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Last saturday we had our 3rd work day of the fall, continuing to work on clearing Upper Road (13201) at Como. With the help of 7 volunteers we finished clearing it and should be able to groom it wide enough for skate skiing this winter. Between the 2 days this project took 97 hours of volunteer work.

We will be having 1 more volunteer day at Chief Joseph Pass. Originally we planned on stacking firewood, but the USFS Wisdom ranger district got a crew together and got 5 rows of wood split and stacked in the cabin last week, so we will be working on clearing trails instead.

We could use 1 or 2 more sawyers for the task, it won’t be too much cutting, more like taking your saw for a walk/ride. If you’re a USFS certified sawyer or know someone who is, please step forward.

We may cancel this day do to weather, so check back here that week.

📅 Date: Sunday, November 12

🕙 Time: 10:00 AM

📍 Meetup Location: Parking lot at Chief Joseph Pass

Tasks for the day:
Clearing trails

What to bring:
Dress appropriately for the weather.
Bring gloves, food, and water for yourself.
We will likely have at least 1 group go out on bikes, so bring a mountain bike or fat bike if you would like to do that.

Important: Whether you’re planning to stay the whole day or just for a few hours, your contribution will be invaluable. Our club thrives because of the dedication and hard work of members like you.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment and enthusiasm. Let’s make this season the best one yet!

It’s that wonderful time of year when we roll up our sleeves and ensure our trails and cabins are ready for the ski season. We need all hands on deck for our upcoming volunteer work days. Here’s what’s in store:

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Lake Como Volunteer Days
📅 Dates:

• Saturday, October 14
• Saturday, October 21

🕘 Time: 9:00 AM

📍 Meetup Location: Boat ramp at Lake Como

Tasks for the day:

• Cutting brush along the trails.

What to bring:

• Loppers and a pruning saw (if you have them).
• Dress appropriately for the weather.
• Bring gloves, food, and water for yourself.

Note: We are in need of more sawyers for the task! If you’re a USFS certified sawyer or know someone who is, please step forward. Tools will be provided, but the more tools we have, the better.

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Chief Joseph Pass Work Day
📅 Date: Sunday, November 12

🕙 Time: 10:00 AM

📍 Meetup Location: Parking lot at Chief Joseph Pass

Tasks for the day:

• Splitting and stacking firewood in the cabin (Our beloved warming hut needs wood to keep us warm!)
• Clearing trails if we have enough volunteers.

What to bring:

• If you have a wood splitter, it would be immensely helpful. Please contact us if you can bring one.
• Dress appropriately for the weather.
• Bring gloves, food, and water for yourself.

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Important: Whether you’re planning to stay the whole day or just for a few hours, your contribution will be invaluable. Our club thrives because of the dedication and hard work of members like you.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment and enthusiasm. Let’s make this season the best one yet!

The beauty and safety of our trails rely heavily on the dedicated efforts of our community. As the snow starts to blanket the landscapes, the preparation of our trails becomes paramount. Every hand, every minute you dedicate, helps in making our trails a joy for every skier.

• Chief Joseph Pass on October 7, 9 AM: Beyond the thrill of skiing, there’s a unique satisfaction in preparing for the season. We’re gathering to stack firewood for the cabin and clear trails. Your participation not only ensures warm shelters but also smooth trails throughout the season.
• Lake Como on October 14 & October 21, 9 AM: The extensive mileage of trails at Lake Como’s trails requires concerted effort to keep clear. With downed trees, fast growing willows, and other debris to clear, we need as many hands on deck as possible. The more work we do now the less time our grooming crews will have to spend off their snowmobiles, and the more time they can spend grooming.

If you’ve never joined a trail work day before, this is your opportunity to experience the behind-the-scenes camaraderie. It’s also a great way to meet fellow skiers, share stories, and be an integral part of our skiing community’s heart and soul.

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.

All the ski trails at Chief Joseph Pass were groomed today.

Ski trails at Chief Joseph Pass are being groomed this morning. It has snowed 7 inches in the last 24 hours and is still snowing, so expect soft conditions.

Ski trails at Chief Joseph Pass were groomed Thursday. It has snowed several inches since grooming finished.

Trails at Larry Creek(off Bass Creek Road) were groomed today. The first half mile is very icy, but after that the surface is pretty nice for skiing. These trails receive a lot of foot and dog traffic, so if you want to ski it in good conditions, get out there in the next day or 2.
If the snow holds up we will likely continue to groom these trails every 2 weeks for the rest of the winter.
Grooming on these trails is new this season and is being doing in partnership with the Bitterroot National Forest. Please let us and the forest know what you think.

The upper ski trails (everything but banshee, middle fork and Joseph creek) at Chief Joseph Pass were groomed this morning.

The rain in the valley the last few days mostly fell as snow at Chief Joseph pass, and the snow is really stacking up. Grooming started around 10:30 this morning, all ski trails should be groomed this afternoon.

Last week we mentioned possibly grooming a new trail system. Well today it happened.

Chief Groomer Tony Neaves and club President Jesse Crocker headed out with USFS Stevensville District Ranger Steve Brown and Recreation Specialist Caleb George today to try out grooming trails in the Larry Creek area, near Florence. There are 2 trails groomed. Larry Creek Loop road, marked in blue at the map is a beginner level trail, groomed about 10 feet wide. The trail marked in purple on the map is narrower and steeper, more of a black diamond level trail. Both trails should be good for classic skiing, skate skiing and snowshoeing. Currently they are too soft for fat biking in most places, but may set up firmer over the next few days. Since this is the first time it was groomed the trails are still a little rough, but we are hoping to continue grooming these trails at least a few more times this season, so they should get better.

Get out there and ski then let us know what you think!

Thanks to the Bitterroot National Forest Stevensville ranger district staff for coming up with the idea for this, and approaching the ski club to get this going.