Author: Jesse Crocker

Chief Joseph Pass Update – December 4

The Rust Buster Classic Race is on. We don’t have enough snow quite yet, but the trails should be in good shape by next weekend.

The Grooming Crew started work at Chief Joseph Pass yesterday. Skiing for the next few days is not recommended, there are lots of exposed rocks and sticks, and a very uneven surface. If you skied up there earlier in the week, expect the conditions to be worse now. That may sound odd, but the point of the first grooming is not to make a good surface for skiing, it’s to setup a base. There is over a foot of snow in the forecast for the next few days, and once that gets groomed we should have some great trail conditions, just in time for the Rust Buster Classic Race on December 13.

Rust Buster Race – 4th Annual

📅December 13, 2025
⏰ Adults at 10:00 am, Kids at 11:15
📍 Chief Joseph Pass

Work out that rusty classic technique and stretch your lungs at the 10KM Rust Buster to get you prepped for ski season. Race it out or just come have a good time looping through the Chief Joseph Trails with old and new friends. This is a family friendly event, with an adult race at 10 am, and a 3km skate or classic race at 11:15 for 12 and under.

Course maps, more information, and signup is available at https://www.skisignup.com/Race/MT/Sula/ChiefJoseph

Youth Cross Country Ski Clinics

📅 Saturdays in February
⏰ 10:00-11:30
📍 Chief Joseph Pass

The Bitterroot Cross-Country Ski Club is excited to invite young skiers to a free Cross-Country Ski Clinic this winter – a fun and skill-building experience for kids ages 8-15! Participants will have the option of instruction in either classic or skate skiing. If your child doesn’t have their own ski gear, please don’t let that be a reason for not participating, affordable rental packages and scholarships are available.

Click Here to Sign Up

Fall 2025 trail work days

This fall we will be having 4 trail work days

Chief Joseph Pass days:

📅 Saturday, September 27
📅 Sunday October 26
⏰ 10:00 am, stay for a few hours, or all day
📍Chief Joseph Pass parking lot

This year we have 2 trail work days scheduled for Chief Joseph Pass. The first day we will be working on clearing the Tele Meadows trail. The second day we will either finish clearing Tele Meadows, or if that is done then we will work on pruning brush back along Timber.

Lake Como days:

📅 Sunday October 5
📅 Saturday November 15
⏰ 9:00 am, stay for a few hours, or all day
📍 Lake Como Boat Ramp Parking Lot
This year we have 2 trail work days scheduled for Lake Como. The first day we will work on pruning back brush on Upper Road. The second day we will be clearing Wolf Track.

Tools will be provided, but you will want to bring gloves, lunch or snacks, and weather appropriate clothing. If you have a pruning saw or loppers, feel free to bring them along.

If you are a USFS certified sawyer we could use your help, please email jesse@JesseCrocker.com if you can help with this.

2/27/2025

It might be spring in the valley, but we still have great conditions for XC skiing.
Chief Joseph Pass was groomed this morning, and the parking lot is plowed.

Como was groomed this morning, except lower road. With the warm weather we are having please do not use the Como trails in the afternoon, you will leave ruts that are very hard to remove. Ski in the morning, or after dark.

This saturday at Chief Joseph Pass we will be having our second Free Lesson Day of the season. Lessons start at 10

Chief Joseph Pass 2/15

Ski trails at Chief Joseph Pass are being groomed this morning.
Today is the first of our 2 lesson days, so expect the parking lot to be crowded. Please carpool if possible, and if you are not taking a lesson you may want to ski later in the day.

Fairgrounds and Como

All of the trails at Como were groomed today.

From Tony:

The stars have aligned, the weather has cooperated, there’s skiing at the Fairgrounds!

This only happens every few years and can be short lived so take advantage of in town skiing while it lasts! The last time we had enough snow there was in late Nov. 2022.

1.4 mile loop, both skate and classic tracks. starts and finishes at the Floral building entrance.

It’s a thin delicate surface, no walking or fat bikes please. Skiers should also stay off if it’s a really warm day or after any rain just to help preserve the track. If we’re really lucky we’ll get at least 2 weeks or more of skiing before it turns back into grass.

The fairgrounds folks also ask that there be NO DOGS on the ski trails for liability reasons and to help make the track last longer.

We ask that anyone who walks their dogs there regularly to do so on the north end of the property behind the grandstands and not on the groomed surface while we have skiing there.

I’m working on 2 more arena loops, they are still too soft to set tracks on but are skiable right now, that will add some more milage to the trail.

Right now, 5 laps will be around 7 miles or just about 10.5K