Salmon ID XC Ski Report

Sunday Evening 12/31/06 Report – The 4th full report for the 06/07 year.

This has the email that I mailed December 27, 2006. The rest of the report is in the process of being edited.

Click here for the TABLE OF CONTENTS for the “Extra Web Data. This upper section will be used for minor updates during the week before the next report is prepared. I’ll try and get the extra web data updated with a new report next Tuesday or Wednesday. Basically the snow gets better each time I ski, but still a little skimpy under the trees at lower elevation trails.

The Original Report Starts Here – The information above has been added since the Email
This report starts with the email I sent Wednesday, December 27, 2006 21:25 PM.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006 21:25 PM
Cross Country Skiers,

* I just skied the Buckhorn Trail and Upper Meadow Trails (all the way down to the Lower Aspen Loop Trailhead). They are all excellent except that maybe the Meadow Trail below the “Big Clearcut” should be downgraded to fair to good because I hit a rock Sunday. However don’t take the fork down to Cougar Point yet. There’s only about 18” at the Meadow TH, the same as a week ago, but we’ve received several inches of snow since then and the snow has consolidated considerably. I ran out of time, but I think one could ski the William’s Cr. Trail down to the Upper Aspen Loop and not hit too many rocks now. I’d still suggest caution, but it should be much better than my last report. Note that the recent rain or recent thaw hasn’t extended much above Cougar Point. Also, watch out for sledders in the road in that area. I’ll try and get my trip reports updated by Saturday but we found the snow to be good, a week ago last Sunday. The only problem was that it was so cold that we couldn’t get up enough speed to make many turns.

The web version of this report is at: http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/xcskirpt.htm and I’ll try and get it updated by Saturday. It will have some additional snow depth reports and additional XC ski web links. Also I usually add some updates to the web version before I send out another full report. If you have a current connection to the internet you should be able to just click on any of the web links in this message to go directly to the web page with your web browser. Otherwise you can copy the link and paste it into your browsers address box. Call me at 756-2085 with any questions.

Click the following link to see details about our recent ski trips: http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/skitriprpt.htm (I will try and update it by Saturday.) Let me know of any trips you’ve made that I can add to the list.

PLANNED TRIPS:
* 1. Monday, January 1, 2007. Meet at the Forest Service/BLM Parking lot at 10:00 AM for a trip to the William’s Cr. Trails. We’ll make a stop soon after 10:00 at the Shoup Bridge BLM Campground for those living south of town. Right now, I’m planning to ski north from William’s Cr. Summit to (or near) the A-Frame and probably ski down the Buckhorn Trail and possibly further. The snow has a much better base than last week.

* 1a. Monday, January 1, 2007. WE’VE BEEN INVITED TO A POTLUCK AT RENEE SNYDER’S. She sent to following:
“ … please pass on to everyone that they are invited over to my house for the annual New Year's Day post ski potluck. I'll have a ham and black-eyed peas if folks want to bring whatever else they would like. Here are the directions to my house:
Head south of town on Highway 93 towards Challis. About 2.5 miles south of the light turn left on Coiner Lane. Ranchette Road is the next road on the left and it's a good landmark because of the faded red/pink barn. Once you turn on Coiner you'll make two 90 degree turns and my house is the next one on the left. It's light gray and I have a front porch. I was thinking about 5-5:30. Pass the word.”

Please note that you don’t have to come to the ski trip (or have come to any of the trips) but you are still encouraged to come to the potluck. There are quite a few of you that I’ve never met and would like to do so. Call me at (208) 756-2085 (and leave a message) if you have any questions. ALSO, because many folks get this email on their work computers and because they may be on holiday, could you call any friends and let them know.

* 2. Mid Week Trips. Often on Tuesdays. (But this week it will probably be Wednesday. Give me a call at 756-2085 if you’d like to go. When I ski, I usually won’t leave before 10:00 AM and probably not later then 01:00 PM.

* You might be interested several ski related articles in the Outdoors Section of the Ravalli Republic. Go to my Other Web Links Section of the On-Line Web version and scroll down a bit and click on the link. You’ll find an article about Chief Joseph Pass Ski Area. Also in my web pages see the Avalanche sections. There have been several snowmobilers and at least one skier killed.

General Snow and Weather Conditions:
Note that this year the Salmon Golf Course is closed to skiing. If we ever get enough snow, there are areas “mowed” for skiing at the Sacajawea Center. They are in the field near the river. See my introduction section (above) for general snow conditions.

* Use the following Williams Cr. Ski Trails Links to better understand the trail condition reports:
Trail Descriptions Trailhead Locations Trail Map Trail Segment table
* William’s Cr. Trail Conditions: Click the above Trailhead Locations, and Trail Map links to evaluate this information. On the map note the Meadow Trailhead and Trail # 222 with two forks which goes south from this TH, providing access to trail # 242, the Wapiti Loop. Ski conditions on these upper Meadow Trails and the Wapiti Loop are Excellent. Note on the map a short loop on trail 222 to the east of Trail 242. This is the location of what I refer to as the “Big Clear-cut. This section is also rated excellent. When we see the clear-cut and rail fence we continue to follow the blue diamonds to the right, and slightly uphill, then bear left and downhill to the edge of the clear-cut. Here you can backtrack or make a short loop by bearing left and skiing along the rail fence. When we make this loop it’s actually shorter than what’s shown on the map. Intermediate or expert skiers can ski below this point with caution. Just past the clearcut, the trail bears left, and in about 100 feet there’s a steep cutoff to the right, or you can continue straight on a more gentle section. However use care in the next 200 feet because there are some rocks near the trail. Below this point, I’d rate the trail as good, but there are several fairly fast steep sections that could challenge the unwary. When you get to the junction where a trail bears right to Cougar Point, bear left on the “Cutoff” to the William’s Cr. Road. Don’t take the trail to Cougar Point. About 1/3 mile or so past this junction you’ll see where some skiers have skied to the right. You’ll want to take the tracks bearing left. You’ll come out just above the lower Aspen Loop Trailhead which is on the other side of the road.

Look at the map again and find the Meadow Trailhead and note that Trail # 224, the Buckhorn Trail takes off across the road to the north and heads up to trail # 078, the William’s Cr. Trail. Ski conditions on this section of the Buckhorn trail are Excellent. This junction is at a big meadow that parallels trail 078. The Buckhorn Tr. Continues across this meadow up to the Ridge Road near the “A-frame” as shown on the map. This section has a steep pitch that HAD some rocks but is now probably GOOD. USE CAUTION on this stretch. Not recommended for beginners. Last weekend folks skied from the Buckhorn Trail # 078 southeast to trail 223, the Upper Aspen Loop. I think they found the skiing generally fair to good but did hit at least one rock. Now that the snow has consolidated, I will probably try this one again, but I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners. The only exception to this might be a down and back from the Buckhorn Trail east through the meadow a little beyond the junction with Trail 624.5, the Perreau Meadows Tr. Previously the Upper Aspen Loop, # 223 (left – west portion on map) was GOOD, I think that by now it may be excellent. The few rocks were in flat areas. Caution, the Lower Aspen Loop, also # 223, (right – East portion on the map) which provides access the William’s Cr. Trail somewhat above the Big Fir Trailhead has some steeper pitches with rocks and is not recommended

William’s Cr Summit is at MP 13.8 and junctions with the Ridge Road, shown as # 020 on the map, which can be skied by intermediate and strong beginners (if not icy). This road is probably good skiing. Watch for snowmobiles. This road is groomed and dedicated for snowmobiles so you need to let them go by.

Other Trails:
The Deep Cr. Ridge Trail, not on the map takes off the Ridge Road to the south and accesses the Upper Shoshoni and Muk Luk Trails, also not on the map. The Deep Cr. Ridge Trail was previously not recommended due to a lack of snow, but I think that may have improved. The Upper Shoshoni, a telemark run, not on the map, is not recommended at this point until I can check it out or get some reports. The Lower Shoshoni, listed as #247 on the map (it should be # 243) would probably be safe but is probably only fair. It has been skied at least in part. The Muk Luk Trail # 244, not on the map, takes off (or ends) half way between William’s Cr. Summit and the Deep Cr. Road and is clearly signed. It’s not recommended to ski this from the top, but could be skied as up and back for intermediate skiers. You will need to be able to control your speed and stay in the center of the road. On Tuesday we had a great run. Refer to our past trip report for details. The North Moccasin # 225, is quite steep and would not be recommended. Also, DON’T ATTEMPT TO SKI DOWN TO COUGAR POINT ON THE LOWER MEADOW TRAIL # 222.

Snow depths at William’s Cr. Summit and at the Meadow TH are usually slightly less than the Lemhi Ridge Snotel. I measured 18” on Dec. 27 and at 01:00 AM the Lemhi Ridge Snotel listed 17.9 inches. Click here for more recent data: http://www3.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nwcc/sntl-data0000.jsp?site=576&days=20&state=MT These are daily readings which are usually less confusing than the following sites.

Here’s a link to 3 hour readings which can be useful to monitor for more current snow and temperature:
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nwcc/sntl-datarpt.jsp?site=576&days=7&state=MT

* LOST TRAIL is partly open. Today they measured 33” at the lodge and 39” on top and had all lifts running except for the “Saddle Mtn. Chair # 4. We skied there yesterday and the runs were excellent, but I’d still be cautious about skiing in the trees due to stumps and logs. They are open full time for Christmas break from Dec. 21 – Jan. 1st. Here’s their ski report: http://www.losttrail.com/snowreport.asp Lately their readings for snow depth at the top of the mountain have been almost exactly the same as the “Saddle Mountain Snotel” site which is not actually on Saddle Mountain but rather just off the Saddle Mountain Road, about a half mile NW of the top of Chairs 1 & 2. The latest daily reading was 40.4”. See the Snotel daily readings taken at Midnight Pacific Time (01:00 AM our time) at: http://www3.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nwcc/sntl-data0000.jsp?site=727&days=20&state=MT. This report only lists daily readings, which is often less confusing. But to see the latest current depth or temperature, you’ll need to go to the 3 hour report at: http://www3.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/nwcc/sntl-datarpt.jsp?site=727&days=14&state=MT

* CHIEF JOSEPH See my general conditions. Folks skied Chief Joseph last weekend and found the flat track skiing to be very good, and also found excellent snow on the Richardson Ridge Trail. Go to the Bitterroot X-C Ski Club snow conditions reports at: http://www.bitterrootxcskiclub.net/conditions.htm and also to the Missoula Nordic Ski Club grooming page and scroll down to “Chief Joseph”: http://missoulanordic.org/cgi-bin/snow_grooming/discus.cgi

Check this site: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/b-d/news/ for any Beaverhead NF news releases. They’ve been posting updates quite regularly. Note also that the road to Shultz Saddle will be plowed part way up. I may check this out later for possible backcountry ski chance.

My Cross Country Ski Web Page is at: http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/cksalxcski.htm
The Current “Ski Report” (This page) is: http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/xcskirpt.htm
My Introduction to X-C Skiing is at: http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/IntroToXc101.htm
Most all the links are now up to date. Let me know of any good links to add or correct.

I now have links to my William’s Creek X-C Area Descriptions which are repeated here:
Trail Descriptions:    http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/xcskiwmscr_traildescr.htm
Trailhead Locations:  http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/xcskiwmscr_trailheads.htm
Trail Map:            http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/xcskiwmscr_trailmap01.jpg
Trail Segment Table:  http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/xcskiwmscr.htm

I’m working on pages similar to the above for the Lost Trail – Chief Joseph Un-Groomed Cross Country Ski Trails:
I currently have a Lost Trail Chief Joseph Trail Segment Table in draft format. Go to the Web version if this link doesn’t work.

/s/ Cliff

Word Count: 2,180

The following is an abbreviated version of my standard report with last year’s format.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: (Click on the following to jump down to that section. Hit the Back Button to return here.)
1. PLANNED TRIPS:
2. PREVIOUS TRIPS:
3. Ski Trail Condition Reports: WILLIAM'S CR. TRAILS: , CHIEF JOSEPH - ANDERSON MT. ROAD AREA:
4. MISC.:
5. AVALANCHE:
6. OTHER WEB LINKS:

The last FULL REPORT was Dec. 01. All paragraphs changed since then are preceded by an asterisk (*). To find these, do an EDIT> FIND and type in an asterisk. If you close the find box you can call it up again with a CTRL-F and continue to find the asterisks. If I make any minor updates, I won't send out any notice but they will be preceded with two asterisks (**).

INTRODUCTION: To better understand planned trips and previous trip reports, I encourage you to get three maps. Go to the A. INTRODUCTION Section of my Salmon Idaho Cross-Country Ski Web Page for Details.

The current ski report will always be, posted on http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/xcskirpt.htm. I saved the first report as http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/xcskirpt0701.htm (ends in 0701) and the next report ends in 0702, etc. As I post new reports this year they’ll be labeled xcskirpt0703, ...0704, 0705, etc.

The full ski report is on the web. The message to those on the Salmon X-C Ski Mailing list will be highlights only. As always, if you want me to make changes on the email list, call me at 208-756-2085 or email me. You can get my email from the messages that I send to you or call me. Currently we about have 80 on the list, with many being couples.

PLANNED TRIPS:

See the above email.

PREVIOUS TRIPS:
For a short description of each ski trip to date for the current 2006-2007 season go to: http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/skitriprpt.htm Scroll down, or click on the November or (soon) the December 2006, etc. link to jump to that section.
Last years trips can be found at: http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/skitriprpt05_06.htm including a Ski Year 2005/2006 Wrap-Up.

SKI REPORT: (See Web Links section below for links to trail descriptions.)

WILLIAM'S CR. TRAILS: See my report in the email message above.

* The LEMHI RIDGE SNOTEL (adjusted) snow depth reading at 01:00 AM on Friday December 08, 6 days ago, was 10.6" with a density of 15.1%. Maximum temperatures have ranged from +29 to +49; being above freezing for most of the period except for last Monday. This is not all bad because the snow depth continued to increase much of the time, but not as much as if it had been colder. However with the increased snow density, we should be able to start doing some backcountry skiing before too long. As of 16:00 PM on Thursday, December 14, 2006, in 6 days Lemhi Ridge has increased about 5.7” and settled only about 0.3” to 16.0”, (Based on daily readings) for a net change of +5.4”. Note that the snow depth is based on daily readings. See next paragraph.

Sometimes when one compares daily readings and there’s been a fair snowfall during the early part of the period, there will be settling of the snow before the next reading. Thus daily readings may understate the actual snowfall. I have the option of using 3 hour readings. However, there is always some fluctuation in the depth gauge readings even when we know there was no snowfall or appreciable melting. Thus sometimes the 3 hours reading actually overstate the snowfall. In other words, fluctuations in the depth gauge are reported as snowfall. (The total increase based on 3 hour readings is 14.6”) Splitting the difference, it may be safe to say that we got between 8-10” of “new” snow which is a great improvement

* Calculated Snow Density has ranged from about 14.8% up to 16.3%. The "current" (16:00 PM) value is 16.3%. Note that this is the density of the entire snow pack. The density of the top layer that powder skiers ski in will be somewhat lower than this. We’d actually like to see this overall density increase which will indicate that there is a better base for skiing.

* The midnight PST (01:00 AM MST) reading for Snow Water Equivalent was 2.3”, 62% of average, or an increase of 14% since last time.

* Weather Prediction: CLICK HERE for the 7 day forecast for the approximate location of William’s Cr. Summit. CLICK HERE for the Table Version of the forecast. Note that the table version sometimes gives a better display of snow accumulation.
CLICK HERE for an alternate more graphical weather forecast for William’s Cr. Summit. It looks like a little more snow tonight and tomorrow morning (Thursday – Friday)., and none for the weekend.

CHIEF JOSEPH - ANDERSON MT. ROAD AREA See comments in my email message at the start of this page.

* The Saddle Mountain SNOTEL lists snow conditions similar to the top of the Lost Trail Ski Area and similar to Chief Joseph Pass. The snow depth reading at 01:00 AM on Friday, December 01, 2006, 7 days ago, was 24.1” with a density reading of 16.2%. Maximum temperatures have ranged from 14.5 to +35.3; being above freezing for the last 2 days. As of 01:00 AM on Friday, December 08, 2006, in 7 days Saddle Mtn. has increased about 03.0” and settled about 5.7” to 21.4”, (Based on daily readings) for a net change of -2.7”. The Snotel accumulation is based on daily readings and the actual accumulation is probably greater. The accumulation, based on 3 hour readings would have been much more. See my comments regarding 3 hour readings in the Lemhi Ridge Section . CLICK HERE for Saddle Mtn 3hr readings.

Lost Trail reported the following Snow Data:
                         New 24Hr Bottom Top | Snotel
Date/Approx-Time   Temp   Snow    Depth Depth | Depth (01:00 AM)
Thu11/30/06 12PM   10     06”    13”   18” | 18.5

Sun12/03/06 ??PM ?? 06” 18” 24” | 23.5

Mon12/04/06 12PM 18 00” 18” 24” | 23.2

Wed12/06/06 07AM 19 02” 18” 24” | 23.0

Fri12/08/06 06AM 26 00” 18” 24” | 21.4

*Mon12/11/06 11AM 25 00” 18” 24” | 20.6

*Wed12/13/06 09AM 28 08” 20” 26” | 23.1

*Thu12/08/06 06AM 25 10” 20” 26” | 26.9

I think the 10” of new on Thursday may partially duplicate the 8” listed yesterday.
However, note that the totals are again almost identical.

* Calculated Snow Density has ranged from about 20.3% up to 22.4%. The "current" (16:00 PM) value is 20.3%. Note that this is the density of the entire snow pack. The density of the top layer that powder skiers ski in will be somewhat lower than this. Note that the Saddle Mountain density is leveling out, but the Lemhi Ridge density is still increasing somewhat. We’d really like to see the Lemhi Ridge density increase more to provide a better base for backcountry skiing. However, this week should be quite a bit of any improvement.

* The midnight PST (01:00 AM MST) reading for Snow Water Equivalent was 5.5”, which is 65% of average, 6% higher than it was last week. Let’s hope these percentages continue increasing. Overall the Salmon River Basin was 85% of normal, with better snow to the west and south of us. Salmon Basin (and other Idaho) readings can be found HERE. Scroll down to the Salmon Basin and select the Site of interest such as Lemhi Ridge or Saddle Mountain or the Basin Wide Summary. Then look at the Percent Departure from Avg. Column. Subtracting this value from 100 gives the Percent of Normal Value.

* Weather Prediction: CLICK HERE for "Lost Trail Pass" NOAA NWS Digital Forecast. CLICK HERE for the Table Version of the forecast. The table version gives a little bit clearer picture, but it doesn’t print out very well.
* CLICK HERE or CLICK HERE for two alternate weather forecasts for the Lost Trail area. Note that all the forecasts predict more snow for tonight and Friday and that the freezing level is dropping again. (:>))

* Another good forecast is the backcountry weather forecast. Look for the Bitterroot – Lost Trail Pass area. This doesn’t cover as long a period so you need to check it again periodically. Notice that this lists the “Snow Level” (The elevation where rain changes to snow.)

Lost Trail Ski Area. See my comment in the email and the table in the Saddle Mtn Snotel Section.

Links to Lost Trail & Chief Joseph Ski reports:
If you want the link to Lost Trail and dozens of others GO TO "CLIFF'S SALMON IDAHO, CROSS COUNTRY SKI PAGE" at: http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/cksalxcski.htm

For Chief Joseph reports see my comments in the email above. Check the following links for any new updates
Missoula Nordic Ski Club: http://missoulanordic.org/cgi-bin/snow_grooming/discus.cgi Scroll down to "Chief Joseph.":
Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club: http://www.bitterrootxcskiclub.net/conditions.htm Scroll down a ways.

* CLICK HERE to see if there are any ski related news releases from the Beaverhead National Forest.
They have been posting quite a few updates lately, check ‘em out.

The following “No Bull Ski Reports” Forum used to have regular Lost Trail Reports, but the author moved to Vermont, so most likely any reports will be ones that I post. I’ll leave the link here for awhile.
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewforum.php?f=3 and go to the following:
http://www.skimovies.com/jande/ski.html for links to good ski photos. Jay’s also scanned the latest Lost Trail area map at: http://jandeproductions.com/2005/LTmap0405.jpg

MISC.:
Skating Party: (The following isn’t applicable this early in the season.) Sometimes if the snow isn’t too soft it’s possible to skate ski at Chief Joseph after the ski trails are given the first grooming and before the actual tracks are set. That’s been called the “Skating Party” and is described as follows: "The skating party … refers to the fact that in the morning and usually until about 1pm on Fridays (the USUAL grooming day) you can skate-ski at Chief Joe. ... They do a very nice job dragging implements around to flatten and wipe out the old tracks and prepare it for the new tracks. The best trails to skate on are the wider roads like CD, Timber, and up around Sentinel meadow and back to the trailhead. ... At about 1:00 PM they start setting the track classic kick and glide track so one needs to plan to skate before this”. NOTE: It would probably be better to let the snow depth increase before doing this.

I'm sometimes asked where a good place to “skate-ski” is. In addition to the above Friday Morning Skating Party at Chief Joseph Pass, some of the groomed snowmobile trails are suitable. Usually the skate skiing is best soon after grooming. Probably the best spot is the Ridge Road. Other possibilities include Carmen Creek, and possibly the lower Warm Springs Wood Road. When recommending these snowmobile routes for skiing, I always add that we need to use courtesy and give the snowmobiles the right of way. I point out that we can’t have it both ways. We DO prefer that the snowmobiles stay off the ski trails, so we should use extra courtesy when we use the snowmobile trails.

The Salmon Ridgerunners Snowmobile Club had a web site at http://www.geocities.com/salmonridgerunners/ but it hasn’t been updated since January 2004. Additional information can be found at: http://salmonchamber.com/recreation-winter.htm and possibly at the Idaho State Snowmobile Association web site

SNOWMOBILE / SKATE SKIING GROOMING REPORTS: (Also includes other snowmobile club info and Mountain Bike Club Info):

Here’s the latest Ski Skating / Snowmobile Grooming Report: I don’t have a current grooming report, but from personal observation they were grooming the Ridge Road south of William’s Cr. Summit on November 28, 2006 and they had just finished grooming the road to the north. However there’s been quite a bit of snowmobile traffic since, so it might be rough for skating.

In addition, periodically check out the Bitterroot Ridgerunners Snowmobile Club at:
http://www.ridgerunners.org/ - Check out the Announcements and Club Info link. (Although the web page shows an update on 11/11//05, I could see nothing new for 2006.)

AVALANCHE:

The following two sites normally have fairly current reports of major avalanches. The 1^st link only lists US & Canada and the second link lists the entire world. Generally all local avalanches involving a death are listed on both, but it’s good to check them both because they don’t always update their sites at the same time.
http://www.avalanche.org/av-reports/index.html This site usually a list with links to reports of recent North American avalanches.
There are none listed yet for this year. However the following link does list a recent incident from Utah.
http://www.csac.org/Incidents/ - This one lists “recent” world wide incidents but won’t allow you to view the reports. If you want to see a list of earlier reports go to their database at: http://www.avalanche-center.org/Incidents/search.php

Avalanche conditions are rated as: Low, Moderate, Considerable, High, and Extreme. Go to http://www.avalanche.org/~svavctr/danger.php for definitions. You should try and become familiar with the critical slopes for avalanches. This time of year, 30 degrees (58%) slope is the start of concern, and real concern starts at 35 degrees (70%) slope. In some conditions (usually with wet snow) there is concern down to 25 degrees (47%) slope. When I laid out timber sales I used to be able to judge these slopes better. Note however that of our marked ski trails only the Upper Shoshoni Trail exceeds 47% (for one short pitch). Note that there are some undesignated trails that we ski that do exceed these slopes.

Go to my General Cross Country Ski Page to the Avalanche Section for these several web sites, including the following:

Go to the following link for the latest Sawtooth NF Avalanche Center:
http://www.avalanche.org/~svavctr/adv_current.php. Always check the date on these reports. Currently this report is updated only periodically, with the latest report to date being Monday, November 27. Later they will probably be updated daily.
There is an alternate link to the same site at: http://www.sawtoothavalanche.com/adv_current.php

Go to the following link for the latest West Central Montana Avalanche Center prediction:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/lolo/avalanche/advisory.htm. Regular reports will be each Friday starting December 15. There may be special reports from time to time. The most recent is one for November 30, 2006.

Here’s a link, not yet in my main ski page. CLICK HERE for a description of an Avalanche Danger Rose that’s used by the Utah Avalanche Center for some of their forecasts. I haven’t seen it used on our local sites, but it may be in the future. Here’s an actual forecast using the “Rose”.

OTHER WEB LINKS:
In evaluating ski conditions I've found the following SNOTEL link helpful: http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/cgibin/sdr.pl?state=MT Select Saddle Mt. or Lemhi Ridge for snow conditions near Lost Trail; or near Lemhi Pass, which is usually comparable to William's Creek Summit. If you want TO SEE THIS LINK and dozens of others GO TO "CLIFF'S SALMON IDAHO, CROSS COUNTRY SKI PAGE" at: http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/cksalxcski.htm
There's also a link to the latest Salmon, ID X-C Ski Report (The Current Page) at:
http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/xcskirpt.htm.

In addition to those pages I have links to several related to the Williams Creek Cross-Country Ski Trails Area as follows:
  a. General description - http://www.salmonbyway.com/salmon/ski.htm
  b. Cliff's Williams Cr. Ski Trails Sites:
   Trail Descriptions     Trailhead Locations     Trail Map       Trail Segment table
This last table gives the mileage for each segment of a trail and indicates where there’s a trail junction. The total miles from the trailhead is listed for each segment, with the last "Miles From TH" being the total miles one would ski to get to the end of the trail, which is often at another trailhead. I've still got some work on these, so let me know of additions, corrections or changes needed. You may copy this; just give credit if you publish it.

I’m working on pages similar to the above for the Lost Trail – Chief Joseph Un-Groomed Cross Country Ski Trails:
c. I currently have a Lost Trail Chief Joseph Trail Segment Table in draft format.

I also have four pages for PREVIOUS TRIP REPORTS:
a. Current Season 2006_2007. Now edited through November 28, 2006.
b. 2005_2006 Season, c. 2004_2005 Season, and d. 2003_2004 (Partial) Season.

Links not yet in "CLIFF'S SALMON IDAHO, CROSS-COUNTRY SKI PAGE:
Here's a link to a site that describes the TEN ESSENTIALS to carry on the trail. He's added a few additional items:
http://www.isu.edu/outdoor/ten.htm

Some folks may want to do some skiing in Stanley Basin or the Sawtooth Valley:
The following site has links to the summer recreation report (last updated in September) and to some general info re winter recreation:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sawtooth/recreation.htm.

* The Outdoors Sections of the Missoulian and the Ravalli Republic on-line newspapers usually have articles of interest.
CLICK HERE for the Outdoors Section of the Missoulian On-Line. THERE ARE NUMEROUS SKIING ARTICLES – CHECK THEM OUT. I was especially interested in the ARTICLE ABOUT THE SUGAR LOAF CABINS AT THE MT. HAGGIN XC SKI AREA.

CLICK HERE for the Outdoors Section of the Ravalli Republic. Currently I see at least one article of interest. It’s about the Lost Trail Ski Area and some recent changes.
Last years articles are no longer listed but the following links to some interesting articles still work: An article relating to the Lost Trail Ski Patrol, another that relates to Nordic Skiing including areas to skate ski, and another on snowboarding at Lost Trail Ski Area called Battle On The Border.

Here's an interesting link to some history of ski (mountaineering) equipment:
http://www.alpenglow.org/ski-history/notes/ms/rei-catalogs.html

Here's Lou Binik's "Foxwear" web site:
http://www.foxwear.net/. Be sure to copy or type this correctly. "foxware.net", "foxware.com" and "foxwear.com" are all different sites.

Tawna Skinner services cross country skis and equipment. She will also give cross country and telemark ski instruction.
Details are at: http://home.custertel.net/~ckeene41/TawnaXCski.htm

Here’s another club with similar interests in trail development. The Lost Trail Coalition was formed in January 2005 to benefit all bicyclists in the region.

Pray for snow,
Cliff Keene, Salmon, Idaho

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