March 2026 happenings...

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CONC March 2026 Newsletter

President's Corner

With a spotty skiing and snowshoeing season, an early hiking season seems to be on the horizon. To that end, we have an opportunity to support one of our important partners, the Deschutes Trails Coalition. As you may be aware, CONC is a member of DTC and received a DTC grant a couple of years ago to fund new kiosks, trail signs, and assurance markers. 

DTC just got awarded Bend Sustainability Fund grant money to replace old stairs and install a functional, sustainable, and professionally constructed staircase, allowing safe, continuous use for decades on the popular Base Trail around Pilot Butte.

Visit Bend is asking residents to rank this year’s funded projects through a two-week online community ballot. The top two vote-getters will each receive an additional $1,000 in support. The ballot is open now through April 1 and will be shared through Visit Bend’s website and social media channels. It is also available here.

I encourage CONC members to support DTC and the hiking community by voting for DTC's project!

Also, I want to thank you for remaining as a CONC member despite the decline in the number of ski and snowshoe trips and ski clinics this winter. I heartily thank trip coordinators and clinic instructors for doing as much as possible to provide CONC activities during this low-snow season. We try to do whatever is possible given the conditions. 

Thanks again, and as always, do not hesitate to contact me at wppreston@yahoo.com with any questions or comments. 

Warren Preston

President, Central Oregon Nordic Club

Upcoming Events

Go to the Events page for more information about upcoming events, or click on the event you are interested in to register.

News and Announcements

Gear Fix Donations

If you are looking to downsize your gear collection, please remember that CONC is making good use of your usable cast offs.  We collected over $600 from winter sales last year as a result of your donations to our account at Gear Fix.  We reserve these funds in our trails improvement and maintenance program.

Many thanks to all who have donated over the years.

Ski Clinics

There were lots of disappointments in this ski season, and one big one was the lack of good enough conditions to run any ski clinics. We originally planned to start the Beginner Clinics in December, and when that wasn't possible, we kept watching the forecast and checking conditions. December became January became February, and now it's March. And it's official -- there will be no ski clinics this season. Many thanks to all the volunteers who were ready to teach. There are high hopes for next season!

How to Use the Member Forum

The Member Forum is a place to ask questions, seek out ski/snowshoe/hike buddies, buy/sell/trade gear, etc.  You can start a new thread or add to an existing thread.

The Forum is in the Members only area of the website, so you have to be logged on to see it.  The easiest way to keep an eye on the forum is to Subscribe to the forum.  That way, you will receive an email whenever there is a new posting.  You can subscribe to an individual thread if that's all you are interested in, or you can subscribe to the forum as a whole.  For more information on subscribing to the Forum, see this FAQ page.

Recent Events

For a look at some blog posts and beautiful photos of recent events, please click the links below.

Jan 13-18: Yellowstone B

Feb. 16: Ray Benson Tour Redux

March 5: Vista Butte Ski

March 6: Swampy Flagline Tie

March 10: Icy Todd Lake


“Get your mind off wintertime"

– Bob Dylan