Snow is falling and it’s a welcome sight to cross country ski groups across the Flathead Valley and Northwest Montana. While last winter was marked by a shallow snowpack, cross country skiers are hopeful for better weather during the 2012-2013 season.
As of mid-December, many of the area’s biggest cross country ski trails were already groomed. Representatives of the Glacier Nordic Club, the North Shore Nordic Club and the Izaak Walton Inn have all reported that this winter is shaping up to be a great snow year.
“Last year was one of the worst seasons we can remember,” said Cameron Blake, board member of the Glacier Nordic Club in Whitefish. “We have enough resources to weather one bad year, but two bad years in a row would be a lot harder.”
The Whitefish club grooms and maintains 14 kilometers of trail on the Whitefish Lake Golf Club course along U.S. Highway 93. This season, skiers were able to hit the trails in mid-December. Last winter, there wasn’t enough snow to ski until January.
The nonprofit club was established in 1984 and is run with membership fees. For $55 a year an individual can join the club and get a season of unlimited cross country skiing. A family can get a season pass for $110 and day passes for non-members are $8. The club also offers youth classes, which Blake said are a critical part of what the club does.
“Our mission is to instill a love of cross country skiing,” she said.
Further south, near Flathead Lake, the North Shore Nordic Club has prepped 28 kilometers of separate trails near Bigfork and Blacktail Mountain. According to club president Dave Hadden, the snow arrived much earlier this year and trails are being groomed daily at Blacktail.
The grooming operations are funded, in part, with private donations. Since 2004, when the club was first established, the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork has donated nearly $10,000.
“Our operations cannot happen without the continued support of the people who use the trails and we thank them for that,” Hadden said.
Hadden said the club spends $110 a day to groom the 20 kilometers of trail at Blacktail and about $75 a day to groom the 8 kilometers of trail near Bigfork.
One place that has not had any trouble with the snow is the Izaak Walton Inn at Essex. The historic railroad inn has 33 kilometers of trail that wind into the Flathead National Forest and along the Middle Fork Flathead River.
“Last year when the valley didn’t have a lot of snow, we still got 400 inches,” said manager David Gatton. “Everything up here has a ton of snow on it, so we’re looking forward to a great season.”
Gatton said in a normal winter Essex gets anywhere from 300 to 400 inches of snow. Day passes are available for $10. The inn also sells season passes for $100 for individuals or $200 for a family.
“I’m just hoping the snow keeps coming this year,” Gatton said. “And it certainly seems like it is.”
For more information about the cross country ski areas mentioned, visit www.glaciernordicclub.org, www.northshorenordic.org, or www.izaakwaltoninn.com.