roald Posted February 10, 2004 Posted February 10, 2004 I have decided to write about Adventure Skate Skiing (ASS) to drum up a little support for this activity. I've been getting some ASS for a long time, and don't see anyone else out there getting any. So I guess this makes me the King of ASS. What is Adventure Skate Skiing? It is skate skiing on groomed snowmobile trails. The US Forest Service and the State of Washington spend about a gazillion dollars to lay down hundreds of miles of groomed snowmobile trails throughout the state. These are wide swaths of perfect corduroy laid down by big Bombardier sno-cats, just like on the groomed runs at downhill ski resorts. There are several well-groomed snowmobile havens in Washington State. I am most familiar with the Lake Wenatchee/Entiat area, which you can access via a Sno-Park area near Fish Lake or another up the Entiat River. Getting some ASS takes a little work, but it is worth it. You see, snowmobilers don't get up very early. The typical snowmobiler is too busy sitting on his ass to get any, well, ASS. This leaves a window of opportunity between the time the trails are groomed and the snowmobile mobs hit the trail - typically 6:30-9:30 a.m. on the weekends, and a little longer on weekdays. This leaves some ASS wide open for anyone willing to grab it. There is one rule, however: ASS Rule #1: Get in and get out quickly. I mean this. If you don't, you will be up to your ass in snowmobiles. This would be bad. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. (RANT: Is there any - any - socially redeeming value to recreational use of snowmobiles - other than providing an excuse to groom the trails for ASS? Snowmobiles are noisy and super-polluting. They promote the wrong wilderness ethic. And they are dangerous. On an ASS ski two years ago I came upon the scene of a fatal crash the day before. Bone fragments and blood still littered the snow. The woman who died hit a fallen tree on the way back toward the Sno-Park. She swerved around the tree on her way out, but on her return she hit it chest high at about 50 mph.) Ok, back to getting some ASS. There aren't any other rules. Just Rule #1. But as I said, it is important. Fortunately, this leaves about three hours to get in the highest quality skate skiing I have ever experienced. (On some weekdays, you can stretch this up to several hours.) It is an adventure even without the snowmobiles. Most routes involve 1000-2000 feet of elevation gain, plus ups and down. The routes generally follow USFS roads that you can drive in the summer. But in the sparkling quiet of a winter dawn these places are sheer magic. Fresh snow or hoarfrost glisten on trees, and, where I go most often, occasional vistas sweep down the Chiwawa Valley. If you are a decent skier, you can puff up some long hills, zip around downhill curves, log 18 or 20 miles, and still get off the trail before breakfast. I am not that great a skier, but I average about two hours on the trails at 9-10 mph. On good days and if I don't take many breaks my average speed clocks in at 10.5 mph, but even on bad days you can complete a 14-16 mile trip in under two hours. Occasionally, I will set aside a weekday and log a 40 mile day or so. For illustration, I am attaching a trail report from a recent ski. If there is any interest I can post descriptions of other ASS routes, as well as some other tips for selecting a good day and location. But this report might give you an idea what you are in for if you try some ASS. 308034-Faultline_LoopB.doc
catbirdseat Posted February 10, 2004 Posted February 10, 2004 Sounds like fun. It could be tough getting back once the snowmobiles have tracked up the snow.
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