Skiing in the Pacific NW
This
is the web page for
the various forms of Nordic Skiing (back country, cross country,
track & skate) in the Pacific Northwest.
There is also a wealth of information here for Alpine skiers &
Snow boarders. Bookmark this site now!
Above
left: Joel on Paradise Trail, Mt. Rainier, Washington.
Above right: You can be part of the continuous, action
packed Events Schedule below .
Life is either a daring
adventure or nothing at all. Seize the moment. Get out there!!!
EVENTS
SCHEDULE: Codes: B = Bicycling, H =
Hiking, K =
Kayaking, G = Golf,
S = Skiing, T = Tennis, O = Other Events
Check back often since activities are updated almost daily and
sometimes on short notice. Beginners are always welcome to
Nordic/Alpine skiing, snow boarding, hiking, bicycling, etc.
You
will find lots of help to get you started. Date format = MM/DD/YY.
Second Tuesdays 7:00 PM: Skihawks
meeting at Elmer's Restaurant, 7427 S Hosmer (off I-5) Tacoma,
WA.
Fourth Tuesday 7:00 PM is social meeting at various places.
1st Monday 6:30 PM: S'no
Joke
meeting at Swedish Club, 1920 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA.
1st
Tuesday 6:30 PM: WIHSKI
meeting at Swedish Club, 1920 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA.
1st
Tuesday Sep-Apr:
Sahalie Ski
Club meeting at Rocksalt Restaurant, 1232 Westlake N,
Seattle,
WA.
1st Thursday 7:30 PM: Desert
Ski Club meeting at Cavanaugh's, Kennewick, WA
Mondays 7 PM:
SSYC
General
Meeting, China Harbor, 2040 Westlake Ave N, Seattle, WA.
Mondays
after work: WIHSKI
tennis at
varying times and locations.
Thursdays 6:30 PM: Multiclub
Volleyball, contact TukwilaJim@juno.com
Saturdays 10 AM: Seattle
Sleepless at Poppinjay's, Carillon Pt., Kirkland, WA.
August 2008 is the target date for Joel to move to Jaylee near Jubilee in Lacey, WA.
HOT LINKS:
SKI CLUBS:
Note: We would certainly encourage you to join a ski club in your
area if you
haven't
already. For the modest cost of approx. $30 per year you have direct
access
to the world of
skiing and many other year around activities.
CLUB LINKS: We would like to expand our links to other clubs to provide a better ski experience for everyone. Joint activities between clubs are win-win for everyone. You have more fun, meet more people and expand your horizons. Please contact us: Fox7777 at CarlsonCo.net if you have an idea
SKIER'S ALERT:
Tired of horrendously
expensive European ski
vacations? Go East.
Sno
Parks that have groomed trails require an extra $20 groomed Sno Park
permit in addition to the regular $20 Sno Park permit.
Mount
Rainier entrance and shuttle details are here.
Washington summer trail
head parking permits are $30 for the season or $5 per day. If you
don't have a permit, the Forest Service will record your license and
leave an envelope to mail in $5.
Snowmobile
trails can offer some good ski opportunities in the back country and
snowmobiler s can be helpful friends in an emergency but get off to
side of trail when you hear them coming because they can reach speeds
in excess of 50 MPH.
Cross train
throughout the year to keep in shape and do your stretches and
warm-ups before engaging in activities like Nordic Skiing. Ski within
your ability so you are always in control. Keeping safety first will
allow you many more happy outings in the future. Working out with
weights can help you get in shape a lot faster. All you need is hand
weights and an adjustable bench to do almost of your routines.
When
parking overnight in snow country, remember to leave your emergency
brake off or your brake might freeze to your brake drum.
: Don't miss out, plan your trips now.
SKI CLUB TRIPS
CHAMONIX SKI CLUB (greater Federal Way, Washington
area)
DESERT
SKI CLUB (tri-cities area, Eastern Washington)
ELLENSBURG
XC
SKI CLUB, Ellensburg, Washington (Central Washington)
LONGVIEW
SKI CLUB (Southwest Washington)
NOOKSACK
NORDIC
SKI CLUB (greater Bellingham, Washington area)
NORTHWEST SKI
& RECREATION
CLUB (greater Bellingham, Washington area)
OLYMPIA
SKI CLUB (greater Olympia, Washington area)
SAHALIE SKI
CLUB (greater
Seattle area - lodge at Alpental, Snoqualmie Pass, WA)
SEATTLE
SKI
CLUB (greater Seattle area - lodge at Alpental, Snoqualmie Pass,
Washington)
SEATTLE
SLEEPLESS SINGLES (greater Seattle, Washington area).
SKIBACS SKI
CLUB (Boeing
employees - lodges at Crystal Mt & Whistler)
SKIHAWKS
SKI CLUB (greater Tacoma, Washington area)
SNOWBUS
SKI CLUB (greater Seattle, Washington area)
SNOJOKE
SKI CLUB (greater Seattle, Washington area)
WIHSKI
SKI CLUB (greater Seattle, Washington area)
SKI TRAVEL:
ALASKA AIRLINES/HORIZON AIR SKI VACATIONS 800-547-9308
ALL
MOUNTAIN VACATIONS
800-838-8142, john@all-mountain.com
BEYOND
BOUNDARIES TRAVEL, 800-487-1136, Info@beyondboundariestravel.com
CENTRAL
HOLIDAYS , contact Nancy Sanford 800-248-9378 Ext. 16 or
NanSki@aol.com
DAMAN-NELSON TRAVEL, INC ., 800-34-DAMAN, dnt@dnai.com
DESTINATION SNOW , 877-507-5596, info@destinationsnow.com
FROMMER'S BUDGET TRAVEL, 800-829-9121, PFrommer@hungryminds.com
LASTING MEMORIES TOURS, INC, 206-523-9232, SkiSlopeDope@yahoo.com
PAT & MIKE'S TOURS , 800-898-9963, Pat_Mikes@msn.com
SKI EUROPE, 800-333-5533, Travel@ski-europe.com
SKI-PAK 800-446-4688, ski-pak@ski-pak.com
SKI REMOTE HORIZONS toll free 866-938-1929
WORLD ON SKIS, 866-678-5858, Mail@worldonskis.com
SKI
GEAR:
Alpina
Skis & Accessories
Atomic
Skis & Accessories
Fischer
Skis
Gart Sports
GI Joe's
Karhu/Trak
Skis
K2 Skis
&
Accessories
Leki Ski
Poles & Accessories
Marmot
Mountain Works
Mountain
Shoppe
Performance
Products from Norway
REI
Equipment
Rossignol
Skis & Accessories
Swix
Ski Products
Tua Skis
&Accessories
Yoko
Ski Gloves
SKI
SEASON HISTORY:
01/09-13/03
was the Winthrop Ski Weekend at the Beuthel Rendezvous Ranch. On
Friday 01/10/03 we skied from the ranch up the Cub Creek
Trail
to the Rendezvous Hut for lunch and a nice visit with the party
spending the weekend there. Then we skied back down the more gradual
Cow Creek Trail because the trails were a little more icy than usual
due to lack of recent snow (even though it was groomed) and we had
one person in our group without metal edges. Then we got to break
trail on a different route back to the ranch. On Saturday 01/11/03
we skied up the Thompson Ridge Trail at Sun Mountain until it
turned into Meadowlark and then had a fun run back down Thompson for
lunch at the Chickadee Hut. After lunch we skied out the Beaver Pond
trail and back on Yellowjacket. I won't go into all the great food,
conversation, hot tubbing, etc. at the ranch but the bottom line is
we had another wonderful ski weekend in the Methow Valley area.
02/02/03 we skied from the Gold Creek Sno Park, North of Hyak at
Snoqualmie Pass, to Kendall Knob. There was a slight drizzle at first
but as we climbed toward Kendall Peaks, it became snow and then no
precipitation. The deeper snow at top made turning on the way down
more difficult but most of the way down was a fun run. Due to the El
Nino weather pattern the good skiing is a little harder to find but
definitely still there.
02/08/03 I got a half day pass starting
at 1 PM and skied out around the East side of Mt Catherine to Olallie
Meadow before heading for the festivities at the Sahalie Lodge
Weekend, Alpental. There was talk of bare spots on the Snoqualmie
Pass website but I found the snow to be excellent with no bare spots
and enjoyed some excellent skiing.
02/22/03 we skied the back
country at Hoodoo/Benson Sno Park, Santiam Pass, Oregon with several
inches of fresh snow, sun breaks and light snow showers. The trails
were a little more challenging because of previous El Nino low snow
but we all had a great ski day and a wonderful weekend with lodging
at nearby Belknap Hotsprings.
11/22/03 we enjoyed excellent
skiing on the Nordic Center trail at Stevens Pass. There is something
very special about the first ski outing of the season. The corridor
trail was nicely groomed about 2/3 of the way to the end at the
Alpine area rest rooms. All other Nordic trails were still
ungroomed. Despite Stevens Pass Nordic Center website claims that
they were open, the Nordic Center was closed so skiing was free. The
snow depth appeared to be around 30".
12/12-14/03 was the
Annual PRSCC Season
Opener Snowsports
Event at Silver Star/Sovereign Lake, BC where we enjoyed unbeatable
powder snow conditions together with all the festivities that make
this such a great weekend. On Saturday I skied from Silver
Star to Sovereign
Lake in a
leisurely 45 minutes &
explored the Sovereign Lake trails before skiing back. On Sunday we
had a wonderful day exploring the Nordic trails at Silver Star which
were also an excellent, large, well-groomed system. Alpine skiing was
also the best with lots of famous Okanogan powder. We look forward to
next year's Season Opener.
12/28/03-01/01/04 was the New
Year's ski trip to Vernon, BC with ski days at Silver Star, Sun Peaks
& Big White (see links above). All 3 days of skiing were
excellent with famous Okanogan powder snow. At Silver Star we skied
the Meadow Trail, Sidewinder, Paradise, Aquaduct & night loop
among others. At Sun Peaks we skied the various trails to and from
Lake McGilvray & noticed that new trails and warming huts had
been added. At Big White we skied Copper Kettle, Tile Field Loop,
Cougar cut-off, Lew's Loop & Trapping Meadows to the Upper
Village & back. The trip finished off with a New Year's Eve
Dinner, Dance, brunch the next morning before the bus ride back to
Lynnwood's Ash Way Park & Ride.
01/08-12/04 was the
annual Winthrop Ski Trip at Betsy Beuthel's Place in the Rendezvous
area. On Friday we skied to Pipestone Canyon/Campbell Lake &
beyond with fresh powder snow & 16 degree Fahrenheit starting
temperatures. On Saturday we skied from Wolf Ridge Resort to
Chickadee Hut at Sun Mountain. On Sunday we skied from Betsy's Ranch
along the old Diamond T Hippie Trail to the new groomed Trail going
from Thorlakson's to the Cub Creek Trail. As usual it was a fantastic
weekend with outstanding skiing, great food, hot tubbing, ambiance
&
great company.
01/16-19/04 we skied Mt Washington on Vancouver
Island, BC which like Whistler, BC, is close to the ocean so
they can get a lot of snow but can also get a lot of rain. On
Saturday, Sunday & Monday we skied from Deer Lodge along the
Green Alpine Rope Tow & then across the slope to the West
Passage
Nordic trail & on to Raven Lodge which took about 10 minutes
(the
shuttle bus can take a lot longer). From the very impressive Raven
Lodge we skied the various Nordic trails. Saturday had periods of
light rain, Sunday was overcast with no precipitation (but fairly
slushy snow) & Sunday was icy earlier in the day so I skied
with
my metal edge skis that day. It was a very enjoyable and laid back
weekend.
11/28/04 we skied Paradise, Mt Rainier toward Reflection
Lakes for the first trip of the year. The weather was outstanding
with clear sunny skies & breathtaking scenery. The snow was
powdery & very skiable but the depth had shrunk from the
reported
18" to perhaps 8" near Paradise & 6" out toward
Reflection Lakes.
12/11/04 We Skied
Silver Star Resort, British Columbia on the Annual Season Opener
Snowsports Trip with very good Okanogan powder conditions &
beautiful sunny weather. Everyone had a great time with lots of
fantastic skiing. In the morning I skied Nordic out on the Paradise
Trail to the new Coming Round the Mountain Trail & Lars Taylor
trails both of which go out of bounds & are not yet on the
maps.
In the afternoon I skied the other direction out to Sidewinder. On
12/12/04 we skied Apex, British Columbia which didn't have quite as
much snow & some persons reported some icy conditions. In the
morning I skied & walked up to lower Nickel Plate Nordic ski
area
because there wasn't a shuttle from the Alpine Lodge area. Lower
Nickle Plate is not groomed but the snow was good at approx. 1,000'
above the Alpine lodge area. The Nickle Place Nordic Center &
groomed trails were 3 kilometers by road beyond Lower Nickle Plate.
01/07-10/05 I missed the annual Winthrop ski trip to the Beuthel
Ranch because I was hit by a car while riding my bicycle on 3 Jan
2005. They had good snow and 15 skiers for a typical great ski
weekend. I have recovered but the lesson is to avoid high traffic
areas with no shoulder and wear your helmet when bicycling.
01/29
- 02/02/05 we skied Big Sky, Montana, Lone Mt Ranch &
Yellowstone
National Park. Day 1 was skiing at Lone Mt Ranch with good snow
although the entire area is in a 7 year drought. Day 2 we skied
Yellowstone Park with great weather, outstanding visibility &
many animal sightings. Day 3 I skied approx. 12 miles from Big Sky
Resort to Lone Mountain Ranch. It was a very enjoyable
weekend.
11/12/05 We skied the Copper Creek Mt Tahoma Trail near
Mt Rainier thanks to an early snowfall. There was 3-4" at the
start and 8-9" at the upper levels by the Copper Creek Cabin
(which is very nice). The first skiing of the season is always very
special.
12/09-11/05 The Annual Season Opener Ski Trip, this time
to Whistler was a wonderful official kickoff to the ski season. For
Nordic skiing, we skied the Blackcomb Golf Course which had 3-4"
at the lower levels and 7-8" at the upper levels. Downhill
skiing at the upper part of the lift area was good.
01/06-09/06
Was the annual ski trip to the Beuthel Ranch in the Rendezvous area
of the Winthrop trail system. On Saturday, 01/07/06, we skied from
the Fawn Creek tralhead up to the Fawn hut and beyond. The following
day we skied up to Thompson Ridge at Sun Mountain. Snow conditions
were good, all trails were nicely groomed and we had plenty of snow.
11/25/07
We skied the Panorama Trail above Paradise out to a wonderful snowfield
while enjoying sunny weather, fantastic visibility and 12-14" of good
snow. Interestingly,
they told us there was no snow for skiing at the Nisqually entrance to
Mt Rainier but we saw telemarkers, snowboarders, snowshoers, etc. all
over the place.
Above
left: Season Opener buses arriving at Silver Star 11 Dec 2004.
Above
right: Skihawks
Yellowstone
Skiers 31 Jan 2005.
Above
left: Mountaineers
Carter/Madcap/Narada Falls Hike 18 June 2005
Above right: First Mt
Tahoma Trails Skiing 12 Nov 2005
BEGINNER'S CORNER: Nordic skiing seems too good to be true. There are no crowded lift lines, no expensive lift tickets and the gear is affordable. You have total freedom to ski anywhere you want and the lure of the back country takes you to magnificent vistas. As you glide along in an endorphin high, you are at peace with nature and yourself. This, you realize, is the secret of happiness.
However, Nordic skiing, at first, can seem like a lot of work and those skis can seem to be hard to control. That is because it usually takes a couple outings to learn the rhythm that propels you forward efficiently. However, once you learn, you feel a poetry in motion, you have complete freedom and it is perhaps the best aerobic activity for a healthy lifestyle. The basic skis, boots, poles to get you started can probably be purchased for less than $250.00. For icy or steeper conditions I have metal edged Tua "Escape" skis and heavier back country boots. I have found this combination of all-around and back country skis very nice for almost all conditions. On November 22, 2002, REI opened a new store in Tacoma, Washington and had a sale on Rossignol X-Tour Trekker AR Skis. I bought the skis combined with the heavier duty Alpina NNN-BC (Backcountry) boot and the Rottefella NNN-3 BC Auto Binding. The purpose of this combination is to have a lot of speed and ease of skiing combined with better handling in the back country. (Others may have a different opinion but this definitely works for me). My original all-around skis, which have been through 15 years of heavy duty, will become my rock skis. You can get good wool/polyester pants for less than $10, Caprilene under shirt (synthetic fiber that wicks moisture away keeping you dry & warm) for less than $20, full zippered polar fleece jacket for less than $60, outer wind/rain shell for less than $50. etc. Trail fees are either none or very reasonable. I find that maxiglide and household parafin applied at home and sometimes on the trail works very well for glide. You can spend more on gear, etc. but the point is that you can start for very little money and enjoy all of the benefits. Alpine skiers often bring along Nordic skis for a change of pace on ski trips. So I would advise "just do it", get through the "seems like a lot of work stage" and the rest is pure enjoyment.
PLEASE GIVE US YOUR INPUT. This web site will grow in accordance with your usage and feedback. Thank you for visiting.
Skiing? Bicycling? Hiking? Kayaking? Backpacking?
Other?
Send your ideas to: Fox7777 at CarlsonCo.net
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