news from the Missoula Nordic Ski Club and around the region
X-C MONTANA
Number 24
- Fall, 2000
We
have made great strides during the summer and early fall to ensure continued
quality nordic skiing in the Missoula area.
Joe
Gollette, President of the Missoula Snowgoers, and I recently co-signed a
letter to the Clearwater National Forest Supervisor outlining our expectations
as to future cooperation and winter recreation management for the Lolo Pass
area. Good and consistent grooming of
the plentiful snow at Lolo Pass would be a great asset to Missoula area skiers.
The
club has submitted a proposal to the Lolo National Forest to expand the Pattee
Canyon ski trail system to better accommodate ski tourists and skiers with
dogs.
A
new equipment storage shed was constructed at Pattee Canyon. This was made possible in part through a
National Recreational Trails Act Grant and in larger part through the tireless efforts of Jim Buckley, Steve
German, Dave Jones, Cary Larson and Ross Miller. Thanks also to all the volunteers who helped at the recent club
workday.
A
club web site, which was initiated in response to membership suggestions, has
been established. The site can be used to check area snow conditions
and to facilitate impromptu nordic tours and other tribal rituals. Hats off to Kathy McGann and Alden Wright
for all their effort in this regard.
As
always, we appreciate the efforts of Dave Fellin who led the preseason trail
maintenance charge with assistance from the Missoula Parks and Recreation
Department.
During
this season of giving I would ask two things of our members…
1. Each member recruit at least one additional
member or take someone skiing for the first time.
2. Support the club financially in it’s efforts
to purchase a new snow machine so we may continue to provide quality grooming
at Pattee Canyon!
Thank you for your support and best wishes for the
Holidays, Tom Daer
(Editor’s Note: Tom Daer was elected to the MNSC presidential office in December of 1999 at the annual membership
meeting. After a series of strong-arm
tactics convinced him to accept the nomination, he won the post unanimously and
uncontested. So, as we go to press, at
least this presidency is not in question.)
MNSC Members met at
the Pattee Canyon Ski Trails on Saturday November 11 for trail work and
partying. Work was done to improve trail between the picnic and meadow loops
and the bottom of Henry’s Hill. These
areas ice up and lose snow early, so the changes should help these
problems. Other areas of trail were
cleaned of brush and trees. A couple
optimistic members even used a snow blower to increase the snow depth on the
Picnic Loop. Following the work
session, members gathered at the newly constructed snowmobile shed for the
annual meeting. Around a warm campfire, members socialized, ate, and admired
the new equipment shed. If you missed
the “shed warming” party, ski by the new shed for your own private
viewing. It is located on the inner
trail in the Picnic Loop. Thanks a
bunch to all participants!
December
is here so let’s go over the annual ski “To Do” list. Feel free to check items off as you go:
___1. Tune skis.
___2. Organize and refill the waxing tackle box.
___3. Continue dry land training until you can
find snow.
___4. Find snow!
___5. Send
in annual dues to Missoula Nordic Ski Club.
Get the hint? The majority
of annual dues pay for GROOMING, with some money going to other support
functions including the newsletter with juicy ski gossip and race schedules and
results. On the club’s holiday wish
list is a new snow machine for grooming.
As the President mentioned, your generous contributions to this end
would be greatly appreciated. For your
convenience, a dues envelope has been included in this issue. There are a couple new items on the dues
envelope. First, there is a line to
include your e-mail address if you want. (See
article below.) Also, there is a box to check if you no
longer want to receive a hard copy newsletter.
The newsletters will be available on the club’s web page. Take a minute when you can and send in your support.
Thanks a lot!
Member e-mail List
The new dues envelopes have a space for your e-mail address. This is a common request these days, but the
club also understands concerns about receiving too much email or having names
released to solicitors. After some
discussion, board members have propose the following objectives for an e-mail
address book and guidelines for the use of the list.
1.. In place of traditional post card mailings, general
club e-mailings associated with impromptu events could be sent out. We anticipate only 3-4 mailings per
year. Examples of these events include
last year’s end of the year bash at Alice Creek, the recent Trail Head
sponsored MNSC benefit, Open Road sponsored discounts and waxing clinics, etc.
2. An e-mail address book could be posted on
the club’s web page to facilitate membership communication relating to
coordination of tours or special events by individual members. This use is still open to discussion. If you include your e-mail address, but
would not like it posted on the web page indicate this in a note on the
envelope or with your dues. Depending
on response to this proposal we can decide whether to proceed with a web page
list.
The e-mail list would solely be used by the club. Any general membership e-mailing would be
done by the ski club, and under no circumstances would club e-mail addresses be
released to a third party (e.g. solicitors or retail outlets).
http://missoulanordic.org
After trying to share a web
site with five valley velo last year, the ski club has decided to go solo with
our own site (see address above).
“Webmaster” Alden Wright and Kathy McGann researched and worked on this
project. Control over web site content,
ability to input messages and update information on a bulletin board, and an
easier domain name to remember are some of the advantages of the change. Software for the site was free and setup and
costs for the first year will be about $120-$150. Data planned for posting includes club membership information,
race schedules and results, junior ski program information, and club
newsletter. Additionally, anyone can
post information on a bulletin board about snow conditions and trips. Bulletin board submissions can be made at http://missoulanordic.org/discus. Send ski photos for posting to Kathy McGann
at 1450 W. Broadway, Missoula MT 59802.
Thanks to Kathy and Alden for all their outstanding efforts on this
project.
Our mission: To promote skiing among youth,
both at a recreational and competitive level.
The Youth Ski Program is run by a parent cooperative. When available, we hope to include outside coaching experts in addition to parent coaches. While maintaining the core of active skiers from earlier seasons, we are also hoping to attract new ski families into the program. This could include both skiers who only participate in ski practices as well as skiers hoping to do a few races. Interested families should contact Per Sandström.
Ski practice will be held on Tuesdays and
Thursdays at the Pattee Canyon ski trails, as soon as conditions permit. Early season ski practices will be held on
weekends at Lolo Pass, Seeley Lake, or Gold Creek. We are also planning a training camp in early December. For suggestions of location and to help
organize, please contact Ross Miller.
Youth race schedule will include races at Seeley Lake, Bozeman,
Whitefish, Anaconda, West Yellowstone, and possibly the Junior Olympics (J!).
We are looking forward to a snowy ski season with many “K’s” of fun!!
For more information please contact:
Team manager: Charlie Wellenstein 406-549-9365
Skiers 11 and younger: Per Sandström 406-721-593
Ross Miller 406-549-9747
Mark Hollinger 406-542-2021
Skiers 10 and older: Jesse and Gordon Opel 406-542-2700
Jim Buckley 406-728-2631
New skier: Per
Sandström 406-721-5935
Information about purchase of ski equipment
(special deals and advice):
Gordon Opel 406-542-2700
Mark Hollinger 406-542-2021
A Tidbit of News for You
A few
nordic ski websites to try for race information:
www.primemedia.net/pages/~bsf/race/race.htm
your official pull out and post on the refrigerator
Calendar Ski of Events 2000-2001
December
9 SPAM Cup, West
Yellowstone MT
Classic Registration
10:00-10:45, Race 11:00 a.m.
Kelli Criner 406-646-7744 or
freeheel@wyellowstone.com or Marc Sheppard 406-646-0012 or altius@gomontana.com
January
3-7 U.S.
Nationals, McCall ID
6&7 Ozone Pursuit, Seeley
Lake MT 2 Day Race, Pursuit Format.
6 20K Skate and shorter kids races 11:00
a.m. start
7 20K
Classic and shorter kids races 10:00 a.m. start
Gordon Opel 406-542-2700
6 SPAM Cup, West Yellowstone MT
Freestyle, Registration
10:00-10:45, Race 11:00 a.m.
Kelli Criner
406-646-7744 or freeheel@wyellowstone.comor
Marc Sheppard 406-646-0012 or altius@gomontana.com
12&13Junior National Qualifier, Olympic Venue, Soldier’s Hollow, Heber
City UT
20&21Glacier Glide, Glacier Ñordic Ski Club, Glacier Nordic Center, Whitefish MT
20
6k,
3k, 1k, Classic 21 12k, 6k, 3k, 1k, Skate
21
12k,
6k, 3k, 1k, Skate Contact Ian Bailey
406-892-4469, ian@bigsky.net
20&21Bridger Mountain Tour, Bridger Nordic S.E.F., Bohart Ranch, Bozeman
MT
25k, 12.5k, and kids
Classic races, Bob Swinth 406-586-3540, rlswinth@montana.edu
pre register
27 OSCR Ski Marathon, Seeley Lake Ski Club, Seeley Lake MT
10K, 25K, 50K Freestyle,
9:00 a.m. early start, 10:00 a.m. start
Contact Lynn Carey
406-677-2343
February
3 Boulder Mountain Tour, Ketchum ID
30 km point-to-point,
Freestyle, 800-634-3347
3 SPAM Cup, West Yellowstone MT, Classic
11:00 a.m.
Kelli Criner
406-646-7744 or freeheel@wyellowstone.com
or Marc Sheppard 406-646-0012 or altius@gomontana.com
4 Whitefish Winter Carnival, Glacier
Nordic Club, Glacier Nordic Center, Whitefish MT
10k, 5k, 2k, 1k Classic and kids race.
Contact Pete Metzmaker, 406-862-7960
4 Langlauf, Mt. Spokane, Spokane WA
10K Classic,
509-922-6080
4-10 U.S. Master’s Races, Sugarloaf
Maine 207-237-6830, outdoor@somtel.com
9&10 Junior National Qualifier,
Pinedale WY
11 Klister Klassic, Great Falls Ski Club,
Great Falls MT
9K, 18K Freestyle, 2K
kids race, Karen Kohut 406-727-3675
17&18Western States Youth Festival, Jackson WY
March
3 Ben-Ali Haggin’s Mile High Nordic Ski Race,
Mt. Haggin Ski Area, Anaconda MT
9K, 19K Freestyle 11:00
a.m. mass start; junior, youth, novice 1K, 2K, 5K 10:00 a.m. start
Joe Griffin 406-782-0316
or 406-782-0900
10 Yellowstone Rendezvous, West
Yellowstone.
50, 25, 10 km skating or
25 km classic.
American Ski Marathon
Series, 406-646-7701
Disclaimer: This schedule
contains the race information we have been given. We encourage you to contact the race director of or entry form
for any event you plan to participate in to verify date, start time, distances,
race format and location.
The MISSOULA NORDIC
SKI CLUB is a nonprofit community group whose mission is to promote
cross-country skiing in the Missoula area. The club maintains and operates the
equipment used to groom the ski trails at Pattee Canyon Recreation Area—a
service provided under a special agreement with the Lolo National Forest.
Yearly membership fees are $15 Individual, $25 Family, $50 benefactor, $75
Business, $150 Corporate, and $1000 life. Send check to: Missoula Nordic Ski
Club, P.O. Box 7354, Missoula, MT 59807.
Your
tax-deductible membership fee will:
*Help
support cross-country skiing and ski-trail grooming in Missoula
*Buy
you a subscription to the club's newsletter, X-C MONTANA
*Allow
you to take part in instructional clinics and other club activities.
CLUB OFFICERS and
PROGRAM COORDINATORS
Tom Daer, President Kathy McGann, Secretary Diane & Jeff Brooks,
Newsletter
Cary Larson, Vice President Dave Jones,
Grooming Coordinator Gordon Opel, Race Director
Ed VanAelstyn, Treasurer Ross Miller, Equipment Maintenance Charlie Wellenstein, Fund Raising
Inside This Issue
Message from the Real President
Dues Reminder
e-mail Address Proposal
Web Page News
Youth Ski Program Announcement
Calendar of Ski Events!
Missoula
Nordic Ski Club
P.O.
Box 7354
Missoula,
MT 59807