Cross country
lessons
by DAVID ERICKSON -
Ravalli Republic
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Seven-year-old Quoia
Anderson of Hamilton gets ready for her
first cross country skiing experience,
Saturday afternoon, at the Bitterroot
Cross Country Ski Club’s annual free
“Learn to Ski” Day at the Chief Joseph
Ski Area. This year’s event attracted
nearly 70 students, one of the club’s
largest turnouts ever. WILL MOSS -
Ravalli Republic |
Rebecca George of
Victor had never been on a pair of skis before
Saturday, when she decided to join dozens of
other Nordic novices and take up the Bitterroot
Cross Country Ski Club’s offer of a free “Learn
to Ski” day at the Chief Joseph cross country
ski area.
“I was looking to start a new winter activity,”
she said. ”I live so close to all this beautiful
snow, so why not give it a try? It turned out to
be an absolutely positive experience, just
smiles all around.”
Saturday was actually her first-ever trip up to
Chief Joseph pass, though the journey didn’t get
off to a great start.
“We actually blew a tire on the way up,” she
said. “So my friend and I didn’t think we were
going to make it up there for the lesson. But a
car full of kids pulled over to help us out, and
I thought that was really nice. They saved our
trip.”
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As for the skiing,
George said any apprehension she had about
injuring herself was soon allayed.
“It was easier than I thought,” she said. “I
thought I was going to have a little more
trouble staying on my feet, but our instructor
was great. She gave us lots of great tips, and I
got away with no bruises or broken bones. I was
amazed that people spend so much time
volunteering up there, I was pretty impressed.”
George said she and her new puppy are going to
start skijoring as soon as she can maintain her
balance consistently.
“I decided I better get a lesson before I attach
myself to a powerful dog,” she said.
According to ski club member Carol Battcher,
more than 60 people showed up for free lessons,
making it one of the most successful mass ski
lessons in the club’s history.
“It turned out really nice,” she said. “We had a
lot of little kids this year, that doesn’t
happen all the time. It was a beautiful day for
it too, with a little bit of snowfall.”
A team of volunteer ski instructors broke down
classes into different skill levels and guided
them on the many forested, groomed trails for
several hours.
“I don’t think there were any classes that had
over eight,” Battcher said. “Everyone got some
one-on-one instruction.”
Ski club president George Corn, who taught a
group of younger beginners on Saturday, had
nothing but positive remarks about this year’s
event.
“It was a great turnout ... Mel Holloway (the
club’s director of instruction) did a great job
of organizing everybody,” he said. “[The
response] was just really positive; everybody
enjoyed it. It’s a great community event and
something that the club really looks forward
to.”
Corn noted that this year’s lesson attracted
more students than any before it.
“This was a much larger turnout,” he said.
“Normally, anywhere from 40 to 50 is an
excellent turnout. So, this just eclipsed
anything we’d ever seen. We’re delighted that
there’s that much enthusiasm and interest in
what we’re doing up there and in what we’re able
to provide to the community.”
The Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club is a
non-profit organization that depends on
volunteers and donations to keep the club going.
The club maintains 24 kilometers of
snowmobile-groomed trails at Chief Joseph Pass.
It costs around $1,000 every winter to keep the
snowmobiles running.
That is why, for the past 17 years, the club has
raffled off tickets for their annual Chief
Joseph Extravaganza. The grand prize is a
gourmet dinner for four and a night (Feb. 27) at
the Gordon Reese Cabin, a warming hut located on
national forest property in Picnic Meadows about
a half-mile from the Chief Joseph parking lot.
“It’s a beautiful cabin,” Battcher said. “It
sleeps eight comfortably, even more. There is a
propane stove in there, and it’s just a
wonderful place to stay and ski.”
Professional chef Paul Sharp will be in the
cabin to cook a full meal, offering a choice of
chicken catchatorie, turkey tetrazzini or beef
burgeon along with appetizers, salads, breads
and a desert. Sharp will also be able to pair a
wine to perfectly compliment whichever main dish
a guest chooses.
“He is an amazing chef,” Battcher said. “People
can pick what they want. He starts the food at
home, but then he comes and puts the finishing
touches on right there in the cabin. He will
also set a beautiful table and provide a
breakfast of pastries and fruit.”
Tickets for the raffle cost only $1 (or six
tickets for $5), and are available at several
locations throughout the valley: Right to Bear
Arms and the Naughty Moose in Darby, Cafe
Firenze in Florence, Bob Wards, Chapter One
Bookstore and Valley Bike & Ski in Hamilton,
Pipestone Mountaineering and The Trailhead in
Missoula, the Blacksmith Brewery and Valley Drug
in Stevensville, the Sula Store in Sula, Last
Chance Pizza in Salmon, and the Big Hole
Crossing Restaurant in Wisdom.
In addition, Valley Bike & Ski has donated a
pair of cross-country skis and bindings for a
second place prize, and a ski rental package for
two for the third place prize.
The drawing will be held on Feb. 11, and
Battcher said the club still needs to sell a
number of tickets to meet their fund raising
goals.
“Every bit goes to the Bitterroot Cross Country
Ski Club,” she said.
“The money pays for grooming the trails and
keeping the snowmobiles repaired and gassed up.
When they groom, all volunteers put in at least
six hours, plus some of them drive three hours
to get there.”
For more information, visit
www.bitterrootxcskiclub.net, or call
Battcher at 821-0950.
Log on to
RavalliRepublic.com to comment on this and
other stories.
Reporter David Erickson can be reached at
363-3300 or
david.erickson@ravallirepublic.com.
Reporter Will Moss also contributed to this
story.
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