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Winter didn't seem to really get both feet in the door here in Leavenworth this year. It came in fits and starts with a cold spell in December, then a warming trend and, and, and well a touch of cold now and again and a little bit of snow. It seemed always just a teaser.

Leavenworth just happens to have a rather dedicated outdoor crowd and so we worked with what we had and when necessary went beyond. The Icicle River and Ski Hill trails are the “regulars” as they’re conveniently accessed. Of course there is a variety of additional trails available if you don’t mind driving.

Oddly this year the Icicle was marginal for the early part of the season, but we found the solution: having had a bit of wet snow followed by a cold snap the snow in the canal between the front and back loops became our new “trail” and although the groomer never found it’s way down there, the solid surface worked quite well. And the Ski Hill, which usually goes away first in a typical year oddly enough, held up quite well. It was the trail of choice- in spite of it’s hilly nature. And here it is, barely into February and both trails are done for the year! This temperate weather has allowed for a few early season bike rides. Alas, the skiing is really not quite over, we’re just finding the need to travel a bit, not to the great white north of Canada, not even as far as the Methow.

Options for skiing include Mill Valley at the Stevens Pass ski area. There is marginal skiing at the north and south parks of Lake Wenatchee, and for some the snow mobile trails are the answer. Warmer weather conditions allow for skiing, just not great skiing…unless.

I drove up to the Blewett Pass Snow Park with friend a couple days ago and put on the skinny skis. Snow mobilers had been there the day before but just a couple of them. The temperature was around 25 degrees and so, off we began and the snow was perfect! It was a matter of skiing corduroy first on this side of the tracks, then the other and sometimes the snowmobiler’s wake was the best place to travel. The weather was perfect and the snow was great and after an hour we arrived at a junction with the Liberty Road, my eyes grew wide. It was freshly groomed corduroy, no tracks! It was too much to pass up. I told Dave what a beautiful trail it was having driven it last summer. His reply was “Go ahead and I’ll drive down the Highway to Liberty and pick you up if you want to do it”. How great is that?

I couldn’t pull the trigger, not all the way anyway. Dave continued up the snow mobile traveled road indicating he’d turn around in about ten minutes and head back to the car. I told him I’d see him there and slid on down the road. It was a pleasant, gradual downward slope, eye watering fast, smooth, laugh out-loud-fun. After I don’t know really how long, maybe five to seven minutes I grudgingly stopped and began the ski back up to the car.

Skate skiing is this wonderful sport that’s all about body position and when you find the sweet spot forward of the vertical axis of your skis, they really do almost go by themselves and that freshly groomed trail made it just that much nicer.  

Effortlessly I began the gradual ascent back to the trail junction. The views I’d enjoyed as I swept quickly down were still there and I was able to continue to enjoy the trees clad in their wintery coats as I slid back up the trail. What a treat. My mind kept going to the end of the trail and if only there’d been a little bit more time. The junction arrived, and I pointed my skis down the trail. It’s a challenge to describe the feeling of skiing effortlessly on those narrow skis, first on one foot then the other as the wind whips around your face. You just need to go there and give it try. The point is, there’s a lot of skiing left and you can bet I and a few of my ski pals will be there. It’s all part of the Leavenworth Lifestyle.