Dec 29th 2023 FSA Grooming Report
Current Conditions:
-1C with 0cm new snow in the past 24 hours, 10cm new snow in the past 7 days. Today: Cloudy with morning fog patches. Possible sunny breaks or afternoon sunny periods. High -1 or -2 Tonight: Cloudy with clear breaks and fog patches. Low near -5.
Special Notices:
Early season conditions in all areas. Please watch for hazards and ride with caution. Very shallow snowpack and variable conditions at valley bottom on all trails but dramatically improves around mid-mountain. Total snowpack heights off trail in mid to upper riding areas are around 110cm.
Upcoming Events: Bob Arnott Memorial Family Ride and BBQ at the Rolling Hills Cabin, December 30th, 2023. Info HERE.
Photos: Rob Duckering Dec 28th, 2023. You can watch a great video from Rob showcasing current conditions HERE.
Grooming:
Corbin: Open. Groomed last night from staging area to Rain Gauge and Lower Barnes.
Coal Creek: Open. Coal Creek, Summit, and Doug Dean trails groomed yesterday. Last night cats focused on lowest section of Coal Creek Trail and were diverted to deal with wheeled vehicle stuck that drove on and had become stuck on trail (towing out, repairing trail damage caused by vehicle).
The lowest section of the Coal Creek Trail has two sections to be aware of under the current low snow:
A short hill that can become icy with low snow / traffic.
An ephemeral stream with open water running from the December rain events and recent warm temps. Last night it was approx. 10 ft across and 10 inches deep and has reduced significantly over the week with the cooler temperatures.
Morrissey: Open. Morrissey Trail and part of the McEvoy Trail groomed Dec 28th. The road was plowed until Dec 22nd for logging activity - the Cat Ski Operation and the Fernie Snowmobile Association have been working to farm snow back onto the road over the past week but we need more fresh snow. Lowest trail is largely dirt up through the canyon but upper trails are in good groomed condition. Do not drive wheeled vehicles up the road past the kiosk.
Hartley: Waiting for more snow before we start up grooming in the Hartley area.
Ram: The cabin at Ram is unlocked for the season.
Coal Creek - mid mountain, Dec 27 2023
Cat work on the Coal Creek hill, Dec 27 2023
Thank you to FSA Corporate Partner Blackline Safety for your support this season
From gas detection and area monitoring to man down protection and worksite compliance, Blackline helps any industry, anywhere in the world, protect its people and run a safer, more efficient worksite. The FSA is proud to use Blackline Safety devices to help keep our groomer operators safe and in communications in our backcountry work environment.
