The recent warm front didn’t do the snowshoe/cross-country ski trails any favors, but it also didn’t completely wipe out the snow. Though some area ski centers around the Adirondack Park have taken a significant hit, most are grooming their trails for business. It has been tricky to find the places that are shielded enough to maintain a significant base for those of us looking to snowshoe or cross-country ski.

New Land Trust in Saranac, along with Dion Snowshoes, is hosting Cock-A-Doodle-Shoe as a Northeast regional qualifier for the 2013 USSSA National Snowshoe Championships on January 20. The 10K snowshoe race with cover a varied terrain from flat ground to rolling hills among the New Land Trust’s 287-acres. The competition is open to all levels and participants will compete for a $150 cash prize

Further south the Adirondack Interpretive Center (AIC) has plenty of snow on its trails. According to Assistant Program Manager Kaley Donovan the AIC has many events planned for the upcoming months.

“We have a bird walk with Charlotte Demers from the Northern New York Audubon Society on Saturday starting at 10 am,” says Donovan. “ All the snow hasn’t melted here. There is still snow. We have snowshoes available for people to borrow because if you’re just wearing boots you can sink through the snow.”

Other events at the AIC will be a winter wandering with Peter O’Shea, Full Moon Ski and Chili Chow on January 26 and February 23 as well as star gazing events and a Sportsmen/Sportswomen series.

“The Full Moon Snowshoe and Chili will mostly likely continue through April. Currently just the January and February dates are set. People can just check the calendar for future dates,” says Donovan. “ Basically we have a chili dinner first and a snowshoe hike led by a staff member. We look for nocturnal animals and other things about nature. After the hike people can enjoy a campfire and hot chocolate.”

Thankfully the weather is set to remain cold for the rest of the weekend, allowing ski centers with snowmaking abilities to pad their trails. To keep track of your favorite ski center’s trail conditions, check out the SnoCountry Conditions for the Northeast. Enjoy!

Photo used with the permission of Diane Chase, Adirondack Family Time.