Nordic Conditions

One snowcat generally starts at 11 pm or 12 am. The goal is for groomers to have completed their tasks and be off the trails by 9 a.m. for opening.

During the normal grooming shift or prior to 9:00 am the snowcats will be travelling in any direction on the trails as this helps move snow to where it should be, can help with track setting, and contributes to an economical grooming route. The snowcat may frequently back up as the operator rebuilds a section of trail, carves into the sides to widen the trail, collects snow to fill in holes in creeks, and fills in the dips between steep pitches. This is why, out of safety for staff and guests, the trails do not open until 9 a.m. — to ensure the groomer is safely off the trails before skiing commences.

The trails also take time to set and firm up. If a skier uses a trail immediately after it has been groomed, the surface will still be extremely soft and will cause significant ruts in the trail until it is groomed again.

If it is snowing, or significant snow is predicted, the grooming protocol shifts to quality over quantity — focusing on a smaller loop of trails that is packed in and groomed as much as possible during the snowfall. The snowcat may stay out as late as 10 am on these mornings; users must respect trail closures while the machine is in operation.

Grooming late may be the result of challenging conditions of the day. Every day is different due to snow conditions, the melt-freeze cycles we experience, and the coastal wet snowpack. These factors may result in the groomer travelling at half the normal operating speed, or redoing sections of trail multiple times to achieve a quality product — all of which can result in fewer trails being groomed on a given day.

During the day, trail maintenance may occur using a variety of grooming implements, which can be towed with the side-by-side buggy or snowmobile:

• Ginzu: attached behind the tracked buggy (side-by-side), with teeth to till the snow plus a mat to lay corduroy and track-setting pans.
• Roller: towed behind the snowmobile or tracked buggy, useful for packing down large amounts of new snow, also equipped with a mat to lay a nice chord finish.
• Mat: generally used to clean up the sled tracks on the trails. We use the sled throughout the day for trail maintenance and first-aid calls; the mat is towed behind it and leaves a track of corduroy to erase the sled tracks.

The snowcat can’t be operated in preseason, low-snow conditions due to the depth of the cleats on the tracks and the aggressiveness of the cutters on the tiller. In early season the tracks and tiller would bring debris to the surface and spread it through the snowpack. Low snow levels can also damage the machine, taking equipment out of service for repairs.

Throughout the season the groomer is used when we have new snow; however, it must be used carefully for refreshing old tracks. Each time the snow is tilled, the crystals are altered and become finer. This improves the surface in the short term, but tilled too much the crystals become small and rounded, creating a less-than-ideal surface. Snow can actually get “worn out” if we groom too often.

During warmer periods and into spring we frequently experience freeze-thaw cycles — snow softens and turns slushy in the sun, then hardens and refreezes overnight with no new snow on top. The tiller has trouble cutting through this ice and often has to pass over the same section multiple times. There is a lot of science, art and luck in deciding on the frequency and timing that will best extend the season.

Mount Washington has 55 km of trails and, in ideal conditions, the snowcat averages about 5 km per hour. In theory it should take a minimum of 11 hours to groom the whole network. In practice it can take up to 16 hours because of extra time on junctions, connecting trails, out-and-back trails, removing fallen trees, hard icy conditions, heavy snowfall, and more.

In an ideal world we would receive moderate snowfall every couple of days that could be mixed into the existing base to keep trails fresh, smooth and firm — but that is rarely the case. With cold temperatures, low humidity and no new snow, good conditions can be maintained if there is already a firm base. Too much snow all at once makes trails soft, so poles punch through and skating gets difficult.

No new snow, combined with significant temperature swings and higher humidity, creates a freeze-thaw cycle. The trails become icy and require significant mechanical assistance to churn up the ice and set nice corduroy and classic tracks. With wet, heavy snow it is best to wait until it dries before grooming, rather than risk creating a groove in the trail.

Only one track is often set on advanced or black-diamond runs because these are predominantly used by skate skiers and a single track leaves them more room — but a track is still available for those who prefer it. Single tracks on steeper hills also give skiers more room to navigate up or down.

Sometimes the radius of a corner is too sharp for the groomer to set a smooth, consistent track through the curve. In some cases the track radius is too small and skis are too long to negotiate the curve while inside the track. With no track, the skier can pick their own line through the curve.

We run two Prinoth snowcats plumbed for use with the Nordic tiller, plus a new-to-us groomer dedicated to the Nordic area and a new YTS (track-setting) system with backup.