Mores Creek Summit a great jump off point for backcountry skiing, snowshoeing

Steve, Randy and Mark on top of the ridge

Mark Anderson, a super human who loves to break trail

(Map courtesy Mores Creek Summit backcountry blog)

Hi all,

This week's tip is for the more adventurous souls who seek to find readily accessible good-quality virgin powder close to Boise. But not at a ski resort.

Your trailhead is Mores Creek Summit, 15 miles northeast of Idaho City. This is the jump-off point for accessing a trio of peaks, Pilot Peak, Freeman Peak or Sunset Mountain -- all peaks in the 8,000-foot range that offer multiple aspects for great powder skiing.

When it snows hard at Bogus Basin, smart and experienced backcountry skiers know that the powder skiing and riding at Pilot, Freeman and Sunset is going to be fantastic.

Check out this video from a group of guys who were skiing Freeman Peak last spring (courtesy Ande1717 on YouTube). Yeow!

A group of six of us went up to ski some east-facing shots at Pilot Peak last weekend, and we had a great time. We climbed the mountain three times, and had untracked snow the whole way. By the end of the day, we were tired and chilled to the bone from all of the sweating, but it's nothing that a nice, soothing soak in a hot tub won't fix in a matter of seconds.

Before you go, you need to gear up with backcountry equipment, brush up on your avalanche know-how and study some maps. Ideally, you should go with someone who has been there before. After several trips, you'll get familiar with natural landmarks and learn where the best turns can be had. It's a good idea to dig a snowpit and gauge the avalanche danger before your first run.

Thanks to Chago and a group of guys who have created a great blog about skiing out of the Mores Creek Summit area. Check it out for photos, snowpit information and maps.

From a gear perspective, backcountry folks ski with either telemark gear or alpine touring (randonee) gear. Both have a free heel for climbing. You bring climbing skins to put on your skis for the way up the mountain, and then stow them for the way down. Snowboarders either bring a split board with climbing skins or they climb with snowshoes and stow them for the ride down.

Check with Idaho Mountain Touring, Boise REI or Greenwoods in Boise for obtaining the gear.

Be aware that the Mores Creek Summit area is a mixed-use zone, meaning that snowmobile riders use the area as well as backcountry skiers. Several years ago, we all worked together to delineate some areas that are best for skiing close to the road, and snowmobile riders have agreed to leave those powder slopes for skiers. But the main haul road up to Pilot Peak and Sunset Peak often have snowmobile traffic. Try to be courteous and step off to the side of the trail when snowmobiles approach.

If you want to avoid snowmobiles, Freeman Peak is the best place to get away from them. You'll need to park in the large pullout on Idaho 21 before you get to Mores Creek Summit, and watch for the ski trail heading up the gulch.

Backcountry skiing isn't for everyone. But one of the beauties of the sport is that it's hard enough that you can always find a great powder stache to enjoy. If it were easy, the whole mountain would be carved up in seconds. So get out there and try it sometime.

- SS

Embrace change - I'm looking forward to my next work adventure

(Image courtesy successories.com)

When Wendy and I celebrated New Year's eve this year on a snowy night in McCall, I didn't expect that any major changes were coming my way. Everything was stable in our work lives and with our kids, and we were looking forward to a big powder day at Brundage Mountain the next morning.

And then, in the second week of January, my boss called me into his office and closed the door on a Friday morning .... Once the door closed, I thought, oh boy, this isn't going to be good.

Just like any well-run business, Drake Cooper was keeping a close eye on the bottom line, and our Public Relations department was not peforming well financially. The whole department was going to be phased out. I was going to be laid off, but I would have the option of continuing to serve my existing clients as an independent contractor. That option provided a glimmer of hope.

Still, it's a numbing feeling to get furloughed. I had to go for a walk by the river.

Just 2.5 years before, both my immediate supervisor and I got laid off at Tamarack. It also was a cost-cutting move. The public affairs department was being eliminated. I knew that things were getting tight, but I had no idea they were that bad. Both Scott Turlington and I were well-liked in Valley County. We were the face of Tamarack to many policy makers and agency officials. I figured if they were going to eliminate us, they must be in bad shape.

Of course, everyone knows about Tamarack's financial woes and resulting bankruptcy now. What a huge mess! I was lucky to get out of there early on, as it were, so I had a chance to get a new job when the economy was still doing well.

It's been a good ride at Drake Cooper. I feel that working for Idaho's best marketing and communications agencies has improved my skills as a PR practitioner and marketer. I'm happy to continue to be affiliated with the agency and to keep working for my existing clients.

After I got my head wrapped around this latest change, I felt excited about being freed from the 8-to-5 grind and the opportunity to work as an independent consultant, as I had done from 1991 to 2002. Now I've got more freedom to spend time with my kids and more flexibility in my daily routine to go running, biking or skiing in between work tasks.

But in this lousy economy, I've got to be honest -- it's mildly terrifying to be in a position of looking for more client work or other professional opportunities when some people have been out of work for several years, they've drained their retirement funds, they've lost their homes, and some of them have ended up living on the street.

I just have to have confidence that after living in Idaho for 25 years, making friends and building personal and professional relationships, and working as a writer, PR practitioner, nonprofit volunteer and small business owner, the good will that I've tried to develop over the years will open new doors in the future.

So hey... keep me in mind!

• If you need help with PR or marketing, get in touch.

• I'm a published author. Do you have a book project in mind that needs to be written? I'd love to take my author hat off the shelf and dig into a new book project.

• How about web videos? Do you have any video on your web site? You need video today to draw people to your web site and keep them there. I've got my own video camera. I can produce short web videos at low cost.

• I'm conversant with social media. Have you jumped on board yet? Don't know how or where to start? Get in touch.

Please check out my web site to learn more about my core skill areas.

"Temperatures will rise and fall winds will shift. Leaves will drop and buds will form. And with every new transition, new beginnings will be revealed." - Successories.com

Thanks and stay tuned. - SS

Galena Lodge has something for everyone

Marianne Nelson, Carolyn Volk and Wendy Wilson on Mushroom Ridge

Steve with the birthday girl

The honored guest, Marianne Nelson

Packing stuff into the yurt via backpack and sled

Hi all,

A friend of mine invited a group of friends to the Galena Lodge yurts recently for her 50th birthday. Our group was big enough to fill two yurts. It was a blast.

What's a bit different about the Galena yurts is that they're a short climb (less than a mile) up to a ridge overlooking the 50K Nordic trail system and the surrounding mountains near Galena Lodge. Many other yurts in SW Idaho require a longer climb to get into the backcountry, and they're more oriented toward backcountry skiing.

So the yurts are very conveniently located immediately adjacent to the Nordic trails. That's pretty neat. I love to skate ski, and I was able to combine a day of backcountry skiing and skate skiing in a single day.

Galena has a great variety of cross-country and snowshoe trails on site. It's also the trailhead for the Harriman Trail, which runs down-valley for 30Ks to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area office trailhead, the route for the Boulder Mountain Tour. So it's pretty much ground zero for the Nordic enthusiast.

It's also extremely close to Galena Pass, where oodles of backcountry ski routes await. Our group loved to do backcountry and Nordic, so we got our fill of both.

I packed in my ihome battery-powered unit, so we had great tunes for Marianne Nelson's 50th birthday party night. The close proximity to the Galena Lodge parking lot allowed us to pack in multiple loads for the party festivities, plus I packed in our skate skis so we could jump on the Nordic track right outside the front door of the Star Perch yurt.

The yurts at Galena Lodge cost $145/night, and they sleep 8 people. That's $18/person. The Galena yurts are typically more available on a short-term basis than the huts/yurts in the Smoky Mountains, Sawtooth Mountains, Pioneer Mountains and in the Idaho City Park 'n Ski Areas. So give it a try.

Galena Lodge itself has hot drinks and food after your ski experience. It's a great place to warm up or rest. The lodge also can be rented for special events and private dinners.

Cautionary note: If you plan on skiing at Galena Pass, each skier should be sure to bring an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe. The avalanche danger has been extreme in the Sawtooth area, so be sure to check the latest avalanche report.

So anyway, to me, a weekend trip to Galena Lodge is a must-do experience every winter. Check on yurt availability for the rest of this season, and give it a try.

-- SS

Explore Boise Trails for fitness and fun!

Start from Barber Park, Bown Crossing or River Run to access the walking/running trail

the Herrick house

New underpass at E. ParkCenter Bridge

The heron rookery

This is a favorite venue for runners and walkers - no pavement!

Hi all,

Bandanna Running and Walking has come up with a cool promotion for 2010 -- it's called Explore Boise Trails. The idea is to expand your horizons and try new hikes and trail-running routes that you haven't experienced before.

Bandanna recommends using my guidebook, Boise Trail Guide: 75 Hiking & Running Routes Close to Home, as the source for inspiration.

Listen to Chris Chandler at Bandanna explain the program:



If you want to knock off all 75 routes in one year, and you're one of the first five people to do so, you could win a $100+ pair of Cascadia 5 trail-running shoes. The shoes were made especially for Scott Jurek of Seattle, who is considered by many to be America's greatest trail-runner. His motto is "embrace your adventurous side."

We all know it's January, so I recommend starting on Greenbelt trails, Snake River trails, Owyhee County trails and lower-elevation Ridge to Rivers trails during the winter mud season. Please be sure to check on trail conditions before you go on Ridge to Rivers trails at www.ridgetorivers.org. I have a link to the trail conditions report on stevestuebner.com as well.

To get you started, I recommend the walking/hiking trail along the Boise River between Barber Park and ParkCenter (see map above). I did a 5.5-mile run on the trail on Thursday morning, and it was totally fabulous. At this time of year, you can see bald eagles perched in the tall cottonwoods, not to mention an occasional great blue heron, kingfishers, many types of ducks and songbirds. You might even see a mink, muskrat or beaver at the river's edge.

Part of this trail section has been renamed the Bethine Church River Trail to honor Bethine and the late U.S. Sen. Frank Church, D-Idaho, for all of their outstanding conservation work. There is an interpretive sign near the East ParkCenter Bridge that explains the dedication.

I hope Bandanna's promotion inspires you to go where you've never gone before. At the same time, you could improve your fitness and endurance levels. It's a good way to get ready for Robie if nothing else!

- SS

Seize the day - try FREE xc ski day Saturday

Skate skiing at Ponderosa State Park in McCall (please excuse the heavy breathing ...)

Maybe you've got cabin fever, maybe you're ready to lose a few pounds after the Holidays, maybe you've been lazy ... whatever the case, there can be no excuses on Saturday, a totally FREE day for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. No parking fees, either! Get off the couch and go!

The Nordic trails at Bogus Basin, the Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas, Lake Cascade State Park in Cascade and Ponderosa Park in McCall are all open for free Saturday. The North Valley, Galena Lodge and Quigley trails in Ketchum/Sun Valley are open for free Sunday. You'll need to rent equipment or bring your own. Bring extra food and drink for the trail.

The thing that's great about snowshoeing and cross-country skiing is that any able-bodied person can do it. If you can walk, you can snowshoe or cross-country ski. You're just doing it on the snow. It's like going for a hike in the mountains. It's also a great workout.

Gather up a few of your friends and head up to the Idaho City Park n' Ski Areas, managed by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. Gold Fork, a nice moderate trail system on the left side of Idaho 21 with 10 kilometers of trail, will be the epicenter of the fun. Gold Fork is about 1.5 hours from Boise. Check out the Idaho Parks and Recreation web site and you'll see cool pdf maps for each park n' ski area, plus detailed descriptions and locator maps.

On Saturday, the weather is forecast to be clear and sunny, but on the chilly side in the morning. Drew in layers, and dress warm! All of the trails will be well-groomed. For snowshoers, off-trail conditions will be breakable crust, so you may want to walk on the edge of groomed trails. Or, send your strongest person out front and let them break the trail for you, and then take turns.

The whole purpose of free ski day is to encourage first-timers and novices to try cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. I can guarantee that if you visit any of the venues I've mentioned here, you'll want to come back.

Have fun!

- SS

Don't miss out ... go catch a steelhead!

Rick Gerrard with a fresh Hells Canyon steelie

Steve and Quinn with B-run Clearwater River steelhead (it fed 12 people)

A wild Middle Fork Salmon River steelhead (this fish was released)

We had a great float trip on the Snake River in Hells Canyon recently, and we brought home a gorgeous steelhead on Sunday afternoon after I guided my friend Rick Gerrard into a perfect fishing hole with my 16-foot raft, and he nailed a nice one.

We had been catching rainbows and small-mouth bass frequently, so Ricky wasn't sure what he had at first ... Then after about 30 seconds, he whispered "this feels like a big fish, Stueby," to which I leaped from the captain's chair and grabbed our fish net in the bow. We brought more of a trout net than a steelhead net, so when I had a chance to net the steelhead, I scooped it up and brought the fish into the bow of the boat, only to have the dang thing leap out of the net!

Luckily I had these neoprene gloves on with special grips in the palms, so I was able to grab that thing like an oversized football and wrestle it to the floor of the boat.

We checked and it was a fin-clipped fish as expected (no wild steelhead venture into Hells Canyon anymore to my knowledge), so we kept it and ate it for dinner with about 8 people a couple days later. Yee-haw! Great way to round out an awesome cast-and-blast weekend in Hells Canyon.

My outdoor tip this week is to urge everyone to reserve some time in your busy schedule to go steelhead fishing this fall. The steelhead run this year is more than 2x the 10-year average, with 200,000+ fish forecast to move into Central Idaho to spawn the next generation. The mighty steelhead -- ocean-going rainbow trout -- are found on the Snake in Hells Canyon, the Salmon River from Riggins to Salmon, and the Clearwater River in the Lewiston-Orofino area. Go bank fishing, take your own boat or hire an outfitter and guide.

I personally am not too proud to hire a guide. It definitely can increase your chances of success. I booked a trip with the Guide Shop in Orofino a couple years ago and brought home a beautiful B-run Clearwater steelhead. I'd always heard that the B-run fish are huge (they stay two years in the ocean), and put up a great fight, and there's no doubt about that!

When I was working on my book Salmon River Country with Mark Lisk, we went steelhead fishing with Jerry Myers and Mark Troy from Idaho Adventures, and we caught a bunch of fish on a five-day trip from Corn Creek to Mackay Bar ... big Middle Fork wild steelhead that were nearly as big as the Clearwater fish I caught.

The guides are out on the river every day. They know the exact holes where they caught fish the day before. They know what kind of lures, bait or flies are working. Put some friends together and book a trip of a lifetime.

On the Salmon River, near Riggins, you can book a trip with a jet boat or a drift boat. The jet boats can go upriver or downriver and cover a lot of ground in a day. They often will pull plugs or "hotshots" and drag them on the bottom of the river in deep steelhead holes, and that often can be a very effective technique. Drift boats are very maneuverable and can fish practically every patch of fishy water as you move downstream.

Fly fishing for steelhead is another possibility for those so inclined (more skill required). Here's a web site with some tips on what kinds of bait/lures/flies to use.

So I say go for it and celebrate one of the finer things in life as an Idahoan. Even if you don't bring home a steelhead, maybe someone else in your party will, and it will be a memorable day on the river no matter what. - SS

Hike or Bike to Sunset Mountain or Pilot Peak

9.5 miles up-and-back to Sunset Mountain Lookout

7.9 miles up-and-back to Sunset Peak

Steve and Quinn when he was 10 months old

Dad towed him up the mountain in a Kelty baby trailer

Sunset Mountain Lookout (elev. 7,869')

Well, the weekend forecast is definitely "iffy," with temps in the 40-50s in the mountains -- maybe much lower than that -- but here's a trip for hard-cores who might not mind getting wet or even getting into some snow ...

Drive up Idaho 21 past Idaho City to Mores Creek Summit, and either hike/bike up to the top of Sunset Mountain Lookout (directly south of the highway) or hike/bike to the top of Pilot Peak, followed by an optional big 14-mile downhill cruise back to Idaho City (shuttle required).

Sunset L.O. and Pilot Peak are great destinations in the summer or winter. It's a 5-mile trip to the top of Sunset, and 3.8 miles to Pilot, so it's a steeper climb to reach Pilot Peak. You have to climb over 2,000 vertical feet to summit either one. Both of the routes are featured in Boise Trail Guide: 75 Hiking & Running Routes Close to Home and in Mountain Biking Idaho.

Both of them are equally fun. Great views of the Boise National Forest open up as you gain elevation, culminating in a great view at the summit. This weekend, the view may be obscured by weather ... who knows? To this powder hound, it's profoundly invigorating to cruise through a few inches of fresh snow, thinking about the promise of a great ski season ahead with tons of fresh *pow*.

Note: If you want to climb Pilot Peak and take the optional descent into Idaho City, it's a 20.8 mile ride through ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir forests; 14+ miles of it is downhill. Click on Mountain Biking Idaho and look up page 62-67 for a detailed description.

Stop in Idaho City on your through and check out the frontier downtown. Great food and drink and genuine hospitality.

- SS