Outdoor Activity Reports
Outdoor Activity Report A/O 3/26/10
This will be the final winter report unless we get a significant weather event. Winter conditions will not last long so get out and play.
Weather is taking its toll on the outdoor recreation areas and trails. Ski trails have been groomed at Russian Jack Springs, Hillside / Far North Bicentennial and Kincaid Parks where snow conditions are adequate but the multi use trails snow conditions are poor / too thin to groom. The warm weather has made them soft by mid day and rutted from use.
Hockey and lake rinks are clear but hot mopping has been suspended for the season. Skating at all hockey rinks except Scotty Gomez Rink is for the most part over due to thinning ice and exposed pavement from the reflected heat along the south facing boards. Scotty Gomez Rink ice is in good condition due to the shade by the adjacent cottonwood tree line that has extended the skating for 1-2 more weeks. Ice conditions at Town Square Winter Center and the Cuddy Midtown Oval however have deteriorating so much that the skating is over for the season. Lake ice remains stable with depths reported from 20-28 inches on local and Eagle River lakes.
Lake rink skating is still pretty good but rinks are starting to show formations of sun cups/blisters. Some wet spots are starting to appear by mid afternoon but freezes during the evening. Overflow conditions could be encountered on all lakes. .
Outdoor Activity Report A/O 3/19/10
The weather continues to support winter recreation with the outdoor recreation facilities, trails and rinks back on schedule after the past week’s snows. Grooming has resumed on most park trails and all lake rinks, Cuddy Midtown Park Pond and Oval are open and with hot mopping resumed however day temperatures have impacted ice grooming efforts. Some of the trails at Westchester remain snow bound due to the overflow conditions encountered. Overflow conditions are starting to impact lake rinks in general but the rinks are skatable as of this report. Trails are in great spring shape but ice areas will begin to deteriorate with increasing daylight and warming temperatures. Traditionally hockey rinks are the first sheets of ice that fall victim to reflective heat / thin ice along the boards from the longer sunlight hours. Lake rink surfaces will start to become soft and dimpled with shallow sun cups making it difficult to skate. Hot mopping is planned to continue as long as the weather and temperatures allow. The final skiing event is planned at Kincaid this weekend on Sunday, March 21. The Alaska Biathlon Race #8 will be held with races starting at 11am, 12noon and1pm. Information on this weekend’s events can be found on the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage website.
Outdoor Activity Report A/O 3/11/10
This week’s snow storm delighted all who enjoy snow sports and made the cross country ski trails a pure delight but impacted the ice rinks and lake rinks hot mopping. As of this report maintenance crews have cleared the park parking lots, emergency walkways, rinks and lakes and have begun to focus on grooming the trails and hot mopping the rinks. Weather depending, the outdoor recreation facilities, trails and rinks should be back on schedule after the weekend. The Special Olympics Alaska Winter Games are scheduled for Saturday, March 13 and Sunday, March 14 at two park areas. Kincaid Park and Outdoor Center will host the cross country skiing and snowshoe events while Hilltop Ski Area in Far North Bicentennial Park will host the snow boarding and downhill skiing events. Visit Alaska Special Olympics for information on the winter games and event schedule. Trail grooming has resumed on most park trails with the Coastal Trail grooming planned for this weekend. All lake rinks, Cuddy Midtown Park Pond and Oval are open and hot mopping / grooming started on hockey rinks. Lake Rink hot mopping is planned for the weekend weather permitting. Some of the trails at Westchester remain snow bound due to the overflow conditions encountered. Park Maintenance will be evaluating the trails to see if they can open them up next week.
Outdoor Activity Report A/O 3/5/10
The return of cold weather has helped set the trails just in time for two unique Alaskan events this weekend. The Iditarod Sled Dog Race Ceremonial Start will be on the trails Saturday, March 6 from the Chester Creek Sports Complex out to Far North Bicentennial Park / BLM Campbell Tract Airstrip as part of the 38th Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Mushers will start on 4th Avenue at 9a. On Sunday, March 7, the Tour of Anchorage, part of the Great American Ski Marathon Series, will start from Service High School and Russian Jack Springs Park beginning at 8:30a and 9:30a respectively converging at Goose Lake Park and finishing at the Kincaid Park. The first racers are expected to finish starting 10:30-11a.
Due to number of Nordic competitors (1600 +), grooming equipment and the speeds of the Iditarod mushers, trail / park users and dog walkers are asked to avoid using the race courses on Saturday and Sunday until after 3pm. For race course & event information on this weekend’s competitive events visit the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage website, and the official web site of the Iditarod.
Trail grooming has resumed on park trails such as at Russian Jack Springs, Hillside and Kincaid parks where the snow depth still is relatively adequate but on some of the multi use trails like Chester Creek and the Coastal Trail the snow is thin due to the warm weather. New snows should help the base and allow for good spring skiing.
All lake rinks, Cuddy Midtown Park Pond and Oval are open with hot mopping / grooming planned with the arrival of colder daytime temperatures. With the dusting of snow on Thursday, the rinks will be scrapped and with luck hot mopped for the final skating events of the winter. The last planned Westchester Lagoon Saturday Family Skate for 2010 will be held this Saturday, March 6, between 1-3pm. Come out and skate with the mascots at this week’s "Mascot Skate". On Friday, March 5, ML&P will host a Friday Night Family Skate from 4-7pm as part of the Fur Rendezvous activities. The lake rinks & oval will be maintained until mid March or as long as the weather cooperates.
The Crystal Gallery of Ice is for all practical purposes over after the past weeks of warm weather that took a toll on the ice sculptures. The last weekend of skating to music on Friday Night (5-9p) and Sunday Afternoon (1-4p) with restrooms and warm-up provided in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts is planned for this weekend. The Town Square rink will be maintained until mid March or as long as the weather cooperates.
Outdoor Activity Report A/O 2/26/10
The soft trail conditions of last week have tightened up and with recent snows will make weekend skiing great. Trail grooming has resumed on some trails such as at Russian Jack Springs, Hillside and Kincaid parks where the snow depth still is relatively adequate but on some of the multi use trails like Chester Creek and the Coastal Trail the snow was too thin for grooming this past week. The new snows will help re-establish the base and allow for grooming on all trails after priority areas such as emergency walkways, Rondy event areas and parking lots are cleared. Kincaid Park event and racing season is nearing the end. This Saturday, Feb 27 the Ski 4 Kids Day will be held, a winter day full of events for children aged 0-14. Ski 4 Kids Day is a dual fundraising and awareness effort where obstacle courses, a mock-biathlon, and series of races tempt and tantalize kids of all ages. On March 7, the Tour of Anchorage, part of the Great American Ski Marathon Series, will finish at Kincaid with first racers expected to finish starting 10:30-11a. Information on this weekend’s competitive events can be found on the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage website.
All lake rinks, Cuddy Midtown Park Pond and Oval are open with hot mopping / grooming on hold until the snow is removed. Similar to last week, the lake rinks have adequate ice but some are experiencing overflow water along the edges. With the new snows, the rinks will be plowed open after emergency walkways, event related and priority areas are cleared. The Westchester Lagoon Saturday Family Skate continues this Saturday, Feb 27, between 1-3pm with this week’s skate theme being "Outta this World". On Friday, March 5, ML&P will host a Friday Night Family Skate from 4-7pm as part of the Fur Rendezvous activities.
Alaskan Sled Dog Racing Association (ASDRA) racing season championships for mushers on Far North Bicentennial Park / BLM Campbell Tract trails begins this weekend. The Open World Championships will be held Feb 26, 27 & 28 as part of the 75th Fur Rendezvous Festival with races start on 4th Avenue at 12noon. Visit the ASDRA website for more information on the sport and events.
The Crystal Gallery of Ice is open for viewing along with skating to music on Friday Night (5-9p) and Sunday Afternoon (1-4p) with restrooms and warm-up provided in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts.
Outdoor Activity Report A/O 2/19/10
The nearly perfect trail conditions of last week have fallen victim to the Vancouver B.C. heat wave making trails too soft to groom and temperatures too warm to hot mop rinks. Trail users are ask to respect the soft trails and not use the race courses at Kincaid or mushing trails. Once temperatures fall below freezing in the day time hours, grooming and hot mopping will resume.
Kincaid Park continues to host ski championships with the Region 4 High School Nordic Ski Championships slated for Friday Feb 19 & Saturday Feb 20 and the AMH Anchorage Cup – Sven Johanson Memorial Ski Race Sunday, Feb 21. Information on this weekend’s competitive events can be found on the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage website.
All lake rinks, Cuddy Midtown Park Pond and Oval are open and have adequate ice but some are experiencing overflow water along the edges. The Westchester Lagoon Saturday Family Skate continues this Saturday, Feb 20, between 1-3pm with this week’s skate theme being “Wild, Wild West”.
Alaskan Sled Dog Racing Association (ASDRA) racing season championships for mushers on Far North Bicentennial Park / BLM Campbell Tract trails begins this weekend. Junior mushers will be competing in the Jr. World Championships Feb 19, 20 & 21 a three day event with a start time of 11am. Beginning next week Friday, the Open World Championships will be held Feb 26, 27 & 28 as part of the 75th Fur Rendezvous Festival.Visit the ASDRA website for more information on the sport and events.
The Crystal Gallery of Ice is open for viewing along with skating to music on Friday Night (5-9p) and Sunday Afternoon (1-4p) with restrooms and warm-up provided in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts.
Winter Outdoor Recreation Maintenance report includes status of lake ice rinks, trails, Mid Town Cuddy Park Pond, hockey rinks, speed skating / fitness oval and Eagle River Lakes