Category: Uncategorized

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.

All the ski trails at Chief Joseph Pass were groomed today, except the lower half of Joseph Creek, banshee, and Middle Fork which all need more snow to fill in some of the creek crossings. Sunday should be great conditions for skate or classic skiing.

The Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club will be hosting a ski race at Chief Joseph Pass on December 17. There will be a 10k race starting at 10 am, and a 3k race for kids 10 and under starting at 11:30. Registration is now open on skisignup.com

PDF maps are also available:3k 10k

Reservations for the Gordon Reese Cabin open tomorrow(November 1) morning at 8 am. Reservations can be made on recreation.gov. The USFS has increase the price to $75 per night. Tuesday and Friday nights are reserved for volunteers, and those nights can be booked by calling the Wisdom ranger station.

The Gordon Reese Cabin is managed by the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest. The Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club assists with cabin maintenance, maintains the ski trails, and provides trail grooming in partnership with the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest and Lost Trail Powder Mountain. None of the funds from the cabin go to the ski club, so if you enjoy staying at the cabin please also consider making a donation to the ski club to help fund trail grooming.