- The Nicola Nordic Ski Club maintains the Kane Valley Crosscountry Ski Trails near Merritt, British Columbia.
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Greetings Skiers:
On the last day of January, not a lot of good news skiing-wise. The temperature continues to soar, both during the day and at night time, resulting in rapidly-deteriorating snow conditions. An intrepid skier yesterday (Tuesday) tackled Harmon, North and Lynx and said the conditions were hazardous, with lots of ice and ridges. I would recommend refraining from going up high at this time. Stick to the safer, easier trails closer to the main road.
We’ve suspended grooming this week until the temperature drops, if indeed it does. Southern Interior winter weather seems to be becoming more and more Coastal with double-digit plus temperatures and frequent precipitation in the form of rain. All the ski hills and areas are feeling the negative effects. One can only wonder what the snow pack is like high in the mountains, and what the implications are for spring flooding and/or summer drought.
Happy trails.
Greetings Skiers:
Despite the warm temperatures of the last couple of days, there is still abundant snow in the Kane Valley. It’s a little icy first thing in the morning, but softens up as the thermometer rises. Good time to ski? Try 11 a.m. You may need to experiment a bit with waxes.
As promised, our A-team groomers (Vern and Gary) were out on Sunday breaking trail and packing Harmon, North, Lynx and Hill’s Homestead for those diehard skiers (a.k.a. jh) who love isolation, a real sense of back-country, and a good workout! The guys will be back at it on Wednesday, improving those same trails with the small grooming machine.
The large grooming machine (with track setter) is undergoing a few electrical repairs. We hope to have it out on the well-known, busy trails by this coming weekend.
Two weekends ago, we had a pair of skiers run into trouble halfway along Ravens Ridge when one of their skis ‘delaminated’ – the entire bottom layer of the ski, from tip to tail, just fell off! The ski was essentially unusable. I’ve never seen this happen before. Fortunately we were able to give them a ride on the skidoos back to home base.
Chili Sunday was a working day for groomers, but I hear it was a great success. The weather was terrific, although the snow was a bit sticky. Many thanks to Lucy and Ed from North Vancouver, who not only attended but provided a lesson as well. A pair of great ambassadors for the Kane Valley trail network.
Happy trails.
Greetings Skiers:
Up at Kane this morning before 9 a.m. Some great skiing conditions early. Got pretty warm as the day progressed. As jh commented in her post, watch for the yellow snow beneath trees – icy at times.
Started grooming from P3 by going up Vale to Lunchbox shelter, then down Crossover via Ravens. Did a small section of Gulch before dropping the small grooming machine and sledding Overeasy for the first time this season. It wasn’t over easy! Tough going, especially the second half on the sidehill over to P5. Crossed the road and did Kane to Lower Ravine, then Sundown and Aspen. The latter three were all first-time runs with the grooming sleds this season, and again it was tough going! Lots of snow!
A word about Aspen. Went all the way to P6 (Harmon Lake) and back with our sleds. Pleased to report that for the first time in several years, ice fishermen and the likes have not wrecked the snow on the road running along the lake from P6. It’s in great condition for skiing like the good old days, so that’s where we groomed a trail. That said, there are two cattleguards on that section of Aspen that skiers need to be mindful when crossing. Tread carefully.
On the return trip on Aspen, we went down the steep hill adjacent to Porter Bypass. Very steep and rolling. Proceed with caution, especially downhill. Groomed Kane back to P3, picked up the big groomer and refreshed Kane yet again, and Matthew’s Loops. All in all, a very successful but tiring day.
Groomers hope to be back out on Sunday, with the A-team of Vern and Gary tackling Harmon, Lynx and North for the first time this year. Could be interesting! Would be wonderful if we can open up the high country to skiers before the season is over.
Pleased to report that the latest plowing by YRB included the main (middle) entrance to P3. Makes the parking lot far more accessible.
SIgnage is now up indicating where NOT to park at P1, P2, P3, P5 and P6. These are access/crossing points for grooming machines.
Happy trails!
Jan 26 2024 Parked at P1 at 9:50am> Temp was 1+ cloudy. The road up was ploughed and sanded, and did not see any logging trucks. Ravens has some use and the drip zone of all trees on all the trails was some degree of icy. Keep watchful of speed control. Went up Tillicum as it was less used. Asp going up had no ski traffic on a packed trail. Skied Ravens and down Gulch to make a track down Gulch By Pass. Deep (24inches)soft unmarked snow. Tried a few steps up unpacked Harmon, but will wait for another day. Went up Crossover and Vale to Lunchbox at noon as the sun broke out. Came back down Asp to Tillicum then Ravens to car. It was 8degrees at 1pm. The snow is incredibly soft and forgiving except for the drip zones. Great ski. jh
I think we did as much talking as skiing today! It was great to see so many people out enjoying the trails and to receive such warm welcomes from everyone. We did a short loop out from P1 along Raven’s Ridge to Gulch and back around on Menzies before heading back to the coast. Conditions were a little spring-like: a crust over powder to start, slightly icy under the trees, and quite soft in the sun. Thanks again to Ian and Gary for packing the trails and to everyone we met for making our visit so much fun. Take advantage of the snow while it lasts!
Another wonderful day at Kane Valley. We really enjoyed meeting so many club members at Chili Sunday, and skiing with Daphne, Peter, Ken, Herta, and Janet. Thanks to everyone who helped organize this event and to the groomers for packing so many of the trails. From P2, we crossed the road and skied up Vale to Raven’s Ridge, then down to P1, up and down Chute, around the Matthews Loops and a quick out and back on Kane. Though many people reported sticky snow, we were lucky. Lots of animal tracks, sunshine, and quiet. See you again soon.
Greetings Skiers:
A long overdue post as my internet was down for several days. Sorry about that.
There’s plenty of snow in the Kane Valley, and skiing the last couple of days was exquisite! The warming temperatures are greatly appreciated.
Groomers were out on stormy Wednesday of this week, battling winds and drifting snow to try and firm up and improve the likes of Kane, Matthew’s Loops, Chute, Raven’s Ridge, Gulch and Menzies. They’ll be out on Chili Sunday doing more of the same, and trying to get first passes in on a number of other trails above and below the road that have yet to be groomed this year. We had to wait two months to get enough snow to work with; when it came, it came in bucket loads!
Further to the above, it looks like this will very much be a back-country skiing type of year in the Kane Valley, as we are going to find it quite challenging to groom some of the steeper trails up high that have received so much snow in such a short period of time. Embrace the challenge, and please be patient.
Parking lots 1,2, 3 and 4 have all been plowed. Parking lot 5 has only a small pullout, and parking lot 6 virtually no pullout at all. If using parking lot 3, enter and exit by the first driveway, as the middle driveway has not been plowed and the third driveway is quite blind and requires a very sharp turn.
Please note that the Kane Valley Road remains quite dangerous to drive, especially on week days when logging trucks are active. It has been plowed, but as of 4 p.m. today, it has not been recently sanded. Exercise extreme caution when climbing the hill after turning off the highway. Also, the sharp curve at the Kane Valley Ranch entrance halfway between P1 and P2 continues to be hazardous. Drive it s-l-o-w-l-y because it is sloped the wrong way. There was a serious accident today that saw a vehicle spill off the road and roll several times down into the field below. It was a miracle the ice fisherman walked away from his truck which was totaled. Even YRB has had one of its plow trucks go over the edge at that same spot.
Here’s hoping a good number of you take in Chili Sunday, and get in a ski.
Happy trails.
An incredible day of skiing today! We chose to wait until things warmed up a bit as it was -27 at the break of dawn up here in Kane Valley. We started at 12:30 from P1, temps were -15 and we were prepared with multiple layers and were warm. Had an awesome ski up Ravens and all around…. went and found Neils Valley and the light was pulling through the overcast clouds… nothing short of magical. There is a solid foot up top, so no worries skiing under trees.
Chili Sunday is January 21st, from 11-2. This year we have Lucy and Ed coming to join us from the Vancouver Skiers and are offering ski lessons at 11:30 (for the beginners) and 12:30 for brushing up on your glide and gleaning a few tips to improve your skills. Bring enough chili for yourself to add to the communal pot, bring your own bowl and utensils and the club will provide the buns and some hot drinks, and some treats.
Chili Sunday buns and snacks and lessons are covered this year by the LOVE fund!!!! Yup, that’s the name of it…. The United Way funds spread love in the community! Chili Sunday is open to everyone, it’s a free day for the community to come out and play. The fires will be going at P2, which is now plowed out …. so COME out and PLAY:) with us.
More snow expected this week. We will keep you posted! Thanks to Ian and Gary for the grooming, the snow is fantastic!
Happy Trails,
Kate.
Greetings Skiers:
My profound apologies for not better communicating with you the status of the snow and ski conditions on the Kane Valley trails in the months of November and December. After 40+ years on the ranch, our family is in the process of moving into town. It has been quite an experience!
The bottom line is there was next to no snow through those two months, and therefore no skiing. It’s only been the last week or so that Mother Nature has blessed us with some of the white fluffy stuff. A sharp contrast to last ski season when we began grooming on November 3.
We groomers were out for the first time on Wednesday of this week, packing and grooming some of the more popular trails on the north and south sides of the Kane Valley Road. Trails that received one or more passes are Raven’s Ridge, Gulch, Menzies, Vale, Crossover, and Tillicum on the north side, along with Kane, Chute and both Matthew’s Loops on the south side. The only trail of the aforementioned that has some track setting is Kane. A half dozen skiers were out as we groomed on Wednesday, and they seemed to be enjoying the conditions immensely.
We hope to be back out grooming trails as soon as this cold snap passes. Working snowmobiles in -20 degree and lower conditions is just too hard on the machinery, to say nothing of the operators. We’ll endeavor to get first passes in on as many of the untouched trails as possible. In the meantime, those remaining ungroomed trails represent a golden opportunity for some nice back-country-style skiing (if you’re up to it). Thanks, Kate, for posting your experiences this week.
As Kate stated, logging is taking place on the Kane Valley Road so be cautious using the road. The positive is the road is well plowed and sanded. Parking Lot 3 has also been plowed, but Parking Lot 2 has not. That said, Parking Lot 2 is still accessible with a decent four-wheel-drive vehicle. At Parking Lot 1, please note that the access point to the Chute trail on the south side has been moved down by the map board and outhouse. It is no longer directly across from the access point to the Raven’s Ridge trail on the north side.
This weekend, I hope to put up the signs at the parking lots that indicate where NOT to park in order to allow grooming equipment to cross the Kane Valley Road. Please respect these signs.
Once again this year, we expect that YRB plowing of the Kane Valley Road will result in substantial berms of snow at several trailhead locations. Any help from skiers and snowshoers in clearing away some of that snow build-up would be greatly appreciated.
Here’s hoping for a good ski season ahead. Happy trails!
Thank you so much for grooming. We were enjoying our Wednesday immensely and it got even better after you and Gary passed through. Thanks!!
There was a group of us that enjoyed a night ski lastnight (fri Jan 19/24) the snow was awesome on raven’s ridge, gulch and back on menzies!
Thanks for all your hard work to make Kane so enjoyable for all!
Ange
It warmed up to -4 today and the snow is accumulating. I skied from P1 up Ravens down Crossover, around to Lunch Box and back through Menzies…. there were a couple of spots under the trees where the snow is scant and it kind of stops you…. but staying to the high side of those areas I seemed to manage a consistent glide.
It’s safe to say….. COME OUT AND PLAY 🙂 Watching the weather the end of this week looks cold (too cold for me anyways) , so the next couple of days would be a good window. Plans for grooming are in the works, especially with more accumulation to create that good base. If you’re hiking without skis, please stick to the snowshoe trails.
Please be cautious, there are Logging Trucks still hauling out of Kane Valley through to 97C. The road is in good shape and plowed regularly.
Happy Trails and …. let it snow!!!
Kind Regards,
Kate.
Happy snow day in Kane Valley today! I skied yesterday and was pleasantly surprised how good it was. I just skied the tail end of Harmon, so I don’t have an accurate account of all the trails. I’ll take a measurement of our accumulation- we got approx 10cms in the past few days. Groomers have not been out yet to pack a base. We will keep you updated here when we have more to update. If you’ve been out and about, please share here in the blog.
Happy Sunday:)
Come out and play😊