Thursday 3-April'25
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8:00 AM Temperature -3.8°C. Today's (Thursday's) Environment Canada forecast is for a high of +8°C. A very similar day to yesterday, except a bit more forecast sun.
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GROOMING: No fresh grooming today. However, as expected, the overnite low of -4.7°C has frozen the trail surface. Typical spring ski conditions. Hard, rough, & fast in the morning, softening up when air temp & sunshine heats the surface. There is still lots of snow cover on many of the trails. Depending on your route, there might be a portage or two. Or ten(10), if you attempt to ski at the higher elevations. With hopefully, your antique rock skis, the ones that are older than you are.
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WALKERS: It is very tempting to stomp up the middle of the ski trails, 3 abreast for socializing purposes. Please restrain yourself for a few more days, especially later in the day when your bootprints will get the elephant hunters excited when they see your tracks. Those tracks will freeze in place as an unwelcome morning gift to tomorrow's skiers. Some dedicated skiers are still enjoying the trails - let's share respectfully for these final days of the season.
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SKATE SKI: The trails will be hard/icy/fast this morning. Unless that is what you like, best to wait until the snow surface softens, somewhere around midday? Good luck figuring out where the sweet spot window of opportunity is: Too early? too fast. Too late? Mushy. Use the Goldilock's method of timing.
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CLASSIC: The last tracks were set Sunday, 30-Mar'25. They will be fast & icy in the morning, should soften a bit in the heat of the day. They will be deteriorating a bit each day. Probably the best tracks will be along the top elevation of Northern Lights, where they get shaded for much of the day. Non-tracked classic is also an option.
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HAZARDS: The upper elevation trails are losing snow faster than the rest. The top stretch of Birch Bend, that seems to get more than its fair share of sun & wind is looking a bit rough. Take care, portage if needed.
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To view photos of recent conditions:
- Click the text "Historical Reports" - top of this page
- Scroll down to previous reports that show a thumbnail photo
- Click the photo to enlarge
- If there is a right arrow "-->", click the arrow
- Scroll thru the other photos of the day.
NEWSLETTER
For those rare and mysterious individuals who somehow resist the irresistible charm of Otway’s newsletters—packed with thrilling updates, enticing offers, and all the latest happenings—fear not! You can still redeem yourself. Click here to catch up on current and past editions. We won’t even judge you (much).
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PLANNING AHEAD
There are no old skiers at Otway. None. Not a single one. However, we do have a few who have enthusiastically redefined the limits of “youthful vigor” (some might say stretched those limits like an overused ski boot liner). If you’re thinking ahead to the day when your enthusiasm for skiing remains boundless, but your balance and joints politely disagree, check out what one particularly stubborn lifelong skier did to keep gliding. Click here—because planning ahead is way cooler than just face-planting into the future.
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GROOMING
Ever wondered how ski grooming works? Some folks assume our snowcats just zoom around the trails playing tag, or, on the narrower routes, a thrilling game of hide and seek. And yes, on the steeper sections, there may be some sideways surfing involved (purely for entertainment purposes, of course). When things get dull, the operators occasionally engage in synchronized stadium laps to see if one snowcat can outwit, outplay, and outrun the other. But alas, this is merely a snow-fueled fairy cat-tale.
If you actually want to understand the real logic behind grooming—where, when, and why it happens—click here while your second cup of coffee is brewing. Bonus tip: If you’re one of those mesmerized souls who obsessively watch the trail map change colors, click on the blinking snowcat icon. That will show you the speed:
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2–5 km/h: Slow and steady, battling nasty ice
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8–10 km/h: The dream—10 cm of fresh, dry powder on a solid base
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14–18 km/h: Skidoo + Ginzoo magic when early-season snow is deep enough to groom but not quite enough for the full snowcat treatment
Basically, grooming is part science, part strategy, and part extreme sport.
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LENGTHY SNOW REPORT
If you think this Snow Scribe can get a bit long-winded in the Grooming Reports (gasp!), then you might get a kick out of Lucy Welsh’s 1,264-word snow report for Sugarbush Resort (Vermont), dated March 1, 2025. It was, shall we say, thorough. Unfortunately, it didn’t stay published for long. Let’s hope she still has a job.
If you prefer actual literary value over snow grooming rants, check out this article from Morice Mountain, where the writer waxes poetic about the deeply personal joy of Nordic skiing. Some people really know how to write. Click here and be inspired.
Today | Distance | Open | Last Groomed/ Trackset | Trackset | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fingers | 3.56km | G T | |||
Northern Lights | 2.55km | G T | |||
Under Dog | 0.8km | G T | |||
Sun Dog | 1.11km | G T | |||
Race Maze | 1.8km | G T | |||
Pine Flats | 1.46km | G T | |||
Nite Rider | 1.26km | G T | |||
Larch Loop | 1.91km | G T | |||
Iceman | 0.56km | G T | |||
Greenway Corridor | 1.18km | G T | |||
Dogonit | 2.18km | G T |
1-3 Days Ago | Distance | Open | Last Groomed/ Trackset | Trackset | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dog Bypass | 0.19km | G T |
4-6 Days Ago | Distance | Open | Last Groomed/ Trackset | Trackset | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tigger | 1.85km | G T | |||
Upper Parking Lot | 0.12km | G T | |||
Canada Cup | 0.72km | G T | |||
Cranbrook Climb | 0.49km | G T | |||
Hickory Wing | 1.6km | G T | |||
Up the Creek | 0.54km | G T | |||
Hickory Wing West | 2km | G T | |||
Gravel Pit | 0.91km | G T | |||
Homecoming | 0.11km | G | |||
Stadium | 0.26km | G T | |||
The Hub | 0.24km | G T | |||
Iceman Cutoff | 0.3km | G T | |||
Caretaker Hill | 0.32km | G T | |||
Teaching Area | 0.11km | G | |||
Biathlon | 0.36km | G T | |||
Teardrop | 0.51km | G T | |||
Top Dog | 1.6km | G T |
7-10 Days Ago | Distance | Open | Last Groomed/ Trackset | Trackset | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eh Climb | 1.12km | G T | |||
High Five | 1.28km | G T | |||
Paranordic Cutoff | 0.12km | G T | |||
Lynx | 0.79km | G T | |||
Ridgerunner | 1.45km | G T | |||
Raven's Col | 2km | G T | |||
Birch Bend | 2.47km | G T | |||
Santa's Cabin Connector | 0.21km | G T | |||
Old Biathlon Loop | 0.25km | G T | |||
Bullseye | 0.19km | G T | |||
Supersprint | 0.22km | G T |
Today | Distance | Open | Last Groomed/ Trackset | Trackset | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fingers | 3.56km | G T | |||
Northern Lights | 2.55km | G T | |||
Under Dog | 0.8km | G T | |||
Sun Dog | 1.11km | G T | |||
Race Maze | 1.8km | G T | |||
Pine Flats | 1.46km | G T | |||
Nite Rider | 1.26km | G T | |||
Larch Loop | 1.91km | G T | |||
Iceman | 0.56km | G T | |||
Greenway Corridor | 1.18km | G T | |||
Dogonit | 2.18km | G T |
1-3 Days Ago | Distance | Open | Last Groomed/ Trackset | Trackset | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dog Bypass | 0.19km | G T |
4-6 Days Ago | Distance | Open | Last Groomed/ Trackset | Trackset | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tigger | 1.85km | G T | |||
Upper Parking Lot | 0.12km | G T | |||
Canada Cup | 0.72km | G T | |||
Cranbrook Climb | 0.49km | G T | |||
Hickory Wing | 1.6km | G T | |||
Up the Creek | 0.54km | G T | |||
Hickory Wing West | 2km | G T | |||
Gravel Pit | 0.91km | G T | |||
Homecoming | 0.11km | G | |||
Stadium | 0.26km | G T | |||
The Hub | 0.24km | G T | |||
Iceman Cutoff | 0.3km | G T | |||
Caretaker Hill | 0.32km | G T | |||
Teaching Area | 0.11km | G | |||
Biathlon | 0.36km | G T | |||
Teardrop | 0.51km | G T | |||
Top Dog | 1.6km | G T |
7-10 Days Ago | Distance | Open | Last Groomed/ Trackset | Trackset | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eh Climb | 1.12km | G T | |||
High Five | 1.28km | G T | |||
Paranordic Cutoff | 0.12km | G T | |||
Lynx | 0.79km | G T | |||
Ridgerunner | 1.45km | G T | |||
Raven's Col | 2km | G T | |||
Birch Bend | 2.47km | G T | |||
Santa's Cabin Connector | 0.21km | G T | |||
Old Biathlon Loop | 0.25km | G T | |||
Bullseye | 0.19km | G T | |||
Supersprint | 0.22km | G T |