I'm taking a break from my blog and radio program this week, and in the meantime, please take a look at this excellent post from the Mores Creek Summit Backcountry Ski Blog.
You'll see that several guys were up skiing at Pilot Peak on Tuesday of this week and encountered several slab avalanches on their way up. See video, photos and blog for the full explanation.
2 feet of new snow in 2 days at Brundage Mountain. Woo hoo! (Courtesy Brundage.com)
The whole NW region is getting hammered with precip. Bring it! (Courtesy NOAA)
Hi all,
Well, that bullet-proof ridge of high pressure that prevented any storms from hitting the Pacific Northwest for 6+ weeks is finally gone, and now we can go play in the snow. Yay!
My message this week is "enjoy the snow" with a few words of caution, and I've got a reminder below about the Jan. 31 deadline for river permits.
Because we've been getting hit with so much snow in such a short amount of time, please be aware that skiing in the backcountry is VERY HAZARDOUS right now. Here's a link to the Payette Avalanche Center with their latest forecast, which indicates that the avalanche danger is currently "high," and expected to get worse. More than 30 inches of snow has fallen in the high country in the last three days, with a ton more coming.
No matter what, be sure to pack an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe if you venture into the backcountry. And know how to use those tools!
I would recommend skiing or riding at an established resort in the next few days for the safest conditions. Bogus Basin has opened the front side of the mountain, and as more snow falls, watch for the backside to open soon. Can't wait to try the new Superior quad! Brundage Mountain has been getting hit with tons of powder, and so has Tamarack. Sun Valley hasn't received quite as much snow as the west-central mountains, but I'm sure the skiing there is fabulous as well.
The Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas also are getting hammered with snow. Snow depths were well over 30 inches as of Thursday morning, Jan. 19. Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation officials recommend trying the Gold Fork and Banner Ridge ski and snowshoe trails this weekend. The groomer has been working around the clock on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week. IDPR recommends that you call the grooming hotline to get the latest conditions. Call 208-514-2423.
Try to stick to the groomed trails or at least the trails that have been groomed most recently for the best conditions at the Park n' Ski areas. Off-trail snowshoeing will be REALLY deep and challenging. Stay off steep slopes to avoid avalanche danger.
IDPR officials recommend that you bring a snow shovel for digging out your vehicle in case you get stuck or the vehicle get smothered with snow while you're out having fun. Also, be sure to drive a 4WD vehicle if you go to one of the Park n' Ski areas. You'll get stuck otherwise, and it won't be pretty.
Enjoy the snow!
Here's a reminder about river permits -- they're due on Jan. 31. If you'd like to apply for a private permit to run Hells Canyon, the Middle Fork of the Salmon, Main Salmon or the Selway River, you need to apply through www.recreation.gov. Get a group of your friends together and apply for similar dates at a time when you can take a vacation on an Idaho river.
It costs $6 to apply. You'll find out in late February whether you were successful. If you are lucky enough to draw a permit, you'll be the most popular person in your circle of friends. Use that leverage for all it's worth! :)
If you'd rather go on a guided raft trip with an outfitter, see the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association web site to look into that possibility. Idaho has many wonderful outfitters and guides who can take you on a trip of a lifetime.
Norm Nelson skis a run at Anthony Lakes near Baker, OR
Hi all,
My friend Norm Nelson and I decided to take a little road trip to Anthony Lakes Ski Area in Eastern Oregon last weekend for a change of scenery. As in: Get out of the brown and into the white! We had heard that the skiing was quite good at Anthony, and they were reporting a 32-inch base (all natural snow), so that seemed promising.
We drove over on Saturday afternoon, stayed at the Super 8 in Baker ($67/night for two people) skied all day Sunday and got home by 7 p.m. on Sunday night. It takes about 2.5 hours from Boise to drive directly to the Anthony Lakes parking lot, but it's an easy drive -- 2 hours on I-84 and 30 minutes to the resort on a winding two-lane paved road from North Powder.
The skiing was fabulous, I thought. I ran into Scott Perryman and two of his friends from Boise who skied 3 days at Anthony last weekend, and this is what he had to say:
"It was a pleasant surprise," Perryman says. "It was my first time there, and I thought, damn, this is kind of sweet! We kept exploring and finding little pockets and little hidey-holes, and it was a blast. I would definitely go back."
Anthony has 1,100 acres of skiable terrain; 21 named runs. Lift tickets are $36/day for adults. If you ski on a Thursday, lift tickets are only $17.50! Plan on paying for a $4 snow park permit. The terrain is weighted a bit on the expert side, with 42 percent of the mountain rated advanced/expert, 38 percent intermediate, and 20 percent beginner. It's a fun mountain to ski because it's got a little bit of everything. It also has a terrain park.
I brought my cross-country skate skis, and took a nice loop around the groomed cross-country track with my old friend Russ West from La Grande. Russ participated in a dual race on Sunday, which drew a few Nordic skiers from Boise and the local communities. He said one of the skiers from Boise would have won the race but he took 4 wrong turns and still got third. Always helps to know the course!
The xc track was exquisitely groomed. About 24 kilometers of ski trail are open right now, and a total of 37K's will be available when all of the Nordic trails are open. If you're just a xc skier, I think the trip to Anthony would be well worthwhile. If you like to alpine and xc ski, all the better! It just adds to the diversity of your experience and provides a great workout.
Anthony also has great backcountry skiing for those of you who have your own backcountry gear, and it offers cat skiing trips, servicing the wide open backcountry terrain behind the resort. Those trips cost $199/person. Check the web site on how to sign up.
For the best stay-and-play deals, see Anthony's web site for lodging options. You'll find the best deals at the Best Western Sunridge in Baker ($109 for one person lodging, $10 meal voucher and free lift ticket), and the Grand Geiser Hotel, an historic building with great ambiance and great food ($149 for two people for one night, plus free lift tickets). Both hotels have a variety of deals for families, singles and couples. Inquire for more details.
If you haven't heard, there's a fun party being planned for the Basque Block for Bogus Basin season pass holders next Wednesday night, Jan. 18. They're calling it, "Get Louder for Powder!" Boise's own Curtis Stigers will headline an evening full of live music, food, beer and wine. Participants are encouraged to wear ski clothes and goggles and chant for snow! Party hardy!
There will be $1 beers and $1 Bogus Burgers for pass holders (be sure to bring your season pass). How can you go wrong!
I'm planning on showing up ... it's kind of a morale-booster for Bogus pass holders, and it's a chance to show your support for our favorite local nonprofit ski mountain.
If the weather report now being circulated holds true, it should be either raining or snowing next Wednesday night ... looks like a whole series of storms will be coming through next week. Gawd, I hope that it happens!
Head for the snow near Idaho City, McCall or Ketchum/Sun Valley
to enjoy free cross-country ski day this weekend
Hi all,
Well, I put up a Facebook post yesterday, asking people how they're coping with little to no snow, and what they're doing instead, and I got a bunch of funny responses ... One guy said he's going diving in Cozumel, an island off the Caribbean coast of Mexico (jealous!), other folks said they're hiking and mountain biking but getting "impatient" with the wacky weather, others are snow-biking, road biking, doing rehab, cleaning the house -- all kinds of stuff.
It's one of those winters so far where you can do practically anything except ski/ride at our local hill ... hang in there Bogus!
On Saturday, it's supposed to be pretty warm and sunny, so you might as well take advantage of free cross-country ski day at the Idaho City Park 'n Ski Areas, Ponderosa Park in McCall or Galena Lodge north of Ketchum/Sun Valley. On Sunday, all of the Blaine County Recreation District cross-country ski trails are open free of charge, and at Galena Lodge, they're offering free lessons with free equipment in the afternoon. An intro to skate skiing will be offered at 1 p.m., and an intro to traditional kick-and-glide cross-country skiing (known as "classic") will be at 2:30 p.m. Call 208-726-4010 to register. More than 30 kilometers of xc skiing are open in the Wood River Valley ... the area received more than 2 feet of snow last week.
On Saturday, all of the Idaho City Park 'n Ski Area parking lots are open at no charge. Leo Hennessy says there is 18 inches of snow at the xc ski areas, and most of the trails were groomed on Tuesday. "It should be a fun weekend," he said. "People don't think we have snow, but we do have snow."
The objective of the free xc ski day is to get more people to try the sport of cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. To that end, there will be free beginning snowshoe classes at the Whoop-Um-Up parking site at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. (email Judy Ditto: judy.ditto@idpr.idaho.gov to sign up). And there will be an intermediate and advanced snowshoe class from the Beaver Creek Summit trailhead/parking area. Call Leo at 208-866-6471 to sign up for either one of those classes. You will need to bring your own equipment for the classes. Rentals are available at Idaho Mountain Touring and REI.
Hennessy recommends the Gold Fork area as a good place to cross-country ski on Saturday. There is a nice loop to the Whispering Pines yurt, where free hot chocolate will be served. You also could snowshoe to Whispering Pines.
At Ponderosa Park, free lessons and equipment for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing will be available from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Gravity Sports and Hometown Sports are providing ski equipment, and McCall Parks and Recreation officials are teaching the lessons. Snowshoe lessons and tours are being provided by the McCall Outdoor Science School. For more information, call 208-634-2164.
Bear Basin is not participating in free xc ski day, but trail manager Ed Roper reports that they will be grooming the trail system late Saturday afternoon to provide freshly groomed trails for moonlight skiing Saturday night. Show up around 7ish to sample the trails under a super-big moon. Monday is the official full moon.
If you want to go downhill skiing, Brundage Mountain just announced a new discounted lift ticket special for people who have a Bogus Basin Season Pass. Brundage is discounting daily lift fees by $30 for Bogus pass holders Monday - Thursday, so it would be $25 instead of $55 for adults, and $20 discounts on Fridays and weekends ... $35 instead of $55 for adults.
Tamarack Resort and Sun Valley have solid conditions with plenty of man-made snow to augment natural snow. I've heard good things about the skiing at Anthony Lakes near North Powder, Ore., too. (They're open Thursday-Sunday)
Next week, the new 30-day weather forecasts come out, so we'll have a better picture of what's in store for the next month. The National Weather Service was way off target on the existing 30-day forecast, which called for wetter than normal conditions. High pressure continues to dominate and no significant precipitation is in the forecast for the next week to 10 days. How many times have you heard that lately? Geez!
(end)
Steve shares his weekly outdoor tips with Ken and Tim on 94.9 FM The River each Friday morning in Boise at approximately 7:10 a.m. If you miss the program, you can hear the segments on River Interactive.com. Detailed descriptions and color maps of Steve's hikes, bike rides and paddling trips are available for 99 cents each at www.stevestuebner.com, plus the full ebooks and hard-copy guidebooks.
Beautiful smooth ice on Lake Cascade in Cascade. Photo taken on Christmas eve.
Halverson Lake
The trail to Halverson Lake is sandy.
Rock petroglyphs at Celebration Park.
Hi all,
Well, the warm rainy weather in Boise is just totally inspiring, isn't it? Here we've been waiting a month for new precipitation, and then it comes in the form of a pineapple express? How cruel!
I was glad to see that Brundage Mountain is opening on Friday, and Tamarack has opened the Summit chairlift, meaning that you can ski the top half of the mountain where the snow conditions are likely to be best. Either Brundage or Tamarack should be a good bet this weekend, especially after things cool off on Saturday. Probably going to rain at the base areas on Friday, according to the weather forecast. Cross-country skiing at Bear Basin is quite good ... we skied there last week and enjoyed it. See my video.
Downhill skiing at Sun Valley has been excellent on man-made snow in all of the main parts of the mountain, including Seattle Ridge, Warm Springs and River Run. The upper chairlifts at Sun Valley will be best because rain is forecast at the lower elevations through Friday.
The web cams at Bogus Basin indicate that the warm wet weather has not been kind to our favorite local ski mountain. Hopefully, they'll get more snow and open soon.
Cross-country skiing in the Wood River Valley has been excellent -- probably the best anywhere in the state -- because of all the groomed trails open at Galena Lodge, Harriman Trail and everything in between. If you like to xc ski, this is your Shangri-La.
For any snow activity, higher elevations will be best ... particularly above 7,000 feet. That has been the approximate snow level this week. A cold front is supposed to move through on Friday evening, which will bring temperatures down to winter-like conditions. But I don't see any new snow is forecast for the next week.
The Stanley area would be a good bet for backcountry skiing this weekend, but unfortunately, Highway 21 has been closed because of avalanche danger. Dang!
If you're in Boise for the holidays, and you're not necessarily interested in heading for snow-bound areas, I would recommend going to Celebration Park in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area for a good hiking destination, a cool place to see Indian petroglyphs more than 10,000 years old and learn about the Bonneville Flood.
Celebration Park is about 45 minutes from Boise, south of Nampa on state Highway 45. Turn left on Ferry Road just before you cross the Snake River and follow signs to the park. The park and hiking areas nearby are featured in my guidebook, Boise Trail Guide: 75 Hiking & Running Routes Close to Home, available on my web site and at many Boise-area book stores and outdoor stores.
The hike to Halverson Lake is about 5 miles round-trip. It's a good place to hike when it's been wet because the trail is sandy. The non-motorized hiking trail follows the Snake River for a ways upstream, and then beelines for Halverson Lake. You may also see people on horseback on the trail. The trip is suitable for mountain bikes as well.
Before hiking to the lake, take some time to look at the petroglyphs on the rock boulders next to the parking area. Sometimes it's easy to understand the message that Native Americans were trying to convey; other times, not so much. But it's fun to guess. The rock inscriptions are apparently about 12,000 years old.
If you'd like to go hiking closer to Boise, check the Ridge to Rivers web site and see what they recommend in the trail blog. It's supposed to rain for much of the day on Friday, so the trails will probably be wet and muddy. Saturday morning, they should be frozen and usable until they thaw out. Please tread lightly!
One other possibility after it gets cold on Saturday ... go ice skating on Lake Cascade in Cascade by the Van Wyck boat ramp. Last week, the ice was absolutely fantastic!
Have a Happy New Year!
-SS
Steve shares his weekly outdoor tips with Ken and Tim on 94.9 FM The River each Friday morning in Boise at approximately 7:10 a.m. If you miss the program, you can hear the segments on River Interactive.com. Detailed descriptions and color maps of Steve's hikes, bike rides and paddling trips are available for 99 cents each atwww.stevestuebner.com, plus the full ebooks and hard-copy guidebooks.
90-day outlook calls for wetter than normal (courtesy NOAA)
30-day outlook calls for wetter than normal (courtesy NOAA)
Hi all,
Well, geez, our snow dance moves must be totally uninspiring or just plain lame. It's not working!!!
The December precipitation for the greater Boise area so far this month is a big fat ZERO. According to the National Weather Service, December is supposed to be our wettest month!
I checked with NWS officials today to see if they still are expecting a La Nina winter. The answer was, yes, but it is a weaker La Nina than last year.
The 30-day outlook from the NWS still calls for above-normal precipitation or "wetter than normal" conditions ... that should mean some big snow storms! But Colin Baxter, NWS meteorologist in Boise, says that the location of the polar vortex is to blame. "We're locked in this pattern where the polar vortex is hovering over Hudson Bay and the Bering Sea, and that's forcing low pressure to the south along the Pacific Coast."
The NWS model shows the polar vortexes shifting, but the big question is WHEN? The NWS National Climate Prediction Center "has been hinting at that for several weeks, but it hasn't happened," Baxter notes.
A storm was supposed to come through today (Thursday, Dec. 15), but it's not expected to bring any measurable snow. Dang! Another system is expected in a week, Thursday, Dec. 22, but that storm front, Baxter says, "doesn't look terribly impressive."
"We should be switching out of this pattern between now and New Year's and changing to a wetter pattern," he says.
Let's all hope that happens! Bring it, oh great one, Ullr!
In the meantime, in all likelihood, it's going to be a brown Christmas in Boise, and everyone will be hoping that Bogus Basin opens before its latest opening in recent memory -- Jan. 6, 1989. Brundage Mountain opened on Dec. 21 that year. Its latest opening was in the terribly bad drought winter of 1976-77 when Brundage opened on Jan. 8.
"We were expecting a whole lot more snow in December because it was supposed to be a La Nina year," says Bogus Basin spokeswoman Gretchen Anderson. "There's only three years when we weren't open before Christmas going back to 1969, so this is really unusual. We are ready, and we're waiting."
Brundage has a nice blog post with good photos explaining the situation there ... they need about a foot of more snow to open. Brundage plans a 50th birthday party bash on Dec. 28, no matter if they're open by then or not. "If we are not able to open before that event, it will certainly turn into the mother of all Pray-for-Snow parties," says Brundage spokeswoman April Russell.
In the meantime, turn your Christmas parties into snowdance parties and shake it, baby!
If you really want to play in the snow, check out my recommendations from last week. Plus, Tamarack Resort is opening today with man-made snow on top of natural snow on the beginner chairlift, and they're doing to open Showtime via the Tamarack Express quad on Saturday. Tickets are $45 for adults.
Sun Valley is open with several long groomers open and a 20-inch base, including Warm Springs from top to bottom, Upper and Lower College, and a few others. They have a pre-season special going on for one night's lodging and a lift ticket for $79 each.
Steve shares his weekly outdoor tips with Ken and Tim on 94.9 FM The River each Friday morning in Boise at approximately 7:10 a.m. If you miss the program, you can hear the segments on River Interactive.com. Detailed descriptions and color maps of Steve's hikes, bike rides and paddling trips are available for 99 cents each atwww.stevestuebner.com, plus the full ebooks and hard-copy guidebooks.
Galena Trails in late November (courtesy Galena Lodge)
Bear Basin trails (courtesy Steve Jones/McCall Nordic)
Bear Basin (courtesy Steve Jones/McCall Nordic)
Hi all,
Well it's time to fire up the outdoor tips again now that the big game hunting seasons are pretty much over, and the mountains are cloaked in snow ... well, not a lot of snow, but at least it's a start!
This week I'll focus on places where you can go to recreate in the snow in SW Idaho ... either snow-shoeing, cross-country skiing, backcountry skiing or alpine skiing.
Galena Lodge, located 23 miles north of Sun Valley, has 35 kilometers of cross-country trails open with an average 12-inch groomed base. "The skiing is pretty fricking good considering," says Erin Zell, co-owner of Galena Lodge. "The days are nice and the nights are cold, so that's good for snow retention."
On Saturday, Galena is hosting a free demo day featuring Backwoods Mountain Sports, the Elephants Perch and Idaho Mountain Touring from Boise will be there as well. This is a great chance to try out the latest and greatest xc skis and boots from all the major sports reps. If you participate in demo day, the $15 trail pass is waived, and demos are free as well!
Zell mentioned that even the Harriman Trail is being groomed from Galena clear down to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area headquarters north of Ketchum, so if you like to xc ski on the Harriman Trail, that's available too. Please see the Blaine County Recreation District web site for details on xc trail conditions in the Wood River Valley.
Don't forget that Galena has three very cool yurts that you can rent during the winter. Check their calendar if you'd like to book one.
Bear Basin is pretty much the only place where you can go cross-country skiing on groomed trails in the McCall area right now. The latest grooming report from McCall Nordic indicates that there is a 7-inch base with 15K's open for skiing right now. Longtime Nordic skier Gregg Lawley of McCall skied Bear Basin on Sunday. "It was actually surprisingly good!" he says.
While you're in McCall, stop at the Hub and check on yurt dates available with the Payette Powder Guides at Lick Creek Summit.
The Idaho City Park 'n Ski Areas are open for snow-shoeing and xc skiing, but the skiing is pretty marginal at this point with only 12-18 inches of snow, according to Leo Hennessy, non-motorized trail coordinator for Idaho Parks & Recreation. He recommends snow-shoeing as the best bet. Banner Ridge and Beaver Creek Summit/Stargaze areas will be the most promising because they're above 6,500 feet and have the most snow.
If you're into backcountry skiing, I've heard good reports about skiing in the Pilot Peak/Sunset Mountain areas near Mores Creek Summit. I've also heard that backcountry skiing at Brundage Mountain is pretty good in higher elevations. Near Stanley, I've heard the skiing is excellent on the slopes above Williams Peak Yurt in the Sawtooths. Be sure to bring climbing skins, an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe if you venture into the backcountry.
If you go to Sun Valley or McCall, look for low-cost lodging deals at this time of year. Check with the Sun Valley chamber or McCall chamber for lodging options.
And if you're thirsting for some lift-served downhill skiing action, you could head to Sun Valley, Pomerelle, Grand Targhee, Schweitzer, Silver Mountain or Lookout Pass in Idaho. I skied Solitude in Utah last weekend on a 27-inch base. There was some great skiing in Sunshine Bowl and some other high-speed groomers. Here's some video from our outing last Sunday.
Even if you get out in the snow this weekend, we need more snow! Do the snow dance thing and do it good!
Read all about Steve's outdoor trips in Idaho, including hiking, mountain biking, backpacking, camping, trail-running, whitewater boating, canoeing, SUP’ing, skiing and snowshoeing.
I love being outdoors and hanging out in the mountains. It's my favorite place to be. I love to explore new places and experience different outposts in the Idaho backcountry.
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