Kane Valley Skiing – January 2018

Scroll down to see comments on ski conditions or to post a comment yourself.

Coming up this month:

Chili Sunday on January 14th, 11 AM to approx. 2 PM at P2 shelter. Bring some chili to add to the communal pot – the club is providing buns, drinks and cookies. We’ll have a fire to warm yourself by and share some camaraderie with your fellow skiers.


Some important changes at the Kane Valley trails:

  • Skiers with dogs are now allowed on two trails – the usual Matthews Loop (and the Chute access) and now also on Aspen between P5 and P6 (Please don’t take dogs on to any of the adjacent trails)
  • There should be new signs for most of the snowshoe trails – PLEASE DO NOT SNOWSHOE ON THE GROOMED SKI TRAILS.
  • We have a new membership drop-off location: Breathe Bikes at 1960 Quilchena Avenue. Owner Travis Fehr is our new membership coordinator. Merritt and area residents can now drop off membership forms with payments and pick up membership tags. Tags will still be mailed to out-of-town members.

Been skiing in the past day or so? Leave us a comment about which route you used, what the trail was like, and anything that needs attention. You can also leave (or respond to) questions on the Kane Valley Trails or about local weather.

We’ll also use these posts to tell you what’s been groomed, what is scheduled to be groomed, and anything else club members and trail users should know about. Our trails are not suitable for skate-skiing.

To join the club or renew your membershipclick here

For photos from previous seasons go to our Photo Gallery

For instructions on how to leave a comment click here.

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22 Responses to Kane Valley Skiing – January 2018

  1. Shelley CH says:

    Good Evening 🙂
    Here is Don’s report for the grooming completed today: It was -4 to 1 degree, mainly cloudy.
    There was a trace of snow concealing a rain crust, but the grooming seemed to soften the trail surface quite well. Janet H., skied and tested this out for the groomers and reported the same.
    Don and Hubby groomed the following trails: Kane, Aspen to Sundown ( trees cut out here), Hills Homestead ( trees cut out here), Matthews West ( south side), Matthews East, Chute, Ravens Ridge, Gulch, and Lower Vale. It started to snow at 2p.m.
    The groomers are back out on the trails tomorrow.
    It is 9pm and it is currently snowing and a good 3 inches have fallen already and it is -3.
    Happy skiing to everyone 🙂
    Shelley CH
    Nicola Nordic Director

  2. Shelley CH says:

    Good Morning Skiers: 🙂
    Don, one of our groomers is going out on the trails today to see what needs to be groomed and fixed up after the rain we had. I will post the trails he groomed once he finishes today. Happy skiing.
    Shelley CH
    NNSC Director 🙂

  3. jh says:

    Skied from P1 along Menzies, up Gultch, then back on Raven’s ridge to p1 today. The trails are packed and were hard, solid and fast. Some lumps of snow to ski over but surprising no actual ice. Temperature 1 degree. The trees with snow half on and half fallen off are really pretty. Good day!

  4. Shelley CH says:

    January 26 😊
    Grooming report from Don’s work today. The following was groomed : Vale, OverEasy (double-wide and trees removed), crossed over to P5 then up to Kane to Sundown (doubled), widened Aspen Hill then back up Kane and once around Hills (cut trees), single packed 23cm back on Kane to P-2 to P3. Excellent ski conditions.
    More grooming tomorrow. Happy skiing 😊
    NNSC Director
    Shelley CH

  5. Kate says:

    Good Morning! It’s currently -11 in Kane Valley and the sky is clear. I have been skiing the past two days and the snow conditions are perfect. Yesterday we skied P3, up Vale to Gulch and linked into Asp for the way down. Followed Don’s fresh grooming for part of it and skied through the fresh snow for the rest. Excellent conditions, an awesome base, and temperatures are perfect!!!

    Come out and play! (And remember to “pay”! All dollars go directly to grooming)

  6. Shelley CH says:

    Morning All: It is currently -6 and the sun is to shine today later 🙂
    Oh our groomer has been busy. Here is Don’s grooming report for the 25th. It was -7 to -2 degrees while grooming with 7 cm fresh snow overnight. Groomed the following but not track set:
    Lower Kane, down Over-Easy to P5 (cut trees out here), Aspen ( all the way to the Lake) and back up double-wide, Sundown ( cut out trees), Kane ( cut out trees) to P3. Don rated this day as 5 out of 5 for skiing, sunny, with 7 cm of powder.
    Today Don will be out widening Over-Easy, Kane, and maybe Hills Homestead.
    Thanks Don for reporting and grooming:)
    Shelley CH
    NNSC Director

  7. Shelley CH says:

    Good evening All 🙂
    Here is the grooming report I received from Don: He says, “It was 1 degrees, groomed in 23 cm of new snow and snowed throughout the day, mainly cloudy. Although it was warm, the snow was not melting, and good powder ( high moisture content).” Thanks to Don and Hubby for teaming up with the grooming!
    The following trails were groomed: Lower Vale, Menzies, Ravens Ridge, Gulch, ASP, Tillicum, Niels Valley ( a tree cut here ), Cross-Over, Matthews ( cut a tree out here as well) and Chute. Wood Shavings were dropped off at P3, Lunchbox and Matthews Shelters donated by Hubby for the fire pits. Thanks a lot for doing this extra for the skiers, Hubby and Don!
    Don rated the trails 4-5 for ski conditions today. So come on out and bring a friend, it’s beautifulllll!
    Shelley CH
    NNSC Director

  8. Kate says:

    Just so you all know, we have not had rain up here in Kane Valley but have added 6-8 inches of snow on top of a groomed base, since jh’s last post. The road is plowed, the snow is good, the wilderness awaits.

    Thanks to Shelley and jh for the posts, and to the grooming team.

    I’m going out today and tomorrow and will report back, but I’m guessing it’s going to be wonderful.

    Kate

  9. jh says:

    Skied on Sunday Jan 21st. Shelley’s comment regarding 3 inches of new snow over the past few days helped make the decision. parked at p1 with one car, had a second car at p6. Skied up ravens ridge, gulch, up and over Harmon to p6. Drove back to p5 then skied aspen, sundown, up ravine and a long glide down Sky-high back to car at p5. There was no sun and the wind was blowing. No rain, no snow. The set trail on gultch/Raven’s was really nice as it changed the old ice to snow. Harmon had the fresh snow on top of a packed trail which was wonderful for an easy glide all the way to Harmon lake. Early afternoon there was enough sticky spots that re waxing was needed close to Harmon and again on the sundown trail. A great day with really good conditions. The rainstorm came after leaving Kane.

  10. Shelley CH says:

    Good Evening 🙂
    Here is the Grooming report from Don; which he and Hubby completed today.
    The temp was -4 to 1 degree, it was cloudy but no wind and 5cm of snow today.
    The following trails were groomed and track set: Kane, Matthews West on the South side, Matthews East, Chute, Ravens Ridge, Gulch, Menzies, Tillicum, top part of ASP, Niel’s Valley, Crossover and Vale. 3 trees were cut and removed from Kane, and 6 other trees on various trails, ( mostly over-hanging small fir, aspen and brush from the past rain/snow combination). The groomed trail surface
    was turning out nice and dry, with nice track sets, with no melting ( as told by Don ). Thank-you Don and Hubby for your hard work today, so we can all enjoy skiing in the Kane.
    Shelley CH
    NNSC Director 🙂

  11. Shelley CH says:

    January 19
    Good Morning 🙂 It is a balmy -4 and the Blue Sky is waking up!
    We have had a few days of heavy rain, hmmm isn’t it suppose to be snow 🙂
    A few skers have reported that they went out yesterday and the day before and enjoyed their ski. It is “crusty” in some areas, so be aware. We did also get about 3 inches of new snow over the last few days too, so that gives the trails a little blanket. Enjoy your skiing.
    Shelley CH
    NNSC Director

  12. Ian W says:

    On Chili Sunday, did Kane-Hill’s Homestead-Skyline-Kane. Absolutely wonderful. Homestead hardly travelled, almost pristine. A great workout. Some very intriguing wildlife tracks. Only thing to watch for are icy patches directly beneath overhanging trees, as water/snow has dripped down and frozen. Makes things a little interesting. A huge shout out to the Nordic Club members who organized and hosted the Chili Sunday and did the track-setting. It was a wonderful gathering. Happy trails.

  13. jh says:

    Parked at P1 at 12:30 today. Skied ravens ridge, gulch,back on Menzies. Just enough sticking snow spots to require a rewaxing on the way in. Trail was really nice soft snow, tracks were good, sunshine. blue sky and 0 ish temperature made it a really nice ski. Slow down before you go under big dripping trees as the ice is forming there.

  14. Shelley CH says:

    Good Afternoon 🙂
    Skiing was splendid this morning; a short trip from P1 to Raven’s Ridge, Tillicum, ASP, and Menzies. Lovely snow and about -9.
    Our groomers were out again today ( a huge thank-you to Hubby and Don) and they completed the following trails ( groomed and set): Raven, Tillicum, ASP, Niel’s Valley, Vale, Menzies, Gulch and Cross Over. One new sign replaced at Matthew’s Loop and 3 trees cut out at Chute, Neil’s Valley, Matthew’s Loop East. No new snow and excellent conditions. Hope you’re cooking your chili and see you on Sunday for a fun day.
    Shelley CH
    NNSC Director

  15. Shelley CH says:

    Good Evening 🙂 -15 and 2cm of fresh snow today
    Don and Hubby groomed and track set on January 10th; a big grateful thank-you to our awesome new groomers. The following was groomed and set: Kane, Aspen, Sundown, Ravine, Hills Homestead and Matthews West ( the first loop). Several trees were removed, but not sure Chute was one of them, I will report this tonight to the groomers, as they are going out January 12th to groom more. So thank-you for the “heads-up” JO. Chili Sunday the 14th is coming soon, so grab your chili/ skis and smiles and come join us for a great day of connecting and moving.
    Shelley CH
    NNSC Director

  16. Jo says:

    Did a quick ski on Mathews loop yesterday, lots of fresh snow. On the chute access there is a tree across the steep hill, definitely need to stop yourself to get over it, so heads up.

  17. jh says:

    Jan 9 2018.Used liquid on non wax skis before starting. Skied from P3 along Kane to Skyhigh up and over Hills Homestead and back to P3. Did notice the groomer work and the snow is mostly really nice and soft—no crust. At 1pm was up on the sunny open of HH and skis started to build up snow so scrapped it off and rubbed hard wax on and all was fine. With the warm sun and melting snow, the wax in the pack was useful.

  18. Shelley CH says:

    Good Afternoon Skiers 🙂
    -5 to 0 while grooming today and a Skiff of new snow.
    Yahoo Hubby and Mike trouble shot the track-setter today and all is well, track setting has began. The following trails were groomed and track set today: Matthew’s Loop, Chute, Raven’s Ridge, Gulch, Menzie,Tillicum, ASP, Vale.
    Trees were removed from Matthews Loop and Menzie again, and a few smaller ones throughout the trails. All looks good today.,
    Grooming will continue throughout this week (weather permitting) and all will be beautiful for Chili Sunday the 14th at P2, see you there for this fun day for all ages for skiing, chatting and enjoying the beautiful Kane Valley and all her wonders.
    P2 is not plowed out as of yet, but many have accessed it still.
    Shelley CH
    NNSC Director

  19. Kate Anderson says:

    We have been skiing the Aspen trail with (and without) our dogs the past few days. You can park on the road, VSA has made a slightly wider spot to park and you can ski in right from there. There is no one skiing down there… so if you want an alternative to Matthews dog friendly loop, this is a good one! With dogs you can continue on Aspen down to P5 and back… or without dogs go anywhere you like. There was an inch of fresh snow this morning.

  20. Shelley CH says:

    January 5, 2018
    Mike and I skied P5 to Kane yesterday and it was lovely and we met amazing Joe on the trail and wonderful Sandra 🙂

    January 6, 2018
    3 groomers were out today ( 2 in-training so a big thank-you to Hubby, Don and Mike).
    Today Hill’s Homestead, Sky High, Kane, Aspen, Harmon, Crossover, ASP were all groomed. A huge day for the guys. So thank-you for your hard work in this deep snow and warmer conditions that can be challenging for sure.
    Trees mentioned in JH posting have been removed today, so thank-you.
    Grooming will commence when groomers are available. Currently we are experiencing an electrical issue with the track setter and are trouble shooting, thanks for you patience.
    P2 not plowed out as of today, 4-wheel drives have driven in there. Parking at P3 and skiing across to P-2 may work better for some 2 wheel drive people right now.
    Happy skiing, early is best with this warmer weather pattern at the moment.
    Shelley CH
    NNSC Director.

  21. jh says:

    Jan 4 2018 Skied from p1 ravens ridge in to menzies, over to gulch, up gulch to ski over easy to P5. Crossed the road and came back on Kane to West Mathews. Up Mathews to come down chute back to P1. I think this loop is 11km. Took 2 1/2 hrs. Menzies, gulch, overeasy and Kane have been packed. There are no set tracks, but snow is still good and soft. There is one over hang tree on kane that is ok. A second tree looks like it came down after the grooming, but skiers have gone around the tip of it. These are close to January landing. Skyhigh and Hills Homestead are untouched snow. Unless you have a dog, I would avoid Mathews loop. It is really the hardest used trail (like a dog’s breakfast—joking!) after the smoothness of the others. The groomer/tracksetter is parked at Mathews shelter which might explain no trackset as of today. Dress warm and enjoy the lovely snow.

  22. jh says:

    Skied P1 ravens ridge, gultch, Vale to P3 today Jan 1, 2018. What a day to start the new year! It is gorgeous at Kane! Raven”s and gultch are packed allowing nice easy skiing. Dress warm and enjoy. Thank you Shelley for the updating and thanks to all the people who have made the trails skiable with this much snow.

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