Free Ski Day is January 11, 2025, 10am-3pm!
Club Members: We still need instructors. Teaching beginners how to feel confident on skis is a great way to spend the day!
Contact Jesse and Elise if you’re interested (palousedividenordic@gmail.com).
Latest News
Message from Jesse: I called St. Joe’s Port-a-Huts to ask them to bring in the port-a-potties from the Palouse Divide. I think we’ve had our run for this winter, and it’s time for Spring.
I’ll be in touch soon about the status of the snowmobile, plans for 2024-25, and other new developments. But before that, here’s a photo of the club trip to the Idaho City Yurt system last week! It was a great trip!!!
Hume Road (not pictured) is still in great shape with a good base and well-preserved tracks. There are just a couple minor thin spots (mostly past the intersection with Big Loop), that are easily bypassed. The challenging part is getting to Hume Road! The main Palouse Divide road has many bare sections. The dwindling base has been all churned up by a vehicle on wide tracks that went up and down the road. (According to Shirley of the lodge, the Forest Service had to drive to Bald Mountain.) Past the turnoff to Big Loop there is a long section of just bare dirt, where you have to carry your skis for quite a ways.
We were able to get the 377, Hume Rd., and Big Loop groomed Friday. Snow conditions are generally good but thin spots starting to break through.
We also groomed the 3828 road on the West side. One bare spot on the way up but snow is generally better.
Have a great weekend of spring skiing.
The snow is holding, the conditions are great, and the trails are being groomed by our crack team!
You all should have great ski conditions for this weekend. The Forest Service is not active on the West Side again this week, so groomers will get out and do as much as they can over there, as well as the regular East Side trails! Enjoy those opportunities while they last!
A grooming team is going up today and another will be up tomorrow. Enjoy!
Join us for a women’s ski on Sunday, March 3, at 11:00am. Those who want to carpool will meet in the Moscow Rosauers parking lot at 10:00am. All skill levels welcome! If possible, email palouseidividenordic@gmail.com to let us know you’re coming, especially if you need to carpool, so we know to wait for you. If that’s not possible, feel free to show up anyway!
The recent snows have made skiing possible again! There’s a few inches of new snow, though it is a little thin under the trees. Not sure yet if there is enough to groom this weekend.
A group of volunteers went and checked the Bald Mountain Loppet route today, to prepare for the planned 18-mile ski this coming Saturday. This is what they found. Sadly, we’ll have to cancel the Loppet. If we get snow enough to pull off this great adventure in 2024, I’ll let you know. And we were hoping for this to be the debut of our new snowmobile!
Long-time club member Bill Brock wrote a great story in The Lewiston Tribune about this year’s overnight trip to the Blue Mountains. https://www.lmtribune.com/outdoors/nothing-recharges-your-batteries-quite-like-skiing-into-a-backcountry-hut/article_55c0d148-6d9e-5ee2-81aa-c02cec484526.html
Several new inches of new snow in last 24 hours. Total of 10” at the Lodge now. The Divide Rd. (377) is packed to Lanes Overlook. Hume Rd and Big Loop are packed as well all in anticipation of getting groomed tomorrow. The groomers will have to make the call in the morning as to whether grooming is helpful or not. Snow is still a little thin under the trees. I could feel the ski scags touching ground once in a while. Hume Road and Big Loop have the best coverage. Little, Meadow and Potlatch loops left untouched for some nice powder skiing.
There is snow again. Hurrah!
Trails with more trees may not have full coverage and there’s not enough snow to groom yet, but we’re heading in the right direction! The Divide Road (377) was skiable, though thin under the trees, until just before Lane’s Overlook and Hume Road looked good.
Registration is now open for:
The Bald Mountain Loppet 2024
When: February 24, 2024
Start time (from trailhead): 8:30–9:30am
Distance: 18 miles, roundtrip
Estimated skiing time: 6 hours
In Scandinavia, a loppet is a long-distance, non-competitive group ski. Here on the Palouse, we are planning our own loppet – from the Palouse Divide trailhead to the Bald Mountain Lookout Tower.
This 18-mile loppet will be a fun and challenging outing for fit, experienced skiers. It is not a race but a tour to be completed at participants’ own pace. Participation is limited to 40 skiers.
Our amazing team of groomers plan on grooming the entire route (wish us luck!), which entails a 9-mile, 1,715-foot climb to the top of Bald Mountain and back. Be prepared for changing and colder weather. We estimate that skiers in good physical shape will take 6 hours to complete the entire trip.
Participation in the loppet is free, but we will gladly accept donations to help us continue to ensure reliable Nordic skiing on the Palouse. The club will have hot drinks, soups, and a fire at the lookout tower for participants.
Of course, we are keeping an eye on snow levels and will adjust planning as necessary.
Register in advance by completing the registration form at this link: https://form.jotform.com/240298078568167.
Best,
Jesse, President of the Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club
Sadly the base has melted away at the Divide.
Dear Friends of the Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club,
We had a great and very busy Free Ski Day. Thanks to all the volunteers for helping out to Hyperspud Sports for loaning us all their rental gear! Next week the group heading out to the Clearwater Big House in the Blue mountains will be taking off — and we will be able to use our new snowmobile on its maiden voyage before it goes to the Divide for its main task! Our next event will be free ski lessons February 3. Email me if you want to sign up!
But that’s now why I’m writing today: We are submitting a grant application to the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. If successful, the funding would be used for tools and equipment to allow our volunteers to clear and maintain trails in a more effective, efficient and safer manner. The goal is to secure funding for 2 battery-powered chainsaws, 1 battery-powered pole saw and a set of 4 radios. The battery operated tools reduce the need for purchasing and transporting gasoline and their lighter weight reduces operator fatigue. The radios will allow communication between groomers for efficiency and reduce response time in case of an emergency.
If you have feedback on this grant application’s potential to help the club and use Facebook, then I invite you to write a comment on yesterday’s post about this grant application. Just to to “Groups” in Facebook, click on the club’s name and you should see the post and comments. We will include comments posted in our application materials!
More later in the week on the grooming situation,
Jesse, for the Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club
Great conditions on the Divide today. Thanks Matt for helping get everything groomed and tracks set. Everything on the east side is done except Potlatch Loop. Quite a few folks taking advantage of some prime snow. About 2” new snow since yesterday. Warming up but no significant impact on snow yet. Just a little faster.
Dear Nordic Skiers of the Palouse,
With all this new snow, I’m happy to report that groomers will be out today getting the trails ready for the weekend! Thank you groomers, Jon, David and Emily!
And our postponed Free Ski Day is back on this coming Saturday, 10-3pm. We’ll have free parking, free cross-country ski and snowshoe rentals (thanks Hyperspud Sports!), free Nordic ski lessons, and free lunch (hot soups and breads), snacks and hot drinks! We’ll try to have the lessons run on the hour (with the last lesson starting at 2pm), but if you’ve been to Free Ski Day before, you know that we have to adjust timing at times to match changes in supply (instructors and skis) and demand (you!). But we have an amazing team of volunteers to introduce as many people as possible to cross-country skiing and the Divide! [And if you would also like to volunteer, let me know!]
There are still a couple spots available for the ski into the Clearwater Big House in the Blue Mountains, January 27-29th. Let us know by Sunday if you want to come, so that participants can start arranging food and gear. We’ll have a snowmachine to haul in some gear and water , while skiers will take the 7-mile mostly flat trip into a former forest service cabin nestled in the Blue Mountains. Participants will split the modest parkins and rental fees. This should be a hoot!
See you at the Divide!
Jesse, President of the Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club
Dear Palouse Divide Nordic Skiers,
The snow has come back to the Palouse, and just in time for Free Ski Day!
Free Ski Day, this Saturday, January 13, 10-3pm.
Free cross-country ski lessons (last lessons start at 2pm), free ski rentals, free food (hot soups, breads and snacks!), & free parking. Come to the Palouse Divide for our annual beginning of the season event! It’s going to be cold, so bring plenty of layers and be prepared to keep moving! We’ll also have fires and hot drinks to keep you warm at the trailhead, at the warming hut, and along the way! Bring your yak tracks for the parking lot, just in case too! Come along and enjoy the snow!!!
Nordic Ski Swap. The Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club is hosting a ski swap for cross-country ski and snowshoe gear. Wednesday, January 17, 6:30–8:30 at the 1912 Center’s Art Workshop . Kids gear especially welcome! Free entry to all! Contact palousedividenordic@gmail.com for more information or to RSVP that you are bringing gear to swap!
So glad we finally can start skiing together again! See you on the trails soon!
Jesse Spohnholz, President of the Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club
There’s snow falling at the Divide. We’ll go up early Saturday and see if it’s groomable!
Dear Nordic Skiers of the Palouse,
Grooming Report: Sadly, there will be no grooming this week due to lack of snow. And there’s no snow predicted in the next few days. Be patient! We had a couple of weeks with fun skiing. There will be more!
Ski Instructors: As you know, the club offers free cross-country ski lessons on Free Ski Day, the following week and then every two weeks until the snow melts in the spring. We are looking for a couple more instructors to help out. If you are an experienced skier and want to help others become one too, let me know! No experience teaching skiing needed — we have lead instructors to take the helm, but we could use some folks to support.
Special Olympics: Similarly, Moscow’s Special Olympics team is looking for volunteers to help with snowshoeing and cross-country skiing this winter, also on Saturday mornings. If you are interested in helping out, contact Jill Rinaldi at Jillkrinaldi52@gmail.com!
Grant Applications: The club will be applying for a grant from Idaho Parks and Recreation for new trail equipment (pole saws, communication radios, etc.). We will be looking for Nordic skiers of the Palouse willing to write letters of support. I will send specific instructions when I have them. If you are willing to make your voice known, we can speak louder when we do it together.
Fundraiser: I am elated to announce that we raised almost $14,000 in our fundraiser this year. That will allow us to purchase a new Skandic 600 utility snowmobile to ensure continued reliable grooming at the Divide. We’ll purchase the machine soon and get it on the trails early in 2024. If you chipped in, even just one $5 raffle ticket, stand proud when the groomers drive past on the trail that you helped bring that machine to the Palouse Divide. Thanks to Hyperspud Sports for donating the prizes, and to all the generous members of our community who make this possible!
Doing my little snow dance on a warm mid-April, er, late December day,
Jesse Spohnholz, for the Palouse Divide Nordic Ski Club
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.
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