Since Dawn and I returned from the warmth and sun of the Pacific Ocean
both in Mexico and Hawai'i we really wanted to get into some snow and
enjoy some seasons other than Endless Summer. January 2015 that was
impossible in Washington state since we had zero snow. this winter [snow
has been great. We've been renting a lot of different Xcountry gear and
going a bunch of different places to see what we like and the best way
to get more into Xcountry
skiing.
We've already been to Lake Easton, Cabin Creek, Rainier, Methow Valley,
and The Nordic Center at Snoqualmie. As always, I'll share our
adventures and do geeky write ups on gear from time time because me.
Super Bowl weekend we drove up i-90 and visited the Erling Skordal
Trails (Crystal Springs) and Salmon la
Sac.
If you've skied the Nordic Center at Snoqualmie, the flat sections of
the John Wayne Trail, and are ready for something more challenging, but
still well-groomed the Erling Skordahl trail system
at Crystal Springs is the next place to go.
The trails have some rolling hills, some loops that go into harder areas
(and some that don't) and really I think for the intermediate skier its
the place to cut your teeth, especially on how to go up and down hills,
feel your edges, etc. I absolutely loved it here.
It is also one of the more used places for those who are into racing so
if you're a true beginner I'd go to Lake Easton or the Nordic Center a
few more times. I'd suggest checking the Kongsberger Ski
Club page to see if there are races going
on which might impact the availability of the trails.
Salmon la Sac is one of the many Sno-Parks in Washington state that have
groomed trails for Xcountry, snowshoeing, snowmobiles (skidoos for you
Canucks), snow biking, dog sleds, etc. The Sno-Parks all have different
rules and uses; Salmon la Sac has Xcountry, snowshoeing and snowmobiling
trails.
Trails are reported to be groomed by the State's site
and Snowrec.org, but on the
day we went, they were not really groomed after the first mile or so and
even then they were only packed down with snowmobiles. I'm not sure if
that is normal, or if the big snowfalls this year have made it
impossible to keep up with the grooming. Definitely not suitable for
skate skiing and our traditional skis (no edges narrow for tracks) made
it a litlte challenging, but we're ok with that.
After crossing the Cle Elum river the wide open trail quickly narrowed
down to a snowshoe trail. With our skis in the snowshoe track and our
poles on the unpacked snow, my traditional longer poles were definitely
not ideal, Dawn's adjustable poles were great and are now on my
wishlist.
While trail conditions were more challenging, we liked the extra workout
that comes from that and we saw 2 people while were out. Super Bowl
Sunday may had a lot to do with that, but it was still great to have the
forest to ourselves.
P.s., I'll do a write up on the software I'm using to do those maps
another time.
![Seattle_Night_by_h00n3r[1]](https://deepplaya.com/images/2015/03/Seattle_Night_by_h00n3r1-300x199.jpg)
