Welcome 2022-2023 Ski Season!
Snow has been falling in the Kane Valley which means we have skiing to soon look forward to! Grooming and weather updates will be posted below.
Some important changes at the Kane Valley trails:
- Skiers with dogs are now allowed on all ski trails north of/ above Kane Valley Road. Please be respectful of other skiiers.
- There are now signs for the snowshoe trails – PLEASE DO NOT SNOWSHOE ON THE GROOMED SKI TRAILS.
Been skiing in the past day or so? Leave us a comment about which route you used, what the trail was like, and anything that needs attention. You can also leave (or respond to) questions on the Kane Valley Trails or about local weather.
To join the club or renew your membership – click here
Greetings Skiers: Here is a trail report for Saturday, December 31 – the last day of 2022!
Snow and weather conditions were very good again today for skiing in the Kane Valley. A pity that the Kane Valley Road has still not been plowed, nor any of the parking areas. P3 has been packed down by enough vehicle traffic, but P2 continues to be only accessible by the hardiest of four-wheel drives. YRB, where are you?
It was heavy going grooming trails today, as still more snow fell overnight. It’s three feet deep in places! If we venture off the packed base at all with the machines, we find ourselves in ‘deep’ trouble. We also had to deal with another half dozen trees that had fallen across trails in the last week or so. If you encounter a fallen tree while skiing, please let us know the approximate location by posting on this site. They pose a significant hazard to skiers, especially if they’re encountered on a downhill section of trail.
We managed to groom Kane, Lower Gulch, Lower Vale and most of Matthew’s Loops again today, as well as Hill’s Homestead, Tolko, Connector, Sundown, Lower Ravine, Aspen and Harmon for the first time in two weeks. As mentioned, the volume of snow is abundant, especially up at the top of Harmon.
Still not groomed are Upper Asp, Overeasy, Porter Bypass, North and Lynx. In addition, Neil’s Valley, Gulch Bypass and Upper Ravine are being left intentionally ‘au naturel’ to ski back-country style. Give them a try.
A big shout-out to the individual(s) who skied Harmon in the last day or so, before it had been groomed. Now that’s a workout!
If you’re lucky enough to have all this coming week off, every day looks favorable for skiing the Kane Valley. Daytime temperatures are consistently single-digit below zero Celsius.
We’ll be back grooming the remaining trails the middle of this week, as well as refreshing some of those already groomed.
Happy trails and HAPPY NEW YEAR! See you in 2023!
Today got up the road and parked at p1 at 10:45am. It was +2. Skied Menzies, Gulch, and Ravens. The snow is perfect. A great ski except for the grinchy snow shoer (s) who can not seem to read, or follow signage , or respect the effort needed to make trails for the skiers from near and far who do read signage and use skis on the ski trails. Forgiveness wore thin as the mean spirited individuals cast a dark gloom over snowshoers who do use the snowshoe trails that wind through the ski area.
Greetings Skiers: Here is a trail report for Friday, December 30, 2022.
Despite neither the Kane Valley Road nor any of the parking areas having been plowed for some time, today was by far the busiest the Kane Valley has been this ski season. At one point, parking at P3 was almost full. The numbers enjoying the abundant snow and mild temperatures included a couple of young ladies from West and North Vancouver who raved about the trails and the serenity.
The snow was perfect for skiing in the morning hours today, but a bit sticky as things warmed up in the afternoon. Expect more or less the same tomorrow as the forecast is for a high of +1 degree and a low of -3 degrees.
After a slow start to grooming (getting stuck four times, encountering a half dozen fallen trees across the trails), we managed to accomplish a fair bit by day’s end. Groomed (and track set in places) are Kane, Matthew’s Loops and Chute on the south side of the main road, and Raven’s Ridge, Menzies, Tilicum, the bottom half of Asp, Crossover, Gulch and Vale on the north side of the main road. We’ll be back out again tomorrow (Saturday) trying to get to as many more trails as possible before the New Year.
If you’re looking for a beautiful photograph, try skiing Menzies around 4:00 p.m., traveling west to east (Teiffel’s Landing to junction with Raven’s). The vista as you look over the lake towards the heritage farm house at last light is stunning.
After the unfortunate cancelling of the NNSC winter solstice celebratory bonfire and night ski on Dec. 21 due to freezing cold weather, pent-up excitement is building for the club’s annual Chili Sunday, scheduled for January 15 at the Sanford Shelter/parking lot P2. Young and old alike are invited to contribute to and share in the communal, lip-smacking chili (as well as other treats), renew acquaintances and make new friends around an open fire, and go for a ski or snowshoe on the nearby trails. Stay posted for more details.
Happy trails!
Good conditions early this afternoon, Ian is right it is quite fast in places!
We all had a good time, brought my 18 month old daughter out for the 1st ski this year, all went well.
Skiied Ravens ridge to Asp to Menzies and back.
Trails were a bit crunchy under the big trees but we felt we glided well, and loved the speed!
Happy Skiing!
Greetings Skiers: Hope you had a nice Christmas. Finally got plowed out at home, and could make a trip up to Kane Valley. Here is a trail report for Wednesday, December 28, 2022.
Skied with friends from P1 on Raven’s Ridge to Lunchbox Shelter, then Gulch, Menzies, and Raven’s again back to P1. Met two groups of out-of-town visitors.
Challenging ski conditions. Recent snow and rain mix has left trails somewhat crusty and heavy. The flats are ski-friendly, but any hills are difficult (especially going down). Snowplowing is nigh impossible. If the track is too fast, stay in the untracked snow. Watch for icy patches under trees that overhang the trail.
The weather today was ideal – a degree or two below zero and occasionally sunny.
We hope to be out Friday and Saturday grooming trails on both sides of the road. Kane Valley Road has been plowed, but exercise caution coming off the highway. We encountered a low-bed truck coming out with logging equipment.
Happy trails!
It’s +4 this afternoon up in Kane Valley, and I just came in from a very sticky short ski on Harmon with my dogs. We had 3 inches of wet heavy snow overnight. I am determined to learn more about waxes so that i can ski in any snow but for now my fish scales with liquid glide are not working and I’m going to dig out my snowshoes for some winter exercise until the weather changes.
*PLEASE do not snow shoe on the ski trails* There are marked snowshoe trails from each parking lot.
There is a LOT of snow up here, but with the warm temps and intermittent rain and snow flurries the last couple of days, it’s heavy snow. Good snowman snow and good for snowshoeing … but not so great for skiing, unless you know about waxes.
The road is passable but not freshly plowed.
It’s still incredibly beautiful and feels great to play outside after all the feasting and butter tarts.
Happy “in between” and good wishes to all,
Kate.
Solstice Update: We made the decision to CANCEL the Solstice Fire and Ski Gathering this year. With the cold weather coming in fast and estimates of -30 for Merritt on Wednesday night (and Kane Valley often 4-6 degrees colder) it’s just too cold!! An indoor free offering at the Merritt Library is available for those wishing to participate in a tea and solstice meditation with Roz at 6pm December 21.
If there are any snowshoers out there who are reading this blog, it would be good to make some tracks on the snowshoe trails as we are again experiencing snowshoers on the ski trails often, right down the middle. I honestly think “they’ just didn’t know where to go…. so if y’all could divide and conquer the snowshoe trails (once it warms up a tad) that would help us all out and keep the ski trails skiable.
Thanks to jh for shovelling out the road way, every little bit truly helps! Note to self, pack a shovel and contribute in small and meaningful ways:)
Warm greetings of comfort and joy to one and all,
See you on the trails soon (but NOT at P2 on Solstice)
Kate.
First sorry if I was the cause of any parking issues at p5 on Dec 15th. When I was there on the 13th I had a shovel and cleaned the space between signs on the Kane side for the snowmobile. I dug and crowded the bank beside the signs to get my car off the road and I did warn that parking there was very tight. The logging trucks are huge.
Today was a 10am start at p3. Parking lot is not perfect but easy to move in the snow as there are lots of tracks in and out. Went up vale then gulch then harmon to Panorama. Took North and what a surprise. It was beautiful big opens with the trail meandering through. Full on sunshine, barely under zero, so enjoyable that when it joined harmon again I turned back to repeat the fun in the sun. Came down Lynx, then the gulch by pass, ravens to asp, down asp to Neils way, then Vale back to p3. All the trials other than Gulch by pass and Neil’s way are groomed to perfection.
Everything about a beautiful perfect day is true. The snow is incredibly forgiving, temp is balmy and sun made the landscape a winter wonderland.
OHHH what fun it is to ski right now!!!! Thank you to our fearless groomers willing to tag team and pull each other out! The trails are gorgeous, pristine, wild and inspiring. Mother Nature has certainly blessed us with great snow to play in.
Speaking of Mother Nature…. The Solstice Fire is going ahead on the 21st at P2 starting at 6pm. The Fire Ceremony will be over by 7pm and those who gather can join together to ski or snowshoe in the stars… or just stay gathered around the fire.
There will be two fires…. one for the warm gather celebration and one for “cooking”, for those that want that option.
If you want to bring something to share food wise, I will have a table set up for this, but it’s not necessary. Please bring what ever food and drink you want for yourselves.
Please bring a candle, (I’ll bring some extras) and if you have something to share (a poem, a song, a reading) bring those too 🙂
AND OMG… it was ME who blocked the road way yesterday… yessss…. I PROMISE to be WAY more mindful and I am so so sorry for the extra work I caused you Ian and Gary!!!! Sheesh… I can’t believe I did that (but I did).
Watch this blog for updates for next week. The weatherman is predicting cold and more snow this weekend….
Happy happy skiing and mindful parking to all,
Kate
PS Have you bought your membership yet? These make a fantastic Christmas gift to yourself or someone you love. All memberships bought by December 25th will be entered in for a free pass for next year!
Greetings Skiers: Here is a trail report for Thursday, December 15, 2022. It has been a glorious couple of days in the Kane Valley, with the sun shining and very moderate temperatures during the middle of the day. It is so fun to drive up above the inversion layer of cloud/fog that frequents the Nicola Valley so often in the winter months.
We spent five hours today grooming trails. It was heavy going at times as another 6 inches of fresh powder has descended upon the Kane Valley in the past 72 hours. The trees are so snow-laden that we had to cut away seven trees that had fallen across trails. The skiing conditions continue to be quite remarkable. The trails we groomed today were Kane, Matthew’s Loops, Chute, Vale, Ravens Ridge, Menzies, Gulch, Tillicum, Asp, Crossover, the eastern half of Harmon, Lynx and North. We’re planning to be back out tomorrow (Friday) to do the western half of Harmon, Aspen, Sundown, Lower Ravine, Skyhigh, Hill’s Homestead, Connector and Tolko.
Overeasy continues to be a tricky trail to maintain as the big groomer cannot cross the Kane Valley Road at P5, and trying to turn it around on the road is rather precarious. We can use the small groomer to do it, but that creates a very narrow track. A work in progress.
Speaking of P5, it was unfortunate today to encounter three cars at that location parked at the side of the road blocking the crossing from Kane trail to Overeasy trail – despite conspicuous signage asking that people NOT BLOCK THE CROSSING with their vehicles! We had to unhook the grooming machine, turn it sideways and manually drag it between the parked cars before hooking it back up. Turning around or backing up the machines was not an option. Please, people, try to be more aware.
Looking ahead, tomorrow and Saturday would seem to be the best days for skiing the Kane Valley. Day time highs are -4 degrees and -9 degrees respectively. It then starts to get considerably colder, reaching a high of -27 degrees during the day on Monday and a low of -36 degrees Tuesday night. Brrrr! It warms up a bit for the Winter Solstice celebration on Wednesday, December 21 with a day time high of -16 degrees and a night time low of -21 degrees. Dress up warmly for the evening bonfire, and ski/snowshoe if you dare.
On a humorous note, if you see big potholes in the snow on the sides of trails, fear not; it is not the resting place of some large creature (moose, bear, cougar). Rather it’s just another place where yours truly has buried himself with a skidoo and grooming machine. In my endless quest to widen trails, I think I spend more time stuck on the sidelines than actually on the thoroughfare. Thank goodness for my capable compatriots (Gary and Vern) who have the unenviable task of digging/pulling me out.
Happy trails!
Parked at P5 today. A narrow spot for getting a bit off the road right at the trail sign . The best parking today is a huge lane at P1 especially for smaller vehicles not wanting to be in deeper snow.
Temp was -4 to -1 warm up there at 12.20pm. Followed someone’s tracks up Kane to Skyhigh. There are three branches down that are easy to get around. Made tracks up Skyhigh then up to the top of the hill on Tolko. Could not glide back down in the deep snow. With no glide due to all the snow I rebroke the faint tracks on Gultch going down. Followed Ravine over the bridge to Kane where there was some glide going back to P5. No complaints as the incredible snow is a delight to be in. Watch for foolish grouses eating gravel on the road down from P1.
Just realized I used the word gulch when I meant Ravine trail. They mean the same thing. When I am in the upper part of Ravine my thoughts are always on terrain trap as I look at the steep sides with tiny avalanches coming down. Sorry for any confusion.
With my previous comment today, P2 was not yet plowed, but someone had been in and made vehicle tracks
Dec 12 noon, -8 at P2 full on sunshine, lots of new snow ,did Matthew’s Loop. Trail had been travelled since the snowfall, but still 6″ fresh everywhere. An enjoyable morning
Greetings Skiers:
On this beautiful Sunday morning, just a quick word to say that if you’re planning to ski the Kane Valley today, the trails will NOT be freshly groomed. You will have 2-6 inches of fresh snow on top of a solid base to enjoy. In some places, set tracks will still be in evidence and can be utilized.
The forecast for the coming week is outstanding, with mostly sunny skies and very favorable temperatures. We may not be able to get out grooming until later in the week, with the goal of having things ‘ship-shape’ by next weekend.
The overall ski conditions are wonderful for this early in the season. That said, it’s keeping us pretty busy! Don’t forget the Winter Solstice bonfire ski on December 21. Details to come.
Enjoy and happy trails.
Greetings Skiers: Here is a trail report for Friday, December 9.
It was yet another beautiful day in the Kane Valley with mostly sunny skies and temperatures just below zero in the middle part of the day. There has been a dusting of new snow in the last 48 hours. It makes the trails a bit slower, but also safer. There’s more grip when climbing, and less speed when going downhill. The extensive track setting done on Monday and Wednesday of this week is still very evident, and fun to ski.
I departed from P1 at about 11 a.m. with no set plan. The conditions were so good that I decided to take Raven’s Ridge all the way to Lunchbox Shelter, continue on Gulch, and then head up Harmon. I made use of the increasingly-popular Gulch Bypass – a lovely ungroomed, back-country trail that allows you to avoid a steep hill. There’s no avoiding Harmon, however, if you want to get up high. It’s a challenging, sustained climb up to Panorama Shelter and the junction with Lynx and North trails. I did North for the first time since the area has been logged. Not the most scenic, but a nice addition nevertheless.
Back on Harmon, I made the long descent down to the bottom, passing through Narnia. Again, the snow conditions were perfect for the extended downhill with the fresh stuff slowing you down just enough. The last quarter of the trail, on the sidehill above Kane Valley Road, is pleasantly rolling.
I skied from P1 to P6 in about 2.5 hours, and was starting to think about doing a full perimeter ski of the Kane Valley trail network, something I haven’t done since the 2020 season. I should have thought twice! After a nice ski on the western half of Aspen (following in someone else’s tracks), I was confronted with Sundown, a trail that we missed when using the big groomer on Monday and Wednesday of this week. It was incredibly difficult to negotiate the two severe uphills at the beginning. The trail was too narrow, and steep as well. I couldn’t get my skis out of the snow to herringbone effectively.
But the best/worst was yet to come. After finally negotiating Sundown over to the Bertha Shelter, I (stupidly) decided to give untouched Upper Ravine a go. It’s a narrow, steep trail that has not been groomed at all this year, but is part of the perimeter ski. I got myself in real trouble – unable to herringbone and back slipping badly. After battling a third of the way up, I gave up, removed my skis and proceeded to hike up the final two-thirds of the trail. What a killer! I was forced to do it Boy Scout style – counting a hundred steps and stopping to rest and recover my breath before going another hundred steps.
Exhausted, I finally reached Ravine’s junction with Hill’s Homestead. After a short break, I put the skis back on and headed down Hill’s. Weary and rubber-legged, I did one nice face-plant when I caught an edge.
Daylight was waning fast, so I quickly took Kane all the way back to P2, took off the skis, and walked back to my vehicle at P1 – battered, bruised and humbled.
More snow is expected tonight and on Saturday, but I suspect the weekend will still be good for skiing. We might try and get out on Sunday for some more grooming (including Sundown).
Happy trails!
Greetings Skiers: Here is a trail report for Wednesday, December 7. The last three days in the Kane Valley have been sublime: fantastic ski conditions and beautiful sunny weather. It’s been so great to see and hear from skiers who have been able to make it out.
We groomers spent today on Overeasy, Lynx, North, Harmon, Aspen, Tolko and Connector, as well as Hill’s Homestead. Vern Latremouille was at the helm of the large grooming machine again, and did a fantastic job setting track where possible and desirable. We continue to work on widening the trails, especially on hilly sections, so they are as safe as can be, especially going down.
We have created another short bypass trail to allow skiers to avoid a scary/arduous steep section. This latest bypass is located near the outhouse at the top of Hill’s Homestead. If you’re skiing from the east end of Hill’s, it is just before the second outhouse; coming from the west end of Hill’s, the bypass starts on your right just before the outhouse. We haven’t got suitable signage yet, but you’ll see the junctions because of the grooming and tracking. Give it a try and tell us what you think.
The last bit of smoke from a fire (in the fire ring) at P3 today served as a reminder that the seven rustic shelters located around the Kane Valley trail system make for a delightful out-and-back destination point for both individuals and groups of skiers (or snowshoers for that matter). Each shelter has a metal fire ring, a roof, three walls and some seating. If it’s a remote shelter and you would like some firewood delivered to the shelter, give us a shout (with enough notice) and we’ll see if we can accommodate. Two underused shelters are Panorama (up near the top of Harmon trail) and Bertha (at the junction of Ravine and Sundown trails).
Thanks to the aforementioned Vern Latremouille and his work with an excavator, Lynx trail is fully skiable (wasn’t sure if there was such a word), and takes you into some wonderful country. Keep your eye out for moose! And don’t forget to tackle the length of Harmon one of these days, and embrace the magical world of Narnia!
Skill testing question: What is the French word for an area that is suitable for various types of skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports? Bonne chance!
Happy trails!
I don’t know the french word so maybe someone else will answer.
I did wait for more responses, but finally I looked up the name of Dale Evans’ horse. Buttercup sounded wrong but Buttermilk? What kind of a name is that for a horse?
Trigger and Buttermilk it is! Hint for the french word – starts with the letter “p”.
I started skiing from P2 at noon today. The road up is good. The temp was -2. I skied over to the Hills Homestead hill and started up. At the top it was like being in a winter paradise. Quiet, blue sky, bits of snow dusting down from the trees, soft skiable snow, nice packed & tracked trail. Enjoyed every minute of the ski. Thank you Ian for the hours you put in to make Kane valley such a wonderful place.
Greetings Skiers: Here is a trail report for Sunday, December 4th.
I’m beginning to better appreciate the expression, “Be careful what you wish for.” Mother Nature continues to bless us with abundant snow in the Kane Valley; so much so that we’re having trouble keeping up when it comes to grooming. We were out again today with the big machine, and at times struggled to get around the trails. The snow up high on Hill’s Homestead and Harmon is thigh-deep!
That said, we were successful today in grooming and laying track on nearly all the trails on the north side of the Kane Valley Road, including Vale, Gulch, Crossover, Menzies, Ravens Ridge, Asp and Tillicum. I don’t think the ski conditions could be much better on these trails right now. We had similar success on the south side of the road with Kane, all of Matthew’s Loops, and Lower Ravine.
Trails that were a work-in-progress today were Chute and Hill’s Homestead. The former is definitely steep and narrow in both directions. We’re valiantly trying to make it wider and safer, and trying to add some run-out lanes on both sides. As for Hill’s, the top is delightful, but the routes up or down on both sides continue to be a bit narrow.
All the untouched snow in the Kane Valley remains very soft right now, including anything off to the sides of groomed trails. Skiers might want to consider poles with baskets at the tip end, as opposed to the diminutive “plastic cuppy little things”. The baskets prevent the poles from sinking as deep. Many pole sets come with interchangeable components.
More good news! P2 and the road into it have been plowed out. Overall, the parking situation at Kane Valley is outstanding right now. Thank-you YRB.
We hope to be out Wednesday, improving on Harmon, North, Lynx, Aspen, Sundown, Connector, Tolko, and possibly Overeasy.
Don’t forget to check out Neil’s Valley and Gulch Bypass, two relatively short back-country trails that will not be groomed by machine this season. Already, some skiers have tried both these delightful routes.
Happy trails (to you, until we meet again). Skill testing question: The singers of this cheery tune – what were the names of their horses?
trigger was easy but buttercup is not quite right after many many years.
Excellent Cold Moon ski!
The weather was perfect, although we didn’t have a completely clear sky, the trees still had shadows and there was no need for headlamps.
Thanks for the awesome work on the trails Ian and groomers! We skied from P1 to menzies and back, excellent little night ski! 😊
Glad to hear that you had a nice night ski. Skiing along the shoreline of Menzies Lake/Pond in the moonlight must have been spectacular.