Sunshine broke through the clouds and temperatures soared to near 50*F Monday afternoon.
I thought that a snowmobile ride in spring-like warmth would be a nice change of pace from the near-zero cold I rode in last week.
So I headed out for a spin after work. Aside from some wet/icy spots and a few worn corners, the riding around Indian Lake village ranged from smooth to soft studder-ripple.
A lot of it looked like this:
C8/Sabael trail had some holes where the water is eating the trail from underneath.
S84 heading out of town was a nice ride out to the Newcomb trail. The plowed section was still in decent riding shape with good ice base and enough “material” to make it by.
The Snowarrior’s section of the Newcomb trail was perfection. WOW! What a ride through there:
After I crossed the Essex County Line, the Newcomb trail became bumpy up to the Newcomb-T. But the bumps were soft enough to keep the riding enjoyable enough. There were a few places on Joseph Mountain where the water was cutting holes in the trail.
Once I hit the Newcomb T, I turned tail and headed back to Indian Lake. Rolled back into the compound with 65 miles. The temperatures had dropped down to 32*F shortly after the sun went down.
I rode on Indian Lake and Adirondack Lake during my ride and they were VERY slushy.
Midweek Outlook
This week is going to hurt. But this won’t be a continual thaw and there will be cooler periods that will stop the bleeding at times. I think Thursday night into early Friday will do the most damage, combining mild temperatures and possible heavy rain.
Unfortunately, I don’t foresee a top-coat of snow before the weekend. So whatever remains of the snowmobile trails would be left to freeze into a brick over the weekend. At the moment, we still have a deep snow pack throughout ilsnow land, so we can take a hit and keep ticking:
Extended Outlook
If you don’t end up riding this weekend, there is still ample reason for hope as we press into mid-February:
There is lots of great stuff involved:
- Blockbuster NAO- blocking
- Active Polar Jet Stream
- Active Subtropical Jet Stream
This is the type of pattern that could set up a parade of significant or major snow events. And we could start getting busy again as early as next week.
No reason to give up on winter yet. I think there is another strong bounce back around the corner.
For the ilsnow nation,
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!
