Swish and Glide on the Continental Divide
Inspired by the coming Olympics, we have decided to experiment with snow sports, specifically cross-country skiing, which has the distinct attraction of being immensely cheaper than its alpine cousin so off we went to Chief Joseph Pass, outside of Wisdom.
Cross Country Skiing – Chief Joseph passAs we stopped at a trail crossroad to look at a map, we saw a figure hurtling down the steep trail to our left. The dark figure was crouching low on his skis, pelting down the hill with an impressive amount of grace. We shuffled as quickly as we could to the side of the path, out of his way. Just as he neared the fork in the trails, he toppled over in a flurry of skis and a cloud of snow. Sprawled on the trail, he looked up at us, beard coated in snow and said, “It’s my first time. I didn’t want to run into those trees.”
There was, we assured him, no judgment from us. Neither my wife nor I have the slightest clue how to stop (or for that matter, do much steering) while going downhill on cross-country skis, and I have an unfathomable tendency to topple over while skiing on the flats. Fortunately, cross-country skiing seems a very welcoming sport. When we first tried cross-country a few weeks ago, a passing stranger showed us how to ski up hills, a good thing too, otherwise we would have spent the entire day mere yards from the trailhead. Later in the day, another stranger explained the concept of going down hills without crashing (having downhill skied quite a bit, I didn’t pay much attention. I am here to report that the two types of skiing are not interchangeable). Our trip to Chief Joseph Pass last weekend was equally welcoming.
The ski trails spider web around Chief Joseph Pass in a convoluted network of over twenty six kilometers of easy, medium and hard (green, blue and black) routes. Maps of the area show less developed roads and trails that stretch out even further. Being utter novices, we stuck to the green trails. In all I think we skied five or six kilometers. At a gentle pace (and a break in the warming hut) it took us a little over three hours. Three glorious hours. Volunteers from the Bitterroot Cross-Country Ski Club groom the trails each week and maintain the whole area very professionally. The bright blue sky glinted over green-black pines heavy with fresh snow. The only sounds were the muffled swish of skis and the squeaks as we pushed our poles into the fresh powder (also the panting as I labored my way up the hills, but that is neither here nor there).
Cross Country Skiing Chief Joseph PassThe warming hut is a big cabin with a loft and a basement. It sits up the trail maybe a kilometer from the parking lot. A huge kettle of water steams on a raging wood stove in the middle of the room. Packets of hot chocolate and apple cider, donated by the Loose Caboose in Missoula, sit on the counter of the small kitchenette. Signs on the walls ask visitors to keep the door shut, be responsible and conserve the drinking water, which gets drug in on a sled every day. Three long pine tables, surrounded by benches, accommodate skiers eating lunch or playing board games from the cabin’s shelves. The heat from the fire and our aching muscles lulled us into drowsiness, so that it was difficult to focus even on finishing a game of cribbage. I am not, I grant you, an authority on warming huts, but that one has to be a model of its kind.
The last kilometer of trail slid by, and we got to our car as the shadows lengthened to dusk, tired and hungry but content. We knew as we drove down the road, a fingernail moon rising over the mountains, that good food, good beer, and good music awaited our return from a day of adventure in SouthWest Montana.
Some things I’ve learned:
•Wear layers. Cross-country skiing can be a workout. Stay safe and warm obviously, but on a sunny day chances are you’ll cuss your heavy parka the whole time.
•Ear muffs are a great invention. Hats are way too hot, but if you take off your hat your ears will freeze.
•Bring plenty of water. I don’t want to scare you away, but it can be a work out, and eating snow just isn’t the same as guzzling water. Also bring energy filled healthy snacks.
•Wear water wicking inner layers and water proof outer layers. You will sweat. Also, you will fall.
•Bring a camera. Remember to use it. Don’t drop it in the snow
The Basics:
•Where: Chief Joseph Pass -Highway 43, twenty five miles from Wisdom. Less than a mile east of Lost Trail Powder Mountain Ski Area.
•Price: Free. The area exists on donations, and grants. There is a donation box at the parking lot. Be sure to sign in at the trailhead, grant money depends on how many people use the trails.
•Equipment: You will need skis. Ski rentals are around $10 a day, and you can get them at most sporting goods stores.
