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The snow has held and we will be holding the 2026 Bald Mountain Loppet! In Scandinavia, a loppet is a long-distance, non-competitive group ski. Here on the Palouse, we have our own loppet – from the Palouse Divide trailhead to the Bald Mountain Lookout Tower.

When: February 28, 2026; Start time: 8:30–9:30am

Distance: 18 miles, roundtrip; Estimated skiing time: 5-6 hours

Today, an amazing team of groomers prepared the entire route, which entails a 9-mile, 1,715-foot climb to the top of Bald Mountain and back. It should be warm-ish — but warm-ish for the top of Bald Mountain in late February still means pack smart! Participation in the loppet is free. We will gladly accept donations to help us continue to ensure reliable Nordic skiing on the Palouse, honestly, we will be just happy to see your smiling face on the trip with us after the slow start to the year we have had! The club will have hot drinks, soups, some snacks, and a fire at the lookout tower for participants. Register by completing the registration form at this link: https://form.jotform.com/240298078568167. We have room for 40 skiers, but since the snow conditions were extremely uncertain until today, there still plenty of spots right now!

 

Other skiing at the Divide this weekend should be on as well, though probably north-facing Hume Rd will be a better bet than south-facing Meadow Creek, for instance.

Grooming crew reported lots of down trees today at the Divide. They were able to clear the 377 road to Hume Road. About 10” of snow that packed down to 3-4” with the equipment. We’re working on getting some more folks out next week to get more trails cleared and packed. Beautiful conditions but be prepared to work around some down falls and grooming is limited to the 377 this weekend.

 

 

 

From the club president:

We finally have some more snow! A crack grooming team is heading out this Friday to prepare the trails for us! Enjoy! It’s supposed to warm up a bit next week, but hopefully we can get enough of a pack to survive until the next dump comes! Hang in there and enjoy the fresh snow now!

Free Ski Day 2.0: As you saw, we rescheduled Free Ski Day for January 17th. There are a few spots left for free lessons and cross-country ski rentals, which you can sign up for here. If you are a club member who volunteered to help with lessons, to make soup or to help otherwise and someone from the club (me or Elise Stacy) has not been in touch with you since last week, feel free to check in with us to confirm whether you’ll make the new date. If you wanted to volunteer before, but could not, but can help with the new date, feel free to reach out too! More friendly folks helping with beginners are always welcome!

Blue Mountain Trip: We also rescheduled our trip to the Blue Mountains for January 24-26. The trip involves an easy one-way ski from the Rose Springs Sno-Park (south of Pomeroy WA) in 7 miles to an old forest service cabin – the Clearwater Big House. Adventurers will plan a feast and games at the cabin, and enjoy plenty of groomed or backcountry skiing for your appetite. Want in? Email palousedividenordic@gmail.com to reserve your spot. Heather Pettit, owner of Hyperspud Sports, will be leading the expedition! Adventurers will share costs for cabin rental and parking stickers. If we get someone to drive the snowmobile, we can also have someone haul our gear in!

Lunch and Historical Tour of the Palouse Divide Lodge. On January 25, Shirley Hathaway, owner of the Palouse Divide Lodge, will be hosting a lunch and historical tour of the lodge. Looking to get the full lodge experience? Join us before or after your ski (or both!). $25 per person. Seats are limited. Sign up by giving a name, contact email and phone number, and the number in your party to palousedividenordic@gmail.com.

Enjoy winter while we have it!

Join us for the Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club Annual Meeting! Meet club members, vote for board members, and learn about plans and events for the upcoming 2023-2024 ski season while enjoying tasty food and beverages from Moscow Brewing. The meeting is open to everyone, but only members can vote on board positions. 
Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club Annual Meeting Flyer 2023
Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club Annual Meeting Flyer 2023

RSVP and get updates on the Facebook Event

I am thrilled to announce that we met the $2,500 match made by Scotty and Diane Cornelius in October! I am equally thrilled to announce that Tom and Julia Mumford have been inspired to offer matching donations to the club, toward buying a new grooming snowmobile, of $3,000!!! So from now until the end of 2023, all raffle tickets purchased or donations made to the club will continue to be doubled, thanks to the generous donations of the Mumfords. Here’s

Tom Mumford

one of the many times he helped us dig a snowmobile out of the snow while grooming the trails! We can get there together!

May be an image of 4 people and people skiing