On Saturday October 29 we will be having our annual work day to get the Como Ski Trails ready for winter. We will be pruning brush to clear trails for grooming. We will meet at 9 am at the 550/550a junction, just above the boat ramp, split into a few groups and head out. Stay for a few hours, or all day.
If you have a hand saw or loppers bring them, but we will also supply tools.
Category: Events
Chief Joseph Pass work day, October 15
On Saturday October 15 we will be having our annual work day to get the Chief Joseph Pass ski are ready for winter. We will be stacking firewood in the cabin and clearing trails. We will meet at 9 am, split into a few groups and head out. Stay for a few hours, or all day.
If you would like to work on clearing trails and have a hand saw or loppers bring them, but we will also supply tools.
Chief Joseph Pass work day 2/26/2022
Join us this Saturday for a work day! We will be trimming brush and branches to polish the trails as the snow pack has increased this season.
We will meet at 10:00AM in the parking lot. We will have some tools, but feel free to bring anything you are comfortable using, i.e., trimmers and hand saws.
Choose to ski, snowshoe, or wear comfortable shoes that will keep you warm. Bring water, a lunch, warm layers and anything else you want!
Come help out for an hour or plan to wrap up around 2PM!
Wednesday night ski group
We are going to try something new this season, a Wednesday night fitness skiing group. This group will meet at a different location around the valley every Wednesday night during ski season at 6:00 pm, weather permitting, for a ski that will last around 2 hours. The is a fitness oriented group, and is not intended for beginner skiers, but it is a great opportunity for people who have not skied at night, or at less developed areas to learn those skills. Most weeks will be skate skiing, but we will classic when conditions are not ideal for skating. Notifications about where each weeks event will happen will go out on Tuesday. Signup for the email list is available at https://groups.google.com/g/bitterroot-wednesday-night-ski
Ski Education days
We will be hosting 2 ski education days this winter, on Saturday January 22, and Saturday February 5. We will meet in the parking lot at Chief Joseph Pass at 10 AM.
Club ski coaches will be present for skate or classic clinics for kids and adults. Bring your family up for lessons or to just join a group for some company while you’re out gliding!
Please respect each other’s space and maintain social distance as we do our best to safely enjoy the outdoors.
Get in touch with Valley Bike & Ski or Lost Trail Powder Mountain for rentals!
Trail Work Days
Please join us to help get the ski trails at Chief Joseph Pass ready to go for ski season. We will be having 2 work days, Saturday October 30, and Saturday November 6.
We will meet at 9 am at the Chief Joseph Pass parking lot, then split into groups to work on several different projects.
We will likely be working until 4:00 pm, but will have opportunities for people who would like to stay for half the day.
Bring lunch, water, warm clothing and work gloves. If you have a pruning saw or loppers feel free to bring them, but we will also supply tools.
Bitterroot Gives in Partnership with Missoula Gives
Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club is participating in a fundraiser for Non-Profits in the Bitterroot Valley (Missoula Gives/Bitterroot Gives). Join us and help us raise enough money for the Equipment Trailer we need to replace. We will need $12,000.
- Starts May 6th at 5pm and goes all day May 7th until 8pm.
- Help us Spread the Word–share with friends on Facebook, Instagram, e-mail.
- Access our site at: http://www.bitterrootgives.org and click on our Logo to DONATE!
Or you can send a check to:
Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club
P.O. Box 431
Corvallis, MT. 59828
Upcoming volunteer days at Chief Joe
The snow is piling up quick this year, and it’s time to prune back branches that are hanging down over the trails. The overhanging branches get in our faces while skiing, and can damage grooming equipment. We will be having 2 work days this winter, Saturday January 16 and Saturday January 30. We will be meeting at 9:30 am at the main parking lot at Chief Joe then heading out on skis or snowshoes to work at several spots on the trails.
No experience or tools are necessary, the ski club will supply tools and training.
Bring gloves, food, water, and a helmet if you want to use a pole saw.
Stay for the whole day, or half a day.
We are hoping to get 9 volunteers, so we can send out 3 crews each with 1 pole saw, 1 pruning saw, and one person to move branches.
Please email jesse@datamongers.net with any questions.
March Meeting
Please join us for our March meeting on Thursday March 12 at 7 pm. The meeting will feature a presentation by Byron Bonny about wildfires.
Byron Bonny – was with the Forest Service from 1969 to 2001. Currently, he is a Community Forester with the Bitterroot RC&D. Besides his current role as a Wildland Fire consultant in the Northern Rockies, he works with private landowners in Ravalli, Missoula, and Mineral Counties dealing with hazardous fuels treatments.
The Fire Environment has changed over the past several decades because our climate is warmer and dryer.
Extensive research has confirmed that the best thing you can do to protect your home from wildfires is reduce fuels within 100 feet of your residence.
Byron will give a presentation about how best to protect your home from wildfire.
January 2020 Meeting
Please join us for our first meeting of 2020 on Thursday January 9 at 7pm, at the Presbyterian Church, 1220 West Main Street, Hamilton, MT. This meeting will feature a presentation by club vice president Jesse Crocker.
In 2019 Jesse Crocker entered the 1100 mile Silk Road Mountain Race, an unsupported single stage bikepacking race through the Tian Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan. It has been described as the worlds toughest mountain bike race. Over the course of the race he froze in snow storms, sweated through deserts, stayed with nomads, and almost hit a camel.
Jesse lives in Darby MT where he spends as much time as possible skiing, but when the snow melts he’s on foot or bike. He has thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trails, biked the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, skied the John Muir Trail, and trekked through the Himalayas. When not outside he is one of the authors of the popular Gaia GPS navigation app.