We came home last week from some time on the west (wet!) and warm coast of BC, via some white knuckle driving in a blizzard over the passes into Alberta, thanks to an early blast of winter cold. After a few days of snow, there was enough for our local grooming crews to get going on packing and track setting the trails.
First ski of the season, October 22:
Roller packed ski trail, to create a base
Look at all that snow!
Pristine fresh tracksetting!
There's still some fall colors.
October 23 brought a new storm, with colder temps and more snow:
The skiing is going to get even better!
One of the great things about Nordic skiing is that it can be done just about anywhere, with a relatively small amount of snow. Taking advantage of that, I did my usual urban ski tour on the 24th, starting from our back gate:
Down the alley on skis, and into our neighbourhood park in the background:
Untracked skiing through the woods.
My route took me down into the golf course ravine, a fairly popular spot for other nearby residents.
Backyard skiing!
October 25 dawned clear and cold, with a low of minus 25 c in the foothills. Crisp air, more snow, and blue skies- the recipe for a perfect day of xc skiing. And...it was!
Midwinter ski conditions, in October!
Moose Mountain.
A day to smile about, and remember.
So nice to be in the sun on a cold morning, with no wind.
Jo and Piper. Our retriever loves skiing as much as we do, but it looks like she could use sunglasses here.
Our 20 km loop featured a lot of undulating foothills terrain. With the great conditions, the skiing was fun and fast.
Blue skies, blue wax, crisp weather. XC skiing doesn't get any better, and it's only October! Unfortunately, the unseasonable weather is going to return to more normal temperatures in the coming week- with lows around zero, highs plus 10 C or more. Oh well, it was great while it lasted, and at least there is a good base to the trails, ready for the snows of November.
