Cross country skiing: Nordic Perfection

Olympians pick Northwest as training ground

Story by Doug Emory, 
Photo at right by Hydesmith

Some of the world’s best Nordic ski destinations are located right here in the Pacific Northwest, according to Roberto Carcelen, founder of Inca Runners Adventure Fitness and a Nordic competitor for Peru in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Reaching these resorts, however, presents a bit more of a challenge than does a day trip to a closer favorite. If you’re searching for the ideal ski experience—Nordic Perfection—the extra time and effort are worth the sacrifice.

Each of the Northwest’s major cities has good resorts relatively close in: Mount Hood Meadows outside Portland, Seattle’s Snoqualmie and Stevens passes, and Grouse Mountain across the Fraser River from downtown Vancouver, B.C. The Galena Lodge on the North Valley Trail system outside of Sun Valley provides access to ardent skiers from Idaho’s main cities.

These areas can all point to their own excellent network of cross-country trails. All make superb training grounds for beginning, intermediate, and advanced skate and classic skiers.

But if you’re searching for that sublime outing, one characterized by great snow quality, varied terrain and trails certified for world-class racing, finding destinations that surpass these five is close to impossible:

Mount Bachelor at Bend, Ore.; the Methow Valley Sports Trails Association (MVSTA) between Mazama and Winthrop, Wash.; Sovereign Lake Nordic Center outside Vernon and Kelowna, B.C.; Callaghan Country and Whistler Olympic Park at Whistler, B.C.; and Vancouver Island’s Mount Washington Alpine Resort.

Moving south to north and then angling west through them, here’s a brief overview of what each has to offer.

Mt. Bachelor

Just 17 miles up the road from Bend, Mt. Bachelor boasts having the longest groomed-trail ski season in the United States. In fact, it didn’t wrap up last season until June 20. Bachelor has 56 kilometers of groomed trails, with the majority of these at the intermediate or advanced level. The longest trail of the bunch is 12-kilometer Oli’s Alley, which includes 600 feet of elevation gain. A number of Bachelor’s trails are Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) approved. (FIS approval, for professionals, means the ability to compete in world-class racing events and for the rest of us equates to wide, well-groomed routes.)

Because of the long season and FIS trails, Mt. Bachelor is frequently used for joint training sessions between the Canadian and U.S. Nordic teams.

Methow Valley

Of all of the resorts on this list, the trail system created by the MVSTA is probably the most unique. The MVSTA is a public, non-profit group founded 30 years ago and managed by a local board of directors. Local is right!

Over 160 landowners and community members participate in making this area what it is — a creative set of interwoven trails surrounding and connecting the small Western-themed towns of Mazama and Winthrop. The trails include an extensive hut-to-hut ski system; the Mazama Community Trail, which runs between the towns and allows for stops at bakeries and cafes; and a storybook trail on which parents and children can read a fairytale from signs posted along the route.

Lest you imagine that this system is intended only for latte-sipping novices, it needs noting the full network covers 200 kilometers, with excellent snow quality from December through March and with routes challenging enough to lure professional competitors including the lone Kenyan skier who attempted to qualify for the Vancouver Olympics.

Sovereign Lake Nordic Center

The Nordic Center is located at Silver Star Provincial Park outside Kelowna and Vernon, B.C. and has won awards as the best Nordic destination in North America.

And, according to skier Carcelen, is generally considered by professionals as the best ski area on the planet. That latter comment would be hard to dispute. Because of its numerous FIS-certified trails, 10 teams trained at Sovereign Lake for the Vancouver Olympics and skiers who prepared at the site carried home 98 medals!

Reaching Sovereign Lake by car requires an adventurous spirit since you need not only navigate icy roads but also keep an eye cocked for the Ogopogo, the fabled sea monster of nearby Lake Okanagan, on your approach.

However, flying there gets you over both the deep lingering snows and lurking monsters and lands you at the shuttle from the Kelowna airport. Once you’ve arrived at Sovereign Lake, you will find excellent facilities and a ski season that is North America’s longest, stretching from Halloween into June.

The resort hosts numerous professional events and includes several world-renowned trails among its 50 manicured kilometers, including the New Carl Wylie Trail built for last spring’s Sparkling Hill Masters World Cup event. You will also rub elbows with a dedicated staff and, given the center’s 5,500-foot elevation, spend your days skiing out onto marvelously dry snow.

Upper Callaghan Valley

Moving back to the west, the two resorts located in the Upper Callaghan Valley at Whistler have received a great deal of attention since these sites hosted the Nordic events at the Vancouver Olympics. Callaghan Country Resorts and the Whistler Olympic Park have had an on-again, off-again partnership, but between them the areas offer 100 kilometers of groomed trails.

The facilities at both areas are excellent, with the Callaghan Country Lodge receiving rave reviews and with Whistler offering skiing right through town. Both areas offer a range of trails with an emphasis on more challenging terrain.

For intermediate and advanced skiers, Callaghan Country’s finest trail may be its Mainline, which includes 1,000 feet of elevation gain and panoramic views of the Black Tusk, a volcanic remnant that is one of Whistler’s iconic landmarks.

Whistler Olympic matches this with its Norwegian Woods to Mandeley Lake Trail, a trip to which you can add thrills by taking side excursions on trails such as Howe it Goes.

Because of its deep snow, long season and FIS-caliber trails, the Callaghan Valley remains popular with strong skiers from around the world, hosting 14 –16 professional races a year, including the January 2012 North American World Juniors Trials, an event which will be the proving ground for young Nordic skiers you will someday see competing on the Canadian and U.S. national teams.

Mount Washington

Continuing west and skipping across the Georgia Strait, you come finally to the Mount Washington Alpine Resort, located on the north end of Vancouver Island and set on the outskirts of British Columbia’s Strathcona Provincial Park, the oldest park in the province.

Again, reaching the resort may involve managing logistics such as a ferry trip from the mainland followed by a bus ride up from Victoria or Nanaimo along the island’s mountain spine, but the destination is spectacular.

The Raven Lodge, set on the park boundary, is the center of the resort’s cross-country activities. The area itself includes 55 kilometers of groomed trails, and the quality of these trails drew several teams training for the 2010 Olympics, including competitors from Sweden, Germany and China.

Mount Washington offers trails for every level of skier—advanced types can ride the high-speed chairlift to Upper Meadows Trail, while children can test out their abilities on the Ponds or Lookout Trails. And visitors who may want to extend their range of activities beyond the Nordic slopes will find they can ski one day and kayak, surf, or even indulge in a bit of whale-watching the next.

Obviously, touring any of these five beautiful areas takes more preparation than the usual method of strapping your skis to the roof rack and hitting the gas, but even the extra planning required can be considered a virtue.

What better excuse could there be for booking a multi-day vacation than that elusive winter quest for Nordic Perfection?

Resort Resources

Callaghan County Resorts: (877) 938-0616,
www.callaghancountry.com

Methow Valley Sports Trails Association:
(509) 996-3287, www.mvsta.com

Mt. Bachelor: (800) 829-2442,
www.mtbachelor.com

Mount Washington Alpine Resort:
(888) 231-1499, www.mountwashington.ca

Sovereign Lake Nordic Center:
(250) 558-3036, www.sovereignlake.com

Whistler Olympic Park: (604) 964-0060,
www.whistlerolympicpark.com

Doug Emory is an avid cross-country skier and mountaineer who lives in Tacoma, Wash. He has climbed 193 different peaks, including the Cascade volcanoes from Hood to Baker, 22 of the Colorado 14ers, and the three Mexican volcanoes over 17,000 feet. In his off-hours, he works for the community and technical college system.

 

 

 

 

 

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