Washington Hut Hopper 2012

Washington Hut Hopper 2012 [1]

Trip Date:

Saturday, February 25, 2012 to Sunday, March 4, 2012

Trip Leaders:

A. Swank

C. Blaser

File:

Hut Hopper 2012 Flyer [2]

Supplemental Trip Details [3]

Trip Status:

Full

Hut Hopper Ski Trip in the Methow Valley of Washington, Northern Cascades:

Ski the Rendezvous Hut System [4].
Methow Valley Trail System [5] consists of over 200 km of cross-country ski trails.
Planned route will follow primarily groomed trails, with the option of off-trail travel. Trail map is here [6].
Note: Due to the nature of this trip, the maximum number of participants will be held to 6 individuals.

Sign up for the Hut Hopper trip:

Please read/understand the Supplemental Trip Details [7] document and then complete the Trip Application Form [8]. Please send the completed trip application form to Aaron Swank via internal mail or to:

Lewis Ski Club
Trip: WA Hut Hopper
21000 Brookpark Rd.
Cleveland, OH 44135

Non-refundable airfare (extra) will be organized once the trip is filled. Your spot will be officially reserved once the airline tickets are purchased. The non-refundable cost of the airline tickets (deposit check) will be requested prior to purchase.

For more information:
Contact the trip coordinators at huthopper2012lewisskiclub.org

Click for Additional Trip Details

Washington Hut Hopper 2012

Additional Trip Details

5 hut system in North Cascades near Winthrop Washington at 4000 ft elevation.
4 nights in huts and 2 nights in cabin in Methow valley.

Rendezvous trail system 25 km groomed trails with additional off trail snow opportunities.
Additional 200 km groomed trails in valley trail systems. Methow, Sun Mountain and Mazama trail systems.

This is an eight person ski trip, primarily traditional cross country skiing and skating with opportunities to use telemark skis, and venture off trail by ski or snowshoe.

This trip is designed for those who have had previous outdoor experience and have a basic skills associated with camping, carrying a pack and dressing appropriately for exercising in winter conditions. Although the trails are typically groomed, in the case of inclement weather, participants must be comfortable skiing on un-groomed terrain.

This trip would be considered intermediate level for skiing and winter travel skills and should not require avalanche training or other advanced survival skills, the huts are generally 6 miles apart, grooming is extensive and trail are generally wide, most on forest service roads.

You will be expected to carry your own weight in a backpack. Pack weight and size is intended to be kept to 25 lbs or less. The trip includes two freight hauls (one in, and one out) arranged for the entire group to handle group food and gear (from Cub Creek trail head). Freight haul will transport food and additional equipment to the hut in order to help keep pack weight reasonable. Each participant will be allocated no more than 25 lbs. for personal gear on the freight haul. Sleeping bag and clothes are carried in pack, weight may be higher traveling between huts but many opportunities to ski with no pack after reaching next hut. Each snowmobile haul is strictly limited to 300 lbs total. (100 lbs reserved for group food and gear). Additional snowmobile hauls may be arranged at your own expense prior to the trip.

Huts are considered primitive with outdoor pit toilets, full kitchen with propane stove, no running water, water is obtained by melting snow. Huts are small with a bed and sleeping pad. The entire group of 8 will share one hut each night; expect close quarters. Cabin has modern amenities.

Trip price currently does not include airfare to Spokane, WA. After the trip fills (or no later than Oct. 15) we will make an attempt to reserve airfare as a group on the same flight. The airline tickets are non-refundable and can not be changed once purchased from the airlines. Purchasing the airline ticket will reserve your spot on the trip. Airline price is expected to be $500 to $650 (Cleveland - Spokane).

Since the airline tickets are non-refundable and are purchased from the airlines directly, the Lewis Ski Club highly recommends purchasing additional trip insurance. Depending on the airline, additional travel insurance may be purchased at the time of airline ticket booking. A number of companies will also insure entire trips.

Trip lodging itinerary as follows; 1 night hotel, 4 night huts (3 different huts-Heifer, Cassal, Cassal, Rendezvous) 2 nights Brown Farm Cabin, 1 night hotel.

Approximate distance between the huts:
    Cub Creek Parking Area to Heifer:   ~6 miles
    Heifer to Cassal:   ~9.1 miles
    Cassal to Rendezvous: ~ 3.8 miles
    Rendezvous to Cub Creek Parking Area: ~ 6 miles
    ( Additional Details Online [9] )

Food will primarily be bought and organized after reaching WA. Dinner will be cooked and organized as a group, while breakfast and lunch will based more on individual basis when trip itinerary permits.

2012 Hut Hopper, Trip Summary

If spending the night atop a mountain, watching the stars twinkle over the jagged edges of surrounding peaks and sharing new friendships with fellow skiers over a bond fire sounds good, then you should have been at the Lewis Ski Club Hut Hopper XC trip to Washington State.

Despite the deadly avalanche tragedy in the area just a couple of weeks prior, ten skiers met in Winthrop, WA for six days of cross country skiing. The Rendezvous Trail System there features simple, rustic mountain huts for overnight stay. No TV, no radio, for that matter no water – melting snow for cooking and drinking became an ongoing task. A wood burner stove provided plenty of warmth and a propane stove facilitated communal dinners that pleasantly surprised everyone.

The first day out proved to be the greatest challenge as the group had to press uphill from the trail head located at an approximate elevation of 2,700 to the first hut at about 4,000 feet, covering about a 6 mile trip. The subsequent days involved transfers of about 10 to 14 miles to the next hut, fortunately with much more moderate elevation changes. The well groomed trails and the sunny skies made for enjoyable cross country skiing in the Cascade Mountains. Gentle snowfall of about three inches capped the pine trees on the third night, adding to the alure of the winter mountains.

Several of the more aggressive skiers also tried out their snow shoe skills by climbing the Rendezvous Mountain, looking for great photo opportunities and virgin snow. Attaining both, they repeated the feat with their skis to partake in back-country, deep snow downhill skiing. We were told that the greatest challenge was to get up after a fall, as the deep snow was unforgiving. The less adventurous of the group built an open fire in a fire pit by the hut, soaking in the warmth and the great views of the surrounding mountains.

Lewis Ski Club President Aaron Swank was the trip leader, assisted by Carl Blaser. Both leaders deserve a bounty of gratitude for organizing this unconventional ski trip! Working out the logistics of transportation, food, daily trips, sleeping accommodation, safety measures and things I can’t even think of. This trip presented a new dimension to skiing: one where the hum of chair lifts is replaced by the whisper of wind and the thrill of the downhill run is overshadowed by the satisfaction of completing a journey. On the way back to Spokane airport, the talk was about next year’s trip!