ride from here.  I have looked over every long range forecast I could find with no glimpse of better snowfalls to come. Cooper has done a vintage sled poker run and then went dirt biking and is off to Cranbrrok for another vintage derby this Saturday. People are saying you can find snow way up top but you have to trailer to get close. The Flathead has enough snow to ride in from the staging area but without new snow I can't tell you how long that will last. 

We don't want anyone disappointed so we are gonna call it a season, close up the cabins and get out and play ourselves.  If we find quadding or sledding worthwhile then we will let you know.  If it dumps snow then I will post it. Until then I wish you all happy hunting and hope you find snow. Cheers - V

Feb 17/15 - Spring Riding Conditions

Morning Crew, its -6 out and sunny today and these photos are from the day after the vintage run with 26 sleds at Corbin and the staging area at the start of the pipeline and the highway into Corbin staging area - dry down low, snowy mountains in the background.  Sorry the last photo of the start of the Flathead is blurry but its snow on the trail.  Anyone who has ridden spring riding knows that you can be driving in dry roads and have to keep going further into a trail area than usual but then all of a sudden there is just this line and thats where the snow starts.  Well that is how it is for Corbin, Fernie and Elkford.  

The Corbin vintage run, Fernie snow drags and Elkford "The Betties Newbie Ride" all went ahead this weekend.  They are all reporting "very good spring riding".   This does not mean powder.  I keep getting asked for powder so I am stating it repeatedly.  It is set up, you should have scratchers, its hero snow which means you can climb anything just about anywhere. We keep getting a bit more than whisps of snow at altitude.  I see trailers and sleds refueling at the gas station in town almost daily and the guys that ride spring conditions aren't complaining - they seem very happy to be out scouting new territory that they can't normally get into.

Earlier in the season when I said it was very good spring riding - it was much better than this and I had guys complain so I am leaving it up to you to decide what you want to do.  All I can do is say there is set up snow, guys are riding it, you have to trailer to spots, bring scratchers and a t-shirt. Personally - we drove from Sask all the time and were fine with riding this but we lived to snowmobile so we are not a good gauge. Our buddy Elvis is out riding as much as he can no matter what the conditions.  So it is really personal preference....we don't make the weather - we just make the most of it. Cheers - V

Feb 15/15 - late Spring Riding Conditions

Well...lol...the Vintage run had 26 sleds and the Flathead was groomed. Cooper & his buddy Merrick took the old dogs up into Rain Gauge. They said the Flathead trail doesn't have any bare spots but scratchers would be  required in the newer sleds. They would sink u to mid thigh stepping off their sleds in spots up in the alpine but no new snow and No powder. Our trails are bare at the Corbin Hwy.  you would have to trailer to get as close as possible to get to any snow.  Locals are riding and also on the dry trails they have razors out. I don't know if it's worth driving very far for. That's up to you and whether or not you can be content just being on any kind of snow with a sled. If you are hunting powder it's not here.

Weather is +2 and sunny. It's supposed be between zero and +6 all week with flurries forecasted for mid week and rain on the Crowsnest Pass side of the divide on Fri or Sat.

Hoping March brings winter! Cheers - V

Feb 5/15 - Bah! Rain

Thought I would update everyone. It started to drizzle trying to snow and snowing up top in the afternoon. It has now been steady enough to negate the snow that fell today and we are down to ice again in the yard. It is 10:30 and +3. Forecast for tomorrow is a rainfall warning for Fernie area and a wind warning for Crowsnest. We will get rain/snow up here. Snow is forecasted Friday and Monday. But temps are going to be between +8 and 11 tomorrow from Sparwood to Crowsnest.

I guess Cranbrook is getting rain and so is Squamish although I don't know specifically where. Good idea to call ahead before road tripping. If you don't need to head here to sled then hold off.  It will be late spring conditions type riding at best and you will get wet.  I haven't been out since last week so I can't give you photos or specifics sorry. Next time you head out - read the Avy report because this weather is going to produce wet slabs. Sorry for the bummer news - get doing the snow dance! V

Feb 5/15 - snowing Big Flakes

It's zero out and snowing steady. Visibility up top is next to nil. We got 5cm of grauple snow Tues but no new snow til this morning.  Rain in the forecast for Saturday but that may just be down low.  Have to wait and see what it brings. Cheers - V

Feb 3/15 - Snowing steady now

Its -5 and snow is getting thicker and visibility decreasing by the half hour. We have a couple of cms of grauple and it was gusting earlier. Now it's falling almost straight down. Snow in forecast all week with temps of +5 high and 0 low.  We are booked this weekend and next but have the Flathead openFeb 16-22 due to a cancellation.  Cheers - V