BackRoads Skiing

Cross country skiing in Grant County has it's own characteristics. 

It is not the daily groomed with set tracks (manicured) skiing of developed ski resorts.   For that you could visit nearby (70 miles) Anthony Lakes near Baker City  link, Mt Bachlor near Bend link, or any of the Cascade Mountain ski areas.

Backcountry skiing seems like a good term, although in ski circles this has come to mean: skiing in remote areas not within ski area boundaries.  It also typically includes no groomed trails, often no roads.  Some skiers will hike, ski or snow shoe up a steep slope and use backcountry skis or snowboards to come down deep, unskied powder.  Backcountry skis are halfway between a light, narrow cross country touring ski and the heavier downhill alpine skis.

In Grant County it's not quite touring, not exactly backcountry, although both are possible. It seems a term like BackRoads skiing might fit.

BackRoads skiing involves skiing on, typically, US Forest Service Roads in the National Forests.  When the snow is not too deep, any of hundreds of roads in this area will qualify.  With deeper snow, 4x4s, ATVs, and snowmobile tracks can be skiable.  In the Malheur National forest, the Grant County Snowmobile club volunteers have two snowcat groomers that maintain a series of over 700 miles of trails. The trails are groomed as snow conditions & volunteers allow.

Another quality of Grant County BackRoads skiing is, typically, it is not flat.  If you are interested in the flat terrain of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Sweden or Norway, try somewhere else. There are some relatively flat trails here; most have slight, moderate or a lot of elevation climb. It is good conditioning, the downhill is fun, mostly.  The views are totally worth it.

BackRoads skiing is classic Grant County: not quite polished, a little rough around the edges.  And, a great experience because of it.

I love this place.

These are just my personal views; feel free to post a comment & add your own ideas.  Maybe the unfolding of this website will provide a richer definition of BackRoads skiing in Grant County.