The arrival of a storm from the West heralds dry, powdery snow. This one will carry some pretty cold temps as well, so any snow is going to stay in good shape through Saturday. Break out those waxable classic skis and tune ’em up.

The centers that have skiable conditions now will only get better with a bit more snow. The question is whether the snow will come sufficiently southward to bring Minnewaska or Mohonk back to skiable condition.

[Update 1/30:
Shawangunks region received as much as 6″+. Contact Park for latest word.
Fahnestock received about 6″, opened for skiing at 12noon on field, lake and campground trails only, with thin cover in spots.]

Hit up the ‘State of the touring centers’ link above for a full report minus updates.

For a taste of what’s to come, here’s some forecast maps:

Today, Friday and Saturday look to be fine days for skiing. Sunday the snow will soften up as the temps will be above freezing for most of NY and New England.

Here’s a graphic of snow depth as of today:

Finally, the photo of the day comes from Garnet Hill, where training for new trail groomers starts at an early age: