Late Grooming Report 1/1/17 - Summit Prairie

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 On Jan 1, 2017 10:13, "Dave Hannibal" <dhannibal2011@gmail.com> wrote:

Happy New Year

Cat one started out last Wednesday on a run to Antilope and had mechanical issues so it spent the next 3 nights alone in the woods on the 14 road. Repairs were completed yeaterday afternoon, thank you to Dan and Tim for the help.

As for fresh grooming the 135 from Huddleston to lower lot out the 16 to about 3-4 miles out the 14 (where the cat was broke done) and back to parking. Also the small loop just above Huddleston.

Further out the 16 from the 16rd 14rd Junction was pretty much untouched fresh groom with 8 inches of fresh on top. What was covered yesterday is set up hard, off trail is bottomless powder.

Wednesday I will groom from Summit prairie to Seneca and the cat will stay there through the weekend preping the race tracks and hitting trails out of Seneca.

Saturdays groom is the blue line on map.

Enjoy

Dave

Dry Soda Lookout - FR 3925 - Starr Ridge 12/31/16

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Location: Hwy 395 to Co 65 to FR 15 to 3925 to 1516 jct.  3925 to Dry Soda Lookout

Road & Trail Conditions: 395 blowing sno, patchy ice, co 65 & 15 plowed & solid ice. 3925 is plowed for logging to 1516 jct, then D6 cat tracks to lookout & beyond.

Snow Conditions: 2'+ packed base with slight powder on top

Skis on & temperature: 1pm 24   (JD 20 )

Skis off & temperature: 5:30pm  12 (JD 18 )

Distance: 8 miles

Rating (1-10; 10 awesome): 9.5 (-.5 for skiing on frozen cat tracks)

Comments: plowed 3925 makes for easy ski to dry soda lookout, giving one of the best views of whole south side of strawberry mtn. range & south into bear valley & seneca.

cat tracks were wide, frozen ridges, a little too fast on descent, stayed on deeper shoulder powder on return trip.

looks like they are preparing these roads for logging this winter.  there is a lot of burned trees along this road.

noticed the 196 from 395 is also plowed going east.  not sure if it will be complete from both directions.

FR 4920-333 Loop - Starr Ridge - 12/29/16

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Location:  Hwy 395 to Starr ridge; FR 4920 to 607 up to Fall Mtn. Lookout.  back down to 4920 west & south to 333 to sno park; 987 back to start

Road & Trail Conditions: 395 patchy ice after Co 65, solid ice either side of summit

Snow Conditions: 18-24" base with 1' new powder on top

Skis on & temperature: 10:30am 14  (JD 18 )

Skis off & temperature:  6:30pm 8 (JD 18 )

Distance: 14 miles

Rating (1-10; 10 awesome): 9

Comments:a relatively easy, if longish, loop.  not a lot of elevation climb, except for the side trip up to fall mtn. lookout.  i love a view.  very mild day, until 150 yds. from fall mtn summit, where it became deep winter very quickly; 40mph sustained winds.

crossing 395 twice inconvenient.  walked a ways east on the 196 to see how far it was plowed (can't ski).  went a long ways, possible to dry soda lookout, see next post.

navigating the ski area roads back to summit can be a little confusing.

views along the way:

canyon mtn - west face

4920 rd

allen creek at 4920/333 jct

Snow Fog at Summit Prairie 12/25/16

this is what greeted me returning to rig:

Summit Rock: 16-1660 revisted 12/25/16

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Location: Co. 62 to FR 16 Summit Prairie.  FR 16 south, at summit 600 east...630...1660 uphill to Summit Rock; backtrack down 1660 to 16 & start

Road & Trail Conditions: AM; Hwy 26 patchy sno  & ice PM mostly clear; Co. 62 plowed packed sno & ice, more ice at lower elevation

Snow Conditions: almost 3' base, 3-12" new over previous grooming

Skis on & temperature: 10am 18° (JD 25° )

Skis off & temperature: 4:30pm 0° (PC 10° ; JD 17° )

Distance: 14 miles;  elevation 1600+

elevation chart:

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Rating (1-10; 10 awesome): 10 (of course)

Comments: lovely start of day: blue skies & sunny with an east wind blowing lazy sno flurries.  ahhhh.....

limited ski options today. 6-12" new sno since last grooming made many trails too deep.  surprisingly, not many snomo tracks since then either.  followed some from fri or sat. with new sno on top.  saw no one today.

started out on the same course as 12/22, south on 16 as it was into the sun & there was one clean, flat snomo track with 1-2" powder on top. the only other option looked to be the 16 west into logan valley. had several snomo tracks with lots of crossing chop. also in the shade.

temp. wasn't too cold, occasional brisk east wind dropped windchill fast +/- 0.  wore most of my layers & first day for balaclava:

found it very useful, especially at end of day, sun down, shadows, wind & downhill.  broke out heated mitts for second time as fingertips were getting pretty cold.

more sno than thurs., breaking trail slows things down; no herringbone needed on top of 630:

 1660 downhill on thurs. was 15mph; today 7.  i like slower.

this is a day where you follow whoever was kind enough to lay some tracks down.  the first set on  600-630 ended 1 mile short of the 1660.  broke trail for that mile & found more tracks both up & down 1660. at summit rock, no tracks down 1665 to huddleston, so backtracked.

went up for the view & some pics:

Graham Mtn.

summit prairie FR 16 west into logan valley

l-r strawberry to graham mtns.

Strawberry mtn. - se face

above treeline wind can easily cover over groom or tracks:

Solstice Ski - Summit Prairie FR16 -600...1660 etc. Loop 12/22/16

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Location: Co. 62 to FR 16 Summit Prairie.  FR 16 south, at summit 600 east...630...1660 north...625...598 west 135 south back to start

Road & Trail Conditions: Hwy 26 finally clear. Co.62 clear to forest boundary then packed ice. snoplow & gravel truck working as i went up

Snow Conditions: 2'+' base

Skis on & temperature: 9:30 0° (JD 14° )

Skis off & temperature: 2:30 20° (PC 24° JD 27° )

Distance: 12+ miles; 1500'

Rating (1-10; 10 awesome): 10+

Comments:  another fabulous day skiing grant county!  blue & sunny & cold to begin, clouds moved in mid morning with warming, finished with blue & sun.

this is starting to feel like my own private ski resort. fresh untouched groomed trails, several days old groomed with 1"+ powder. no snomobiles. very gratitude.

FR 16 south summit. snomo tracks to right along 16; older groomed with 1" powder along 606 to left

this is a lovely loop, that can be modified into smaller segments taking the 1660 back to 16.  the elevation climb is easy except for some herring bone technique for 50+ yds. at the peak of the 630:

the payoff for the elevation work is a zippy, long & fun downhill run along the 1660.  today had 1"+ of powder on older groomed.  wide road, easy curves. 15mph, only wobbled a few times; no crash & burn.  great downhill control practice.

a few down trees, probably will be removed shortly. 2 on the 598 easy to get around. one on the 625:

no way around on skis. be careful stepping into drifts & off road.  easily went up to knees & higher.

please take care going fast downhill around blind curves.  came up on this turning downhill, from 625 to 598: shaded, icy & around a curve.

here is a sight i haven't seen:

the 135 from huddleston to 16, untouched by snomo tracks, flat smooth, fun.  this is usually pretty chewed up & choppy.

FR 16 west into logan valley has been groomed with tracks on top:

snack break & map check on the 625

USFS Roads Plowed for Winter TImber Harvest

From: Murray, Robin R -FS
Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 10:43 AM
To: Dixon, Teresa - FS <teresaldixon@fs.fed.us>; Winegar, Shannon -FS <swinegar@fs.fed.us>
Cc: Murray, Robin R -FS <rrmurray@fs.fed.us>
Subject: update on plowed roads

Thought I’d give you both an update on plowed roads with timber sales and contracts that I administer:  The 2010 road is plowed several miles to the junction of 2010/2010328 in the Cup contract area. I expect it will be plowed most of the winter.

The 15 road is plowed to the junction with 15/16.  I think the 15 road south of the 15/16 junction may be plowed as well to Wolf North IRTC – Trevor Simmons is the SA and would have more information on Wolf North.  Trevor may also be able to tell you what roads are plowed in Mars TS that is in the vicinity of the 4955 road.

The 3925 is plowed from the junction of 3925/15 to 3925/3925382 in the Sugar contract area and C Salvage. I expect plowing to continue west on the 3925 as there are Sugar units that require oversnow logging along the 3925.  Ryan Courtney is the SA for C Salvage and may have additional road numbers that are being plowed in the Canyon Creek drainage.

The 1601 in Cub TS and 4900333 road to Venus TS may also be plowed in the Starr Ridge area – Lisa Arntz would have more information for those areas.

……………and after a trip to the Sugar contract area this afternoon, I see the 1620 road is plowed for eventual haul and the 3925 is plowed to the 1516 junction.  Incidentally; the 1516 is plowed as well probably for haul off the C Salvage units.