http://www.snowio.com User-submitted reports on outdoor conditions around the state of Alaska. en-us I echo Travis' report but would say conditions today were outstandingly good. One question: why as a community do we tolerate dog owners polluting our trails, our streams and ultimately our bodies with their dog's feces? The trail in from the parking lot is absolutely disgusting. If dog owners can't get their act together, dogs should be prohibited on our trails (and yes, I know there are many responsible dog owners but there are still way too many irresponsible ones). Report by jay peabody http://www.snowio.com/index.php Fri, 18 May 2012 14:57:50 -0900 The crust was exceptionally good again today. And it was nice to see the parking lot mostly full. One thing to keep in mind when looking at the mesonet temps is that the Glen Alps station is near the parking lot. In the valley it is cooler. Also, if it is clear and not too windy the crust can set even if the temps don't get below freezing. Last night the mesonet temp only got down to 40, but the crust was firm all the way until noon. Tomorrow looks to be more of the same. For those looking for a new challenge, the snow up to hidden lake is excellent. Report by Travis Rector http://www.snowio.com/index.php Fri, 18 May 2012 13:39:03 -0900 Exceptional conditions conitnue! Even with a low of 39 degrees, the clear night led to good crust. Report by red8wop http://www.snowio.com/index.php Thu, 17 May 2012 10:44:55 -0900 Here it is May 16th and some of the best skiing of the season is still waiting for you up at Glen Alps. The crust set up perfectly last night, and has nicely smoothed out. We started around 9:30 and there was no wind, bluebird skies. It was softening up by noon but was still solid. Except for a 100 meter stretch at the start of power line, the snow coverage is still good and you don't need to clip out. Perhaps you've already put your boards away for the season. And yes I suppose the biking and hiking is getting good. But you really do owe it to yourself to get out there and enjoy what are some of the best crust conditions of the year. How often can you say that on May 16th? Report by Travis Rector http://www.snowio.com/index.php Wed, 16 May 2012 13:36:38 -0900 pretty good hiking conditions all the way to the top of Wolverine this evening. lots of muck and running water on the lower sections of trail, step carefully! firm snow/minimum postholing at the top. Report by a bootlegger http://www.snowio.com/index.php Wed, 16 May 2012 12:29:23 -0900 Bright sun, warm and calm, with softening but still durable crust. Shirtless on the Ides of May. Magnificent! Seagulls and Ptarmigan do not a songbird symphony make. Report by Bob http://www.snowio.com/index.php Tue, 15 May 2012 18:31:41 -0900 Still good at Glen Alps this morning: corn snow up to about the bridge, windblown new snow and glazed crust above; headwind didn't start til above the bridge. Still solid at 11:30. Flat light makes the downhill ski interesting. Report by Ellen Toll http://www.snowio.com/index.php Mon, 14 May 2012 12:21:11 -0900 The road is holding up well, smoother the farther back you go (2km+), and softening for ego corn at noon. The crust skiing is still very good, we went back to the snowbird cabin, 1/2" fresh, and the sun even poked through. Report by Kruser http://www.snowio.com/index.php Sun, 13 May 2012 14:43:59 -0900 Conditions were still good as of this afternoon. It was snowing, with over an inch of accumulation above the bridge, and windy but the crust underneath was mostly holding up. Quite a bit of melt from just a few days ago. Report by Travis Rector http://www.snowio.com/index.php Sat, 12 May 2012 19:17:23 -0900 The road held up very well today, firm at 10am, softening at noon. Still very good crust out there. Stayed cold yesterday and last night. It should be good for several more days Report by Red8wop http://www.snowio.com/index.php Sat, 12 May 2012 19:43:37 -0900 Crustaholics rejoice, it's still good at Glen Alps. We noticed that it had dropped down to 30F early this morning and went up to explore the valley, and were rewarded with good, solid crust out in the valley. There is a skiff of newish snow from the past couple of days which gets more continuous as you get up the valley and is much slower than the icy crust, and feels a lot like skiing in sand. This made for a few interesting moments when bombing back down and finding a slow patch, giving you an opportunity to do a close inspection of your ski tips. There is still a lot of snow in the valley, and if the cool weather holds we could be skiing for a while. Report by Scott Digert http://www.snowio.com/index.php Sat, 12 May 2012 09:22:22 -0900 Checked out the single track today from the Jodhpur parking lot. Trails were in much better condition than I excepted with this years record snowfall. I would say about 80% of the trails are good to ride, the other 20% are low lying, north facing parts of the trails which are muddy and have isolated snow pockets. Please get off your bike and walk on the side of the trail when you get to these sections. I didn't have to do it too much today and it will be worth it once the trails really dry out. Also wouldn't hurt to help clear debris off the trail too if you have to go by it. Report by KVP http://www.snowio.com/index.php Fri, 11 May 2012 17:37:44 -0900 Thanks, Ed, for a final groom. The skiing was great with an excellent tailwind to assist with the climb to the gate. (I was glad that the young guy skiing in shorts was successfully reunited with his pants.) Report by joe n http://www.snowio.com/index.php Fri, 11 May 2012 20:38:35 -0900 Thanks for grooming, Ed! Superb conditions, and good crust skiing with a skiff of fresh over toward Snowbird cabins. Report by Kruser http://www.snowio.com/index.php Fri, 11 May 2012 15:09:00 -0900 The Mat-Su Ski Club wrapped up grooming this Friday morning. Temp in the 20's with a solid crust and a good skate lane and solid, but wavy classic tracks. Next grooming will be in mid October at Independence Mine. See you then. The NOLS equipment sale is this Sat AM at their Farm Loop base. Report by Ed Strabel http://www.snowio.com/index.php Fri, 11 May 2012 10:34:32 -0900 No worries Tim. We where the bikers on the ridge. Found them on the downhill to the beach. Glad you got them. Report by Chad Burris http://www.snowio.com/index.php Wed, 09 May 2012 12:14:08 -0900 The mesonet doesn't lie! It didn't freeze last night - what was I thinking? Big drops of water on Hillside Dr, temp is still 36, questions? Arrived parking lot to 34 degrees/sky spitting snow sporadically. Lot is empty, questions? Took off skis for the walk down the hill to get to skiable snow-punched thru, questions? Even Crusto (like Balto) the crust searching dog was questioning the sanity of the act. We, encountered "Smush" in the valley=mush with a light dusting of snow. He at 70 lbs had numerous punch thrus and started seeking out the exposed areas of dirt. Staying on the trail was the best option - pretty solid base due to previous snow machine traffic. Got to German bridge - first time it has been exposed all season and turned around. The conditions didn't warrant any further exploration. Report by P Porter http://www.snowio.com/index.php Wed, 09 May 2012 10:02:00 -0900 HUGE thanks to whoever found my car keys along the ridge line trail tonight and turned them in to the camper host in the jophur lot. Absolutely made my night. Amazing anyone even found them. I'll probably never figure out who it was, but I owe a dept of gratitude. I'll just have to pay it forward! Report by Tim Bowman http://www.snowio.com/index.php Tue, 08 May 2012 23:24:34 -0900 Mat-Su Ski Club will Regroom the road for both classic and skating Wed and Fri at first light (9 and 11 May). We will not regroom on Sat 12 May. Report by Ed Strabel http://www.snowio.com/index.php Tue, 08 May 2012 21:07:41 -0900 The crust should be spectacular tomorrow (Wed) morning at Glen Alps. The snow has smoothed out nicely; and it was calm and clear this evening. The snow in the shade was already starting to crust up. Report by Travis Rector http://www.snowio.com/index.php Tue, 08 May 2012 21:19:07 -0900