Pre-season exploration of ski trails: how our nordic ski club gets ready to chase the snow (literally)

Waiting for the leaves to become "snowfoliage"

Hammond Hill State Forest just outside Ithaca, New York

A season of anticipation

While leaf-peepers head out to the woods these days to soak in the colors of gold, red and burnt orange, our nordic ski club starts getting excited about any kind of long-range weather forecasts for snow. The last few years we have been snow-starved. Last winter, we embraced the theme of “chasing the snow.” When any kind of snowfall hit the ground, we made every effort to get out and enjoy the trails as soon as possible. Here in the Finger Lakes area of upstate New York, the snow can fall one day and then rain the next.

Exploring the trails in the off-season: our training camp

In the Fall, our club heads out to the trails to hike our local ski trails. One of the primary reasons for the hikes is to expose our members to the variety of trails where they can ski when the snow comes. Many of our members are new to the area and have not skied locally - our hikes give them exposure to the trails. These hikes also allow us to survey the trails for needed maintenance.

The first snowfall is magic

I’ll never tire of the magic of the first snowfall. As winter approaches, I am glued to snowfall reports. I like to stay on top of reports from other areas - Canada, Maine, New Hampshire and of course, in the Adirondacks of New York.

Usually, we know when a major snowfall is expected. However, in December, 2019, we woke up to an unexpected surprise - over 36 inches of snow in our backyard. I was in seventh-heaven.

Delivering our local snow reports electronically

Our nordic ski club uses a Google Group to relay up-to-the-minute snow reports and trail conditions. We’ve embraced the “chase the snow” theme rather literally. When the snow starts to fall, members email a trail report to the Google Group and we make every effort to get out and ski.

This past year, our club hiked many of our nearby trail systems

Hiking at Lime Hollow Nature Preserve near Cortland, New York

Lime Hollow Nature Preserve near Cortland, New York

During our hikes, we familiarize ourselves with the trail signage, if available.

Hiking at Stoney Ponds State Forest, near Cazenovia, New York

Hiking at Greenwood Park in Lisle, New York

Hiking at Bear Swamp State Forest in Otsego County, New York

We survey the trails for any needed maintenance.

Hiking at Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area, just southwest of Ithaca, New York

We provide maps on our hikes.

Enjoying the sights of the autumn season.

In early Spring of this year, we found some melting snow and hiked it.

Sapsucker Woods near Ithaca, New York

A season of anticipation for chasing the snow.

Our local ski club: Cayuga Nordic Ski Club