There was good skiing today, particularly as more trails were "skied in".  The Kolapore parking lot on Grey Road 2 was plowed later today, but a number of vehicles were parked in the lot, so there are large unplowed areas in the lot.  The snow gauge is at 40 cm.  On less rocky trails (like County Forest) there is no problem with rocks, but on the rockier trails rock skis are still recommended.  A number of skiers were having problems with skis icing, so be sure to take a scraper.  I would avoid traditionally wet trails, particularly the south end of Trail to the Summit and the cedar swamp on Quiet Pastures.

At 8 AM on Boxing Day, Kolapore has about 30 cm of powder snow on top of about 10 cm of crust.  Skiing should be very good, if you don't mind breaking trail in the short term.  HOWEVER, parking is likely to be a challenge.  I doubt that the Kolapore parking lot will be accessible until later today (at the earliest).  Even roadside parking will be a challenge in the short term.  I'll provide an update later today.  Kolapore Trail Guide

I skied in the County Forest and the south end of the Kingsway and John's Portage trails this afternoon, and the skiing was very pleasant.  At 3 PM the snow gauge was at 25 cm - about 10 cm of crust, and 15 cm of new snow.  There has been at least 7 cm of snow since then, and it's still snowing hard at 10 PM.  Skiing on Saturday should be good.  My two cautions are that there will still be spots where you will encounter rocks, and there are wet spots.  Be sure to take a scraper with you.  I would avoid the wettest trails - south end of Trail to the Summit and the cedar swamp on Quiet Pastures.  Kolapore Trail Guide

As I post at 11:30 AM, there is about 13 cm of new snow on top of crust (and rocks in some places).  It may be possible to ski on some of the less rocky trails (e.g., parts of County Forest), although even there I would recommend rock skis.  Take a scraper, because there will be some wet spots lurking under the snow.  I will post again later in the day.  Kolapore Trail Guide

Kolapore had the thaw and rain, and lost some of the base.  There is still snow cover, although there are many places where rocks are sticking through, and puddles have opened up.  We need both snow and cold weather to make the trails skiable.  As I write this at 10:30 AM Dec 24, the rain has changed to snow.  I'm hoping that our Christmas present will be a serious snow squall.  I'll post tomorrow.  Kolapore Trail Guide

Overnight, Kolapore received about 2 cm of damp snow.  We still don't have enough new snow (on top of the crust) for decent skiing.  Kolapore Trail Guide

There hasn't been any new snow since my last post a few days ago.  So, there are a few cm of snow on top of rutted crust.  Skiing is much better at Scenic Caves (although it is likely to be crowded this weekend.)  I will post as soon as conditions change.  Kolapore Trail Guide

Overnight Kolapore received about 3 cm of new snow on top of the crust.  This is a good start, but isn't enough to provide pleasant skiing.  PM update:  Kolapore has NOT been receiving the streamers that have been hitting some local areas. We skied at Scenic Caves this afternoon, and they have received about 20 cm of new snow in the last day or so.   Kolapore Trail Guide

Kolapore received quite a bit of rain yesterday, and very little snow.  This substantially reduced the base, but there is still reasonable coverage.  There may be wet puddles under the snow in some areas.  The snow is very crusty - not nice for skiing.  I would recommend staying off the trails until we get a reasonable amount of new snow.  Kolapore Trail Guide

With the warmer temperatures we had today, and which are predicted for the next few days, you should expect to encounter "mashed potatoes" snow.  Not my favourite.  I'm inclined to stay off the trails until we get cooler temperatures and some fresh snow.  The good news is that we still have a substantial base, although a few more rocks are starting to show through.   Kolapore Trail Guide