Welcome 2020-2021 Season!
We are so looking forward to the amazing turn out this year, once the snow starts to come that is! Below are some updates on membership for this year.
Note: To check current trail conditions and grooming updates scroll to the bottom of this page and click on the ‘leave a comment’ button. For instructions on how to leave a comment continue to the end of this page.
To join the club or renew your membership – click here
- Membership forms and e-transfer payments can be forwarded to nicolanordic@gmail.com
- 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.
- Day Use Fee– ski trails are available for day use, $10 fee per person. Please pay the fee at the boxes provided at trailheads, Thanks!
- Breathe Bikes also offers a free ski rental or ski wax to new Nicola Nordic members – check it out: Breathe Bikes
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 are now signs for the snowshoe trails – PLEASE DO NOT SNOWSHOE ON THE GROOMED SKI TRAILS.
For instructions on how to leave a comment click here.
Great website for some basic cross country ski exercises
https://www.blog.tirol/en/2019/12/fit-for-cross-country-skiing/
Enjoy, James
January 3, 2021
It was an interesting ski today from P3 up Vale, over Ravens Ridge, returning via Menzies to P3. What made it interesting was the ice crust under the trees, softer winter conditions across the ridge which resulted in variable conditions throughout the trip. The trail survived and was in much better condition than we had envisioned given the rain we received in town Merritt yesterday and overnight. Kudos to the grooming efforts to date. It sure would be nice to have ALL parking lots on Kane Valley Road plowed out by YRB for us cross country skiing enthusiasts.
Thanks for your inputs, jh, Susie & JD. Glad you enjoyed your respective experiences. I can well imagine the tricky snow (and ice) conditions. It can be treacherous when you hit those icy spots. It’s going to be a mixed bag of weather most of this week. Unfortunately we won’t be able to do any further grooming until Friday at the earliest. Sorry. Stay safe and happy skiing.
Temp was +1 at noon at p1. I put liquid day wax on skis preparing for sticky snow. There was a skiff of new snow and I was first tracks across Menzies and up Gulch. At 12:40pm I met two skiers from Langley coming down gulch. They were making first tracks from p3 so we were the only ones up there. Nice friendly couple. The snow was friendly soft and easy to ski. Going up the steep hill at the far end of Gulch there was a bit of harder snow (not ice) under one tree so I was really pleased with the trail conditions. There was no snow sticking anywhere today. Coming down, I was surprised to find Raven’s ridge above Tillicum so crusted my poles and skis were hampered. The temperature was +5 when I got back to the car. I have no solution for skiing in crusted snow. It was overall a great day out in the wilderness. Lots of coyote tracks. The snowshoe trails are well tracked in. Each day is another gift. jh
Greetings skiers. Doesn’t look like the best of days weather-wise to go skiing. Just a heads up that we haven’t got a January 2021 blog set up yet; hoping for Monday of next week. Until then, any posts can be written or seen in the December, 2020 blog. Stay safe.
Greetings skiers and Happy New Year. Here is your Kane Valley trail report for January 1, 2021.
Some really good news….P3 parking lot has been fully plowed! It was done overnight by a YRB grader. It pushed some serious snow around. There’s now two entrances to the lot, and room for as many as 20 vehicles. Please have the courtesy to park one behind the other along the sides of the snow banks, leaving the middle open for coming and going. And don’t park too close together.
The grader did not do P2 parking lot, and I can understand why. The entrance is too narrow, and there’s nowhere to just push the massive amount of snow that’s built up. It’s going to require a loader to come in and actually remove the snow and take it somewhere else.
Sincere thanks to the many people who contacted (and complained to) YRB and got the fire started. Now, let’s keep the heat on and get P2 resolved. It’s by far our safest parking location, being the largest, away from the main road, closest to a shelter, and closest to family and pet-friendly trails that cater to everyone.
The grader also widened Kane Valley Road as well. A word of caution, however….be careful coming back out on Kane Valley Road to the highway. The grader has pushed the snow so far back on the right that the ditch is exposed. If you drive too far over, you’re going to find that ditch with your right wheels.
Now to the skiing today. The weather was a real potpourri. Overcast and threatening at 10 a.m. Sunny and warm by 1 p.m. I recorded a high of +8 degrees. The mild temperature made for some tricky snow conditions in the middle of the day. I skied Kane-Hill’s Homestead-Kane from P3 and experienced a bit of everything. It’s a good idea to pack some waxes with you on spring-like days like today, as well as a scraper to get rid of stuck-on snow. A shout-out to the skier who did Hill’s yesterday afternoon, right after it had been groomed. Good job. It’s a challenging trail with a sustained climb to start and a speedy descent to finish. Watch out for the snow fence! And a shout-out to Rob Rose who skied Raven’s-Vale-Kane-Matthew’s Loops-Chute early this morning and provided us with some valuable feedback.
For the second day in a row, the turnout of skiers in the Kane Valley was tremendous. There were a dozen vehicles at P3, another eight or so at P1, and quite possibly more down at P5 and P6.
Let’s hope we can ‘weather’ these next couple of days of mild temperatures and possible rain. Things look more promising (for the Kane Valley at least) starting Sunday, January 3 and on into next week.
We welcome posts on this blog from any and all Kane Valley users. Share your skiing experience, offer advice, and ask questions. Just go to the very end of the posts for the current month and you’ll see a box that says Please Leave A Comment. Ce n’est pas difficile.
Stay safe and happy skiing.
Skied p1 Raven’s, to lunch box down Vale to p3 onto Kane onto Mathew’s west the Mathews East down Shute to p1. Autumn day. Early skiing was best. Raven was sticky in the open areas. The hill on Vale down to p3 was a bit challenging but still good. Mathew’s west has been well used and in good shape. Mathew’s East has a packed trail with not as much use still good shape. The hill at Shute is fast and slick. All in all very happy with the trails
Forgot to mention, we also packed and groomed pet-friendly Aspen trail for the first time. It’s now accessible from either P5 or P6. Lots of snow, so your dog, cat, gerbil or anaconda will get a good workout.
Stay safe and happy skiing.
Greetings skiers. Here is your Kane Valley trail report for New Year’s Eve, Thursday, December 31, 2020.
It was a glorious day for being outdoors today, and most definitely for cross-country skiing the Kane Valley trails. The sun was out, the temperature was perfect, the snow was abundant, ………. you get the drift! Skiers were out in big numbers; we counted close to 30 during our grooming travels.
Unlike yesterday, we got a lot of grooming and packing accomplished today. On the east side of the main road, we improved Kane, Matthew’s Loops and Chute, while on the west side, we enhanced Raven’s Ridge, Gulch, Vale, Menzies and Asp.
The big news is we got in first-time runs on Tillicum, Crossover, Sundown, Lower Ravine, Skyhigh, and all of Hill’s Homestead. The latter trail is absolutely beautiful, and on my list to ski on New Year’s Day. It is so pristine and quiet up at the top that you think you’re in another world.
Once our #1 snowmobile is back in action, we hope to do some significant track setting for the kick-and-glide crowd. Stay tuned.
Now for the not-so-good news. If you’ve been watching the weather forecasts, you see a real warming trend heading our way for the next five to six days. Daytime temperatures in Merritt will be well above zero, with periods of rain predicted. We can only cross our fingers and hope that things are cooler up in the Kane Valley, and any precipitation comes in the form of snow. All the more reason not to tarry. Get out and get skiing while the going’s good. FYI, an excellent site to check on Kane Valley weather (as opposed to Merritt), go to https://www.yr.no/en/forecast/daily-table/2-5989173/Canada/British%20Columbia/Kane%20Valley. Seems the Norwegians like to track our weather systems.
It’s not too late to get your Nicola Nordic Ski Club membership at a great price. Stop in and see Travis at Breathe Bikes on Quilchena Ave., or go online to http://www.nicolanordic.ca, click Membership and follow the directions.
To one and all, a very Happy New Year.
Stay safe and happy skiing.
Greetings skiers. Here is your Kane Valley trail report for Wednesday, December 30th.
Conditions for skiing were excellent again today, with temperatures right around the zero mark, little to no wind, and abundant snow.
Kudos to the two skiers who did the length of Kane trail from P3 to P5 and back in the morning, and a cheery welcome to Gunther Fadum from Surrey who was up skiing Matthew’s in the afternoon. Gunther is a member of our Nordic Club.
The good news: P3 parking lot is finally partially open, with room for 5-6 vehicles. The bad news: It’s only half done, with only one way in and out. Coming from town, you’ll have to go to the far end of the parking lot and attempt a difficult right turn to get into the lot, OR back-up into the lot, OR drive past the lot, turn around further down the road and drive back to the lot. You’ll have to plan carefully how to get out of the lot and headed back to the highway as well.
There’s more bad news: The only reason P3 got partially plowed was because I flagged the YRB driver down and pleaded with him. The truck promptly got stuck. The volume of snow is enormous. He finally plowed about half of the lot and then left. He did not attempt P2 at all. Houston, we have a problem.
Unfortunately, grooming and packing did not go well today. We had electrical AND mechanical problems with the snowmobiles and the packers/track setters. We limped back to home base having only groomed all of Kane and both Matthew’s Loops. We set a beautiful track on the midsection of Kane, only to have the machine break down. Sorry about that, folks.
We’re hoping to get out tomorrow (New Year’s Eve) with a back-up sled, and continue to upgrade trails, and open up others. There’ll be no track setting. We know that ski trails that haven’t been touched since the ‘big dump’ are virtually impassable until we get some packing done. Please be patient, and enjoy the beauty and good fortune that we do have.
Stay safe and happy skiing.
Greetings skiers. Here is your Kane Valley trail report for Sunday, December 27th.
Conditions for skiing were excellent today, with temperatures around the zero mark, and the snow light and forgiving. It was good to see skiers out on Matthew’s, Raven’s, Menzies and Kane.
Grooming and packing went very well today. We didn’t get stuck once! We redid Kane from P2 to P5, Matthew’s Loop West, Chute, Raven’s Ridge, Gulch, Menzies and Lower Vale from Teiffel’s Landing to P3. With each pass, we try and widen the trail and pack it in preparation for eventual track setting. We also did first-time passes on Matthew’s Loop East and Upper Vale (from Lunchbox Shelter to Teiffel’s Landing). The latter had a significant tree down across the trail; we were able to cut it up and clear it.
Our hope is to get out some more times this week. We’ll try and continue to upgrade the trails mentioned above, and open up a few others – most notably (pet-friendly) Aspen, Hill’s Homestead, Tillicum and Crossover. We may also do another reconnaissance of Harmon and Overeasy to see if they’re ready to open up. If you have a particular favorite trail that has yet to be spoken of, please let us know and we’ll try and work on it a.s.a.p.
Sorry for the dizzying array of snowmobile tracks at most landings and some trail intersections. The snow is so deep that simple, efficient turnarounds are challenging (especially for me) and the scenic route must sometimes be taken. Treat it like a maze, and see if you can find the best route to your intended destination.
As requested, we’ve restocked the outhouse at P3 with toilet paper. Please let us know if any other biffies run low, or any shelters are shy of firewood.
Stay safe and happy skiing.
Skied Menzies, Gultch and Ravens ridge from p1. Stepped off the Ravens trail to let the Rookie blast by with Ace Man following behind with the packer. You guys are the best! The snow today is marshmellow marvelous. This is the kind of snow that beginners feel safe skiing as it helps you move slowly and stay in control. Thank you Ian, for the road reports. Knowing I can get up there, park, and get back to town is a huge factor on what days I ski. Without you guys packing the trails the winter wonderland of Kane would be too difficult to access and that would be a great loss.
Correction to my last two posts. Kane is groomed from P2 to P5, not P6. Sorry for any confusion.
Greetings skiers. I hope you had a nice Christmas. Here is your Kane Valley trail report for Saturday, December 26th.
Conditions for skiing (and snowshoeing and ice fishing) were fantastic today, with temperatures hovering around the zero mark for most of the morning and afternoon, a huge base of 50+ centimetres in most places, and a dusting of fresh snow. My daughter, her dog, Ryka, and I enjoyed Matthew’s West loop and Chute immensely. We started to break trail around Matthew’s East loop, but quickly changed our minds. The snow was well above our knees.
A special shout-out to the three skiers who did Matthew’s with their little pug chugging along behind. The wee fella is going to be tired tonight. Also, a shout-out to Karen from Australia who was on skis for the first time ever. Good on ya’, Sheila!
Parking continues to be at a premium on the Kane Valley Road, with P2 and P3 parking lots still not plowed out. Again, we urge everyone to get on YRB’s case by calling their office during business hours (250-315-0166) or by going online to http://www.yrb.ca/yrb-group/Nicola/Nicola-info and clicking on Report a Problem About Roads in a YRB Service Area. Remind them nicely that all previous road contractors (Emcon, HMC, VSA) did us the service of clearing these parking lots expeditiously, which service the Kane Valley recreational area. Here is a detailed breakdown of the parking situation for skiers as it stands:
P1 – a nice large pullout that can accommodate up to a dozen vehicles, and is rarely full.
P2 – completely out of commission at the moment; do not even think of using it.
P3 – also out of commission at the moment; vehicles are parking right on the road and it’s busy; use and approach carefully.
P4 – a busy pullout for ice fishermen and their entourages; of no practical use for skiers presently, as Overeasy ski trail is currently closed.
P5 – a small pullout that can accommodate about 6-8 vehicles; heavily used by skiers and snowshoers.
P6 – very, very limited parking on the side of the road; no real pullout; a long slog into the Aspen ski trail as none of the Harmon Lake roads have been plowed at all.
A final word about parking. Getting turned around on the Kane Valley Road can be a bit of a challenge in itself, especially for long vehicles like mine (standard 2003 Dodge one-ton crew cab with horrible turning radius). You may have to go a couple of kilometers to find a suitable spot, or be prepared to do a 16-point turn. Cars and SUVs, no problem.
As reported yesterday, trails that have been groomed are: Kane from P2 to P6 (probably your best bet overall), Matthew’s Loop West, Chute, Raven’s Ridge, Gulch, Menzies, Asp, and Vale from Teiffel’s Landing to P3.
The hope is to get out tomorrow, Dec. 27th, to do more trail grooming. We’ll try to upgrade the ones already mentioned, and maybe try to take a run at a couple of others. As previously mentioned, the huge snowfall last week has made everything quite challenging. Be patient.
Stay safe and happy skiing.
Thanks groomers! We saw you working hard yesterday! Grateful! We enjoyed breaking a portion of Barton’s snowshoe trail. It was deep but exhilarating to be out in the beauty!
Had to park on the main road with many others but left a request with highways this a.m. to clear the parking lots.
Greetings skiers, here is your Kane Valley trail report for Thursday, December 24th.
As poster Rob Rose stated earlier today, the Kane Valley Road has now been plowed (and sanded), including pullouts at P1, P4, P5 and P6. However, the proper parking lots at P2 and P3 have not been plowed or sanded at all. Definitely do not try to drive into P2 into it’s plowed out. Today, anyone hoping to access P2 and P3 were forced to park on the road in front of P3; not an ideal situation.
We need to get onto YRB (Yellowhead Road & Bridge) in a big way to do our P2 and P3 parking lots as soon as possible after a snowfall; they have always been done by previous highways contractors (i.e. Emcon, HMC). Please consider advocating for this by phoning YRB during business hours at (250) 315-0166 or going online to http://www.yrb.ca/yrb-group/Nicola/Nicola-info and clicking on Report a Problem About Roads in a YRB Service Area. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Now to trail reporting. The grooming was extremely tough going today with the huge amount of fresh snow coming all at one time. Up to 100cm (39 inches) fell in places. Our faithful snowmobiles got stuck multiple times (count all your fingers and toes). We were only able to hitch our small groomer to one of the sleds, while the other sled simply broke trail out in front. We were unable to do any track setting at all.
Trails that were groomed today were: Kane from P2 to P6 (probably your best bet overall), Matthew’s Loop West, Chute, Raven’s Ridge, Gulch, Menzies, Asp, and Vale from Teiffel’s Landing to P3. The grooming was/is very basic at best. You’ll find the skiing quite challenging at times, with deep powder on the sides. Make descents carefully. The positive news – if you fall, the abundant snow makes for a nice cushioned landing. Good luck getting up.
If you decide to back-country ski one of the ungroomed trails, be prepared for some hard work, and to lose sight of your skis for extended periods of time. Don’t panic; they’re under there somewhere.
There was a lot of activity in the Kane Valley today, with many skiers, snowshoers and ice fishermen enjoying the beautiful conditions. We hope to be back grooming trails on Dec. 27th. Have a wonderful Christmas everyone, and remember –
Stay safe and happy skiing.
The information I received is the Kane Valley road was Plod yesterday.
The information I got is the road was -lowed yesterday.
Just got back from Kane Valley. Roads are fine, but the parking lots aren’t plowed. Tried to ski off P1, but it was too deep. One of us had rented skis, so the good news is we know how to put them on and take them off. Can’t wait til tomorrow. The snow was lovely and the skies were blue.
HI, Sandra. Hopefully my report on Dec. 22 answered your question about trail grooming after the big snowfall. The earliest we can get out is tomorrow, Dec. 24. As for the status of Kane Valley Road, I’m still awaiting word that it’s been plowed. I highly recommend that you DO NOT venture up that road until it IS plowed. Stay safe and happy skiing.
Dec23. Has the road been ploughed and have any trails been groomed after the big snowfall.
Greetings skiers, here is an abbreviated Kane Valley trail report for Tuesday, December 22nd.
The snow that we have long been pining for finally arrived with a vengeance on Monday of this week. More than 50 cm (19.5 inches) fell in some parts of the Merritt area, in a little more than 12 hours. For most, today (Tuesday) was spent shoveling and plowing in a big way (just to get out of the driveway!). It was best not to risk the Kane Valley as the main road was not plowed for much of the day and driving was hazardous.
Our hope is to get trail grooming and setting track on Thursday, December 24th. The volume of new snow is going to present a challenge. The priority will be the more popular trails. Weather-wise, the forecast for the next few days looks excellent, with single-digit, below-zero day-time temperatures and a fair amount of sunshine. If we can get the trails groomed, it could be some of the best skiing this season.
I’ve had a few past and present cross-country skiers state that negotiating hills can be quite intimidating, especially for the young, the elderly and the beginner-novice. The Kane Valley trail network has its share of ups and downs, and they need to be handled with caution, but without fear. Remember, there are multiple ways to get yourself up a hill and down a hill.
If an uphill grade is just too much for you, simply remove your skis and walk up the side. The next safest method is turning sideways to the hill and sidestepping up, slowly and methodically. A little more advanced is to herringbone up, with your skis angled out somewhere between 30-45 degrees. Using your poles efficiently behind you will really help. It takes a bit of practice. Stop and rest any time you start to feel discombobulated. Lots of skiers use this method to tackle a hill; their tracks are quite distinctive. Finally, if you’re looking for a bit more of a challenge, you can try to ‘run-ski’ straight up the slope. As the name implies, it feels just like running a hill – quick, short steps, with exaggerated use of the arms (and poles). Timing and co-ordination is crucial. Stay too long on a ski and you’ll backslip and likely fall.
The options for going down a hill are very similar. Safest – simply remove the skis and walk down the side. Don’t ever feel embarrassed. Your well-being is always paramount. Second, sidestep down, again slowly and methodically. Keep the skis parallel across the hill, and don’t cross them over. A variation on this is sideslipping, where you gently release and engage your ski edges so that your skis slip downwards, stop, slip downwards stop, and so on. Third, snowplow or wedge ski down, keeping the fronts (toes) of your skis almost touching and the backs (heels) of your skis angled out 30-45 degrees. Apply strong pressure to the inside edges of your skis to control your speed, and keep your knees bent and centre of gravity back. If you start to go too fast or lose control, sit down – don’t fall forward. I personally do a variation of the snowplow on steep hills, where I have one ski quite severely angled and in front, and the other ski more or less pointing straight down the hill. Don’t ask me how or why, but I just feel more comfortable and in control. Whatever works for you.
Stay safe and happy skiing.
Greetings skiers, here is your Kane Valley trail report for Friday, December 18.
Once again, the morning was the best time to ski, as the temperature rose to +6 degrees by midday, making the snow heavy and sticky.
It was wonderful to see several families (and their pets) out skiing Matthew’s Loop today. Kudos to the mom who had her wee one on her back, and to the three-generation quartet who took the time to also enjoy a fire at the P2 shelter. The youth are our future.
There’s a limited amount of kindling and firewood at most of the shelters, courtesy of the Nicola Nordic Ski Club. Let us know if a shelter runs out. Please bring your own fire starter.
Just a reminder that Chute, both Matthew’s Loops and Aspen are the designated pet-friendly trails. Feel free to bring your dog, cat, gerbil, budgie or python along.
Trail grooming and track setting was a bit of a slog today due to the snow density and a breakdown. Nevertheless, we managed to do both Matthew’s Loops, Kane (right to P5), Hill’s Homestead, Vale, Gulch, and the Menzies-Raven’s Ridge-Tillicum-Asp Loop.
We also did the open section of Harmon from the junction with Gulch to the North Pole (junction with North trail). This is where the snow is most abundant, and some very good skiing can be had if you don’t mind the uphill climb. We also did an exploratory run down the length of Harmon from the North Pole, past the Beaver Pond, and down to the Kane Valley Road. While the upper half of this 4km-long stretch is excellent, the lower section still lacks snow. It will continue to remain closed for the time being. The same applies to Overeasy.
Yellowhead Road and Bridge (YRB) is the highway contractor in charge of keeping the Kane Valley Road ploughed. They have also consented to do our designated off-road and roadside parking areas as often as possible. So far, the road has definitely been ploughed by 11 a.m., sometimes earlier. Continue to drive with extreme caution on this road at any time of day. We share it with residents, commercial vehicles, ice fishermen, snowshoers, etc.
Stay safe and happy skiing.
As the saying goes, “The early bird gets the worm.” That was definitely the case today in the Kane Valley as the best skiing was in the morning. Between 2-5 cm of fresh snow (depending on elevation) had fallen overnight, and the temperature was -2 degrees at 10 a.m. By 1 p.m. the temperature was +6 degrees and the snow was definitely sticking.
I parked at P5 and had good conditions for the ascent and descent of Skyhigh and the Hill’s Homestead loop. Had an early lunch at the actual homestead site – a truly delightful location that even has a bench! Added the Matthew’s Loop before returning on Kane to P5. Big mistake. Sun was out and the snow was slow and sticky. A grind.
We hope to be out tomorrow (Friday) grooming and tracking. Among other things, we’ll try to fix up Kane between P5 and January Landing. A whole bunch of foot traffic has kind of made a mess of things. There’s also a tree across the trail at the top of Homestead that we’ll remove. Please let us know if you come across debris or trees down on any of the trails, or anything else that needs repair or maintenance.
Stay safe and happy skiing.
Skied Mathews loop 1 1/2 times today. Snow was good until noon, then a bit sticky in spots. The road is plowed. What a lovely place to enjoy the day.
Skiers, don’t be fooled by the lack of snow in the valley bottoms (i.e. Merritt). The ski conditions in the Kane Valley are very good to excellent, with a foot of snow at road level, and as much as two to three feet of the white stuff at higher elevations.
Today, December 15, saw temperatures ranging from -2 degrees at 11 a.m. to +1 degree by 2 p.m. There was a light wind. Two to three centimeters of fresh snow had fallen the previous night.
I parked at P3 and skied Vale, Lower Gulch and Harmon to the western junction of Harmon and North trails (appropriately named the North Pole). The snow was a bit warm but not sticky. It provided excellent grip for the long uphill climb, and a bit of welcome resistance during the exhilarating trip back down. Panorama landing and shelter is always one of my favorite destinations – so incredibly peaceful and remote, with lots of animal tracks.
Just a reminder that the Harmon trail is closed beyond the North Pole all the way down to the Kane Valley Road as the last bit of logging activity wraps up. We’ll let you know when this long uphill/downhill stretch reopens.
Back at Teiffel’s Landing, I did the Menzies – Raven’s Ridge – Tillicum – Asp loop. This is an excellent beginner circuit, with just a bit of challenging downhill at the conclusion of Asp. Large segments of this loop have been single-tracked, making it all the more user-friendly.
With a bit of luck, the Kane Valley will get some of the 20-30 cm of snow projected for the Coquihalla between Hope and Merritt tonight. Hopefully, the temperature will be low enough that it remains snow and doesn’t become rain. If so, it should be a beautiful day for skiing tomorrow.
Stay safe and happy skiing.
Greetings skiers. Here is the second trail report of the 2020-21 season from your groomers.
Sunday, December 13 was another excellent day in the Kane Valley, with -3 degree temperatures at 10 a.m., and absolutely no wind.
We spent three hours today grooming for the first time those trails that we were unable to get to the day before on Saturday, as well as going over some of the trails already done once. The going was extremely rough at times due to ruts created by vehicle traffic in the spring, summer and fall, and erosion from spring runoff.
Done for the first time today: bottom half of Ravine, Tillicum, Connector, Tolko, Harmon from Gulch intersection to Panorama Shelter, and Neill’s Way.
We’ve been advised not to do the rest of Harmon or any of Overeasy just yet as mop-up activity is still going on from the logging that was done in October and November. Skiers are advised to stay off these two sections of trail until further notice.
Today, North and Lynx trails were formerly closed off to skiing for the remainder of this season, with signs posted and DANGER tape on display.
Trails that were re-groomed today included the popular Kane, Raven’s Ridge, Hill’s Homestead, and Matthew’s West Loop. Kane is now also double-tracked, while Raven’s and Hill’s are single-tracked. For the time being, tracking is not being done on steep hills, so that skiers can safely and comfortably herringbone up and snowplough down. Over time, our hope is to have the best of both worlds: a groomed trail wide enough for a single track on one side, and plenty of room on the other side for less experienced skiers.
The forecast for the coming week is for generous amounts of precipitation. We can only hope that the temperatures in the Kane Valley are low enough that the precipitation comes in the form of snow, and not the dreaded rain. Keep your fingers crossed.
Once again, a reminder that we would like to receive as much feedback as possible with respect to trail conditions and grooming. Your input and constructive criticism will help us to do a better job. You can post your thoughts here, or email them directly to ianwebster@merrittbc.net
Stay safe, and happy skiing.
Greetings and welcome skiers. This is the first trail report of the 2020-21 season from your groomers – Hub ‘Ace’ Mann and Ian ‘Rookie’ Webster. We hope to post regular reports on trail, snow, ski and weather conditions so that you can plan for the best possible experience on the Kane Valley Ski Trails.
Logging activity and hunting season have both wrapped up in the Kane Valley, and it is safe again to travel the roads and trails of the area. Today, December 12, was a magnificent day with beautiful sunny skies, -2 degree temperatures, and enough old and new snow to make cross-country skiing a delight.
We spent five hours today on two sleds grooming 51 kilometres of ski trails for the first time this season. The focus was on establishing a firm base, smoothing out ruts, leveling off high and low spots, and removing recently-fallen debris. Things are not perfect yet, but with continued attention and some more snow, things will only get better and better.
Here are the trails that were groomed today:
East of Kane Valley Road: both Matthew’s Loops, Chute, Kane, top half of Ravine, Sundown, Aspen, Hill’s Homestead and Skyhigh.
West of Kane Valley Road: Raven’s Ridge, Gulch, Vale, Asp, Crossover and Menzies.
Only the Kane trail has been tracked so far.
Not done yet: Overeasy, Harmon, Neill’s Way, bottom half of Ravine, Tillicum, Connector and Tolko.
Closed for the season due to recent logging activity or trail damage: North and Lynx.
Throughout this ski season, we would like to receive as much feedback as possible with respect to trail conditions and grooming. Your input and constructive criticism will help us to do a better job. You can post your thoughts and suggestions, or email them directly to ianwebster@merrittbc.net
Stay safe, and happy skiing.