Lolo Pass Winter Outing - December 10, 2023

Participants:  Alden Wright, David & Julie Kahl

Finally a winter outing, that was real winter. There were only a few cars in the parking lot at Lolo Pass when we got there at 10:30. In talks with the folks in the Visitors’ Center, unlike the last few years, they will be open everyday of the week this season. Grooming hadn’t started yet, so they weren’t requiring parking stickers at this time. There was enough snow to make the trails that we skied skiable without rocks or watery places. Some of the hills that are no big deal later in the season are a little tricky now. It snowed the entire day, with temperatures around freezing the snow did get sticky later in the day, we had to stop and put wax on twice. Alden decided that the Swix spray-on de-icer doesn’t work—the wipe-on paste works much better. Not wanting to do too much the first time out, we skied the Glade Cr. Loop, there was a cloud layer just above us and we couldn’t see the top of Mt. Fuji, but the trees were snow covered, and beautiful. When we got to the trail junction with the Packer Meadows Loop, we went down that a ways to the junction with Road 5953 that goes up onto Moose Ridge. Alden did a short run up the road, and we had a brief lunch break. There were quite a few people on the trails, some with dogs -okay until they start grooming. One family stopped where we were having lunch and the guy had a pair of wood skis he had made from Alaska yellow cedar. They were pretty. We had a discussion on the history of ski waxes, back to the old red or blue Jack Rabbit ski wax (made by a shoe polish company out of Canada), that preceded Swix waxes being sold on this side of the Atlantic. From there we skied back to the Visitors’ Center, one of the times we had to stop and rewax. Alden did a few runs down the sled hill, while we unlocked the truck, in a now full parking lot. We did 3 1/2 miles/4.83k Pleasantly tired we had more lunch and hot chocolate in the Visitors’ Center, sitting by their tall Christmas Tree with mostly handmade paper ornaments.

Leader: Julie Kahl