Category: Club Updates

Dear Nordic Skiers of the Palouse,
Grooming begins! The groomers are at it with plans to groom Big Loop, the Palouse Divide Road, and Hume Road, where the snow is its best. Snow is thinner at Meadow Creek Loop and Little Loop, so we probably will have to wait for another snowfall for those. Thanks groomers!
Bingo night and Fundraiser: Tonight ends our fundraiser to get a new utility snowmobile to replace our old Yamaha. At the 1919 Center tonight in Moscow is Bingo from 6 to 9pm. We’ll have the last raffle tickets for sale there as well and the website will stop accepting the online purchase of raffle tickets when that event is over. So if you want to get a chance to win a complete Nordic ski packet from Hyperspud Sports, act now! Thanks Hunga Dunga for puttin this one!
Free Ski Day at the Divide. Our next event will be Free Ski Day, with free lessons, free rentals (thanks, again Hyperspud Sports!), free parking, and free food! Come on up for the fun on January 13, starting at 10am. (See the event page for more info)
Women’s Skis. As I announced at the club meeting last Thursday, this year, a group of women will be organizing women’s ski outings. I will announce them in my Thursday updates, but they are organizing these informal women’s skis. If you are interested in helping to organize, let me know and I’ll put you in touch!
Website and Membership Updates. The club is finally moving into the 21st century with our membership! Soon, I’m going to start transitioning to an announcement list, instead of emailing you separately. We are also going to allow members to manage their own membership information. If you have not done so, go check out 

https://palousedividenordic.org/members-area/

 to manage your membership information. This shold transition us away from the paper membership forms (which will still exist if you want them). You can also remove your email there or remove your membership entirely if you want to stop getting these reports. Thanks to our webmaster Andy Jacobs!

Pay your dues and buy your ParkN’Ski Pass. Club dues go for snowmachine and grooming equipment maintenance, port-a-potty rental, and upkeep and improvements on the warming hut (like our awesome new outhouse)! And ParkN’Ski Passes are required for parking at the Palouse Divide during the season (and also help support trail maintenance).
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow,
Jesse, for the Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club
Dear Fellow Cross-Country Skiers,
Some of you (and me!) had the opportunity to take advantage of the 2 days of great early snow at the Divide last weekend. Sadly, we are back up to more normal temps for the first week of December, so the snow is melting. But it will be back in a matter of days! Fear not!
While we wait, a few reports:
First, our annual club meeting will be this coming Saturday, 4-6pm at Moscow Brewing Company. We’ll have updates on the Divide, including Free Ski Day, lessons, the website, logging operations, news about our fundraiser, elections of club officers, our ski swap, and other events. Come with your ideas and your questions! If you have not done so, you can pay your annual club membership dues ($20 per person, $30 for a family) to support the port-a-potties, grooming costs and snowmobile maintenance, and other club costs. Come and make ski friends!
Second, the port-a-potties are now up at the Divide. If anyone ever finds something missing or wrong with them this winter, contact this email and we’ll get on it! The same goes for the outhouse by the warming hut.
Third, the snows this weekend knocked down a few trees on the trails. If our groomers can’t groom this Thursday, they should be able to start clearing those! But grooming will start soon in any case.
Finally, don’t forget to get your Park N’ Ski Pass! Get them at Hyperspud Sport or online at 

https://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/activities/xc-skiing/park-n-ski-in-idaho/

. Make sure to identify the Palouse Divide as your primary ski location! It helps the club a lot if you do!

See you on the trails!

Jesse Spohnholz, President of the Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club

As many on the Palouse are shivering in their houses because of the gas shutdown, it may feel that winter is even closer than ever! But there’s still several weeks before we can expect any snow! As we prepare for that day, I wanted to announce that the club was able to complete all necessary trail maintenance on the trail work day last Saturday, so we do not need to go up for our secondary day this coming Sunday. The warming hut has been moved. Firewood has been chopped. The trails are clear. Now we are ready for snow!

Stay tuned for a full calendar of events at the Divide! In the meantime, if you have not yet purchased raffle tickets, go ahead and do that now on our website. We are over $1,000 into the $3,000 matching gift from Tom and Julia Mumford for a new snowmobile for grooming! Also make sure to renew your membership and get your ParkNSki pass for the 2023-24 ski season!

Jesse Spohnholz, for the Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club

P.S. As always, if you want to stop receiving the notifications, just let me know!