Groomer Appreciation Party March 27

Our groomers perform feats of strength all winter, rising in the middle of the night and grooming up to 8 hours in the dark at a top cruising speed of 4-6 miles per hour. On good nights they go out in the snowcat, plug in their iPod and listen to the same playlist over and over again. On other nights they sit exposed to the elements on a snowmobile.

Many of you have asked..."who are these people and how can I thank them?"  Here is an opportunity to sit shoulder to shoulder with these superheros and thank them for another great season.

Thursday, March 27

Old Schoolhouse Brewery 

4:00pm - 6:00pm  

Please feel free to stop by and enjoy the company of these fantastic MVSTA employees.

2014 Grooming Team: 

Joe, Mike, Steve, Rob, James, Lliam, Mike, Torre, Ed, Alan and Jake.

Free Ski Day: Friday, March 14

 photo by Jackie Hovis 

Backyard Ski Day, Friday March 14 

The Methow Valley Sport Trails Association (MVSTA) and local community partners invite everyone to enjoy a free cross-country ski day on Friday, March 14^th.

Backyard Ski Day is a great way to experience the Methow Valley ski trails for the first time. Trail passes will not be required on this day and the event even includes free ski rentals and free ski lessons. Enjoy this barrier-free opportunity to experience the thrill of cross-country skiing. Bring your family, bring a friend, and enjoy a fantastic day outdoors on the ski trails. 

Details of the event include:

• Free trail access all day on all the MVSTA ski trails. 
• Free ski rentals can be obtained from Winthrop Mountain Sports, Methow Cycle & Sport, and the Mazama Ski School.  Reservations recommended. 
• Free, one hour cross-country ski lesson courtesy of Methow Valley Ski School will begin at 10:00am at the Corral Trailhead in Mazama.
• Free snow cat rides from 10:00am to 3:00pm at the Corral Trailhead in Mazama
• Free beverages and s’mores at the Corral Trailhead in Mazama from 10:00am to 3:00pm
• Dogs also enjoy complementary trail access ( with free deer carcasses here and there.)  

Program sponsors include: Blue Sky Real Estate, Central Reservations, Chewuch Inn, Freestone Inn, Goat’s Beard Mountain Supplies, Inner Passage, Lariat Coffee, Methow Cycle and Sport, Methow Valley Ski School, Nordic Ultratune, Rivers Edge Resort, Rocking Horse Bakery, Smartwool, Sun Mountain Lodge and Winthrop Mountain Sports.

For more information on Backyard Ski Day contact events@mvsta.com or Danica Ready, Program Manager at 509-996-3287.

The Methow Valley Sport Trails Association (MVSTA) is a non-profit organization that connects people to the special nature of the Methow Valley and support community vitality.

The MVSTA trail system includes over 120 miles of cross country ski trails in the winter months, and is recognized as one of the finest trail systems in North America for Nordic skiing, mountain biking, trail running and hiking.

Grooming til April 1st, Ski Pass Deal, Upcoming Events

KEEP SKIING! 

MVSTA plans to groom and keep the ski trails open until April 1st this season. An incredible opportunity to ski right into spring.  March provides some of the very best skiing of the year. The sun shines, the days are longer, the temperatures are comfortable and the trails are in great shape.  Follow the MVSTA Grooming Report for daily updates on conditions.

Trail passes will be required through March.  MVSTA is offering a special incentive...buy a season pass now for next ski season and the pass will also be good for the remainder of this year.  Passes are being offered at the early season price of just $275 per person.  You need to ski just 13 times to make a season pass worthwhile and you could do all of that this March alone!   Passes can be purchased at the MVSTA office in Winthrop.

There are a number of great events in March including:

• 200k Challenge.  If you haven't reached your 200 kilometer goal yet, keep skiing!  You have until March 13 to reach this goal. Then be sure to enter your name on the MVSTA website to be eligible for prizes. 
• Fat Bike. Have your cycled in the snow yet?   
• Winthrop Balloon Festival- March 7-9.  As if the Winthrop scenery wasn't incredible enough, over a dozen hot air balloons fill the ski for this festival.  Balloons launch in the morning and you can ski the rest of the day = Perfect!
• Backyard Ski Day- March 14  MVSTA's final "free ski day" at the Mazama Trailhead. Bring a friend who has never skied before! Come meet some of our groomers, enjoy some food and social time with new and old friends. 
• Trail Running Film Festival - March 18 at the Twisp River Pub hosted by Rainshadow Running. A great way to get inspired for some trail running after your ski season is all done.  
• See how great spring skiing is. We filmed this video in March. Note the sunshine, light jackets and fast snow!  

GROOMING TIL APRIL 1st

MVSTA's plan is to groom until April 1st.  (no joke).   We have more snow than we had last year at this time. The skiing is fantastic and  will be for weeks to come. The fat biking is also perfect with lots of packed snow. If the everyday event of incredible skiing, scenery and sun isn't enough to entice you over check out our events calendar for upcoming weekend activities.  Here are some photos from the past couple of days on the trails:

President's Day Weekend Events for Saturday, Feb. 15

It's going to be a great holiday weekend ahead with lots of new snow and great skiing. 

Here are some great events to consider for the weekend. MVSTA's full event schedule can be found here. 

The Methow Valley Nordic Holiday Ski Camp runs Saturday and Sunday (Feb 15&16). This is a great opportunity for kids to get some expert ski coaching and have a lot of fun with other kids. This camp runs from 1-4pm each afternoon.  More information can be found on the Methow Valley Nordic website. 

Try Biathlon is Saturday, Feb. 15 from 10am-1pm.  This very popular event is a great way to try the Olympic sport of Biathlon. Participants need no experience! Methow Valley Biathlon team coaches will provide instruction all in a safe environment. Bring the whole family or challenge a group of friends to join you!  First come first shoot in 30 minute time slots. Ski out to the biathlon range in Mazama to sign-up. $20 entry includes all the instruction and a souvenir photo and the event is a fundraiser for the Methow Valley Biathlon team. More information can be found here. 

The Tour of the Methow is also Saturday, Feb. 15 sponsored by the Methow Valley Nordic Club. This is a great way to challenge yourself to a lot of kilometers. There is a bus option for skiers wishing to ski from Cub Creek to Mazama.  Read more details about this option here.  There will be a fun MVSTA sponsored food/party stop for skiers in Mazama at Cow Beach shelter, (or. wai-Cow-ki Beach) all with a luau theme! More food stops are available at North Cascades Basecamp who will be grilling up some great brats for just $5 as well as the ability to stop and enjoy all your Methow Valley favorite bakeries and restaurants in Mazama and Winthrop. This event is a celebration of skiing and a fun way to enjoy the day with family and friends. It's also a great way to rack up a bunch of kilometers for MVSTA's 200k Challenge. More details on the Tour of the Methow can be found on the Methow Valley Nordic website. 

Current Ski Trail Conditions

The skiing right now is the best of the season!  Here are some photos from the trails from the past few days.

Rendezvous Race Photos Courtesy of Mitchell Image

Here are some great photos from Mitchell Image from the Rendezvous Race on Saturday.  Congratulations to Tav Streit from Hoodriver, Oregon on taking the win and Laura Mccabe for finishing as the first female.

Full race results can be found here.

Pictures below maybe purchased at high resolution from Mitchell Image.

Click on photo to view album.

MVSTA Pursuit 2014 ©stephenMITCHELL photos