S K I T R A C K S
Newsletter of the Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club
Box 431 • Corvallis, Montana 59828M A R C H 2 0 0 8
meeting Thursday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the First
Presbyterian Church, 1220 West Main Street in Hamilton.
The program will feature Scott Battaion from the Wright
Center for Science Education with a Power Point
presentation of the United States deep ice coring project in
West Antarctica that will develop climate records for the last
40,000 years. Those attending are encouraged to bring nonperishable
food items to be donated to Haven House.
/s/ Bob Schumaker
It started when I heard on Thursday, February 7th that
there was 21 inches of fresh snow at Lost Trail. Deciding
we would need more than one day to handle that much
snow, we started for Chief Joseph only to be hit on the way
to Hamilton, and the Club truck badly damaged. Allen
Meyers and I suffered minor injuries as the seat belts held
but the air bags didn’t deploy. Still determined, we
transferred the equipment to my truck, with the help of Ed
Hastings, and tackled the recent snowfall. We encountered
drifts to five feet and by dark on Friday, had only opened
up some of the upper trails.
On the following Tuesday a group of volunteers snow
shoed out the lower trails. Thanks to you all, we couldn’t
get along without you!
By Friday we had 26 more inches of fresh snow and
only ran to the Hut and back, the memory of the previous
attempt to handle that much snow still fresh in our minds.
Snow does settle and on the following Tuesday, we started
to groom which continued on Thursday and finished on
Friday, setting track and leaving the trails in good shape
once again.
My thanks to Jim and Allen for all their hard work not
only for their grooming efforts but for getting the machines
unstuck more times than I want to think about. Jim is now
known as “Cannonball” for his method of breaking trail at
“warp” speed.
Allen’s and my aches and pains are mostly past. The
truck sustained over $10,000 damage and repairs still
haven’t started.
The appreciative comments we receive makes it all
worth it. THANK YOU!!
/s/ Mel Mooers
Look on website http://www.bitterrootxcskiclub.net
for photos showing the process of snow removal from cabin roof in February.
FEBRUARY MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
February 14, 2008 By Kay Fulton
President George Corn called the meeting to order at
7:05 p.m. There were approximately 45 in attendance.
Membership Report: Jack Losensky reported that our
membership numbers are now at 345 (close to the 358 of last
year). This number includes 30 supporting families.
Treasurer’s Report: Jeane Lippert reported: Income,
$2,058; Expenses, $10,662.42 (includes new snow machine);
Checking, $5,048.75; Savings, $3,227.77.
Upcoming Events and Items of Interest:
Alan Burgmuller, member of Search & Rescue, spoke to the
group about the need for more members on Search &
Rescue. Their numbers are dropping and they provide a very
important service to the community. He emphasized that
membership doesn’t only mean going out to save someone,
but also supportive efforts. He encouraged people to join;
especially since they may be changing their meeting night so
as to not conflict with the Ski Club meeting. More
information will follow.
Kerry Davis, a new member and resident in the Valley,
informed us that he is setting up a discussion group focused
on global warming and he encouraged anyone who is
interested to contact him.
A Bio-fuels Symposium will be held at the Fairgrounds in
Hamilton on Saturday, March 1st. Sonny LaSalle reported
that there will be 12 presenters and the keynote speaker is
Kevin Furry. The programs start at 8:30 A.M. and last all
day. Sonny also told us about an article on the “Drying of
the West” in the current National Geographic Magazine.
EXTRAVAGANZA: Linda Stoudt reported that we made
$1,210 this year. Last year we made $511!! WAY TO GO,
LINDA!! She thanked those who helped with the sales
—Bill Stoudt, Bill McCrum & Earl Philips. The winner is Randy
Lovell of the Valley Bike store. The business that won a
free night for the most sales is Chapter One Bookstore. Mel
Holloway, Pat Hastings and Linda are the chefs for the
event.
New Business: The Board is preparing a letter to the
Bitterroot National Forest on the Proposed Travel Plan as
it relates to the Chief Joseph Ski Area. Members are
encouraged to make individual comments. All comments
for this period are due in by the 29th of February.
Groomers’ Truck Accident: Mel Mooers reported that
because there had been 21 new inches of snow at Chief
Joe, he and the other groomers were going up on Thursday,
January 31, to try to get a head start on grooming. It was a
snowy, icy day on the roads. Mel and Alan were driving
south on 93 near the Hamilton Meat Packing Co. when a
woman driving north lost control and crashed into them.
No one was hurt badly although both Mel and Alan have
some very sore muscles. The damage to the truck is
estimated to be around $10,500. The insurance company is
still working on the settlement. They are currently
reimbursing Mel for the use of his truck, By the way, the
groomers went on up to work on the trails later in the
morning of the wreck!!
Trails Report: (please note that this refers to the status as
of this meeting, 2/14): Mel reported that another 30 inches
of new snow has fallen on top of the 25" last week. The
groomers started working on the trails on Tuesday and
Thursday of this week and will go back again tomorrow.
What Dedication! Thank you for all of your hard work!
Grooming of Como/Little Rock Creek area by Tony &
Randy of the Valley Bike Store: The road up to the Little
Rock Creek Trailhead and beyond (more than 11 miles) is
being groomed weekly for both skate skiing and traditional.
If you are planning to up, check at the store to see what the
status is. This is a great addition. Donations are welcome!!
Stop by the Bike store to donate and say thanks.
Program: Sailing Up the Inside Passage to Alaska: Once
again, Toddy Perryman and Pat Leonard wowed us with
another one of their feats! They spent 4 months on a sailboat
they bought in Washington and restored. Their trip started
at Fort Townsend, Washington, and they went 2,000 miles
round trip. They presented a marvelous PowerPoint show
with amazing pictures of the places they saw, as well as
wonderful anecdotes of their experiences! Thanks for the
great program, Pat and Toddy.
LOST: One set of REI graphite adjustable Ski Poles in the
parking lot at Chief Joe on Sunday, February 10th.
If found, please call Malcom Lowe, 880-6414.