Ever wonder what all goes into preparing skis for a classic race (or for a day of skiing)? Since we just held the Continental Divide Classic at Chief Joe last month, I thought I'd share some waxing chronicles with you.

It begins with checking the weather forecast for the week before an event. For the week of the CD Classic it called for some new snow, temperatures in the mid 20's, and high humidity. Starting with that info (and a "time out" to go see if there was a cold one in the fridge), I used a TOKO hydro-carbon red as a base coat glide wax which was then scraped and brushed out. Next, a TOKO low fluoro-moly wax, then scraped and brushed. Think of these layers as your primer coats.

You should check the weather again, mid-week before the event. For this event it seemed to be warming some, indicating a wetter snow-pack. My next wax was a mixture of the low fluoro TOKO Red and Yellow, scraped and brushed. I topped that off with a layer of a high fluoro TOKO Red and Yellow mix that was again scraped and brushed out thoroughly. Finally, after checking the weather the night before the event, I decide whether or not to use the PURE fluorocarbon. In the case of the CD Classic, the humidity was way up there, so I put on a layer of TOKO Jetstream for new snow. Now I am done with the glide portion of the skis!

Next is the kick or grip zone. I started with ironing in a layer of cold green in the area from the front of the heel to about 12" in front of the toe. The race course was more of a glider's course, so I made the kick zone shorter. After that I went with a layer of Blue and corked it out very smooth. This is all the waxing I'll do until right before the race when you have to check the current conditions. On the morning of the race it is quite warm (29-30 degrees), and the tracks are glazing as the race start draws near. I enlist George Corn to be my wax tester and send him out on TOKO purple - 3 thin layers corked in smooth. He comes back right away and reports that the skis are way too slick/no grip at all! Next, I try TOKO Red and extend the grip zone 3" farther up the ski. George comes back with the report that he's still slipping!

Hmm....I think, is it really that warm? I even give George a hard time about how it must be his technique. Annie and I hop on our skis which have all the above listed waxes on them and quickly realize we have no grip either (and that it is not just George's technique!) With little time left ‘til the race starts, I slam on some yellow which is really quite sticky. One more test drive up Outhouse Hill proves that even this wax is giving marginal grip, we have run out of time to try anything else. Time to race!

As it turned out the grip was somewhat marginal, but the glide was awesome - the skis felt like rockets on the downhills. In hindsight, I had a RODE Red for 30-36 degrees that probably would have gripped better, but that’s part of the game you play when trying to wax for a race (or for a day of skiing).

Thank you George for suffering through all that experimenting! I'd also like to thank everyone again for helping out in so many ways in making the 2nd Annual CD Classic a success. See you on the trails.

The spring of 2002 was a banner season for backcountry skiing in the Bitterroot Valley. The year, although only average for snow, seemed prodigious being the first average year in five years. After the drought and fires of the summer of 2000 when 350,000 acres burned in the county, the snow proved a healing balm to skiers and the mountains alike. The moist, warm but cloudy weather in late March and early April extended from the valley floor to peak top resulting in a bombproof snow pack on most aspects by early to mid - April. Below is a winter count as an aid to memory. The companionship, humor, philosophy and the spirit and vision of the peaks is to be retold, remembered and relived through the memory of the count.

April 21 started the spring season for many of us. Skip Horner, Jim Wood, Jeremy Lurgio and I skinned up the prominent east snowfield of Gash Peak. The warm weather allowed us to drive to around 5,000 feet. We could skin after only an hour of hiking. Three and one-half hours saw us on top in wind and clouds. Skiing hardpack that just, just held an edge we tore down the 1400 vertical feet of the main bowl. A scary tree- hugging run down to snow line ended the day. A short hike to the car followed where we toasted Jeremy’s birthday and the start of the season.

April 28 saw us atop Downing Mountain directly west of Hamilton. Mario Locatelli, the 70 year old guru of the Bitterroots, paced a large group to the top of the east peak skinning the entire way from the Grubstake restaurant. We descended through the skeletons of white bark pine and healthy larch to the prominent avalanche run facing Hamilton. Conditions were sunny, the snow excellent by the time the descent started and most of the group skied halfway down and climbed the south ridge for more turns. Mark Berhman, Steve Powell, Jim Wood , Jim Kasabeer, Diane Boyd, Jonathoan Roe and Kent Myers were among the crew. The snow was great all the way down to the narrowest part of the funnel. We started in powder and ended up in corn so creamy that even the lower end of the willow-choked gully was skied. The run was so far down the mountain that we only had a 20-minute traverse back to the cars.

May 5 saw a large group heading back to east snowfield on Gash. The weather was cloudy but warm, the temperatures between 40-50 on the summit. Steve Powell, Pat Tucker, Bruce Weide, Mike Schackette, Jonathon Roe, Diane, Jeremy, Nels, Jessica and Jeff. The powder pitch to the northeast was skied several times before the drop into the bowl, which was pure butter. The tree run out was carveable until snowline.

May 12 saw almost the same group up Camas Peak under sunny skies. Fantastic views greeted us on the summit after a four-hour hike and skin. The Como Peaks and El Capitain dominated the southern skyline while in the west, the Lost Horse drainage presented a fantastic drama of snow-covered ridges, walls and large peaks. Truly one of the most alpine views in the ‘Root.’ On the 1500 vertical of the east face, the new snow was soft, tricky, but carveable. With Jeremy taking pictures and knowing our tracks would be visible from Highway 93, everyone’s technique improved. Nels ruled all.

May 19 saw four demented souls roasting as we slogged up little Saint Joe on a hot, sunny day. The alpine faces of the Bass Creek Spires distracted us for awhile from the steep climb. Napping for an hour on the sun-warmed ridge surrounded with shimmering views of the Bitterroots with the immense northeast bowl of Big St. Joe as a centerpiece was magical. Water skiing ability was a definite plus on the slushy decent. Jeremy was rudely instructed to leave off the pictures as even Nels flailed. The rest of us made divots at regular intervals.

May 25 found a large group skinning Trapper Peak via the standard trail. Mario, Kathy Erickson , Mike, Jeremy, Jim and Jim and others. The snow was crisp going up as Cal Williams, Hamilton High, ‘99, paced us. Peaking at least 45 minutes before the duffers, we were dismayed as Cal skied down and joined us for a second trip to the summit. After pictures and a leisurely lunch we dropped down into a perfect run of 1000 vertical feet. Grinning because we knew we had another 3000 vertical feet of perfect corn, we suddenly hit a slush zone extending all the way down to the trailhead. Even ski diva Kathy lost her form occasionally while the rest of us struggled, cursed and whimpered our way down.

May 27 saw Mike Schactte and myself ski Camus again. Another beautiful sunny day with fine snow down the east face followed by perfect corn all the way down to the bridge on the standard trail. It was lots and lots of perfect turns on great snow. I was given a gift seeing a yearling goat that came to visit Mike and me on the summit. A first for me in the Bitterroots after 20 years.

Regrettably, I missed the next two weekends. Lynda, for some unfathomable reason, insisted I attend our son Judson’s high school graduation and the state soccer tournament the following week. But as all the world knows, it rained and snowed like crazy all over western Montana that second weekend of June 8-9. So even though a soccer ball skipped on a sloppy field, allowing Helena Arsenal to edge out the Ravalli United 18’s, I was plotting next week’s ski as I consoled the boys. (Jud revenged the Uniteds on Helena a month later at the state all-star game, but that’s another story)

June 15 saw Jim Wood and me on the summit of Lolo Peak in good weather. The ladybugs were starting to swarm. Jim’s mountaineering skills came in handy on the skin up when a snappy self-arrest quickly stopped a slip in a bad spot. After a short nap and a last look a the ladybugs, Jim and I skied a traditional line which includes drops followed by upward traverses for lots of turns. The new snow from the week before was grand, covering the entire north side. The snow came off in small, shallow slabs when carved on the steeps, but slow enough to stay in front of so long as turns were quick and tight. Lolo has lots of steep lines with good runouts. The good snow let us push it right to the edge of our abilities. The line we skied, with the traverses, was around 2000 vertical feet ending at Carlton Lake. A short hike up Carleton Ridge led to lots more turns down through the white-barked pines back to the Mormon Ridge trailhead.

June 22 saw Jim and me end the season skiing the peaklet on the south ridge of St. Mary’s. We hiked to the top of St. Mary’s arriving just in time for a 30-minute rainstorm. We then hiked down the south ridge with a side trip out the desert - like spur ridge to the west that forms the prominent and enticing bowl just west of St. Mary’s. Time didn’t permit more than a look and a promise down the bowl. The rain had polished the snow and the sun returned just as we started our run of perfect corn. With the green valley open before us, we took advantage of the moderate slope and hero snow to milk every turn of its tension, release and fall as we carved down to summer through larch trees just starting to bud. So my season ended. No one hurt, no one left out, regrets only ‘till next season.

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