PUBLIC LANDS — A years-old effort to expand lift-assisted skiing to the “back side” of Mount Spokane State Park will enter its final stage with Tuesday’s deadline for public comment on environmental impacts.

Details are on the Washington State Parks planning website.

Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park has been seeking permission from Washington State Parks to add a lift and expand the downhill ski area into the forested northwest side of the mountain. Ski area managers say they need to expand their terrain to remain competitive with other area ski resorts.

Washington Fish and Wildlife Department biologists have warned that clearing ski runs could impact wetlands and other wildlife habitat in the remaining third of the upper mountain not already impacted by the ski area.

Groups such as The Lands Council, Spokane Mountaineers and Sierra Club oppose the expansion, saying the resort should spend money upgrading existing facilities rather than invading an intact forest and meadows favored by backcountry skiers.

Comments should be directed to:

Project lead: Randy Kline, Environmental Program Manager
E-mail: randy.kline@parks.wa.gov 

Mail: P.O. Box 42650, Olympia, WA 98504-2650

Also underway, the State Parks Commission is seeking input about the future of Washington State Parks  including Mount Spokane and Riverside State Park.

Links:

Mt. Spokane Ski Area Expansion

Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park

Mt. Spokane Coalition

Washington State Parks – Beyond 2013

PARKS — Washington State Parks officials have set meetings in Spokane to discuss potentially sweeping changes in management of facilities at Riverside and Mount Spokane.

The meetings will be at Spokane Public Library Shadle Branch, 2111 W. Wellesley Ave. as follows:

• Saturday, 3:30-5 p.m., specific to Riverside State Park.
• Monday, 6 p.m-7:30 p.m., for Mount Spokane State Park.

Similar meetings across the state will gather public opinion on whether the state parks system would be operated as a private enterprise based on profits generated at the sites or as a public conservation asset.

Other options include turning over more parks to local communities to operate as a non-profit attractions, officials said.

Officials also are asking the public to help them rank the top features of their state parks and what needs improvement, said Virginia Painter, parks spokeswoman in Olympia.

The cash-strapped parks system is trying to make a five-year management plan. The Washington Legislature had voted to wean the parks from all state general funding in the next few years.

Rangers and other staff positions at Riverside and Mount Spokane state parks were cut by 40 percent in Jaunary.

Click here for information about the planning effort and making comments.

OUTDOOR TRAVEL — The Washington Transportation Department reopened the North Cascades Highway at noon today after seven weeks of blowing and bulldozing snow and avalanche debris off the roadway. 

Bicyclists have been riding open portions of the route for weeks.

The highway closed for the winter in November along a 37-mile stretch between Diablo Dam and Mazama.

The northernmost route through the North Cascades includes the 4,855-foot Rainy Pass and 5,477-foot-Washington Pass in North Cascades National Park, where recreationists are likely to flock for spring snowshoeing and skiing.

Last year the highway reopened on May 25.

WINTER SPORTS — With tons of snow still on the slopes, Silver Mountain will be offering one last chance to ride your skis and board.

Scenic gondola rides and lift tickets will be at no charge courtesy of Dave Smith Motors!

The forecast for Sunday, May 13, calls for sunny skies with a high temperature of 62 degrees.

The gondola will start loading guests at 8 a.m. and chair lifts #1 and #2 will turn from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Music, BBQ and beverages will be served at the Mountain House.

NOAA Weather Forecast for 5,900'

OUTDOOR COMPETITION — The 8th annual Leadman Triathlon will launch high on Silver Mountain on Saturday for a 13.4 mile triathlon down \and dirty race to Kellogg.

Athletes will start in five different heats, beginning on top of Kellogg peak at 11 a.m., descending 4,000 vertical feet to the finish line at Silver Mountain’s Gondola Village.

The race starts with a 50 yard sprint to the skis or board followed by a 1.2 mile high-speed slide to the bike transition near the midpoint of Chair 4.

Racers then start a 7.5 mile slush and mud downhill bike ride to uptown Kellogg. From there, it’s a 4.7 mile run through Galena Ridge to the finish under the Red Bull arch at the Silver Mountain parking lot.

“The best places to view the action are the ski to bike transition on the mountain, the bike to run transition point at Market and Main Street and the finish line,” says Karey Scholey, Event Director. “The first finishers will cross the finish line around 11:45.”

Info: (208) 783-1507.

The Silver Mountain Ski area will be open on Saturday (April 28), 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

MOUNTAIN PASSES —  Crews are working on Highway 20 to clear the North Cascades Highway — the great recreational road between Mazama and Marblemount, through North Cascades National Park.

Snow removal began March 26, with crews working on both the east and west sides of Washington Pass.

• The east side crew has cleared the roadway to Cutthroat Creek.
• The west side crew has progressed approximately eight miles above their starting point at the Diablo Gate.

Progress updates are updated here.

WINTER SPORTS — Silver Mountain Resort is maintaining its tradition of exting the ski season into shorts and bikini-top weather. 

The entire 1,600-acre ski area is scheduled to be open for Silver Saturdays in April, and perhaps longer, riding high on the ample remainnig snowpack.

The resort reports 337 inches of snow fell this season on the mountain above Kellogg.

Read on for details:

WINTER SPORTS — “The end of an era is upon us,” says the announcement from Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

As the resort shuts down for the 2011-2012 season, Ski Patrol Director John Pucci will be retiring after 45 years as a patroller  and 38 years as the director at Schweitzer.

WINTER SPORTS — The calendar says its spring, but the snow keeps piling up in the mountains, inviting skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers into continue their winter ways.

Go in a group, keep track of the weather and use your best winter travel sense – because you’ll pretty much be out there on your own. Despite more layers of new snow this week, most of the region’s downhill ski areas will close for the season on Sunday.

And the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center has stopped testing the snowpack and posting weekly avalanche advisories.

Kevin Davis, IPAC director, posted a summary of spring snow travel tips to help snow goers make good decisions on their routes through spring snow conditions.

“With a better than average snowpack we should be doing well on mountain travel until late June in places,” he said.

SKIING — Nearly 130 skiers and snowboarders ages 5-74 spearheaded the effort to raise a record $150,000 in the 4th annual “24 Hours of Schweitzer” last weekend.

While an ill-timed storm and gusty winds pounded the resort and forced closure of part of the mountain during the event, the participants compiled a staggering 7.06 million vertical feet of downhilling to bring in money from pledges.

All the money and effort is devoted to boosting cystinosis research. The effort is inspired by the Sandpoint-based family and friends of Hank Sturgis.  See details here.

24 Hours champion and record holder Matt Gillis wore a Superman outfit as he successfully defended his title, completing 143 runs in the 24 hours, just barely beating Eric Jensen of Sandpoint — by 15 seconds!

• We're checking out the rumors that Jensen is planning to wear a diaper next year to make up the difference.

But it will be tough to thoroughly dethrone Gillis, a master skier and aerial performer, who individually raised a whopping record $33,000.

Read on for details about the event and the other amazing players.

WINTER SPORTS — Winter has ended on a high note in terms of snow in the mountains, with a better than average snowpack that is still accumulating. 

Skiers, boarders and snowmobilers should find great spring riding well into June this year, said Kevin Davis of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center.

BUT anyone braving the mountains during this wet weekend should be aware of the “considerable” potential for avalanche on the steep slopes.

Read on for the region's full avalanche advisory.  

WINTER SPORTS — Spokane photographer Brian Jamieson caught the flavor of the fun and action at Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park's Pond Skim event last weekend.

WINTER SPORTS — Photo shows a group of snowshoers enjoying a fine March 24 during the 6th annual Goat Mountain trek above Lake Pend Oreille. Almost daily snowfall in the previous five days has left fresh layers on a deep snowpack.

The hike is one of the many active events organized by the Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.

CLIMBING – Karl Dietrich, an accomplished North Idaho mountaineer, will be presenting a slide show of his alpine adventures at 6 p.m., March 29 at the Laughing Dog Brewery in Ponderay, sponsored by the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center.

WINTER SPORTS — “Snowfall continues in the mountains and the riding conditions Thursday were superb,” reports Kevin Davis of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center after his North Idaho mountains snow survey. 

” It was easy to figure out where not to go yesterday with the signs being easy to read.  Small natural slides on NE slopes and human triggered slides on south slopes told us to keep it off the steeps. 

“You might see these slides from yesterday but you probably won’t see slopes sliding naturally today.  You could, however, trigger these weak layers on slopes steeper than 35 degrees and the big stuff above 5,500 feet will be unstable where wind-loaded. 

“When it warms up this weekend, and it could get downright balmy, avoid steep terrain on any slope and stay away from cornices.  Great snow out there right now, just continue to be careful.”

Read on for the entire report for the region.

PUBLIC LANDS — British Columbia Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Steve Thomson has announced his approval of controversial private-company plans to build the $900-million Jumbo Glacier Resort in the Purcell Mountains near Invermere.

The area is considered a pristine conservancy important to grizzly bears and backcountry recreation.

According to the Toronto Globe and Mail, opponents say they have not given up the fight to block the building of the luxury all-season resort that will have two hotels and 1,360 residential units with 6,250 beds.

Here's the Calgary Herald report:

B.C. approves controversial Jumbo Glacier ski resort:
$1B proposal has divided Kootenay region residents for decades

Here's the CBC News report on the decision.

See my story and photos about hiking in the area, which is featured in my guidebook, 100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest.

SKIING — The Bonner County Planning and Zoning Commission has scheduled a hearing next month to consider a Schweitzer Mountain Resort request for a zoning change to accommodate recreation trails and 11 more lots at The Spires.

The meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. April 12 and the Bonner County Administration Building, 1500 Highway 2, in Sandpoint.

Staff reports on the proposal will be posted online at the planning department website seven days before the meeting.

WINTER SPORTS — Another week of tremendous snowfall in the mountains has created weak layers, with warming temperatures addding heavier layers to lighter layers of snow.  Sounds like a fancy dessert, but instead it's a recipe for considerable avalanche danger in much of the region, according to this morning's avalanche advisory from the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center.

“Careful route finding is necessary today to avoid steep slopes, especially where wind-loaded,” said Kevin Davis, center director.

Read on for the full advisory.

WINTER SPORTS — Signs have been poking up on Mount Spokane warning snowshoers they're no longer going to be tolerated hiking popular routes up to the mountain summit.

Indeed, the signs let snowshoers, hikers, backcountry skiers and others who want to access the summit of Mt. Spokane that they're not allowed to go up through the downhill skiing concession area.

This rule has been enforced against snowmobiles for many years. But now it's getting personal with one of the newest and fastest growing state park user groups.

Local snowhoer Chris Bachman contacted Randy Kline, Washington State Parks environmental program manager in Olympia, and asked him who is responsible for the signs and why.

Below is Kline’s reply. Note that if the ski area's planned expansion on the backside of the mountain goes through, even more access will be lost to the non-downhil public.

Greetings Chris,

 

As I understand it, hiking up the mountain on groomed trails in the concession area at Mount Spokane is not currently permitted – in speaking to the park manager, this is a State Parks decision related to safety and risk management. Snowshoe folks and backcountry nordic skiers currently use an alternate route that is outside the improved concession area that gets them up to Vista House. However, the proposed expansion area will occur within a portion of the area currently used by snowshoe folks and nordic backcountry skiers so – if they will not be allowed on groomed trails - we should begin looking at alternative means to accommodate these users in their desire to get up to Vista House. Thank you for the letting me know that this is an issue of concern .

WINTER SPORTS — Despite the recent sunshine, good powder snow is lingering on north aspects in the region's mountains. Skiers, boarders and snowmobilers heading out to enjoy the late winter snow must be wary of several factors, says Kevin Davis, Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center director.

“Be aware of generating some good sized sluffs and a weak layer 6-12 inches deep from Sundays snowfall,” he said in the avalanche advisory just posted this morning. 

“Exposed faces have firmer surface snow due to wind and sun.  Watch your terrain selection as the sun heats up steep sunny slopes today as this could create some stability problems as the surface layers heat up. 

“Deep surface hoar layer still showing signs of weakness and I think we’ll have to deal with this one for the rest of the winter. 

“Spring conditions could reveal some climax avalanches as the pack starts to go isothermal.  New snow comes in with wind starting Saturday night.”

Read on for the detailed report on snow conditions throughout the region, were avalanche warnings are moderate to considerable.