The Weather Window

Fri. 11 March: Sandy McNabb Ski Trails
Now the warmer temperatures are here, but I’m not ready for them yet! I really wanted one more good outing on my cross-country skis. And temperatures below about 10 degrees C are ideal for waxing and snow conditions.

But the forecast for the next week was for above zero – apart from early on Friday when it would still be around minus 11 degrees! That was enough for me. I was up early and on the road before dawn, anxious to grab what might be the last really good burst of a long, cold winter.

It had snowed overnight in the Sheep Valley, and I was lucky that the snow-plough was somewhere ahead of me clearing and gritting the road. A few minutes later, there he was, hurtling down the road towards me on his way back out to Turner Valley, leaving a well-ploughed road behind him.

I was on the trail soon after 7 a.m., the sun having just risen. Today I would explore some of the Sandy McNabb ski trails which I had not ski’d last time I was here in December. There were about 2 to 3 inches of new snow on the trail, covering a crusty surface, caused by well above zero temperatures the day before. Luckily all these trails had been track-set just a week ago, so there was almost a tramline of crusted snow-covered ski trail to follow most of the way round. The tricky thing was controlling one’s speed on the downhill sections.

My route took me westwards along Long Prairie Loop, which made its way up a pretty valley, then northeast on Balsam Link, before heading up to the viewpoints on Pine Ridge Trail and so back down Macabee Creek, perhaps 9 km in total. These gentle, forested foothills make the perfect cross-country skiing terrain, and scenery. When the snow is good, such as now, it makes for a very enjoyable adventure.

Balsam Link starts off easily enough as it threads through the forest, but then it starts to climb a long hill, finally reaching the top of a forested ridge. Although the air temperature was around minus 13 degrees C at the start, the snow temperature measured only minus 5 degrees. I picked the right wax. It allowed me to climb these long hills quite easily, only herring-boning up the steepest parts.

Turning left onto Pine Ridge, I followed the crest of the hillside until I came up to the two viewpoints. Here were two clearings in the trees, the first with a low bench and the second with a picnic table. It was cloudy and so the views were not extensive. On a clear day apparently one looks across to Calgary over the rolling hills to the northeast. Today it was a magical combination of low forested ridges, with open snow-covered meadows, merging into the sky.

I was not brave enough to try skiing down the precipitously steep and narrow trail down off the ridge. Instead I plodded down the hill in my boots until the slope seemed more manageable. I made good time down the valleys, with just a couple of small upsets, and plenty of slightly out of control sections through the trees on a hard packed trail.

Finally with one long, fast descent I came down into the valley and was soon back at the car, with no bones broken, but a newly bent ski pole!

There was nobody else on these trails today, and already the temperatures were rising and the snow changing its consistency. It might have been the last opportunity for a good winter’s outing, and I had made the best of it.

But would I have enough energy left for tomorrow’s expedition?


StatisticsSandy McNabb Ski Trails
Fri. 11 March

Total Dist. 9 km (X-C ski)
Height Gain 705 ft.
Max. Elev. 5,380 ft.
Time on trail 2 hrs. 27 mins.