Archangel Road
Today 11PM by Ed Strabel
Mat-Su Ski Club packed and groomed the road for classic and skating to the Reed Lakes trailhead. 6-7 inches of fresh snow on top of 6 inches of old snow. Road in good shape but the parking lot was not plowed.Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club
Independence Mine
Today 10PM by Mark Strabel
5" of new snow, groomed everything, a little change in the grooming. See if you notice. Road was plowed, although a little slick in parts. Parking lots have not been plowed. 23F when grooming. Should be epic skiing!!!
Independence Mine
Today 11AM by Kruser
Storming. 4-6 inches fresh and still dumping. Road not plowed and getting sporty. Snowing all the way down to Turners corner
Archangel Road
Tuesday 6PM by Ed Strabel
The road is not groomed yet. The ski club groomer is up there and ready to go. 3-4 more inches and we will start grooming. Think SNOW. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club
Birch Hill
Tuesday 4PM by Max K
Skate trails got groomed on 16th & 17th. Conditions are hard-packed, firm, fast, a little uneven, leafy in the forest, but clean out in the open. Kinda thin still, but a great base for any future hypothetical snow! Full report on NSCF website.
Archangel Road
Tuesday 1PM by Nathanael Ray
Is the road groomed for skating?
Independence Mine
Monday 1PM by devo
Classic and Skate skied Independence Mine @Hatcher Pass today. Blue sky day & 30s there this afternoon. Nicely groomed for both classic and skate - thanks groomers! Driving up, there was no snow or ice on road until I reached the parking lot at the top (the lot is icy though).
Didn't stop at Archangel, so don't know conditions there, but did see folks getting out skis in the parking lot.
Resurrection Pass
Monday 11AM by Gus Jespersen
Anyone been up the Res. Pass Trail from the Hope side recently? Have a couple cabins this coming weekend, and we're not sure if it's a hiking, biking, or skiing affair! I know it can change quickly, but it would be nice to know the baseline.
Independence Mine
Saturday 11PM by Ben
Groomed all the trails. Cross country and skate lanes looked really good! There were some late night revelers so look out for deep pedestrian tracks. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club
Turnagain Arm Trail
Saturday 5PM by Jackye
Lost a kids Bogs boot between windy and rainbow on the turnagain arm trail. If you see it, please leave at the Windy trailhead! Thanks
Independence Mine
Friday 11PM by Mark strabel
Groomed everything for both skate and classic. Just a little bit of new snow. Blue Extra skiing! See you up there! Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club
Archangel Road
Friday 7PM by Carlene Van Tol
I'm pretty sure my iPhone was left behind in the parking lot, close to the outhouse, this evening. I drove back up to find it but I saw nothing but my bike track so I'm posting here. If anyone has found an iPhone, please contact Pat at 907-232-8060. He will have a description of the phone. I know its a long shot, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed over the weekend. Thank you!
Upper O'Malley Trailhead
Friday 5PM by Scott P
Good snow coverage for fishscales skiing with a few bare spots under some trees. The white spruce, silver fern, and burn trail between them are water free. The burn trail from silver fern to the snowmobile trail starts to get a bit more wet. The snowmobile trails from upper Huffman themselves are currently running water so I would recommend avoiding those two. The gasline and powerline are good in general, with only a bit of water near the upper Omalley lot. Conditions should be similar on Saturday, except that some of the wet spots may be icy.
Hatcher Pass
Friday 2PM by Jason
Skied to visitor center and back snow and grooming were amazingz felt like skiing in march with the great snow and warm sun. Classic tracks appear skier made but super solid. Good classic but you may want to prioritize skating for now. Was on skin skis so no beta to offer on kick waxing. No rock strikes or even a hint of one so break out the nice skis.
Hillside
Friday 11AM by HN
Classic skied at Hillside this morning from Abbott road lot. Skied over to Spencer’s, took the shortcut up to the top of Spencer’s and back on the multiuse. Snow was relatively dry, but the ground isn’t quite frozen. Wet spots and footprints with mud showing weren’t completely frozen. I chose fishscales, but waxable skis would have been more enjoyable and faster. After skiing over any wet spots I would have to stop and scrape ski against ski to remove clumped snow. Otherwise, it was decent skiing. Avoid the puddle on gasline and skip the multiuse.
Hillside
Thursday Oct 14 by Gavin Kentch
Practice tonight was bounding, so that’s what we did, but by the end of the evening (8 p.m.) skiing would definitely have been possible. I’d estimate at least 3 inches of snow had fallen. Caveats: rock skis, obviously, and the moisture content of the snow was super high. Could be some clumping. Bare spots under trees. But I'd predict that Spencer would definitely be skiable tomorrow. Barely sticking at my house (near Connors Bog) when I got home, so scant optimism for meaningful snowfall at Kincaid, fwiw.
Independence Mine
Thursday Oct 14 by Ed Strabel
Several inches of fresh snow on the ground, more expected tonight/tomorrow. Dan Renshaw (who lives in the cabin above the mine), is going to attempt to drive his vehicle down to the parking lot tomorrow. Mat-Su Ski Club plans on grooming both Friday and Saturday Nights. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club
Archangel Road
Wednesday Oct 13 by Ed Strabel
The gate was closed as of yesterday AM. Snow cover appeared to be pretty thin. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club
Archangel Road
Tuesday Oct 12 by Corinna
Non-report query: is Archangel Road still open to vehicles today / is there skiable snow on it?
Independence Mine
Sunday Oct 10 by Justin
Was able to groom everything with Argo, had a little trouble with the track pans, but I will get it figured out by March, lol. It is 28 and setting up nice, hope everyone enjoys the fresh snow. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club
Independence Mine
Saturday Oct 9 by Lucas Parker
Should we list a different location to squash redundancies? Another quality groom tonight over the ~6” of new wet snow since last night’s corduroy. Like Mark said last night,”Groomed just about everything.”
Still snowing at 10:00, and was snowing down to about the Gold Mint parking lot. Slick roads above Archangel, drive safe in the morning!
Don’t forget to renew your memberships with MSSC, and make good choices.
Glen Alps
Saturday Oct 9 by Jim and Kathy
We heard Hatcher was groomed but got a late start so decided to try doing the powerline trail from Glen Alps trailhead. The webcam of the parking lot looked somewhat promising ( still snow in the trees and the parking lot was plowed). Temperature was between 40 and 45, I'd bet, and there was wet slush under a thin layer of one or two inches of fresh snow. Initially had trouble finding any kick with the wood skis, but it got better after the first couple of kilometers. Touring skis with fish scales would have been better. The trail was mostly packed down by walkers, but we saw a few other skiers out there. I had to take the skis off at a couple of the usual small stream crossings, but otherwise snow coverage was not a problem. Once past the German bridge it was pretty much just a few moose tracks; the trail also became much more overgrown. I went up another mile then turned around. More snow up there, but my skis weren't wide enough to stay on top of it very well. Not bad for the season's first ski.
Independence Mine
Saturday Oct 9 by Kelky
Thank you to Mat-Su Ski Club for kicking off the 21-22 ski season with a great groom. 31 degrees when we started around 1:00pm. Even with the very low and flat light conditions we can’t wait to ski it again. More walkers than skiers this afternoon-all enjoying the fresh snow.
Independence Mine
Saturday Oct 9 by Carlene
I wish I had gone a bit earlier as the light snow was a light mist as I was coming back to from Independence to the parking lot, but it felt good to be kicking and gliding again! The snow was getting heavy, but there were tracks to follow. It reminded me to renew my membership to Mat Su Ski Club! Also, people can just donate to grooming here: https://matsuski.org/product/donate/
Independence Mine
Saturday Oct 9 by Erik Flora
Hat’s off to the Mat-Su Ski Club for the good grooming! APU Team classic and skate skied this morning. Skating was firm with a little soft on top and classic track was firm. Thank you!
Birch Hill
Saturday Oct 9 by Max K
Warm weather and occasional light rain have the trails in marginal shape. Hasn't been any recent grooming. Thin, transformed, dense, moist snow. Waxless classic skis are a good option. Watch out for the leafy spots! Winter might return next week.
Independence Mine
Saturday Oct 9 by Mark Strabel
Just like most skiers are a little rusty, so are the groomers….but the ski season has begun!Groomed just about everything. The upper most loop, renshaw’s road/ sochi hill/ zig-zag is in rough shape (watch out on the downhill).
28” of snow around the building, 16-18” at the bottom.
Road was in good shape until the parking lot, then about 3-4” of slushy snow. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club
Independence Mine
Friday Oct 8 by Tim Charnon
Roughly 14” on road to the mine. 3” of fresh today on top a thin unsupportable melt freeze layer. A few diehards building kickers and a couple folks slogging to the mine. Light snow this evening with temps just on the right side of freezing.
Anchorage Parks and Recreation
Friday Oct 8 by Friendly Report Bot [?]
Coastal Trail:- Coastal Trail leaves sweeping in progress
Chester Creek Trail:
- Chester Creek Trail leaves sweeping in progress
- Goose Lake leaves sweeping in progress
- Tikishla Park leaves sweeping in progress
Campbell Creek Trail:
- Campbell Creek Trail leaves sweeping in progress
Russian Jack Springs Park:
- East High to Russian Jack Unlit leaves sweeping in progress
- Russian Jack South Groomed Golf Course Trails leaves sweeping in progress
- Russian Jack Springs Intermediate North Trails leaves sweeping in progress
- Russian Jack Springs North Trails leaves sweeping in progress
- Russian Jack Springs Park Craig Drive Spur leaves sweeping in progress
- Russian Jack Springs Park Partial Lit Trails leaves sweeping in progress
- Russian Jack Springs Park South West Loop leaves sweeping in progress
Hatcher Pass
Thursday Oct 7 by Gary And monty
Fyi, I noticed this week that DOT on their 511 website, added a live camera on road just above Archangel Road turnoff. Today the Chugach National Forest cam at Marmot shows 2' of fresh.
Glen Alps
Thursday Oct 7 by Jane
Anyone been up to Glen Alps recently? How is the snow holding out? thx!
Independence Mine
Thursday Oct 7 by Ed Strabel
Mat-Su Ski Club will tentatively start grooming the ski loops at Independence Mine this Friday night. We need to get final approval from State Parks to groom, and we, like most Nordic ski clubs in the USA have had difficulties obtaining liability insurance covering trail grooming this year. We believe we will have coverage on Friday. There appears to be enough snow at the mine area to groom and the temperature is at a consistent 28 degrees. Snow "wetness", is a concern. If any skiers go up there, please do a posting on snow depth and especially how wet/dry the snow is so we can use the right equipment. Thanks Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club
Hatcher Pass
Thursday Oct 7 by Porter Blei
Sorry for the non-report… just curious if the ski trails at Hatcher will be groomed sometime this morning. Thanks!
Birch Hill
Tuesday Oct 5 by Max K
Early snow in Fairbanks last weekend! Report from the NSCF groomers Oct 5th: "Ski while you can! Had just enough time this morning before it got too warm to use the roller. Packed and set tracks on the Lighted Loops. Also packed the Blue Loop and South Tower, no tracks on them."
Turnagain Arm Trail
Monday Oct 4 by Alan Smith
Great conditions for running!Mud: very little
Vegetation: ground is very easy to see
Bears: no postings, very little scat
Blockage: one small tree lays across trail.
I was only Potter to Rainbow
Independence Mine
Saturday Oct 2 by Ed Strabel
Only a dusting of snow. But we are ready to groom and ski when it arrives. Archangel Rd is open to vehicles. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club
Archangel Road
Saturday Oct 2 by chris thomas
Is it still open? Sorry for the non-report...but trying to plan an adventure for tomorrow
Independence Mine
Saturday Oct 2 by Ed Strabel
The ski loops are ready for skiers. Thank you to Jerry Hupp, Justin Trice, and the APU Elite Crew that did all the hard work (removing the bridge railing, pounding in wands and cutting brush. Groomers go up on Tuesday, and approximately 9.74 inches of snow is scheduled to fall on Wednesday. Get your skis ready! Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club
Independence Mine
Wednesday Sep 29 by Ed Strabel
The Mat-Su Ski Club will be setting up the trails at Independence Mine for skiing this Saturday AM from 10:00 to 2:00 and looking for a few volunteers to help (removing gate post and bridge railing, along with brushing the upper loop, and emplacing trail wands.) Call me at 354-7524 if you can help. Gloves and loppers if you have them.Thanks. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club
Glen Alps
Saturday Sep 25 by devo
Deep soft snow at Glen Alps, ~20". Classic skied on Powerline Pass Trail. Not packed down, except for a very narrow trough from the walkers/skiers. Backcountry skis be a better choice than classic. A pass with a groomer and skiing would be awesome, but I don't know if CSP goes for that.
Government Peak Recreation Area
Saturday Sep 25 by Susan
Hiked up to Blue Berry Knoll today. The trail was slushy with slick mud underneath. Pretty slippery on the steep parts. Snow is fine up by the knoll. Gorgeous views. Really pretty with the fall colors and snow.
Kincaid Park
Saturday Sep 25 by Jeremy
Thursday (Sep 23) evening my daughter left a light blue APU top in the trees between the Kincaid "soccer" ball and the roundabout by the Chalet. When she returned after practice to pick it up, someone had taken it. If you have it, we'd like to arrange to get it back. Thanks!
Hillside
Friday Sep 24 by Cory Smith
To update my earlier post... with a bit more snow on the ground and less on the trees now, Hillside is very skiable. It's slushy, so waxless rock skis are the way to go. But if you want a true September WTF (winter's truly fantastic) experience, head up a little higher. There is about 2 feet of snow and a nice skied-in track from Upper O'Malley trailhead to Glen Alps. Roads to Upper O'Malley are not bad now, just wet and slushy, but could get worse this evening.
Russian Jack
Friday Sep 24 by Gil Carr
First of the season Russian Jack fresh tracks! Get some! The hill was in with some sweet sticky icky! Just fun (slow) enough for a group of first-time-ever-skiing-teens who played around like it was their first time seeing snow. Y'all prolly want to go to Hillside for real tho.
Hillside
Friday Sep 24 by HN
Some of the best fish scale skiing I’ve ever had today despite the slush. The higher you climb the better it gets. Spencer loop up top was prime. A few down trees but I found none (when I skied) that fully obstructed a downhill. Go get it while you can!
Hillside
Friday Sep 24 by Cory Smith
About 4 inches on the ground near Hillside. About 2 inches of slush with 2 inches of wet snow on top. Still coming down. My guess is that skis would squish through the slush to the ground, rather than pack it down. There's also lots of trees and branches continuing to snap and fall, so probably not a good time to be out on the trails at Hillside.
Hillside
Friday Sep 24 by HN
Wondering if anyone who lives near hillside can comment on the quantity of snow that fell overnight? Is it enough to rock ski at hillside? New to Anchorage and not familiar with the amount of snow needed to slide around at hillside. Thanks!
Arctic Valley Ski Area
Wednesday Sep 22 by Gavin Kentch
Variable, early-season, and awesome. Variable: at its best (on the main trail to the left where others had previously walked), cold and firm snow, 4-5 inches, skier-set classic tracks not hitting the ground, and it felt like real skiing (for like a km total, probably much less). At its worst (on the Marston overlook trail to the right where I was the first one through), 3 inches moist snow, most of which clumped up on my fishscales on every third stride, and random scraping through to gravel underneath. Early-season: rock skis, obviously. Awesome: skiing is awesome! I was skiing today! It was awesome!
(Road was fine, effectively clear all the way up, though that could change by this weekend. Many thanks for the road intel earlier today on this forum.)
