Newsletter of the Southern Oregon

Nordic Club

Website: http://onc.org/oregon-nordic-club/sonc E-mail: [email protected] Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/southernonc/

February 2015

Broken Top, South, Middle &, North Sisters, Black Crater, Mt Washington, 3 Fingered Jack, Mt Jefferson, Mt Hood & Mt Adams from Tam McArthur Rim

President’s Message Well despite our second year of less than stellar snow we do have 70 households who have paid dues for the year. Thank you for your support. This number is down from well over one hundred members in recent years. Included are five new members to the club this year. Kerry Hofsess; Margaret Karsten; Ray, Margaret & Josephine Mallette; Ron Ruppert & Pam Smith; and Anna, Jack & Jillian Tally. Welcome to the new members. Please “Think Snow” we still have time for a descent ski season. I hope to see you at the February meeting for our presentation from Wildlife Images.

Kevin Wood Photo from the Past (When we used to have snow in January)

Diamond Lake New Year’s Weekend 1996. SONC New Year’s Prospect Weekend was a low snow year. Searching for snow, members tried Crater Lake NP only to be turned away because of the government shutdown. Still looking for snow, we ended up at Diamond Lake. All that driving just tuckered out Tom Rose (reclining skier).

General Meeting: 7:00 PM Thursday, 5 February 2015 at D&S Harley Davidson 3846 S. Pacific Highway 99, Phoenix 1.0 mile south from South Stage Road on Hwy 99 (right side) 0.3 mile north from Fern Valley Road on Hwy 99 (left side) Don’t miss the next SONC general meeting. You’ll have a chance to volunteer for the John Day Race in February at Diamond Lake, as well as to catch up with club news and club members. And, as usual, there will be scrumptious refreshments and a chance to win a great raffle prize – only if you are there. Our featured speaker is from Wildlife Images. They always have very interesting presentations. Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center was founded in 1981 by wildlife rehabilitator J. David Siddon. Their facility was created in order to provide for the care and treatment of sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. Their clinic, animal sanctuary, and education center are located on 24 acres of land adjacent to the Rogue River near Grants Pass. Animals treated at Wildlife Images have included everything from baby squirrels and badgers to American bald eagles and grizzly bears. Wildlife Images release rate of intakes is near 50 percent each year with the national average at 33 percent. Animals with permanently disabling injuries that make them unable to live in the wild are integrated into one of Wildlife Images educational programs, either as educational ambassadors, or as permanent residents of the facility. We hope to give them a warm Nordic welcome! SEE YOU ON THE FIFTH!

Ginny Blankinship

_._-----------

29th ANNUAL

2015

JOHN

DAY MEMORIAL

2015

CITIZEN'S CROSS COUNTRY SKI RACE & FUN-SKI SUNDAY, •

15th AT DIAMOND

FEBRUARY

LAKE RESORT,

The John Day Race & Fun Ski offers something for all ages and abilities.

DIAMOND

LAKE, OR.

Participants do not need racing

. experience. The course is designed to maximize the recreational nature of cross country skiing while giving skiers who wish a challenge the opportunity to race the clock on a measured course. In past John Day events, the youngest participants have been under 7, the oldest 90+! To encourage participation by both novice and younger skiers as well as experienced racers, all races are held on a flat to rolling 5 kilometer loop. Registration fee for kids 12 and under is $2.00. There is also a class for Special Olympians of anyage with an entry fee of $2. Age groups are: 7and under, 8-10,11-14, 15-18, 19-24, then by 5 years (25-29, 30-34, etc.) . • There are three Free-style (skating or diagonal stride) distances: 20, 10 and 5k. There are two Classic (diagonal stride only) distances: 10 and 5k. The course is machine groomed and track set. Medals and ribbons are awarded to age group winners and trophies to overall winners. After the race event, there will be a lunch and awards ceremony, as well as a drawing for several donated prizes. The awards luncheon will start at 12:30. •

•

If you want an event T-shirt ($12) and a lower registration fee, entries must be received by February 7. Guaranteed availability of T-shirts only for those pre-registered. The T-shirt is short sleeved, lavender in color with black logo and lettering. Questions: Call Reider Peterson at 541-488-8830 or email to: [email protected] Day of race registration and bib pick-up will be at the Diamond Lake Resort lodge. in fl.Q later than ONe website.

9:30 AM.

The event

will

start

at 10:30 am.

Participants

Race results

must

will be posted

check

on the

Please detach and mail lower portion with entry fee to address below - one racer per form.

2015 JOHN DAY MEMORIAL CITIZEN'S RACE:

__

20 K

Freestyle

.: _10K

10 K Classic

__

Female

__

GENDER: AGE

(on Feb 15, 2015):

LAST

NAME:

FIRST

NAME:

CROSS COUNTRY SKI RACE

Freestyle

5 K Classic

__

5 K Freestyle

__

Special Olympics

_

time

_

Bib#

_

_

For Race Results

_ _

CITY:

_

PHONE:

_

Age:

ENTRY FEE:

ST ATE :

Z IP :

12 & under

13 - 18

19 & over

$ 2.00

$ 5.00

$ 15.00

After February 7

$ 2.00

$ 10.00

$ 20.00

Qty LUNCHEON:

circle size(s): (S Adult:

_

EMAIL: L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L L

Received by February 7

AWARDS

_

Male

STREET:

T-SHIRTS:

place

@ $12.00

M

L

I

XL)

$----

@$12.00

Child (12 & under): __

TOTAL - please make check to: Oregon Nordic Club. Mail completed form and check to: Karen Hee, John Day Race, 17 South Groveland,

$ @

$6.00$

_ _

$ Medford,

OR

97504

The John Day Memorial Race is sponsored by The Oregon Nordic Club, Diamond Lake Resort, and Rogue Ski Shop under a U.S. Forest Service permit.

_

SONC Photo Albums

Shasta Nordic Weekend 2015

Marjorie Bulkley has decided to retire after many years as Club Historian. She collected and organized photos and newspaper articles depicting various club outings and activities and placed them in the Southern Oregon Nordic Club photo albums for all to enjoy. Thank you Marjorie! The albums will be on display on one of the tables at each club meeting. Take a few moments during the breaks to look through the albums. Please help me fill in any missing names of people or places the photos were taken. You can attach a sticky note to the page and I will fill it in later. Also, please bring me prints from outings that you would like to include in the albums. Thank you,

“Tank of gas weekend” “Skating on thin ice” “Bad day of skiing better than a good day working” They all applied to the club’s Shasta Nordic Weekend. Nine club members made the less than a tank of gas drive to Shasta Nordic enjoying any skiing is better than no skiing and a chance to socialize-- members sharing after ski fermented drink, cheese, crackers and shelled peanuts. Shasta Nordic, guest presenters at the previous night’s general meeting, kindly advised us of trail conditions on Friday morning. The snow base was too thin to groom and conditions marginal. Shasta Nordic would be open for the weekend, but would not be charging trail fees. A quick Email blast to members conveyed that information.

Kathy Fennell Newsletter Articles Please send articles and pictures to [email protected] for the next newsletter by 22 February. The newsletter will be posted on the ONC website (http://onc.org/oregon-nordic-club/sonc) with the link e-mailed to SONC members. Remember that if you don’t submit articles the newsletter will be short. Please compose the articles and send in MS Word format.

John Fertig Avalanche Awareness Classes These 1.5 hour presentations (Free) discuss the key factors leading to avalanche formation and avalanche accidents. Also, we'll have a NWS meteorologist start us off with a short, 1/2 hour presentation on the weather and climate outlook for this year! Join us at 7 pm and learn how to recognize the clues to avalanche danger along with some basics on safe travel in the backcountry. Location in Mt Shasta TBA. February - 6th, 2015 March - 6th, 2015

Mt Shasta Avalanche Center Avalanche Companion Rescue Field Course Avalanche transceivers, or beacons, are the best tools we have to find someone buried in an avalanche. Join us and learn how to use one. This course is for beginners to expert, so don't hesitate to come and train with us. You can never have enough practice saving someone’s life! For more information contact Nick Meyers at 530-9269617 or email at [email protected] February - 7th, 2015 March - 7th, 2015

Mt Shasta Avalanche Center

Our hardy group of nine was forewarned. While none of us skated (other Nordic Center users did skate), we were skiing on thin ice. Although trails were not recently track set, the classic track was in remarkably good shape, considering. The old transformed snow had gone through several days of freeze-thaw resulting in tightly bonded grains of snow. Just couple of inches of this “thin ice” separated ski bases from dirt and gravel, with occasional patches of bare ground exposed. Although Shasta Nordic declined to collect trail fees, Nordic Center staff skied the trails remaining open with shovels patching the bare spots and picking up gravel to minimize ski base scratches. While I don’t have true “rock skis”, my older skis used for the weekend came back with essentially no damage after skiing two days on thin ice. Thank you Shasta Nordic! I’m one of those traditionalists who learned to cross country ski on wooden skis in Yosemite Valley. That meant stick (hard) wax in cans and klister (soft and sticky) wax in tubes. The Shasta Weekend was clearly a klister wax weekend with day temperatures pretty much above freezing. Great grip combined with great glide. I suspect the grip improved as my klister picked up pine needles. Our group of nine enjoyed the outing all agreeing that a day of skiing is better than a day of not skiing and sharing the trails and post ski refreshments made for a grand outing.

Edgar Hee

New Hut System in Central Oregon Last month I mentioned that there is a new Hut to Hut ski opportunity in Central Oregon. Three Sisters Backcountry has a three day-two night hut system that traverses near the eastern boundary of the Three Sisters Wilderness area. The traverse is 22 miles from Mt Bachelor to the Three Creeks Lake SnoPark south of Sisters.

Our more adventurous route was only about 6 miles longer than the more direct options, but it was breathtakingly scenic as we had clear skys for the first two days. We had views of the Cascades from Mt Adams to Diamond Peak.

I had the opportunity to use the huts in mid-January and was very impressed with them. The huts were designed and built by the owner then hauled into the site on a trailer for the winter. The huts have some artistic flair. The huts will be removed in the spring and set up again next fall. The owner is working on getting more huts in the system for the future.

Mt Hood & Mt Adams

Broken Top & the Three Sisters from Tam McArthur Rim

You can follow the suggested route (they will provide a GPS to use), follow the groomed snowmobile trail or explore through the open backcountry between huts (this was the option that we chose for the first two days).

The trip went great except for the part of the route we had planned that ended up being boilerplate ice on a relatively steep slope. We had anticipated that the slope would be similar to the other north aspects we had skied (i.e. very nice) but we were surprised by Mother Nature. After a two hour climb out of “Boilerplate Basin” we backtracked, came up with a new route and arrived at the hut 45 minutes after dark.

The huts are fully stocked with food and sleeping bags. All you need to bring is your day gear, any extra clothes you want and a sleeping bag liner. There is an outhouse at each hut (like the huts everything will be removed in the spring.

Three Sisters Backcountry also has a destination hut geared towards backcountry downhill skiers near the Tam McArthur Rim and conducts Avalanche classes.

“Boilerplate Basin”

John Fertig

SONC Scheduled Events (February 2015)

April

March

February

Date Day Category

Trip/Event

Location

Rating

Dist/Time

5 Thur

Meeting

Club Meeting D&S Harley-Davidson

7

Sat

Ski Tour

Rocky’s Flight

7

Sat

Ski Tour

Canal Trails

12 Thur

Ski Tour

Table Mt.

14

Sat

Lesson

N/A

14

Sat

Ski Tour

Glasgow’s Loop

15

Sun

Race

John Day Ski Race

19 Thur

Meeting

Board Meeting

Call for Directions

21

Sat

Lesson

N/A

Hyatt Lake @11:00

21

Sat

Ski Tour

Moon Prairie

21

Sat

Ski Tour

Table Mt. Sled Trail

28

Sat

Lesson

N/A

Hyatt Lake @11:00

28

Sat

Ski Tour

Lower Canal

Summit SnoPark

Novice

2-4 hours

28

Sat

Ski Tour

Table Mountain

Buck Prairie

Advanced

10

Sisters, OR Intermediate

12 mi 10 mi

Hyatt Lake @11:00

8-10 miles

Sandra & Bobbie 541-488-5003 Michael Dawkins 541-482-2703

Race/Tour

8.2 mi 5-10-20 km

Michael Dawkins 541-282-2703 (none) 1 to 1.5 hours 12 mi

Bob Plummer 541-488-5003

(none) 1 to 1.5 hours

Michael Dawkins 541-482-2703

Meeting

John Craig Tour

Club Meeting D&S Harley-Davidson

14

Sat

Ski Tour

Meridian Overlook

Mt. Ashland

19 Thur

Meeting

Board Meeting

Call for Directions

Meeting

Ski Tour Bull Gap to Mt. Ashland Meeting

Mt. Ashland

Kellie Barry 541-821-7147

Ginny Blankenship 541-535-1736 Advanced

ONC Website ?

Club Meeting D&S Harley-Davidson Board Meeting

Michael Dawkins 541-482-2703

Buck Prairie groomed trail

Ski Tour

4

Reider Peterson 541-488-8830

6 mi

Sat

16 Thur

8-10 miles

Deadwood Junction Intermediate

7

Sat

5-7 mi

(none) 1 to 1.5 hours

Pederson Intermediate

5 Thur

2 Thur

Phone

Ginny Blankenship 541-535-1736

Buck Prairie Adv. Novice Hwy.140 Summit Intermediate SnoPark Buck Prairie Intermediate

Diamond Lake

Coordinator

Ginny Blankenship 541-535-1736 Advanced

12 mi

Call for Directions

?

Blank spaces under coordinator are your opportunity to turn a planned outing into a reality

Shared Transportation Costs: SONC policy is that members who provide rides to trailhead locations for other members shall receive a donation to cover their vehicle costs. The amount of the donation is based on the distance traveled. The suggested donation amount per person is: • Short trips, such as Buck Prairie and Mt. Ashland – $5 • Medium trips, such as Summit Snow Park and Pederson – $10 • Long trips, (Crater Lake, Diamond Lake & Mt. Shasta) – $15 • Overnight destinations such as Bend – arrange with driver. Since the outing destination is usually known in advance, plan ahead, and bring the suggested amount with them. Donations are usually given to the driver at the beginning of the outing,

Important Notice about Nordic Skiing: Nordic skiing includes risks and hazards which can never be eliminated because of the inherent nature of the activity. Anyone choosing to participate in Oregon Nordic Club activities should be aware of prevalent risks and hazards. By making the decision to participate, each person must accept individual responsibility for their safety, realizing that accidents can result in personal injury or even death. The Southern Oregon Chapter's ski tour ratings are based on a combination of factors including tour distance, elevation change, steepness, and navigation. While ratings primarily reflect required technical skills (climbing, descending, turning etc.), difficulty ratings are adjusted upward as increased stamina is required.

All ratings assume average snow conditions (packed power). Low snow cover, re-frozen snow/ice, deep new snow will increase the actual difficulty of the trip. If in doubt, check with the trip coordinator.

Ski Tour Ratings: Beginner • Cross-country skiers with little or no previous experience • Bring water, food, extra clothing, personal first aid items, etc. • Trip Length: 2-3 hours of skiing

Novice • Reasonable skill in the basic techniques: diagonal stride, sidestep, kick turn, step turn, snowplow, and snowplow turn. • Control speed on gradual downhills and sidestep steeper pitches • Able to ski 2-5 miles on rolling terrain • Able to follow marked ski trails • Trip Length: 2-4 hours of skiing

Intermediate • Proficiency in all the basic techniques plus the traverse and herringbone on moderately steep terrain. Typically a full season or more of progressive experience • Climb and descend long, moderately steep and short, steep sections of terrain • Good stamina, ability to ski 8-10 miles or make long climbs • Trip Length: 3-5 hours of skiing

Advanced • Excellent proficiency in all ski touring techniques and wide range of snow conditions • Negotiate long, steep sections of terrain including densely wooded areas

• Strong skier able to ski 10+ miles with long uphill sections in widely varying snow conditions • Navigate poorly marked trails • Trip Length: 4-7 hours of skiing

Expert • Excellent all around ski touring and mountain person • Negotiate very steep terrain in nearly all conditions • Exceptional endurance - ability to ski 15-20 miles with long climbs • Navigate using a topographic map and compass • Trip Length: 6-8 hours of skiing

Trip Responsibilities¨ Trip Coordinator Responsibilities: 1. Identify yourself as the Trip Coordinator at the meeting point and/or at the trail head. 2. Have participants complete "Trip Register" including emergency contact with telephone number. Communicate trip liability waver information. 3. The Trip Coordinator should remind participants of trail etiquette (ski to right, downhill skier has right-of-way). 4. Trip Coordinator should use a map of ski area to orient people to the route. 5. Trip Coordinator should inform participants when a lunch break can be expected and the ETA back to the vehicles. 6. Coordinator should identify a lead skier and the last skier. If enough people are on the outing, have a trouble shooter to roam back and forth among the group. 7. The Coordinator should remain until all skiers return. 8. Return "Trip Register" to Bobbie Plummer.

Friends of the SONC: *Tognar Toolworks *Rogue Ski Shop, Medford, REI Medford *Northwest Outdoor Store Mt Shasta Nordic Center *Lake of the Woods Resort *Kokopelli, Ashland *Get ‘n Gear, Ashland Diamond Lake Resort Black Bird, Medford, *Ashland Outdoor Store,

*Offers discounts to members. Ask at the store

Perks of SONC Membership SONC owns two cargo sleds (not suitable for hauling children) that are available to members. Contact John Fertig [email protected] SONC owns two hard shell ski cases that members can use for trips. Contact Stefanie Ferrarer at [email protected] for the double case or Marian Crumme at [email protected] for the single case. The club has available group first aid kits for outings. Medford area contact is Kevin at 541-261-3547. Ashland area contact is Michael at 541-482-2703.

Officers and Board 2014-2015: President: Vice-president:

Trip Participant Responsibilities: 1. Contact trip coordinator before participating in any outing so they know who to expect at the meeting point and understand the expected difficulty and duration of the trip. 2. Please participate in those outings that match your abilities. Understand that trip difficulty and duration will be dependent on weather and snow conditions and on the abilities of the group. 3. Dress properly for the activity (Moisture wicking non-absorbing base layers and avoiding cotton base and insulation layers that retain moisture. Dress in “layers” to avoid overheating.) 4. Share ride expenses. 5. Cooperate with the Trip Coordinator and participate in making and abiding with decisions affecting the safety and well-being of the group. 6. Participants should leave an item at the side of the trail (or tell someone) if you must leave the route for any reason. 7. Carry safety and first aid equipment appropriate for the outing and expected weather conditions.

800-299-9904 541-772-8047 541-732-1938 541-245-4000 530-605-9395 866-201-4194 541-201-7694 541-482-5181 800-733-7593 541-779-5431 541-488-1202

Secretary: Membership: Outings Schedule Trails Liaison/ Grooming Coord: Treasurer: Newsletter: Meetings: Ski School State Rep:

Kevin Wood [email protected] Marian Telerski [email protected] Marian Crumme [email protected] Bobbie Plummer [email protected] Bob Plummer [email protected] Edgar Hee [email protected] John Fertig [email protected] Ginny Blankinship [email protected] Michael Dawkins

541-261-3547

Stefanie Ferrara [email protected]

541-890-2979

541-535-5166 541-531-3010 541-488-5003 541-488-5003 541-734-4872 541-601-5687 541-535-1736 541-482-2703

MEMBERSHIP FORM / GROOMER DONATION / LIABILITY WAIVER Checks should be made payable to SONC. Please mail to Bobbie Plummer, 3368 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520 Household Membership: $ 20.00 check #________ date __________ Groomer Donation Fund: $_________ (for grooming the road from Hyatt to Buck Prairie) TOTAL $________ Name(s)_______________________________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________________________________ City______________________State____________Zip__________ Phone:________________________Email____________________________________________ SONC will not share your personal information with anyone outside of the club. Name only will be furnished to outdoor stores giving member discounts unless you decline by checking here [ ]. SONC publishes a contact list for members only with name, phone number and email. Check here if you do not want to be included on this list [ ].

Number in Family Participating (All must sign below) Adults___________Children____________ Ski Interests: [ ] Family Tours, [ ] Snowshoe, [ ] Back Country Tours, [ ] Back Country Telemark,[ ] Lift Assisted Telemark, [ ] Racing, [ ] Groomed Trails, [ ] Winter Camping, [ ] Skate Skiing Would you: [ ] Lead an outing, [ ] Co-lead an outing, [ ] Organize work party, [ ] Participate in work party?

Assumption of Risk and Liability Waiver Outdoor adventures by their very nature are inherently dangerous and involve some degree of risk. I am aware that participating in the Oregon Nordic Club’s activities may expose me to certain risks and dangers including, but not limited to the hazards of mountainous, aquatic, or wilderness terrain, accident, illness, the forces of nature, and travel to and from the activity location or point of departure. I am aware that it is not possible to foresee all of the potential hazards of outdoor activities. Each participant in a Nordic activity is responsible for his or her decisions. To the best of my knowledge, I feel physically and mentally able to assume full participation in the activities in which I will participate. I understand that the Oregon Nordic Club is a volunteer organization and that trip leaders do not have medical or rescue training. In consideration of voluntarily participating in this outing, trip, or activity, I have and do hereby assume all the risks inherent in these activities and agree to hold harmless, from and against any and all liability, claims, and demands of any nature, including but not limited to liability for negligence, the Oregon Nordic Club, and any of their agents, tour leaders, officers, assistant leaders, instructors, and other participants. I acknowledge that ORS § 30.975 provides that an individual who engages in the sport of skiing, alpine or Nordic, accepts and assumes the inherent risks of skiing insofar as they are reasonably obvious, expected or necessary. Inherent risks of skiing include, but are not limited to, those dangers or conditions which are an integral part of the sport, such as changing weather conditions, variations or steepness in terrain, snow or ice conditions, surface or subsurface conditions, bare spots, creeks and gullies, forest growth, rocks, stumps, lift towers and other structures and their components, collisions with other skiers, and a skier’s failure to ski within the skier’s own ability. I have read and understand the statements on this page concerning the Oregon Nordic Club’s Outing Program.

_______________________________________________________________________________ PRINT YOUR NAME

SIGN YOUR NAME

___________________________________________________________________________________ PRINT YOUR NAME SIGN YOUR NAME __________________________________________________________________________________ PRINT YOUR NAME Signature (if participant is a minor, participant’s Guardian must sign.)