February 2025 happenings... |
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CONC February 2025 Newsletter
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President's Corner
Welcome John! At our last meeting, the Board approved John Stephenson as our newest At-Large Board Member. He fills the spot created when Gary Elnan was elected Secretary, leaving an At-Large vacancy. John is a retired wildlife biologist, and I have already learned that you can learn a lot about animal tracks when on a ski or snowshoe with him. We look forward to John's contributions to the Board and thank him for volunteering for this important role.
Ski Clinics a Success! Thanks to all of the volunteers who made our ski clinics a grand success! In particular, I thank Laura Seaver for coordinating the ski clinics and Charlie Cornish, Woody Keen, and Mark Waters for serving as lead instructors.
Welcome Beginners! We have received a number of questions from new and returning XC skiers about where to go now that the beginner ski clinics have wound down. The groomed trails at Meissner Sno-Park are a great place to practice all facets of XC skiing. Just go up Tangent in either direction to gain some elevation and then practice downhill skills on the return. The Beginner Loop at Swampy Sno-Park is a good place to try out skills on ungroomed trails. The upper part of the Nordeen Loop is also suitable for beginners (clockwise). There are a couple of short but steeper hills on the lower part of the loop after the Nordeen Shelter, but these can be avoided by returning on upper northern segment. At Dutchman Sno-Park, the Dutchman Loop is accessible to beginners. All trails become more manageable when there is fresh snow.
Be on the lookout for beginner ski tours. Ski trips are frequently posted on short notice due to snow conditions. Icy conditions can make even beginner trails treacherous, so beginner trips typically won't be offered during such periods. If you have completed one or more of the beginner clinics, you should be able to complete a beginner tour. Ski trip leaders and other more experienced skiers will be able to offer tips to ensure that everyone has an enjoyable experience.
Lastly, meet other members at our monthly socials and other events. CONC members have a wealth of knowledge about XC skills, gear, and places to ski. They are more than happy to share their expertise with other members. And don't forget that our monthly socials are open to potential new members, so bring your friends and family!
As always, I welcome your questions and comments on wppreston@yahoo.com.
Happy Trails!
Warren Preston
President |
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Edison Shelter News
We have some good news! We have the go-ahead from the Forest Service to begin planning for the replacement for the Edison Shelter!
We have some ideas on a possible design - and even though we don’t yet have a final decision on where the replacement shelter will be located, the Forest Service is looking for a cost estimate on what it will take to put it up, since they want to submit this as part of their fire restoration plan. And, of course, they want this estimate pretty quickly.
We could really use some help with this. If you have a background in construction or engineering and are willing to help in the next couple of weeks it will help us put together an estimate. Please contact Sue Sullivan (suesulliwat@gmail.com) and we’ll pull together a plan to get this done. Thanks! |
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Beware of Tree Wells The unusual snow depth has caused worse than usual tree wells this season. They are caused by the limbs deflecting falling snow to the perimeter of the tree while reducing the depth of snow around the trunk. A side effect is that those skiing under the limbs are causing a slick surface that is canted toward the tree. When you encounter this circumstance, particularly when skiing downhill, stop or slow before the tree and try to ski in the unbroken snow on the high side of the trail. If there is not space to do so, consider stopping or side-stepping down and up, or use the herringbone technique. Or, even turn back to more open areas. On February 12, Nordeen Loop was an outstanding example of the issue (particularly the south portion). Educate yourself on deep snow safety here: https://www.deepsnowsafety.org/
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Explore the CONC Website: Feature of the Month
Check out the Trail Maps & Info page.
Maps, weather, trail descriptions, road conditions, shelters, dog rules, etc., are all in one handy spot. |
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2024-25 Ski Clinics by the Numbers
The 2024-25 Ski Clinic season has wrapped up. This year included multiple instructor training clinics for preparing our volunteer instructors to teach the Beginner Clinics. We were able to start running clinics in December, thanks to the wonderful early season snowfall.
By the numbers:
- 7 on-snow clinics for instructors of beginner clinics, which taught 27 individuals
- 10 beginner clinics with 90 slots filled by 65 individuals (many took more than one clinic)
- For the 10 beginner clinics, 16 individuals filled 49 instructor slots
- 3 advanced clinics (Intermediate Nordic Tour, XC Downhill, and Telemark), 2 instructors and 26 students.
- Total members taught (including instructor trainings): 117
Special thanks to Charlie Cornish, Woody Keen, and Mark Waters for taking the lead on instructing! |
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Volunteer With The Deschutes National Forest Now, more than ever, The Deschutes National Forest could use volunteer help. CONC maintains 100 miles of wither trails to help support the National Forest, but if you’re interested in other opportunities, please consider being a Trailhead volunteer during the hiking season. The time commitment is small and the impact is great.
Trailhead volunteers are eligible to receive a wilderness pass for the following season if they put in sufficient hours at trailhead hosting.
Charles White, the Deschutes National Forest Wilderness Volunteer Coordinator, has seen the benefits of having trailhead volunteers: “Our TH Hosts have a tremendous impact on encouraging positive behavior and permit compliance. Our small team of rangers in the backcountry know when they’ve got volunteer support at the trailhead, and can really use that support this season.”
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The John Craig Event needs your help
Note: This is not a CONC event, although CONC members often volunteer and participate. It is sponsored by the Oregon Nordic Club, of which CONC is a chapter. If you are interested in volunteering, you can find more information here: John Craig Event |
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CONC appreciates anything submitted to our account and we use all proceeds for our trail development and maintenance program. The CONC account number is 12958. Many thanks to all who have donated over the years!
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"There’s just something beautiful about walking on snow that nobody else has walked on. It makes you believe you’re special.” —Carol Rifka Brunt, “Tell the Wolves I’m Home” |
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