Alturas trails still amazingly great
On Tuesday, December 20th, the trail conditions in the Sawtooth Valley remain essentially the same as they have been for the last 2 weeks or more. No new snow has fallen. At Park Creek, 7 miles west of Stanley, abundant sage brush pokes through a low snow pack to bask in the radiant sunshine. This has made grooming all but impossible, and the few rough trails there are probably only suitable for rustic touring enthusiasts. We continue to recommend the trails at Alturas Lake which are looking great. North Cabin is still not open, but Over the Hill, Sheep Thrills, South Loop, Wapiti and the Trail to the Lake are all groomed for skating and classic skiing. The classic tracks are getting to be a a little old in spots but still mostly there. These frozen grooves are not being reset at this time because of the low snowpack. However we are continuing to provide a light touch grooming to the skating lanes which are wide and firm. We have been getting 100% positive feedback from skiers who are rating their experience on the trails at Alturas as “a delight”, “magical”, “unbelievable” and even “lifechanging”. Alturas Lake is now frozen and its clear ice surface is covered with hoar frost crystals the size of goose feathers. And, wIth its ice thickening and expanding, the lake was still singing on Monday, the 19th when our last “light touch” grooming took place.
