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Buzz - Newsbriefs - 12/05 |
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| Expos | Book Reviews | Gear Reviews | Auto Reviews | Nutrition | Sports Medicine |
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| Early Winter Hits the Northwest
Local ski and snowboard enthusiasts hungry for the slopes were carving turns earlier
than normal this year, thanks to the heavy storms that hit the Cascades at the beginning
of November.
Crystal Mountain, Washington’s largest ski area, was the Pacific Northwest’s first resort to open. Crystal had 30 inches of snow on its upper mountain when it began lift operations on Nov. 4, its earliest opening in the past 28 years.
“There was so much pent up demand for snow,” said Tiana Enger, Crystal Mountain’s Sales and Marketing Director, “People were not only happy to be skiing, but they were happy to be skiing in such great conditions.”
Other resorts quickly followed suit – within a week, many of the area’s largest ski resorts from Whistler in B.C. to Mount Bachelor in Oregon had opened at least some of their lifts.
Matt Gormley, Events Manager at Washington’s Stevens Pass, said the early snowfall
was “a much needed shot in the arm for Northwest outdoor enthusiasts.” Stevens had 37 inches of snow at its base when it opened on Nov. 9, two weeks earlier than its targeted opening date.
After suffering through one of the worst ski seasons on record last year, eager snowsports enthusiasts took advantage of longer days and smaller crowds to get in some pre-Thanksgiving runs on the slopes.
Clay Harris of Seattle was one of 30,000 people who headed to Crystal Mountain during its first two weekends of operation. After growing up in the Cascades, she said, “It was some of the best November powder that I’ve ever skied.”
If that doesn’t give you hope for a good snow year, what will?
See OutdoorsNW.com for a comprehensive list of events happening at area ski resorts
this winter. |
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New Lodge to Open at Teacup
Teacup Lake Nordic Club volunteers are the snow angels of Mount Hood. The club manages over 20 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails off of U.S. Hwy 35, just one mile north of Mount Hood Meadows ski resort. Hundreds of Nordic skiers – both club members and non-members – enjoy the tracked trails each year, which vary from flat and easy to challenging hills with sharp turns.
This year, after a hefty fundraising campaign that has raised $108,000 to date, the club built a new 864 square foot warming lodge to accommodate the area’s growing number of trail users. The lodge has a wood burning stove and plenty of space for skiers to hang their wet clothes, eat their packed lunch and catch up with one another. The lodge’s 288 square foot deck will handle overflow visitors with ease.
“I can’t say enough about the Teacup members,” says Johnyne Wascavage, whose daughter’s high school cross-country ski team benefits from both the Teacup trails and club members who volunteer to coach on weekends.
Annual membership dues are $35 per adult and $20 per high school student. Family memberships can be obtained for $55. Non-members are asked to donate $5 each visit for use of the trails. The lodge is only open to non-members on weekends. No snowshoes or dogs are allowed on the trails.
For more information, see www.teacupnordic.org.
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Seattle Photographer Dies in Accident
The work of people like Carl Skoog lures milions of readers to Outside, Couloir and Powder magazines. Adventure photographers go to extremely remote destinations and take on some of the world’s most technical terrain in order to bring us the “perfect shot.”
Skoog, a Washington-based photographer, was recently attempting to ski Argentina’s 6,770-meter Cerro Mercedario (the fourth-highest peak in South America) when he hit his head on a rock formation and died.
The 46-year-old Bellevue native was well known among the mountaineering community for both his athleticism and his use of the camera lens. In 1997, he and Andrew McLean, Doug Ingersoll and Armond Dubuque made the first descent of Mount Rainier’s Mowich Face, which until that time had been considered one of the last great challenges in North American ski mountaineering, according to Ski Press online magazine.
He will be greatly missed, perhaps mostly by his older brother, Lowell. In the 1980s, the duo became the first to ski across Washington’s Picket, Chiwaukum and Bailey Ranges.
To view Carl Skoog’s photography, visit www.carlskoog.com. For more on Carl and his brother Lowell, go to www.earnyourturns.com/articles/news/skoog.htm. |
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Singletrack in Seattle
Seattle’s weekend warriors are jumping for joy (over logs, that is) now that construction on the country’s first sheltered urban mountain bike park is underway. The park is the last piece of the I-5 Colonnade project, a 7.5-acre open space located under Seattle’s I-5 freeway that connects the Eastlake and Capitol Hill neighborhoods.
The Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club (BBTC) has raised $115,000 and committed countless volunteer hours to make the park possible. By next year, urban riders will be able to build their off-road mountain biking skills by climbing switchbacks, jumping over logs and small jumps and pedaling through rock gardens, among other obstacles.
While the mountain bike park should take a year to complete, the rest of the I-5 Colonnade project is scheduled to open this December. It will include an off-leash dog park and an ADA accessible walkway.
For more information, contact: BBTC: (206) 524-2900, www.bbtc.org or Seattle Parks and Recreation: (206) 684-4075, www.cityofseattle.net/parks/proparks/.
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Keen Sets Sights On Portland
Keen Footwear, the popular outdoor shoe manufacturer based in Alameda, Calif., recently announced that it plans to relocate its corporate offices to Portland next spring. Founded just two years ago, the company has seen tremendous growth, thanks to word of mouth and vendors such as REI and Nordstrom.
The company will move to Portland, where the cost of living is significantly lower than that of the Bay Area and where other footwear companies, such as Adidas America, Columbia Sportswear Co., Nike and Salomon, have been successful.
“Portland is central to the outdoor industry,” said Charles Drummond, Vice President of Marketing and a longtime Portland resident. “Our employees care about the environment and we want them to live in an area that caters to that.”
The company’s current 40 employees have been encouraged to head north, and a generous relocation allowance could persuade many to do so.
According to Drummond, Keen employees will move into a temporary location while they renovate a current space in SE Portland, which they plan to renovate according to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System®.
For more information about Keen Footwear, see www.keenfootwear.com.
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| This Holiday Season “Give A Kid A Lift”
Each year, Oregon’s Mount Ashland Association’s (MAA) “Give a Kid a Lift” program helps disadvantaged youth in southern Oregon schools experience the social and physical benefits of snowsports.
In 2004, MAA raised over $25,000 for youth scholarships for the Mount Ashland After School Ski and Snowboard program.
Founded in 1992 by a group of local parents who wanted area youth to have the opportunity to learn how to ski and snowboard, the program attracts 2,000 students from over 42 schools.
Meeting once a week for three to seven weeks, the after school program provides instruction, equipment rental and lift tickets for each participant at an already discounted rate.
However, even the discounted fee is still beyond the reach of many families. For years, Mount Ashland – which is a non-profit organization – has provided financial assistance to kids in need, but over the past year, the “Give a Kid a Lift” funds helped 140 kids to participate in the after school program free of charge.
“We want to make the mountain as accessible as possible,” said Mount Ashland’s Marketing Director, Rick Saul.
For more information or to donate, call (541) 482-2897 or visit www.mtashland.com. |
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Don’t Let the Ball Drop
Ring in the New Year Pacific Northwest Style
By Anne Scalamonti
Every New Year’s Eve, fitness goals are declared and lifestyle changes are vowed. Then, all too frequently, these resolutions are as forgotten the next day as empty champagne flutes and paper hats.
Don’t let your resolve fizzle before it has a chance to be tested! The Pacific Northwest offers plenty of New Year’s celebrations that are geared toward ensuring that you ring in 2006 the healthy way – setting the stage for a year of fitness and fun, even after the glitter is swept away.
Release Your Inner Bear
Vancouver Polar Bear Swim, Vancouver, B.C.; one of the largest and oldest Polar Bear Clubs in the world; the swim takes place at 2:30 p.m. New Year’s Day; costumes and a 100-yard swim race are the highlights of this event; registration begins at 12:30 p.m. in front of the English Bay bathhouse; contact glenn.schultz@vancouver.ca; www.city.vancouver.bc.ca.
Polar Bear Dip and Resolution Run, Bellingham, WA; social run on New Year’s Day, followed by dip in Lake Padden, warm drinks and snacks; starts at 11 a.m.; (360) 647-7665.
Seattle’s Annual Polar Bear Swim, Seattle, WA; New Year’s Day swim at Matthews Beach Park on Lake Washington; registration starts at 11:30 a.m., event begins at 12 p.m.; contact Seattle Parks and Recreation at (206) 684-7241.
Runs, Rides and Swims
Club Northwest Resolution Run, Seattle, WA; New Year’s Day 5k run/walk with optional dip into Lake Washington at Magnusson Park; starts at 10 a.m.; $20; (206) 729-9972, www.clubnorthwest.org.
First Run and Walk, Portland, OR; New Year’s Eve 5k run/walk beginning at the World Trade Center Plaza; party begins at 10 p.m., run/walk begin at midnight; food, drinks, music and dancing to benefit city schools; $20 day of race/ $15 pre-registration;
www.racecenter.com/firstrun.
Hangover Run 5k, Vancouver, WA; New Year’s Day race begins at
11 a.m.; $2 for non-members; call for start location; (360) 260-8722, www.ccrunning.org.
New Year’s Day Bike Ride, Portland, OR; meet at the Oregon Battleship Monument in Waterfront Park to kick off the New Year with a leisurely spin; begins at noon; (503) 416-BIKE.
Ski Specials, Fireworks and Tours
New Year’s Eve Elkhorn Classic Nordic Race, Ski Anthony Lakes Resort, North Powder, OR; annual 20k & 10k Nordic Race; (541) 856- 3277, www.anthonylakes.com.
New Years Eve Bash at Crystal Mountain, Crystal Mountain, WA; fireworks, live music, parties and more; festivities begin at 8 p.m.; (360) 663-3050, www.crystalmt.com.
New Year’s Eve at Hoodoo, Coburg, OR; open for night skiing with fireworks at midnight and dinner served all night; (541) 822-3799, www.hoodoo.com.
New Year’s Eve at Ski Bowl, Mount Hood, OR; fireworks at midnight, live music, ski or board until 2 a.m.; (503) 222-2695, www.skibowl.com.
New Year’s Eve at Steven’s Pass, Steven’s Pass, WA; Retro Race Coca-Cola Classic during the day, live music, food and party in the Foggy Goggle at night; (206) 812-4510, www.stevenspass.com.
New Year’s Eve at Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood, OR; ski from 9 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.; all-day lift pass is $47, or buy a night ticket for $20; festivities at the lodge include a very popular dinner/dance followed by a fireworks display lasting until 12:30 a.m.; (503) 622-0756,
www.mthood.org/calendar.html.
New Year’s Eve Bonfire on the Snow, Bend, OR; snowshoe a short way with a Wanderlust Tours guide to a quiet spot in the snowy forest to bask in a glowing bonfire with hot chocolate; most appropriate for adults; 9 p.m. - 1: 30 a.m.; (541) 389-8359, www.wanderlusttours.com.
New Year’s Eve Barn Dance and Ice Skate, Winthrop, WA; live music in the Barn and free ice skating on the rink; suitable for the entire family; (509) 996-2117, www.winthropbarn.com.
New Year’s Day Ski Relay at Mount Bachelor, Bend, OR; you choose distance (1, 2 or 3 km) and style (Skate or Classic); (541) 388-0002, www.mbsef.org.
— Anne Scalamonti, of Portland, is an Outdoors NW intern and freelance writer. |
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