Is the Midwest Season Over?

"Erik Brooks" wrote in message
news:003801c50e4c$635586e0$6501a8c0@Merlin...
From: "Gary Jacobson" Subject: Is the Midwest Season Over?


At least you guys have a season. The Seattle area, where we normally
have a snow depth of about 8 feet at this time of year, has squat now,
and prospects are bleak. In the immediate area, one of about 8 local
races was not cancelled, and that one was mighty lucky. That was the
only day I've been on non-Rock skis. 5 days on skis total, including
lots of 'take off the skis, run for a bit, put -em back on. I haven't
skated once. All the downhill and XC areas are closed. The most local
XC area never opened, and two downhill areas were open for I think two
weekends.

Indeed I am dreaming of bicycle projects, training, commuting and
trips myself.

Me too. I'm rolling with the punches, spending lots of time on bikes.
My biking only buddies think this is the best winter ever! At home in
Seattle, the daffodils are starting to bloom.

Erik Brooks, Seattle

Erik,
If you can get over to the Methow in the next week (2 weeks, absolute
max) then Sun Mountain, the Cub Creek side of Rendezvous, and the old Early
Winters trails (where Highway 20 closes just past the Freestone Inn) still
have good snow. The Sun Mountain trails are being groomed daily and because
of their greater elevation are holding up the best.

The Fawn Creek side of Rendezvous was scraped down to a solid ice base, so
coming down from Fawn Hut during the Rendezvous race on 2/5 was *highly*
entertaining, especially if you lacked Alpine downhill racer skills.

Chris

In the yesterday-update at
http://www.vasaloparen.se/race_article.jsp?d_id=1330 they said that
they will be finished with the preparations of the second half of the
track during the weekend, and that they will continue with the first
half of the track after that and that they are currently mobilizing
people for showeling snow to the parts of th track not available with
tractors and lorrys.

No now from above in the weather forecast but temperatures below the
freezing point and decreasing during Saturday-Wednesday.

Oh, and some positive snow-reports in English at
http://www.vasaloppet.se/wps/VasaCMS...idan/en/2.html

/ Niklas

I hope the conditions are better when I go there in 2006.