Latest North Cascades Pass Update - 4/22

Days 6-7-8 (end of Week 2), April 19-21, 2011
The clearing effort grew and increased in productivity with the addition of the D-6 caterpillar and the giant Kodiak snow blower from Stevens Pass. By Thursday afternoon, the highway was cleared fog line to fog line to Cutthroat Creek at Milepost 167, which translates to 16 miles for the first two weeks.
Not everything went well this week – Wednesday saw some delays with a flat tire on the road grader and then an air pressure issue with the Kodiak. Both were dealt with pretty quickly considering it takes a trip back and forth to Twisp just to fix a flat tire.

Don Becker, the Twisp Maintenance Supervisor who oversees the reopening effort every year says it was cold and overcast Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday, it snowed all day.

The Westside crew has cleared the highway, fog line to fog line all the way to MP 150, about two miles beyond the Granite Creek Bridge (which is the boundary between the west and east regions, as if it mattered to anybody but us!) Snow depth where they’ll start Monday is about 5-1/2 feet. That crew is working with a loader-mounted snow blower, a loader and a plow. (3 new photos, posted) They cleared about ten miles from the Diablo Gate east, the first week. This week they started at MP 145 where there was about 2 feet of snow, but the clean up of the Ruby Mountain slide, as well as all the pull outs limited progress to five miles.

When work resumes on Monday on the eastside, the avalanche crew has to be there to monitor slope stability as the crew begins work below the first of the major slides at the east end of Cutthroat Ridge (CR #1). Assuming it’s safe to work, Pipkin Construction’s D-8 caterpillar and operator, along with the avalanche crew’s Pisten Bully Snow Cat and an excavator from Wenatchee, will join the D-6 cat, the Kodiak, the loader and the grader. (We may need a traffic control plan…)

Don included 7 new photos (That’s Jason Newman fueling and driving the grader).

Two more notes – Winthrop’s 49’er Days celebration is scheduled as usual for the first weekend in May (6-7-8) and while the highway won’t be open – you’re invited to drive around and be assured it will be as much as ever. (Note: This is only the 3rd time in 35 years the highway wasn’t open for 49’er Days).

You will also want to check out the changes Dustin and I made to the NCH home page – it cleaned up the left column and put the camera thumbnails in the right column. The weather stations, forecasts and links to the recreation agencies now have their own page.

Despite the forecast for more late-season snow, we remain optimistic that the opening will proceed smoothly, (and I’m not even going to respond to the e mail I got about whether we can have the highway open before the legislature adjourns…)

Jeff Adamson adamsoj@wsdot.wa.gov (509) 667-2815

Link to the WSDOT Flickr page: www.flickr.com/photos/wsdot/sets/72157626170712679/

Link to Spring Reopening Page: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/Passes/NorthCascades/updates.htm

Link to the NCH Home page: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/Passes/NorthCascades/default.htm

Fun Sunflower Team Names

We have had a lot of fun in the office looking at all the Sunflower Team names.
Remember race registrations must arrive to us by Saturday April 23 to qualify for early registration prices and get a t-shirt!
Here are just a few of the clever team names:

Team Lava (not so fast..but pretty damn hot)
Rolling hills my ass
Blood, Sweat and Beers
We are just here to look pretty and drink beer
Joggernaut
One leg or another
Age Inappropriate
Just Brew It
B-Gnarly
The Bjunnes
Runners without Borders
Vashon Velocity
Extremely Ruud and Beyond Lost
Robin's Hoods
The Runaways
Wings of Liberty
Marathon a trois'
Cream Buffs
The Sunchokes
Half Fast
Runaway Bees
Runaway Cheese
Lonely Goatherds
Fast Crappers
Captain Red
Seeking Sun
B.F.H.H.
Brownian Motion
Trail Slugs
Team Mojo
Nice Marmots
Powered by Beavers
Eastside Bashers
Penticton Buttercups
Mountain Maidens
Galbraith/Boyd
The King Boys and their Mom
Misak Izachafed
Team Recycling Roundup
Stepdad's Rock
A-Team
Two Noses Running
AYHSMB
We love Kelly Fox
The Magnificent Seven

Summer Makes the Skier

It is what every athletic trainer will tell you...."summer makes the skier".

Lucky for you MVSTA has a number of summer events to help you increase your fitness for next winter. These events include the
Sunflower Marathon and Relay event celebrating it's 31st year on May 7th. Following this is our very popular, extremely family-friendly
Mazama 5k & 10Kk Trail Run on May 28th. In August we take 250 lucky runners on one of the most scenic, high elevation runs in the United States, the Cutthroat Classic on August 27th and cycling enthusiasts know not to miss our 25th annual Fall Bike Festival September 30-October 2.

Just as your summer activities establish your fitness level for skiing, the same is true for the ski trails. While MVSTA is best know for our incredible ski grooming, the success of our ski trails lies in the work we do in the summer. At MVSTA, our year-round nonprofit work focuses on the development and promotion of our non-motorized trails. To establish healthy ski trails, the work begins in the summer. This summer we will be working on a number of trail projects aimed at not only enhancing the summer recreational experience, but also preparing the trails for another great ski season in 2012.

We would like to extend a big thank you to all the individuals who supported MVSTA this winter. The majority of MVSTA's budget is financed by ski trail pass sales, which come in three short months of winter. Your purchase of a MVSTA ski pass (day, season or lifetime) supports this kind of year-round recreation and trail maintenance on our world-class trails. Thank you!