Merry Christmas!

What day is it?
Christmas is a great day to get out and ski!   This year I tried something different - skiing a trail system I've never been on before.    It's not a long drive to Leavenworth, and I've never skied on the LWSC Icicle Fish Hatchery trail system.    

Skiing somewhere new is always an adventure, whether it's solo or with friends or family.   New terrain, new views, new people.

Okay, it's widely known that I live in the Methow Valley, which is without a doubt the best ski location in North America, but sometimes it's fun to try skiing somewhere new.

Dec 24th on Cougar Mountain.  10 minutes from the shop.









Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest has been getting back-to-back-to-back snow storms for the past 10 days.    About 30 inches of new snow has fallen here in the past week.    Beautiful.  


Morning light on the Cascades.
On the 24th I got out with friends for early a.m. snow fun before opening at Ultratune at 11.   It really doesn't get any more spectacular than this.


Methow Valley Pursuit

I spent Saturday morning out on the Methow Valley's race trails, helping to prepare skis for racers at the Methow Valley Pursuit.    Day 1 was a 10km individual start classic race. Conditions were hard-track klister skiing, with a track snow temperature of -4C.
Applying klister at the side of the track.
The race trails here are challenging - up and down and repeat - and good grip wax is a priority. As usual, the best skiers made it look easy. Congratulations to everyone who raced!

Results for the Methow Valley Pursuit can be found here.     And race photos can be found here for Day 1 and Day 2 photos can be found here.