UPDATE 2/21/17
Looks like Indian Lake Parks and Rec have been grooming the trails around town today and out through S84/Blue Mountain trail.
Indian Lake Snowarriors tour to Speculator for Wednesday, February 22nd has been changed to Newcomb due to safely concerns on lakes. The route to Newcomb will NOT cross lakes. Meet up at the Little League parking lot on Benton Road, next to the Indian Lake Highway Garage by 10am. Lunch stop at the Newcomb House. Gas is available in Newcomb with credit card only. Round trip is almost 70 miles.
Guided snowmobile tour to Newcomb for Thursday, February 23rd has been cancelled.
Take a Friend for a Ride, scheduled for Saturday, February 25th has been cancelled.
Report 2/20/17
Yes… Dr. Death himself will be reaping the harvest left behind by last weekend’s thaw. But before he does, I wanted to ride before the trails completely go to seed.
After work, I took a quick 20 mile swirl around town to gauge the conditions. The base remains solid with a loose/wet granular riding surface with ice corners and some corners scuffed down to dirt.
Far from being a disaster, the trails were firmly ride-able with slight to modest studders and looked mostly like this:
With the warmth, water is eating away at the base from underneath and C8/Sabael trail was developing water hazards that can ruin your day if you let them take you by surprise. In a bit of irony, I met Crazy Cal on this stretch of trail with the same idea that I had: Ride it while it’s still decent.
S85/Ski Hut trail, S86/Little Canada and S87/42nd and Broadway offered the best riding. Adirondack Lake was full of ruts and not fun to ride at all.
Took S84/Blue Mountain trail out for a couple of miles. It was bumpier than what I had found in town, but still quite ride-able with some corner scuff before I got over the top.
The worst stretch of icy trail I encountered was on C8 between the former Arctic Cat dealership and the sewer plant. Didn’t bother going out C8 toward Cedar River headquarters, but I’m certain that remains ride-able as well.
Midweek Outlook
Grim… Reaper… Cometh… When afternoon temperatures get into the 50s like it probably will 3-4 days from Tuesday through Saturday, the snow melts like ice cream on a summer’s day. If you have designs on riding this week, the sooner the better…simple as that. Forget about whether they’re grooming, because those opportunities will be limited, if there are any.
Weekend Outlook
Ugh… Rain Friday and Saturday will accelerate the snow melt. Trails will probably be nothing but mush, water and ice by the weekend. Busy corners and exposed areas around town could be showing a lot of dirt by then. It will turn colder Saturday night and Sunday, but any snows will be minor.
Lakes
Don’t bother asking me because I can’t tell you whether ice is “safe” or not. Use your best judgement and stay away from any inlets, outlets and river channels. If in doubt, stay off the ice.
Is Winter Over?
Believe it or not, I don’t think so…for the heart of the Adirondacks anyway. There may be a couple of opportunities for snow events in the February 28th – March 2nd window. There is still cold air to play with and the jet stream remains very active. It’s just a matter of the storm track moving far enough south and east for us to get snow instead of wintry mix/rain. I have absolutely no faith in cold air staying around for weeks at a time in March, but at least ilsnow land still have a chance to extend the snowmobiling season at least a few more weeks after we get done with this meltdown.
For the ilsnow nation,
Darrin
This report is brought to you by Pilot Knob Marina in Lake George. Just get off Northway I-87 Exit 20, then follow NY Route 149 East until you hit the junction of NY Route 149 and Bay Road. Pilot Knob Marina features a wide selection of new and pre-owned Arctic Cat snowmobiles & ATVs. If you see Nick Barber, tell him that Darrin @ ilsnow.com sent ya!
