December 27, 2006 (Montreal, QC) – The snow drought in eastern and central North America this year gave normally snowy Quebec City its first green Christmas in history. The same was true further west in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Balmy conditions over much of the continent have frustrated x-c skiers and x-c resorts. A light snow fell on many ski areas today, and additional trails might open as a result.

Just east of Quebec City, Mont Sainte Anne (MSA) has received 15 cms of snow in the past 48 hours and now has nine of 21 x-c trails open. MSA’s Pierre Vezina said about 85 kms of its 212 kms trails are now open and they expect that to increase to 100 kms by the end of the week. Vezina added that the centre is experiencing great winter conditions and that the skiing is “extraordinaire.”

Nearby Foret Montmorency has advertised on its website 10 kms of trails open since last weekend. Camp Mercier’s website indicates 16 of 82 kms of x-c trails are open. But Mont Grand Fonds in the Charlevoix region told us that none of its 160 kms x-c trails were open today.

Gatineau Park, just north of Ottawa, indicates on its website that none of its 190 kms of x-c trails are open today – there is snow but the trails are not being groomed an information officer said “… we won’t stop you from skiing.” Similarly Mont Tremblant’s x-c ski area announced on its website that none of the 65 kms of trails there were open.

Plentiful snow can be found in Quebec’s Chic Choc Mountains, about a 10-hour drive northeast of Montreal, according to SEPAQ (Parks Quebec) the organization that manages Quebec’s provincial parks. The weather forecast over Quebec calls for clear, colder weather for the coming days.

The Balsams Wilderness in New Hampshire has 5 kms of trails open today while Bretton Woods and Great Glen Trails each announced on their website’s that some trails were open. Some centers are doing their best to cope with snowmaking while Mother Nature isn’t cooperating.

Beth Shiller of Bethel’s Nordic Centre said that if an expected 4-6 inches of fresh snow falls, some of the 40 kms of trails should be open. Shiller recommends that skiers “call ahead” to check conditions wherever they’re planning to ski.