Good road conditions, except for some icy stretches at Deadman flats and beyond, allowed six Ramblers to start skiing the Pipestone loops shortly after 10am. This year the Lake Louise area received the best early season snowfall and the trail grooming crews continue to do a splendid job track setting and maintaining the trails in the area. The previously set Pipestone tracks were covered by about 20 cm new snow that had been ski tracked the previous day; perfect conditions!. Temperature was about -10 C, rising to -6 C later in the day. The Pipestone trail system is well protected from strong winds that were evident at higher elevations. The terrain is gently rolling through the forest with open meadows offering glorious views of the peaks surrounding the Lake Louise area. A few short, steep hills provide occasional thrills. The group started off counter clockwise on the outer loop and stopped for lunch at the (unnamed?) lake in the centre of the trail system. After completing the loop there was sufficient time left to ski a shorter inner loop. The total distance skied was about 24 km. Road conditions had improved during the day and we were back in Calgary in time to join the rush hour. Thanks to Sheila, Kathy, Mario (thanks for the photos), Damian and Laszlo for joining me, Peter C/S and making this such a pleasant trip.

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