Tracks

Day Tripping: Ray Benson to Little Nash

Looking back at Hoodoo
Originally uploaded by oncwillamette

According to the weather station atop Hoodoo Butte, there is about 50 inches of snow at the pass, and more is likely to fall this week. With such favorable conditions, the annual club tour known as the Ray Benson to Little Nash Traverse is sure to be a delight.

This year the tour will be held Thursday, December 30th and is rated as a B/A tour, mostly due to distance. It is an 8 to 9 mile backcountry route around the south side of Hayrick Butte and Hoodoo Buttes (pictured at left) and down to Little Nash SnoPark on Hwy 20.   Though long, the skiing is usually straightforward and requires few fancy technical skills. Those with steeper ambitions can use the same route, climbing higher to come down faster... ;-) The tour is mostly downhill and a great way to end (or begin) the year. This also a great introduction to backcounty skiing.

If you are interested, contact Jim (503  378  7003) for details.

Seasonal Reading

This is from Jim, an avid reader as well as skier!  Most of these titles are linked from the left navigation panel.   

"I've finally put some information together for the website's reading list.  The existing list might be pruned a bit or shifted to an "archive" page, but I think Steve Hindman's Cross Country Skiing, and Bruce Tremper's Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain should stay on our primary list because they give such excellent coverage of their topics.  There's a new (2008) edition of Tremper's book that I haven't had a chance to read.

Other recommended titles: 
Tony Daffern's Avalanche Safety for Skiers, Climbers & Snowboarders also gives excellent coverage of avalanche safety.  Laurie Gullion's Nordic Skiing: Steps to Success is a great "do-it-yourself" book on xc ski technique.  It breaks ski maneuvers down into simple steps and suggests a wide range of learning exercises and practice drills.  A technique book that I haven't had a chance to read (but would like to) is Backcountry Skiing: Skills for Ski Touring and Ski Mountaineering by Martin Volken, Scott Schell & Margaret Wheeler.  This is part of the Mountaineer's Expert Series, which also produced Steve Hindman's book.

Finally, in a less practical vein:
The Last Place on Earth: Scott and Amundsen's Race to the South Pole by Roland Huntsford is an excellent comparison of the techniques used by these polar explorers.  Skiing figures prominently in the ultimate success of Amundsen's expedition.  Fatal Passage: the Story of John Rae , the Arctic Hero Time Forgot by Ken McGoogan is a biography of a little know Hudson's Bay Company explorer with an exceptional record of success in charting portions of the Northwest Passage.  Rae was actually a snowshoer rather than a skier, but the book is still good reading.  Finally, another title that's pending on my "Must Read" list:  Two Planks and a Passion: the Dramatic History of Skiing by Roland Huntford.  It should be fun."

Happy reading,  JIm

December Meeting: Hypothermia

Hypothermia and Other Winter Injuries - Jim Warner, chapter Vice President, will teach the first session of a four-part series on winter safety, travel and survival for all outdoors enthusiasts. When combined, the series provides an overview of winter backcountry safety and travel. 

Tuesday, December 14th, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Pringle Hall Community Center, 609 Church Street SE, Salem, Oregon.

Upcoming Classes

Willamette Chapter ONC Logo
Originally uploaded by oncwillamette

Greetings and Think Snow!

The Willamette Chapter of the Oregon Nordic Club is pleased to announce a four part series on winter safety, travel and survival for all outdoors enthusiasts. When combined, the series provides an overview of winter backcountry safety and travel.

The free series is designed for the general outdoor enthusiast, and is open to participants 18 years or older.

The series consists of three classroom sessions, and a final outdoor skills workshop held on Santiam Pass.

Each classroom session is a stand-alone class on the topics listed below; participants wishing to take part in the outdoor skill session must complete the three classroom sessions. Detailed class outlines can be found at: http://www.survive24hours.blogspot.com/

Classroom Sessions:

Class 1 – Hypothermia and Other Winter Injuries – Tuesday December 14^th

Class 2 – Staying Found – Tuesday, January 11^th

Class 3 – Winter Survival Skills – Tuesday, February 8^th

Handouts will be provided at the class to attendees.

All classroom sessions will be held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Pringle Hall Community Center, 609 Church Street SE, Salem, Oregon.

Outdoor Skill Session:

Class 4 – Skills Workshop – February 2011 TBD Pre-registration required. Please call (503) 390-1144 for pre-registration details.

The final outdoor skill session will be an on-snow instruction and practice of the skills needed to survive the first 24 hours of an emergency. This will include route finding, snow shelter building, and fire issues. For the hardy and ready, an optional overnight stay will be offered. This is a great hands-on learning experience for the day or weekend.

Jim Warner, vice president

Willamette Chapter of the Oregon Nordic Club