Snowfari, 2/6

[2/2]T here is snow in the Utica, NY area. BUT many of the trails that are used on this map are on park roads. After the heavy rain we received on January 24-26 and the subsequent warm temperatures, followed by the sub zero temperatures last weekend, the possibility of a 'safe' (for the skiers and skis) Ski-O is doubtful. We are expecting snow (on and off) for the next few days, but as many of you know, planning courses around "IFFY" conditions is difficult.

I plan to survey the courses/trails, tonight (Tuesday 2/2) after work, and give you a report on Wednesday Morning for a "GO" / "NO GO" for this Saturday.

As of right now the normal grooming, which consists of the down hill ski area (Val Bialas) rolling the roads within the park and paths on the golf course, is not existent. I have also asked the city to NOT plow the road, but they may need to plow to get the Snow Ball Softball players to the top of the hill.

Also, as most of you remember from last year, the prices for this event are set by the SNOWFARI committee. I donate all my time, and your entree fee, to the Utica Zoo.

The prices last year were a bit high, and I asked them to readjust them for this year.

The cost this year will be $10 per individual, and a max of $25 per family. Sorry, there are NO DISCOUNTS for membership in any Orienteering Club. But you can write a check, and use that amount as a charitable contribution for your taxes. The money goes directly to the operation of the Utica Zoo.

There will be 4 courses offered for the four Empire State Games Qualifier Categories this Saturday. Starts are from: 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM. Distances are TBD, after my review Tuesday night.

• BLUE - Male Open
• RED - Women's Open, Men's Masters, Men's Grand Masters
• GREEN - Women's Masters, Boy's Scholastic
• YELLOW - Women's Grand Masters, Girl's Scholastic

Pre-Registration WILL BE MANDATORY and will guarantee you to a PRE-MARKED map. Please send your name & course preference to KK2B@aol.com by noon (12:00 PM) THURSDAY.

NO Electronic Punching - Leave your dibblers home

- Ed Kobos

Byrncliff, 1/31

[1/28] They have a good base at Byrncliff, a couple of inches of new snow yesterday and more expected today. There's a short start window 10:30 to 11 so contact Patty if you will be arriving outside this "window."

- Eric Hamilton

Byrncliff Snow Report

Bear Swamp, 1/31

[1/28] I'm going to have to cancel the ski-O race scheduled for Bear Swamp on Sunday. I went up to check out the trails yesterday evening. There is coverage almost everywhere--that is a coverage of 1/2" of fresh powder on pretty much glare ice, with the occasional rock poking up through. It works great for transport on Ridge Road which is relatively flat and had been groomed by the snowmobile club shortly before the rain. For some reason there is a little better bonding between the snow on top and the ice below there. The regular ski trails are also quite skiable on flatter sections. The underlying surface is bumpier, but at least with classical skiing there is enough grip between snow cover and ice to make things work fine. As soon as trails get a little steeper things get completely out of control in the downhill direction. Although there is an inch or two of lake effect snow in the forecast for today and more for Friday, I really can't put on the race on the basis of today's conditions which are really hazardous, even though the area may well be skiable on Sunday.

- Eric Smith

[1/25] This massive rainfall is a regional thing. What Ann is saying about Hammond Hill is almost certainly true for Bear Swamp as well. Again, I would put the likelihood of cancellation at about a 95% level, but would also like to reserve final judgment until the current rainstorm has finished itself off. Check back later in the week to see if the races can be held this coming weekend.

- Eric Smith

Hammond Hill, 1/30

[1/27] Due to no snow, there will be no ski-o race at Hammond Hill this Saturday.

- Ann Leonard

[1/25] It looks exceedingly unlikely that I will be able to host a Ski-O on Hammond Hill this weekend. The rain has already trashed our base in its entirety in the meadows, and since it is supposed to continue like this all day, very likely the trails will lose much of their base as well. Since the forecast includes only snow flurries, it sure doesn't look good for Saturday. Will let you know "fer sure" by Wednesday, but I'm 95% sure already we are going to have to cancel.

- Ann Leonard

BREIA Trails (Jackson Hill), 1/24

[1/19] There is plenty of snow in the Boonville, NY area. Off trail you can find at least 2 feet of snow! Most of the trails have been 'tracked'. Some of the trails have only been packed. Hiking, Mountain Biking, Snow Shoe and 'bushwhacking' trails are NOT groomed (they are what they are). Tracked and Packed Trails in the open areas may differ from the map, and have been groomed at the discretion of B. R. E. I. A.

Classic Skiing, is the general rule for these trails. Skating is only allowed on the Sunfield Trails, on the extreme west end of the map. Please observe this restriction.

There will be 4 courses offered for the four Empire State Games Qualifier Categories this Sunday. Starts are from: 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM.

BLUE      11-13 k    Male Open
RED        9-11 k    Women's Open, Men's Masters, Men's Grand Masters
GREEN       7-9 k    Women's Masters, Boy's Scholastic
YELLOW      6-7 k    Women's Grand Masters, Girl's Scholastic

Pre-Registration IS APPRECIATED and will guarantee you to a PRE-MARKED map. Please send your name & course preference to KK2B@aol.com by noon (12:00 PM) Friday.

NO Electronic Punching - Leave your dibblers home ( J or L )

Fees are:

• $5 for a CNYO member - ($15 family maximum)
• $8 for non CNYO members - ($20 family maximum)

There is NO ESG Surcharge, this year.

Maps (without a course) may be purchased for $3 (while supply lasts)

- Ed Kobos

[1/11] Normal starts will be from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM. There is a warming hut, just under 1/2 Km from the parking lot, on Jackson Hill Road. There is a 2 hole out house available, for your convenience. There will be 4 courses available (Yellow, Green, Red & Blue lengths) for the 4 classes (Scholastic, Grand Masters, Masters & Open). Distances and climb are TBD.

BREIA grooms trails to a high standard, providing a superior Nordic skiing experience. To ensure that the trails retain this standard for all skiers, the following rules are in place and will be enforced:

• No Motorized Vehicles
• Ski Or Mountain Bike At Your Own Risk
• Ski In A Manner That Does Not Endanger Others
• Snowshoers Please Stay To The Side Of Ski Tracks
• No Pedestrians On Ski Trails In Winter
• No Dogs In Winter (Except Canal Trail)
• No Skate Skiing (Except On Sunfield Trail At Jackson Hill)
• No Towed Sleds (Except On Canal Trail)
• No Hunting
• Due To Varying Conditions, Not All Trails May Be Groomed

- Ed Kobos

Mendon Ponds, 1/17

[1/16] Trail conditions at Mendon are far from ideal. Most trails have at least some snow cover ... although it may be ice by morning ... but many have rocks, sticks, or leaves showing through. Some areas can be "sticky" so care should be taken on downhills - watch for ice or debris or just ground that will grab your skis. Most trails are quite wide (either groomed or walked on a lot) with no tracks so skating is a viable option for most of the area.

"Rock" skis are definitely the order of the day!

Because of the uncertainty in the trail conditions at start time (forecast high near 40 with a chance of rain) the race format is a score-O format. Each class will have to get a certain number of controls within the time limit. There will be extra severe penalties for going overtime!

Right now it looks like we WILL be skiing, but that could change if the rain moves in.

- Jim Russell, Course Setter

[1/14] Ski O greetings!

Hey, it is finally winter and we have snow and ROC has its first Ski Orienteering event this Sunday--Please wax up your skis and come to Hopkins Point lodge- in beautiful Mendon Ponds Park.

Starts are from 12pm til 1:30

Now for the "nitty gritty facts of ski O life"--Jim Russell is designing the courses, which will depend on the Sunday snow conditions- Predictions are for above freezing temperatures which can mean mash potatoe snow and "perhaps" uneven snow cover. You will receive a message about how to prepare for Sunday's conditions Saturday evening. So, please check your email- we will email to you, Saturday evening, about the conditions. [updates will also be posted here]

This event will be an ESG qualifying event, so Jim will have courses of all levels.

For those of you that need encouragement about trying Ski O- Yes, do it, it is so much fun- all controls are on trails (you can bushwhack and even, legally, take off your skis and run with them.)

For newbies, carrying the map is the challenge- pinning the map to your parka will be necessary; this means you cannot orient the map which is a mental challenge, but is OK. There are many ingenious homemake apparatus you can devise. Dedicated ski-oers have a map holder that allows orienting the map and is actually very user friendly ( but pricey-seems like our sports become very equipment specialized)

Experience WINTERFEST Sunday- there will be a smorgasbord of winter activities in the park, beginning at 11am-

SOOOO- see you Sunday, for day of winter fun

- Rick and Dayle Lavine

Moreau Lake State Park, 1/9

[1/6] rules, info, and conditions (PDF) - updated 1/6

- Phil Hawkes-Teeter

Dewey Mountain, 1/2

[12/25] There will be four courses:

• white - 4k, 7 controls - FS, Junior Scholastic, FG
• orange - 6.5k, 10 controls - FM, MG, MS
• green - 10.5k, 18 controls - FO, MM (map exchange at control #8, inside at registration)
• red - 13k, 21 controls - MO (map exchange at control #11, inside at registration)

About 1/2 of the ski trails should be groomed. Other ski trails are, some wide, some narrow and not likely to be groomed. For some courses, snowshoe trails will be used.

Directional trail signs may be ignored. Be courteous to recreational skiers. Some trails have lighting wires that may cross overhead. Be careful, especially if you are very tall!

Dewey Mt. is owned by the Town of Harrietstown. They do request a $5 use fee per person. Additionally, AOK will have a donation can available at registration. Any amount will help offset the costs of maintaining controls, paperwork and printing expense.

IMPORTANT: If this is an ESG qualifier for you, check the EMPO website for age, club affiliation, etc. PLEASE PRE-REGISTER VIA E-MAIL n1cm@yahoo.com - include age and intent to qualify. Do this by Tuesday night 12/29/09.

NOTE: not much base - some rain could ruin it. Next update late Thursday night. Stay tuned.

- Len Cormier

Lapland Lake, 12/19

[12/16] Finished placing controls today. Conditions are almost perfect. I say "almost" because there are a couple of spots where the groomer or track setter hit an exposed rock or bare spot. You just have to focus on the trail ahead.

Grooming left a hard packed base with new cold snow on top. Conditions are great for skating, but all those old logging roads, rides, and old ski trails make for some interesting route choices. You will... more than once... thank your flexibility to have some classic technique and a bit of kick wax.