New Year's Eve 2012 - Good temps & Stable Snow

Just a quick Happy New Year Cheer! We haven't been getting any significant snowfall and there isn't a bunch in the forecast (avy or local) til Saturday. Temps are primed for it though at -7 currently and trending within a few degrees of that all week and in the alpine. Winds have been up and down so some faces may be windswept with other aspects receiving the load. Snow is becoming more and more stable and reports from guests are that the trails are really good behind us and the trees are full of snow! Flathead getting a bit rough but it will likely be groomed over the holiday again. Curt, Cooper, Sommer and I wish you all the best in 2013, lots of snow, safe riding and adrenalin pumping. Remember we have changed our name to Summit Creek Cabins but all Inn on the Border points to the same info. Health and Happiness! Cheers - V

Dec 28/12 - Out of the Cold

Hey Gang - hope your Christmas was filled with friends, family and lots of left overs in these past few days! We were in the cold snap with no real new snow but we have emerged at a -10 consistently for 24hrs and are headed into -5 territory with more snow to come at those temps on Saturday. Our trail is now well packed and the reports from the Flathead were that the first 5km (the usual into Barnes and up) is packed but in good shape - not washboardy. Limestone has seen some riding but our guests said the trees were fantastic - lots of fresh and unridden snow there. Get out and ride the hell out of 2012! Fernie Snowmobile Club is having an open to visitors day Grand Opening of their new cabin which looks beautiful! Dec 29th I believe so get out and celebrate that club's efforts - trail is groomed and free that day. Cheers - V

Dec 23/12 - Lots of Snow & Snowing

1 Foot on the trail down here and 3ft ON THE TRAIL at Ptolemy Pass/McCool Trail to Corbin. This hits around 6200ft so the alpine is getting more. Curt said he had the little 370 Arctic Cat of Sommer's pinned trying to manage the snow in the trail left by Cooper on the 800. He is pumped! We are blowing snow AGAIN in the yard. Avy report says there is a weak inversion in the alpine. It is -10 here and is snowing steadily here and up top. Likely more than the 20cm expected to fall last night up there since we have so much on the trail between 4500 and 6200ft. Temps are improving and are supposed to be in the -5 range over the next few days. Wind has let off down here and from reports...up top it is expected to be light also. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Dec 22/12 - Cold Snap

Hi - just a quick note. We got another 8cm overnight and Curt was blowing snow again in the yard today. The temp dropped to -17 here and -21 when we were in Pincher today. Wind picked up and is blowing snow around so there will be wind cross loaded slopes to watch for in the alpine likely. Temps are supposed to go back to the -7 to -11 range tomorrow and over the next few days. More light snow will accompany it and it was snowing up top today by the looks of it. Check your avy reports for weather forecasting - they are pretty good at the finer points. Cheers - V

Dec 20/12 - lots of fresh snow

We have 30cm of new snow on the trail and a bit more than that as you head up. Cooper put video of he and Sommer sledding out of the yard up the trail just a couple of kms on Facebook on Summit Creek Cabins - it is the best visual for how much the trails everywhere would have improved over the course of this day. Still snowing lightly tonight and more expected tomorrow. Its only -2 right now at 9:30pm. A bit breezy tonight so there will likely be some wind loading up in the alpine. Trees will be full of new snow. Cheers - V

Dec 20/12 - Snowing steady

Good Morning - it is -5 and snowing significantly. We have 8cm (3inches) of fresh snow today so far and it is snowing steady here and up top. There is a snowfall warning for our area and Fernie for 15-25cm more to fall (30cm = 1ft)in the next 12hrs. More flurries in the forecast for Friday. Roads are pretty good and at the East end of the Pass they have not had near the snow we have had so don't be discouraged driving Hwy #3. The photos are of highway #3 right before you make a lefthand turn off to our place and then the next photo shows the road down into our place and if you were wondering where the trail starts ....you can see the sign & gate right next to the log cabin. Bed to Sled to Trail. The photo of the other cabins shows our tracks and the snow that has accumulated on the picnic table in 4 days. Whatever falls down here there is way more than that up top. Looks like a White Christmas (or excellent last day of sledding before the end of the world...mayan calander joke). Cheers - V

Dec 19/12 - Report from off Pipeline

Hi - Photo is of the snowfall two nights ago, 15-20cms - I was blowing snow. It is -6 and lightly snowing. It is supposed to snow daily til Monday and the avy report for South Rockies predicts 30-35cm of snow in the next 48hrs. Have guests here who were out off the pipeline up the powerline and playing in the trees and said the pipeline wasn't very good - not a bunch of snow but the trees had 90cms (3ft) of fresh snow! They had a blast. Read your avalanche report for current and predicted weather and know that it will take a few days after a storm for consolidation so ratings usually go up - so choose your terrain accordingly and enjoy the snow! Cheers - V

Dec 17/12 - Still snowing

Good Evening gang. Here is our place as you sit at the turnout coming from the West overlooking Summit Lake with our place at the end. And the next one lets you see how the cabins are situated behind the house. We have 15cm (6 inches) of new snow down here and still snowing. I hesitated posting these photos because you can see the tall grass still poking through which might deter some but I wanted you to see that just behind us as you go up in altitude that the 6000ft range was getting a good dose of snow. Those who ride here won't be bothered with the grass showing because they know how it changes in a thousand feet. There is enough snow down here that I am going to have to plough tonight. It is -3 right now. I suspect that if the temps drop then we will see a halt to the snow til Thurs but if it stays in that -5 range then we may keep getting it or at least the alpine will. Greg Hertz called and said they were in Limestone and agreed to Derrick's observation that there was about 18 inches of fresh snow but over there it was bottomless in some areas. The backside of Limestone, commonly referred to as Avalanche Alley was rocky and had windswept bare spots. So you are going to get set up base in some places and bottomless in others - but the trees are the best playground right now for consistent snow depth. If you watch the avalanche report you can get a good sense of the trends....storm snow = higher risk until it bonds or shows that is isn't going to bond with the snow beneath it. Keep doing the snow dance! Cheers - V

Dec 17/12 - Significant snowfall

Morning. Its -5 and the snowfall predicted has arrived and is heavier and thicker than we have had in a while. Avy report predicts a foot of fresh snow up in the alpine and I am sure we will get at least that. We have at least 5cm this morning. 1/6th of the way there. Tuesday and Wednesday are supposed to drop down to -14 then it is supposed to come back up to -2 and more snow by Thursday/Friday. Was out on the trail yesterday just behind our place and it is dusty snow on a hard base at our place and then 3km up the trail and a 1000ft the snow is about 15cm deep. There are a wide variety of conditions out there so keep your expectations of low elevation riding in check. This snow will make a difference on the trails if it keeps up. I think we are on our way. Cheers - V

Dec 16/12 - Rain Gauge report

Morning, the guys rode Rain Gauge yesterday and said it was 18 inches to 2ft fresh in the trees with a solid base that gave lots of traction. Above the trees was a bit thin though and they didn't bother riding it. It snows lightly every day and yesterday in Fernie you couldn't see the ski hill a lot of the time so it was snowing more up top. We are still waiting for that big dump of snow though. Temps are still in that -5 to -10 range. Cheers - V

Dec 14/12 - Report from Heartbreak

Howdy, Derrick and his crew are here for a couple days and they were up in Heartbreak today - said no sign of anyone else being in there and it was lightly snowing. The guys said there was a foot of fresh on top and it wasn't a crusty layer beneath that - just regular base. Never hit a stump but a few sleds have that pine fresh smell from not believing hard enough they could make it THROUGH THE HOLE between two trees on some good climbs in the trees. All good though - no carnage. When I asked about the trail they said it was okay, shoulder shrug, ya know, but agreed to what I had said in previous blogs, it isn't a cruise in some fluffy snow - it is simply good enough to ride. We are -4 right now and no wind. It is supposed to continue the trend and snow lightly up there for the next couple of days. Its not dumping but it is slowly accumulating cm by cm. The avy report continues to improve but the big warning is for cornice loading. If one of those big ones come down it could trigger one of the deep weak layers in the slope below so avoid them. We are getting bookings steady so if you have a weekend you are hoping to get, give me a call to see if it is still open. We are booking during the week too so check on your date's availability. Get snow dancing gang! Cheers - V

Dec 12/12 - Light Snow on this 12/12/12 date

Hi - light snow daily with forecast for temps between -5 and -9 all week and accumulating a few centimeters at a time. Here is what it looked like driving west (home) from Coleman/Blairmore at 4pm. You should see Mountains but the veil of light snow starts a few kms east of our house. Trail is ride-able but its not a pleasure cruise down here. There will be more snow up top accumulating than what is down here as you can see from photos in the previous blogs. Avalanche reports are showing less risk as the snow from previous snowfalls starts to consolidate. We just pulled our avy packs for their pre-season check and had the refill done at Walt Healy in Calgary - thank you Trent. Have you checked your avy pack today?...Cheers - V

Dec 9/12 - Roger, Josh, James Riding Dec 6 &7/12

It has been snowing lightly but steady.....I am just going to let the photos from Roger, Josh and James who stayed with us the 6th & 7th and rode Limestone mostly just speak for itself. Said they had a great time and they know this area during any month so that says alot. Trail is getting so its dusty and not fluffy - recommend still trailering to get as close to the riding area you want rather than take time on getting there by the trail. Cheers - V

Dec 7/12 - Light Snow

Good Evening - it is -4 here and supposed to dip to -12 tonight and there are supposed to be light flurries and nice temps (-1 to -5) for the next few days. Some of it is reaching the ground but most is at the 5500ft level. These are photos from us driving back home from Coleman. They are taken from the Atlas Staging turn off on Hwy 3 by Devon Gas Plant. This is a frequent view for us. We fall just within that veil of light snow...often. Roger is here with crew and said trail is fine and they have been up in Limestone for two days ripping it up with sleds and snowbike. Finding all kinds of conditions up there. Crust with soft snow beneath, spring like set up, cross wind loaded slopes. No sign of avalanche activity or sluffing/pin-wheeling having occurred in that area but typically it doesn't slide there. They have been enjoying the trees the most. They ran into sledders out there who had been at Rolling Hills and said it was great. Expectations should be more spring like snow with the occasional find of deposits of light deep snow to just be enjoyed. We have still about the same few cms of snow in the yard with the trail at the back gate suddenly becoming a much thicker base with increasing amounts of light snow on top of it as it climbs up. Check you avalanche reports - lots happening over in the Lizard Range but it is under better supervision. More and more sleds on the road all the time! Cheers - V

Dec 5/12 - Snowing on and offI

Last night the wind must have really gusted through as it blew our weather vane off the garage. Today was a slightly gusty but consider that when you are in the alpine. The avy reports were talking about being wary of wind loading slopes. It was snowing hard at about 10am and had started around 9am as graupel (round balls of snow). I wanted to show you my foot prints and you can see that down low and at tree line the snow has a lot of moisture. The alpine would have gotten a fair amount of snow - likely around a foot as down at our altitude (4600ft) we had another 3cm yesterday and 2cm today - maybe more as it was gusting. Trails are fine and locals are out riding. Wish I could give you my own first hand report but our sleds are not ready yet. Still recovering from building and renovating the cabins. We are off to a slow start getting ourselves out there but our friends are happy to tell us all about their days out riding! We have regular guests coming tomorrow and they will be able to give us an up close honest read for my next reports. Cheers - V

Dec 2/12 - Report from Rain Gauge

Well it snowed almost all day down here and we have 3 inches of new snow as a result. Cooper did a tour 3km out back with the little Arctic Cat and said it got as deep as 1 foot of fresh snow. Brayden, Terry and George are at Corbin and were up in Rain Gauge today and it was 3-4ft of fresh in the bowl with just under a foot fresh down on the trail. There is a bit of a crust. I believe you can get some photos of that off our facebook - Curtis was mentioning they looked great. I noticed that there was a small bit of graupel on top of the wetter layer we had today. It is 2 degrees right now and supposed to be mixed precipitation (which means snow up at elevation) til Thursday. I would say you could have some stump-less riding in now. Watch your avy reports and terrain and have some fun! Cheers -V

Dec 2/12 - Snowing

It is snowing and supposed to keep snowing for the next 24hrs. It has been snowing up top through the rain that we were getting down here. Not sure how much new stuff is up there but some reports have said almost a foot of new snow with it being wet snow at tree line but the the frost line has come all the way down now so we are getting the snow down here too. Trails still held their snow through the drizzle over the past few days so that just shored up the base and this will just be adding to that. Zero Degrees - Cheers -V

Nov 30/12 - Rain

Hi Gang - quick note, it has been raining lightly but steady all night and our yard is a skating rink. We have lost a bunch of snow down here but up top I think it is lightly snowing. It is socked in up there and +3 here. Wouldn't take much elevation for the snow conditions to change. Be watching your avy reports for South Rockies and Lizard to see what layer is being established around the 6-8000ft mark. Jeesh...even I am tired of this weather. Its moisture. Just need it to cool off a bit...LOL. Cheers - V

Nov 29/12 - Wet snow

Well that dusting of snow was all we got last night. The temp forecast changed to all positives too. Even though it was spitting here and downtown Fernie, it was apparent it was snowing up in the alpine. Supposed to do both of those things til Sat. We were supposed to be -1 but were +6 today. Snow is wet and sticky but it is firming up the base and the trails are still ride worthy. It would be like spring riding at lower elevations. One photo is of Fernie today and the other two are to show you that you could ride from our place easily. My recommendation would be to trailer to the area you wanted to ride just to save time and early season fatigue. Will keep you up to date but I would start renting cabins now if anyone wanted to come check it out. If you are not looking to rack up as many mountain days as possible then just wait a bit. Cheers -V

Nov 28/12 - 10pm and Snowing

Just wanted to let you all know that the forecast was right and we have started getting snow from what was a short time ago, clear skies this evening. Also - here is the prize that Curt and Cooper got on their deer hunting trip - thanks Terry you made their weekend. Look out Vintage Run - Cooper is stoked! I will update all of you tomorrow morning. Keep doing the snow dance - Cheers -V

Nov 28/12 - Photo from Wranglers Cabin 2 days ago

Here is a photo from Wranglers Cabin about two days ago. This is in reference to my Go For It post about the Rolling Hills. It is clear and -4 with flurries forecasted over the next 24hrs and the avy reports are calling for 5-15cm of snow. The alpine may see more of that than we do down here but the temps are supposed to stay in the -1 to -5 range so that is hopeful. We are getting lots of bookings for Jan and Feb already and are booked over Christmas and New Years. Was working the horses in our outdoor arena and they were slipping around on the icy layer from earlier in Nov. Just an reminder that that layer exists on the inclines and the snow is sitting on top of that so pick your terrain carefully. If you can enjoy sledding the trees that is likely your safest option right now. The Lizard and South Rockies report has rated above treeline as "considerable" in some instances. Thanks to Allan for letting me use this photo and giving us the update. Cheers -V

Nov 27/12: Go For It!

I have gotten news from Rolling Hills! The guys were out and said I could tell. LOL. They rode all day in the Rolling Hills and never hit a stump and according to the avy report there is more snow on the way tonight/tomorrow! (5-10cm but that could be more and the base is now firming up. So. I have been conservative but now I am saying you can ride from here or you can stay and trailer but the areas are worth riding and the cabins are ready. Just a note of caution - the avy reports are saying there have been natural avalanches on that Nov 8th ice layer and there have been some that have slid on layers above that. So eyes open, ears open, pick your terrain and go have fun! Yahooooo - Cheers -V

Nov 24/12 - Photos and trail riding

Okay I uploaded the photos and after going out for a snowshoe I stand corrected. The trails would be fine to head out on. It is packing down well. There was a sled out trail riding from Tent Mtn out behind us. Photos from Cranbrook buddies sent a photo and they are sledding in 3 feet of snow - remember there isn't any base to that yet - beware stumps, logs and bottomless willows. I would like to see what Rain Gauge has - 9km down the Flathead. That icy layer is something to be concerned about if you get off the trail up in the alpine. Keep an eye out if you venture up there. Temp holding nicely between zero and -3. Cheers -V

Nov 24/12 - 20cm of Snow Overnight

Sorry - Computer problems this morning so I cannot upload photos but after I blogged last night the snow steadily picked up and became fluffy. It stopped around midnight and the accumulation is about 1 foot total so that would be another 20cm from what we had yesterday. Temp is -1 and supposed to stay in the negatives for the next four days. No snow in the forecast but that can change. First South Rockies avy report says there has been some avalanching on that icy layer put down earlier in Nov in the Harvey Pass area south down the Flathead. Be aware of that layer if you head out anywhere. It is still a thin layer of snow for sledding without taking on stumps etc. They are saying that back there there is perhaps 3 ft of snow in where they did some testing at Harvey - I wouldn't cash in vacation days to ride it yet though - trail doesn't really have a decent base yet either. If you have a day, lowered expectations and just want to see where you can go then you could try it but I would not be recommending people come ride just yet. Cheers - V

Nov 23/12 - Snowing a bit

Thought I would update you. It has been snowing steady but not big accumulation snow. Forecast is for a couple of centimeters by tomorrow morning and that seems about right. Maybe a bit heavier up top but these photos are from almost 3km behind our place on the trail and almost 1000ft up from our cabins. I took the probe so you could see its 10cm there and that is what we have in the yard too. It is a hopeful trend of snowing. The temps are supposed to stay in the -1 and -2 range. Still not enough to go - I am hearing Golden and Revy have snow and they are grooming trails. Also one of our guests said there is a foot in Yorkton Sask which they can go on! Love those stubble fields. We are getting bookings for Jan and Feb just so you know. Fernie Club's new cabin Grand Opening and Family Day ride is Dec 29th. Please, if you ride that area, buy a membership and support their great efforts to make improvements and keep that riding area open. Tim at Over the Top Rentals is doing the snow dance - everyone join in! Cheers -V

Nov 21/12: Rain then Snow

Good Evening....Well we left for Kalispell, MT this morning and it was raining. The photo was taken on the road just east of Fernie. It spit all the way to Kalispell and then was overcast there. On the way home this evening it was spitting to Fernie where big rain drops turned to snow from the west side of Fernie to the east side. Sparwood to our place showed it had snowed for a few hours and we have around 2-3 inches of snow and the kids say there's a bit more than that in town. Apparently Sask got rain and then snow with lots of accidents as a result so its everywhere. Its -8 but does not feel that cool out. Its supposed to go back up to zero by Friday so its a crap shoot as to whether we keep this but it was definitely snowing up top at Fernie and here but not at Big Mountain in Whitefish. Still not enough to go yet from here. Keep tuning - do an online avy course while we wait....Cheers -V

Nov 20/12 - Rain Rain go Away

Hi - quick update. Its -2 and has been raining at a variety of intensities for 24hrs now (at 8pm) and the snow in the previous day's photos is gone or ice. We actually have water laying. I would like to say it was snowing up top but it didn't look like it. Looked more like fog to 8000ft. Might have gotten some in patches but it is not riding season yet here. Bah. Tried on a carbon fibre helmet by 509 that weighs just a tad over 2lbs. Sooo light on the neck. Tried on the Snow Pulse avy pack with attached vest and that was very light and short - perfect for my back length. I suggest poking around equipment and trying on new stuff during this period of "waiting". We are supposed to get rain or snow all week. I will post if we get something significant. Cheers -V

Nov 19/12 - 5 cm snow - now spittingH

This is the turn off from Hwy 3 down our road. It snowed steadily all day and we got 5 cm out of it - sticky snow now. Its +4 here at 5:45pm and calm but spitting slightly. 3km East on Hwy 3 there is very little snow and it was just raining lightly all the way to the Pass. Curt on his way home tonight and says Hwy 22 is windy. There were wind warnings earlier and there are rain warnings for Fernie area. It may hold and keep snowing above 6000ft though. Not enough to ride on yet. Not like the 2ft we had in October. I suspect we will lose most of this snow at lower elevations too if the temps keep climbing and it keeps raining. Highways are good otherwise. Cheers -V

Nov 19/12 - A bit of Light Fluffy snow

Its +1 here at the Border and snowing lightly - big fluffy flakes though. We had a dusting of snow last night then it quit. This morning its snowing and Fernie, Sparwood and Crowsnest is supposed to be in the plus temps (even hitting double digits on Wed) and getting a mix of snow and rain. The rain has not hit us yet. Fingers crossed it doesn't. All three areas are supposed to get snow/rain til Wed. Will keep you up to date as to weather we accumulate one or the other. Check out your avalanche courses and get registered now for them. Oh in the Snowriders West our phone number is wrong....we are hoping that people go to the website and connect that way with us. Sorry about the error. Cheers - V

Nov 10/12 - No new snow

Holy have you guys seen photos of South of Regina! Photos sent from our parents show 2ft of snow Rouleau-Drinkwater! Guess I won't be getting calls from the Sask guys about being first out on snow cause they will be breaking sleds in there! I didn't take a photo of here cause its the same as yesterday. We had some light snow but it isn't really accumulating type of snow like we started to get two days ago. Going to ski swaps today. Likely still a foot of snow up top in areas. Staying cool so we will start keeping the snow. Happy tuning! V

Nov 9/12 - Dusting

Have the flu so this will be short. Got the 5cm but that's it. Justin called from Edmonton to book in for Jan sled trip and they got the full 35cm. I heard Lethbridge got more than us too. Don't worry it will come. Cheers -V

Nov 8/12 : Snow Warning

And so it begins. There is actually a snowfall warning for this area til Sat. The center of it is supposed to be Pincher Creek (very different weather movement from us) so not sure if we will get the 35cm they predict but we are supposed to get 10-15cm and temps in the -teens to keep it here. Up top in the bowls it will likely be ontop of the 1ft that was in there previously but here, 10-15cm isn't enough to head out on trails with sled with any quality type ride. But it is a start! I will show you daily what the yard looks like. We got a shot yesterday (trial run) but it melted. Sunday and Monday are supposed to be sunny. Go check all your fluid levels - maybe change out your belt! LOL - Cheers -V

Nov 7/12 - Rain Today Snow Tomorrow

Hi Gang, Well its been raining - on and off til about 2hrs ago. Corrals are a sloppy mess. But!....5cm of snow is forecast for tonight and 10-15cm for tomorrow. Temps are supposed to dive to -15 and then up to -3 but perhaps this is the start of the snowing sticking around. I encourage you to start checking your avy reports and get a handle on what the first layers look like. Your winter will build on these and during the early big snowfalls you may reconsider some slopes because of it and choose other terrain. The Canadian Avalanche Association is having an avalanche night of info in Revelstoke on the 10th of Nov and in Calgary on the 18th. Fees are nominal - around the $20 mark. Check out the website at www.avalanche.ca Castle Mountain ski resort sends out emails to announce how much snow they have gotten. That is reflective of the south Flathead area. Check out their website too. Cheers -V

Oct 31/12 - Happy Freezing Rain Halloween

Just a quick note for anyone travelling....freezing rain! I have a thick layer of ice all over the truck and the ground and it is freezing rain still. Looks like our buses and schools may be cancelled today. Driving on highway isn't advised but...tomorrow and the rest of the week will be around +10. Be watching for this icy layer to be discussed in the beginning avy reports for South Rockies at www.avalanche.ca Happy Halloween - be safe! V

Oct 30th/12 - Big Melt

Good Morning. Curt and Cooper headed down to Corbin Saturday and were getting stuck in some spots with the tires still on the commander. Said there was 2ft back there in places. BUT....it has been warming up - big Chinook this morning. Warm breeze and it was raining yesterday all day - spitting to actual rain and 8 above. Supposed to be like that and warming up all week to the plus 11 mark. Except Wed where it is supposed to be zero and snowing in the Pass but not Sparwood. Snow is gone from down here - mucky mess. Good week to work on your sleds for when the snow does come again! I will let you know whe it does. Cheers -V

Oct 27, 2012 : Snow Report - Dusting

Hi - well we have had a dusting for the past couple of days with flurries forecast for today and this evening. Then the temps are to rise to +12 and +11 so not sure how much of the snow we will keep. Right now if you really had to get out on the trails here you could with a sled but it would be a cautious ride not really a rip. Roads are poor to Lethbridge from here as Boone and Granny are reporting on their way back to Sask this morning. Terry, George and Archie are at Corbin this weekend working on the snowcat to be ready for the first groom when more snow falls. Make sure and budget for your trail pass. Fernie's new warm up club cabin is amazing! Well done you guys. It takes a lot of volunteerism, individual donations and fundraising to provide the infrastructure for an excellent trail system. Please support the efforts. Cheers -V

Oct 24, 2012 - Snow Report

We got another 6 inches of snow yesterday. Truck shot is the morning and then we had to drive (60km/hr was the best we could do) to Pincher - shot of snow in Pincher. We have had 2 feet of snow over the past three days. Just a dusting last night and we lost a bit during the day in the middle but the snowblower is now on the tractor and the tracks are going on the side by side. The newest cabin is finished! Curt took a nice photo of it - you can see the middle cabin peaking out in the background too. We are starting the new website design and look for updated photos. Its supposed to warm up but we will keep a portion of this up top. The mornings and evenings are cold. I will report any changes but its supposed to warm up a little bit. Check out the sled show dates for Edmonton, Calgary and Saskatoon! Cheers -V

Quad or Snow Report! Oct 20/12 In with a Bang

Sooooo.....it snowed, is snowing and will continue to snow til Wed per the weather report. We just got a ton of rain the past 24hrs and then today per my driving photo it changed to snow and then just now it let up for a bit but its supposed to snow more. Good for hunting....will make quadding a bit cold but not impossible at this stage. My recommend is to hold onto your vacation days now for sledding. Hardcore quadders continue on but for the guys that like the change of season...its the call of the wild for sled season. Now it will be a while til you can ride the trail and break in that new engine and bit longer til you can ride off trail but don't worry we'll keep you informed. Start checking out your avy training dates at Zacs Tracs. Cheers -V

Quad Report: New Arrivals & Renovations

CONGRATULATIONS to Roger and Dez on the arrival of RYDER FOX Sept 13th 6lbs 15oz! Roger and Dez are longtime guests and got married here at the cabins. They got married really early in the morning so they could still get a full day in of sledding so you can imagine the life Ryder is going to live! Roger even build a huge motocross track in their yard and rides snowbikes and sleds. Ryder's Mommy Dez is a mountain sledder too. Congrats you guys he is adorable and has a "loving life" smile already! We have some new stuff happening here at the SUMMIT CREEK CABINS too! Gable ends on the newest cabin THE FLATHEAD are being finished and a new floor will be installed in the middle cabin THE DIVIDE to complete it and the kitchen upgrade in the log cabin will be done today! We installed a 42" Plasma in the log cabin too!!! Sleeping arrangements have changed so now there is only one of the double bunk beds left and it is still downstairs in the same room as the kitchen but you won't believe the kitchen....and the two queens are upstairs in the loft but now there is a double bed and a single bed up there too - not in a bunkbeds though. You can put the snoring guy downstairs LOL. We are not going to replace the hot tub at this time though. Look for our new ad in the newest issue of Snoriders West. Check out Zacs Tracs as they have set up new training dates for avalanche safety. Its still quadding weather out here. Cool in the mornings and evenings but we aren't getting that Calgary weather that has been happening. Our roads have been dry and the afternoons have been T-shirt weather. Oh we are thinking of doing up new shirts so be on the look out for them! Cheers -V

Quad Report: Oct 6/12 - Building Bridges

Great day - the Corbin guys were out building new and fixing access to two bridges on the Barnes trail. The little one further up is new and 6 inches wider. It was a lot of fun and there were 7 side by sides, a quad and a dirtbike out with the crew. Cooper and Cale were ahead of Sommer and I on the trail waiting for us and got howled over by a wolf and there was some BIG bear tracks and scat fresh on the trail. Lots of grouse - one was a tasty treat over the fire. Still some snow all day in places and it was zero coming home tonight on the machines. Still wonderful ride if you are dressed for it. Hunting improving with this cooler weather but its supposed to go back up to plus 11 to 18 all next week. Pontiex crew put on lots of miles quadding and we look forward to having them back! We won Platnium award again this year for Favourite Hotel/Motel in Alberta as voted by riders in Snoriders West magazine! Thank you gang! Cheers & Happy Thanksgiving - V

Oct 2/12 : SNOW

It has been beautiful weather right up until yesterday around 2pm. We went from warm breeze and hot afternoons to instant sleet and snow - it was snowing steady last night. Still a dusting of it on the vehicles this morning but that is all supposed to go away and we are to get to plus 16-18 through the weekend. Hunters will be happy that it has cooled off. You can get some more quadding in but I think after Thanksgiving a warm day will be more rare. Dust off the sled and start watching the weather blog more often! Cheers -V

Quad Report: Sept 15/12 - Beautiful Weather

It has been beautiful weather - warm sunny days and cool nights. Lots of guests this past August and Sept with bookings well into October. Curt and I have been out on the horses lots following game trails and spending more time close to home on the little trails that are one way in and one way out but excellent for vistas as you can see. I really haven't spent much time on them and am finding them to be very entertaining and even more quiet than the trails already are out behind us. Lindsay and Julie (Secretary for the Quad Squad) rode in and we went for a tour - was a lot of fun. Plenty of season left. Keep an eye out for our new website. When we have put the last cedar shake on the gables of the newest cabin we will update the site! Cheers - V