2017/18 Winter Trail Conditions

Chainsaw bandit strikes again…Scotch is clear of trees. Thank you!

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I should have asked this earlier as I was driving before 11:00 this morning. I chose wrong, but thanks for the reply!

Yeah, studs would have been helpful. Still had a fun ride without them and managed to stay upright.

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Anyone got a condition report for Shubie?

Frozen! The lakes and canal are mint, studs required.

On land there’s bits of ice here and there but mostly just frozen ground.

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On Sunday, I rode up the canal, to the end of Lake Charles and back without studs. If you keep your balance centered with no sudden turns, pedal cranks or brakes you can do it without too much trouble.

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Sounds great. Hopefully similar conditions for our ride tomorrow, after another thaw/freeze cycle.

Are there any trails in the province that haven’t melted or been rained on, resulting in a muddy mess? I think my best bet for a ride is likely McIntosh Run AKA Fight Trail.

Was there hiking yesterday, soggy and icy spots over granite on the attic side or lake loop usually is messy at the back of would be melting ice. The old entrance athough going to lake is mint also most of basement.

My best bet would be Evil birch excluding that fire road entrance which is messy or icy to begin with but the rest it drains well and icy spots are less.

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Evil birch, flipside, death march, lake loop don’t get too sloppy. They tend to drain off pretty well.

Is anywhere going to be worth riding tomorrow?

I mean I’m contemplating a road ride it’s that damp out.

See above and add Shubie and MacDonald Sport Park to that list. Also looks like temps are below zero tomorrow so all trails should firm up as the day goes on.

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Even i might have to resort to shubie park today if nothing else. Itchin for a ride but my trails are quick sand :frowning:

Whopper is decent, but will be better with a fatty until the frost penetrates more deeply again. If it freezes (not looking like it), it will be spectacular hero dirt again soon.

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Just made an attempt at Whopper via Dominion. Ridable on a fat bike, but slow going. There had been a dog walker through, but the snow needs some tire traffic. Snow is quite deep in open areas. Nice to finally see some snow.

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Thanks for the report Nige. Hopefully it cools down again this weekend. This warm weather sucks.

Perfect temps for packing it down with snowshoes though.

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Too bad it’s all going to melt tomorrow night and Thursday.

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I rode my fatbike in the snow last night for the first time. Holy Crap!! I should have bought one years ago. It was soooo much fun. Can’t wait for tonight to do it again. It was just at Shubie but anywhere where it wasn’t plowed but packed was freaky fun.

They only way it could have been any better was if I found a bag of money on the side of the trail

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Shubie was great last night! Even the non-plowed sections that we rode were packed down well and fast.

Spider was a bit tough going, but if you stayed in the groove it wasn’t horrible on a 4.8" tire. On a 27.5+ tire it was tough to keeping going. Some of the trails had seen traffic and may see more today so this evening may be decent on a semi-fat or bigger tire if it stays below zero. I think it would still be too soft/unpacked for a regular width tire.

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Rode The Gorge/Bird Sanctuary last evening and it was very good. Some ice under the snow but a fat bike made it through with some effort. We’ll see how today’s weather affects things.

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