Introducing StorySki

StorySki is a 1 kilometer cross-country ski trail lined with the children's story Polar Opposites. This ski trail allows young skiers and their families to ski while reading the entire story of Alex the polar bear and Zina the penguin. 18 colorful story-panels line the trail -- for a self-guided storybook tour. Methow Valley author, Erik Brooks will also offer a guided StorySki on three holiday weekends throughout the winter.
StorySki will rotate to three different locations throughout the winter in the Methow Valley. From now through January 13th, StorySki will be located at the Mazama Corral Trailhead. Author Erik Brooks will lead his first guided tour on Sunday December 26th at 11am.

Who let the dogs out?

WE DID!
Starting Saturday, December 11th we will be charging for skiing on all the Methow Valley Nordic Trails. Don't get caught without a pass! 65% of MVSTA's yearly operating income comes from ski pass sales. Your purchase of a ski pass supports our year-round trail efforts. The skiing is fabulous right now. See you on the trails!

Skiing up high, with a view

We are having a great start to the ski season! Many skiers enjoyed some very nicely groomed trails at Sun Mountain over the Thanksgiving holiday. We expect more snow over the next couple of days so let us remind skiers that season passes are on sale now on-line or stop by the MVSTA office. We will be in the office on Saturdays from 9-12pm as well to help you with ski passes.

KING JAMES

MVSTA is so proud of our Trail Manager James DeSalvo who finished 128th today in the New York City Marathon. With an incredible time of 2:39:26 James finished 128th overall, 106th fastest male runner and he finished 34th in his age group. There were 45,000 runners in this year's race.
WOW,WOW,WOW!
Other impressive statistics are that James rarely runs on the road, he trains in the woods of the Methow Valley, he has never run in New York City before and he probably has never experienced 2 million people cheering him on. Congratulations James! We are so proud!

Kiss the Old Gear Goodbye

Are you cleaning out your gear closet?
Saturday is the Ski Swap. Sellers can check their gear in Friday 4-7pm or Saturday morning 7:30-9:30am. Sale starts at 10am! Here is a list of some of the large vendors:

Carolyn Price - The Sweater lady
D-Tours- bike and outdoor gear
Methow Valley Ski School Nordic gear
North Cascades Helli Skiing
Methow Cycle and Sport- bike gear
Karhu ski gear
Wet Willey – Assorted gear
Gear Heads- outdoor gear
Methow Mitts for dogs
MVSTA-ski pass sales
Loup Loup – ski pass sales
USFS – info and Christmas tree permits
Ice Rink – season pass sales
Loup Loup Snowboard Team- sign-up and info
Friends of the Library- bake and book sale

Make $$$ Save $$$

It's time to clean out your gear closet for the annual MVSTA Sports Swap, Saturday, November 6th. This is a great opportunity to make some extra money and save some cash on purchasing other great sporting good items. It's also your last opportunity to save $25 on your annual season ski pass. Sellers can get more information on our website. For buyers the sale starts at 10am and runs only until noon before the great stuff is gone. Hope to see you there for this great community kick-off to winter!

Profile of a Winner...

Steve Oulman was the winner of a custom Curtlo bike Frame during our Bike Festival drawing. Here's what Steve had to say about his luck...

"A huge ‘thank you’ to MVSTA for another fabulous Bike Festival (and I’m not just saying that because I won a Curtlo frame in the raffle). Year in, year out they put on great events that are fun for the locals and show off the beautiful Methow Valley to the rest of the world. It’s a unique organization for a unique place.
Curtlo bikes have such a great reputation. I'll be extremely proud to own and ride one. Riding in the Methow is the best way to endure, even enjoy, the seasons without snow. A new Curtlo cyclocross bike will let me explore the miles and miles of back roads above the Valley. I’m psyched! No more close calls with motor homes or log trucks on Hwy 20. No more getting smoked by the local high school science teacher descending Buck Mountain or Black Bear. Life is good. Get out and ride. Bike the Methow!"

And the Oscar goes to....

A HUGE thank you to the Filmmakers who shared their work with us at the first ever Methow Valley Bike Film Festival. We had such an incredible line-up of cycling films. Below is the complete list including the winners of the Director's Choice and People's Choice Award. Thanks to everyone who came and cheered for these films!

Film Festival Line-up
BENT by Jane Machamer
SINGLE TRACK MINDS by Donni Vognild
PARASOL by Webster Crowell, Panic Button Pictures
SURLEY PUGSLEY by Bruce Mathieson
UNITREE by Tory DeSalvo
COMMUTER DREAMS by Merritt Raitt -PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNER
THE BICYCLE GRIEF by Staci Gibson, peasoupstudio.com
JACKSON'S RUN BIKE TO KINDERGARTEN by Ron Goldman
UPSIDEDOWN AND UNDERGROUND by Gunner Oliphant, Trigger Vision Media
BIKE TRIALS:REGAINING BALANCE by Sheldon Pearson
PEDAL DRIVEN by Howell at the Moon, DIRECTORS' CHOICE WINNER
THOUGHTS ON MY BIKE by Andrea Dorfman
BIKING IN THE METHOW by Methow Valley Photography

TOTAL Bike Festival Prize List

Here is a list of all that was given away at this weekend's Methow Valley Fall Bike Festival. We hope you had an opportunity to join us.

Timberland gave away HUNDREDS of t-shirts, stainless steel water bottles, duffle bags, hats and bicycle blended smoothies.
Timberland gave the Methow Conservancy thousands of dollars thanks to everyone who made a pledge to be more environmental.
Curtlo gave away a custom made bicycle frame.
Methow Cycle and Sport gave away tons of bike swag and gift certificates.
Twisp River Pub gave away gift certificates.
Winthrop KOA, IMBA, and Clif Bar gave the Bike Rodeo riders cycling gift bags.
The Film Makers gave us hours of entertainment!
MVSTA gave $500 cash to Pedal Driven as the Director's Choice film and $250 to Merritt Raitt for Commuter Dreams chosen as the people's choice award.

A bicycle made for YOU!

Many cyclists dream of a handmade, custom bicycle. Well don't miss your opportunity to win a custom Curlo bike frame! Master bicycle designer Doug Curtiss is giving cyclists an opportunity to win one of his masterpieces. MVSTA is selling chances to win now through the Fall Bike Festivl. Tickets are $2.50 each or 5 for $10. Contact us if you would like to buy tickets.
Also, don't miss our Fall Bike Festival and the opportunity to meet Doug in person on Friday night October 1st as he and Hanz Scholz of Bike Friday kick off the bike festival with a 7 pm presentation at Carlos1800 Mexican Restaurant!

Simply Spectacular

What an incredible day for the Cutthroat Classic Trail Run! Thank you everyone for coming out and thanks again to our sponsors Backcountry Coffee, Blue Sky Realty, Chewuch Inn,Central Reservations, Sunflower Wash Works and Winthrop Mountain Sports. Enjoy the photos.

Trailhead Friends

These two chipmunks were hanging out eating service berries admiring the great work folks have been doing clearing weeds from the trails. Most of our weeds enter our trail system from parking lots or recently disturbed soil. From there they can travel on shoes, tires, and hoofs. This spring and fall we have made an effort to hammer down the weeds at these places and the first 200 meters beyond trailheads. If you feel inspired to help the cause feel free to pull a few as you are waiting for your kids or significant other to get there back pack on or shoes tied.

Thanks for the help and as always enjoy the trails!

HUGE Shout out to Washington Trails Association

Last year we asked people to consider giving to the Washington Trails Association(WTA) in their quest to obtain a matching grant up to $10,000 earmarked for Methow Valley Trails. (see the Oct. 17, 2009 post) WTA made that goal and just sent an update on the Methow Valley trail work they have completed this summer with those donations. Check out these incredible accomplishments:
4,252 hours of volunteer service on Methow Valley Trails!
60 hours of work per volunteer!
Replaced a single stringer foot-log bridge on the Lone Fir Trail
Worked on a dozen Methow Valley trails including the popular Maple Pass loop
Cleared fallen logs on the west end of the Pasayten Wilderness
Cleared blowdowns from the Twisp Pass, Scatter Creek and Copper Pass trails
Installed a new foot-log bridge across Wolf Creek
WTA crews are currently working on a new bridge across Robinson Creek
From one non-profit trail association to another we salute you WTA! Thanks for helping to keep outdoor recreation accessible and incredible!

Another week another bridge!

Our 5th bridge project of the summer was just completed last week thanks to the hard work of trail crew members Dick Evans, William Worrell, Pete DeLong, and Alison DeLong. This bridge is located along the community trail in Mazama just west of Wesola Polana and Browns Farm. You get a good view here of the old and new bridge beams or "stringers." The new beams were actually recycled stringers from the old lower Goat Creek bridge that still had some life in them. Roger Rowatt milled up the old rounds into beams that will work for shorter bridges like this and in the future for some short bridges up at Sun Mtn. Enjoy the new platform and the trails. If your lucky this bridge may actually make you levitate as you cross it as Alison is demonstrating above.

Thanks for the Memories! Bye, bye France.

Boy are we going to miss the Tour. Monday morning will be a lot quieter in the office...what will we talk about? Here is how MVSTA might celebrate if the peloton rode by our office!

Suspension Bridge Open!

Although Dava and Dave have another few days putting on some toe rails the surface of the new bridge is complete and the bridge is now open to all traffic. The bridge was completed 2 weeks ahead of schedule and shouldn't need any further maintenance for years to come. Pictured above are Dava Harris and Dave Ness after placing the final piece of decking.

Thanks for your patience the last month and enjoy the smooth surface.

Suspension Bridge Update

The bridge work is coming along nicely. We have flashed all the towers and reinforced where needed. The decking has been replaced on roughly 1/4 of the surface and will make the trip across smoother feeling than when it was first built. Dava, Dave, and Liam are doing great work!

As a reminder the bridge has been and will continue to be open every weekend through the maintenance period scheduled to end July 30th. Also the bridge will be open for three total days this weekend. We are keeping the bridge open on Monday July 5th for the holiday weekend.

Summer Mowing Season

With all the moisture we've had this spring/summer the grass has come in higher and quicker on our summer trails. We have been out mowing to knock down the majority of it so enjoy the clear trails. Trails mowed just recently include the Community Trail from Mazama to Browns Farm, Big Valley, Jacks and River Run, and various trails up at Sun Mtn.

Enjoy!

Like a bridge over our favorite waters

ATTENTION:the very popular Tawlks-Foster Suspension Bridge in Mazama will be CLOSED starting June 16th. MVSTA will be re-decking the bridge surface, placing flashing on the tower posts and reinforcing the bridge tower post. This $35,000 project is being performed by MVSTA, your community non-profit trail association and is funded from your purchase of ski trail passes. The bridge will be OPEN on the weekends but closed Monday-Friday June 16th-July 30th.
Stay tuned to this blog for more information regarding the bridge work progress.

Magic in Mazama

It was an incredible day in Mazama today! Over 300 runners raced on trails beneath Goat Wall, across grassy open fields and through pine forests. Thank you again to our race sponsors: Backcountry Coffee, Blue Sky Realty, Central Reservations, the Chewuch Inn,The Washworks and Winthrop Mountain Sports. We hope to see everyone in August for the Cutthroat Classic. Here are some photos from today's race.

New Toll bridge on the Community Trail!

MVSTA trail boss James DeSalvo has spent the last couple of weeks leading an effort to replace a failing bridge on the Methow Community Trail. The old bridge, leaning side to side, was estimated at somewhere between 30-50 years old. Over those 30-50 years countless skiers, hikers, bikers, and wildlife have passed over the bridge probably never pausing to stop and think, "how did this bridge get here?". This is just one of the many year-round trail maintenance efforts that MVSTA initiates so we all can enjoy human-powered recreation on the Methow Valley Trail system. So the new "toll" on the community trail bridge is to pause a moment and thank, James DeSalvo, Kurt Oakley, Mike and Dee Real, Belinda Denchfield, William Worrell, Dan Weinstein, Andy Osterhoff, and Roger Hammer.

Mazama Fun Run is just days away

This Saturday is another "running" of our wildly popular trail running race the Mazama 1K, 5K and 10K. Day of race registration begins at 7:30am in Mazama. The free 1K youth race starts at 9am followed by the 10K at 9:15am and the 5K at 9:20am. While the runners are out burning calories, Mazama's gourmet chefs will be busy preparing breakfast for the runners return. Don't miss this very family-friendly event. It is a great kick-off to the celebration of summer!

Trail Karma Day- Give back to Buck

HELP! If you have ever experienced the thrill of Buck Mountain this is your opportunity to give back! The trail on Buck Mountain is getting overgrown and is in need of widening. Grab a pair of loppers and join in on Methow Valley Trail Karma day on Buck Mountain Sunday May 23th at 9am.. We need volunteers to help clear the descents of Buck Mountain. Bring your bike, backpack and a pair of loppers/shears (borrow from a friend or neighbor if you don't own this tool) We will mountain bike in to the half way point and work on the most critical area. Hikers and trail runners are welcome too as there is work needed on each end of the trail.
Date: Sunday May 23rd
Time: 9am
Place: Meet at the Buck Mountain Trailhead: First Creek Ranch/Cub Creek
Bring: LOPPERS!, bike, backpack, food, drink and sunscreen.
More info: call 509-996-8179
PLEASE GIVE BACK!

A Toast to Julie

Here's to Julie! After working tirelessly for four years as MVSTA Event Director, Julie Muyllaert is moving on to other outdoor adventures. She has been instrumental in creating some of the most outstanding events in MVSTA's 38 year history. She will be missed (and called upon as she is just around the corner!)
Taking her place as Event Director is Mike Pruett. You may recognize Mike as he has volunteered for MVSTA for years as our finish line timer. Mike has incredible life experiences that make him a perfect fit for this new role. Please join us in toasting Julie and welcoming Mike!
(please note that the photo above does not reflect what actually happens in the office after a big event. Ok, yes it does)

26.2 Miles from the top of the Valley to the bottom!

Congratulations to all the Sunflower Iron and Team participants. Here's just a few (ok a lot) of photos from the race! Enjoy and thanks for coming.

Coming into peak form!

The Sunflowers are coming into peak form...even crowding the trails of the Methow Valley! The wildflowers are just in time for Saturday's Sunflower Marathon Run and Relay. We currently have 167 Iron runners and over 70 teams registered. Well over 500 people will be enjoying a run through the flowers. Race packet pick-up is Friday from 5-7pm at Winthrop Mountain Sports and race registrations will be accepted up until this time.

Sunflower Marathon Early Registration Ends Soon!

Early registration for the Sunflower Marathon and Relay ends soon. Thursday April 22nd is the last day for early registration ensuring you get a 30th Anniversary t-shirt and save $10 on the entry fee. We currently have about 50 teams and 120 marathon runners registered for this event! The sunflowers are expected to be at their peak on May 1st. We hope you and your friends can join us for this gorgeous running event.

Life is an adventure....drink it up!

As the Valley switches gears (no pun intended) from skiing to biking our friends at Backcountry Coffee Roasters are fueling us with a new blend appropriately titled Spring Ride!
We were excited to see the new bag on the store shelf right next to the Buck Mountain Blend which also is named after one of our favorite mountain bike rides in the Methow.
Lori and Bob of Backcountry Coffee are big supporters of MVSTA and avid outdoor enthusiasts.
We hope everyone is finding opportunities this Spring to get out and ride, re-fuel and rejoice.

Welcome Spring/Summer Trails

The Valley is melting out, flowers are starting to bloom and our MVSTA Trails publication should be in our mailbox this week. Enjoy!

Bike Film Festival

We have recieved our first film submission to our Fall Bike Film Festival! The bar has been set!

This is the opportunity for everyone to be a film producer, director and actor! Tune up your bike, charge the camera batteries, head out,capture the action and you could win $500!

More information and submission guidelines can be found here.

What I know for sure.

I know for sure that the MVSTA Groomers are magicians with the snow! The skiing is still incredible in the Rendezvous and Sun Mountain areas. What the groomers have been able to do with the snow this year is nothing short of magic. Today ends our regular season of selling trail passes HOWEVER because the skiing is so good we will be doing selected grooming in the Sun Mountain and Rendezvous areas throughout the coming week and offering free skiing. So despite the low snow year our groomers have carried us until the same closing day as last year! And each day has been incredibly good skiing.

Here's what the groomers know for sure:
1. It doesn't take a lot of snow to make perfect Nordic Trails.
2. A Groomer's work takes dedication, patience, mechanical wizardry and a love of skiing.
3. The ribbon of trail we groom lasts a very long time! Rain showers or warm temperatures do not melt away the trail in a day.
4. Winter is a lot shorter than spring, summer and fall so you should take every opportunity you can to ski and ski often.
5. Groomers prefer to bask in the moonlight rather than the spotlight. They are out at 2,3,and 4am creating perfect corduroy.
6. Job satisfaction comes in grooming over a trail littered with skate ski marks.
7. Your support of MVSTA supports the paycheck of a groomer, the fuel, the machinery, the maintenance and the magic.

Thanks for a great season!

Up, Up and Away in my beautiful, my beautiful....

BALLOON! A crystal-clear blue sky was the backdrop for the Winthrop Balloon Round-up and the start of the Winter Triathlon. What a great day! Congratulations to everyone who biked, skied and ran (and ran) in this event today. Below are just a few photos and results can be found here. Thank you for coming and supporting Methow Valley recreational activities!

The Best of All Worlds

This Saturday is the MVSTA Winter Triathlon. Perfect weather is forecasted for the three sports of biking, skiing and running! This weekend is also the Winthrop Balloon Roundup which is a breathtaking visual event not to be missed! Ski conditions are still very good up at Sun Mountain and the Rendezvous. Get out and enjoy!

Olympic Caliber

Racers enjoyed some new (and slow) snow yesterday during the Methow Olympic Festival Rendezvous Redemption race. After the race the community enjoyed watching another Olympic broadcast of the women's 30k classic with commentary by Leslie Hall and Laura McCabe followed by a spectacular dinner from chef Claudia Webber. Thanks to everyone who supported the McCabes at this fund raiser and a huge MVSTA thank you to Leslie and Laura for all their involvement in the Methow Olympic Festival!

Hail to the Chief

Here's a toast to our Executive Director, Jay Lucas who day after day has gifted us all with incredible grooming. Jay wears many hats at MVSTA but this one that reads "Piston Bully" may describe his work best. Today we got a email from some Canadian visitors that read" God knows you can't control the weather but you sure have managed the grooming and it is outstanding!".

On the Trail today: Feb. 24

Yet another great day today. With an inch of new snow overnight the clouds are parting today and everyone is enjoying sun and freshly groomed tracks! MVSTA enjoyed meeting Brian today on the trail. Brian is from Anacortes Washington and is enjoying his first ski trip to the Methow Valley. Brian shared how impressed he is with the ski trails in the Methow. Turns out Brian ran a large Nordic center in Montana so this is no idle praise. MVSTA has a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of Brian in the winters to come.

On the Trail Today: Feb. 22nd

These two good looking skiers were spotted on the trail today. They are none other than our MVSTA Board President Don Portman and local author Sally Portman. This husband wife team are two of the most influential forces behind the creation of the Methow Valley Sport Trails System and they never pass up great skiing opportunities like today!

On the Trails today: Feb. 20th

Nothing short of spectacular today! As one skier shared today "Where else but the Methow can you do Biathlon and Bull Roping in the same day". For photos on that check out our Facebook page.

On the Trail Today: Feb. 17

This special photo is of a Mother and Son trying out the sport of Biathlon today during the Methow Olympic Festival. It was a bluebird day in the Valley today. Sun and Snow = Perfect!

Get High in the Methow!

Today could arguably be the best day of skiing all year. It's all about elevation and the Methow Valley snow conditions are great. MVSTA didn't get to talk with any skiers today as everyone was skiing so fast! Unfortunately many people have to go home today after the long holiday weekend. Here's a shot of a group's gear awaiting a pick-up by the Rendezvous Hut shuttle. If you are leaving the Valley today, we hope to see you again soon. If you are getting ready to come, you will not be disappointed!

WINTER highlights the DOGGY DASH!

Man and Beast (of all breeds and sizes) were out this morning for the 5th Annual Doggy Dash. "Winter" stole our hearts with his brave performance. Thanks to everyone for coming out!

Methow Olympic Festival Opening Ceremony

What a great night! Thanks to everyone who came out for the Methow Olympic Festival Opening Ceremony. MVSTA would like to especially thank Rob Crandall for his fire juggling, John Falleen for the most incredible fireworks show, Linda Kimbrell for the use of her 2002 Olympic Torch, Larry Schaber for his amazing media center skills, the Community School for feeding us and Skip Smith for the killer outdoor pits! 16 more days of fun with the Festival!
Here are just a few photos from last night.

On the Trail today: Feb. 12

MVSTA didn't actually get a ski in today as we were setting up for the Olympic Festival. As we were setting up, these avid Nordic skiers from California showed up to take photos of our venue. Driving all the way from Santa Cruz these folks have spent the past 5 days skiing in the Methow and when they heard we were having a Olympic Festival they decided to stay one more day. They shared "we have loved absolutely everything from the ski trails to friendliness of the people".

On the Trail Today: Feb. 11th

As the snow is falling lightly in Mazama, MVSTA stopped to talk to this neat family from Arlington. This is their first time out on cross country skis! The group was tearing up the trails (especially the boys who were doing jumps off the snow banks!) With no basketball games this weekend for the kids, the family is enjoying the first weekend of the Methow Valley Olympic Festival!

METHOW OLYMPIC FESTIVAL STARTS FRIDAY

The Methow Olympic Festival starts Friday with the opening ceremony at the Town Trailhead. Bring your skis for a torchlight parade around the oval beginning at 7pm and stay for the fireworks show at 7:30pm. Also at 7:30pm watch the live broadcast of the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Games on a giant 12 foot outdoor screen. Brats and refreshments will be sold by the Methow Community School. The full schedule of Methow Olympic Festival events can be found here.

Let the games begin!

Smith: More than just the #1 Last Name

Congratulations to Casey Smith and Besty Devin-Smith. Both are taking the biathlon world by storm. Casey currently is competing in Sweden at the World Junior Biathlon Championships where day after day he tops the US athlete ranking. Each race day, Casey has either posted the best shooting for a US athlete or the best finish for a US athlete! Outstanding!
Meanwhile back at home, Casey's Coach (and Mom), Betsy was just awarded the US Olympic Committee's "Volunteer Biathlon Coach of the Year!"
Congratulations to the Smiths!

Pears support the Pros

Hey, wanna help one of our Olympic favorites Torin Koos?
Pick up some pears at the grocery store!

Brian Gregg Wins Minneapolis SuperTour

Hometown hero Brian Gregg won the men's 15km classic ski race today at the Continental Cup SuperTour in Minneapolis, Minnesota today. Photos and results can be found here. Congratulations Brian!

"Our" International Olympians

Here is a great NPR radio story on two of our favorite International skiers...Philip Boit of Kenya and Roberto Carcelen of Peru. Roberto has qualified for the Olympics, Philip hopes to qualify this weekend. The story was recorded at last weekend's Methow Valley SuperTour.

GREAT photos keep coming....

More SuperTour memories from Teri Pieper can be found here.

And more great SuperTour images....

can be found at Methow Images!