Want to see what things were like in previous years? Feel free to read through all these old reports…

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2021-22 Season @ Razor Hone / White Salmon (the Salmon Ridge Snopark)

2022-04-06: People are still skiing! “I waited as long as possible in hopes someone–ANYONE!–would break trail, but for no apparent reason mine were the only tracks today, even leaving the parking lot around 5:00 pm. There is 14-18 inches of fresh, unsullied, 20% water content “powder” on the Razor Hone road, rendering trail breaking on skinny skis somewhat arduous. Fortunately there was less snow, consolidated by tree bombs, in the trees or I’d still be out there thrashing around. I wandered out the River Trail, up the first hill on Razor Hone, then back along Mom’s at what turned out to be a blistering 2 mph pace. It was pretty. Peaceful, too. My hip flexors are still complaining.

I sure hope there will be one more grooming before it all thaws, crusts over, gets trampled by snowshoers, then re-freezes later this week. [Note: the snopark contract is over and no more grooming will take place.]

Also of note: at the end of the day the parking lot was unplowed but torn up by exuberant four-wheelers. The shoulder and entrance to the campground were also entirely unplowed, so parking was extremely limited for low-clearance cars like mine. I didn’t venture farther up the hill, with chain controls still in effect (and bald-ish, summer tires on my little car). – Mark

2022-03-25: No new grooming, but the snow is holding up surprisingly well. Skate-skied Silver Fir and Razor Hone out to Near Cougar. Most was ‘quite good’. Flat, smooth and relatively fast (10:00 to 1:00).  A fair amount of debris (and sawdust) in places, but good sections of clean snow. Gravel was starting to show through in places, but we could ski all of it except the last hill up to Near Cougar. Classical skiing would be reasonable, too!  But it is starting to melt…  We looked at White Salmon, but didn’t ski. Lots of snow, fairly smooth looking, but pretty soft. – Pete

2022-03-24: No grooming for quite some time (two weeks ago) but the snow doesn’t look bad! Check out this picture that Magenta posted. And the weather for tomorrow (Friday) looks pretty good. – Pete

2022-03-15: Nice skiing today! I skate-skied out Razor Hone to the bottom end of Far Cougar and back by way of Mom’s and the Gerbil Loop. I was pleasantly surprised by what good skiing it was! (I started up Near Cougar, but the snow was starting to melt out on the hills and I was tired, so I went back to Razor Hone.) Temperature was 37 degrees, I started at 1:00 PM. The snow was soft (and slow), but the surface was amazingly smooth. No snowshoe tracks, people post-holing, big dog prints or ridges made by the grooming disrupted a smooth skatable surface. It might have been faster in the morning, but it was pleasant skiing. For those of you who wax your skis occasionally, switching to red (warm) glide wax would be appropriate. Not much in the way of classical tracks, but the snow was forgiving enough I think classical skiers would like it too. The snow was still pretty clean, given the time of year. (except for the piles of sawdust and bark where trees had fallen down and been cut out. Expect to see invites to work parties this summer to get the downed wood a little further out of the trail.) The very far end of Mom’s was pretty beat up, but if you are going back to the parking lot, turning in at the cross-over, skiing the Gerbil Loop and then back on Mom’s makes a fun addition (except for the piles of dog poo melting into the snow. Come on, dog-owners! Show a little courtesy to others!). The highway and the parking lot were in excellent condition. Fun day! – Pete

2022-03-10b: Razor Hone – I only skied a little bit of this, but Will assured me that it was wonderful! Very smooth grooming and perfect skating. It was warm and the snow was soft enough for perfect control. Unfortunately, all the moisture means that if it freezes up tonight, it might be pretty icy tomorrow morning. Presumably it will then thaw and be good in the afternoon. The classic tracks were fairly shallow because of the hard packed snow and were a little glazed. But they looked skiable to me.

White Salmon – groomed almost to the end of the SE Extension (classic tracks on the main section, but not down the extension). Groomed to the top of the Knob. A little icy for beginning skaters, but those with some experience would find a fast, delightful ski. I think it will do ok through the nightly freeze. We skied to the end of the SE Extension, then up to the Knob, then hiked the snowshoe shortcut back up to the switchback (at the end of the Ridge Trail). That made a neat loop! The snow on the hike was solid – no need for snowshoes. It was icy hiking, but you could kick steps where needed. The trail is marked with blue diamonds and a pretty direct return. – Pete

2022-03-10: Grooming at White Salmon! Out to the Knob, maybe down the SE Extension. Also Silver Fir Campground and Razor Hone. Check back later for more of a report. I’m going skiing! – Pete

2022-03-07: Grooming happened today at Razor Hone and Silver Fir. Reports are that it was beautiful skiing. White Salmon was not done. 

2022-03-05: Remarkably nice skiing today. Sunshine, temperature in the 40’s, grooming from Wednesday has held up well. At 10:00, snow was icy (and fast!) And not so good for the inexeperienced. But if you were up for it, it was a quick trip out on the trails. By noon though, things had softened up and it was still quick, but much more forgiving and appropriate for all. Both classical and skate skiing were good. And Mom’s and the Gerbil Loop were a lot of fun to skate ski! The weather tomorrow (Sunday) is supposed to be sunny and warm. Should be nice! Razor Hone, Near Cougar, and Silver Fir should be good skiing. (Don’t expect new corduroy, but it was still fun!) Far Cougar is for the adventurous – and be prepared to walk some. Parking lot was in very good shape and not crowded (and highway was dry pavement). – Pete

2022-03-02: Silver Fir and Razor Hone were groomed today. Not sure how far out the groomer got – but you can go find out! Weather predictions call for some precipitation on Thursday, then sunny weather for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! We’re hoping to have a table out in the parking lot on Saturday for Nordic Ambassadors (Nordic Ski Ambassadors at Salmon Ridge). Stop by and say ‘hi’! – Pete

2022-02-21: Yesterday’s 6″ of fresh snow was groomed today on Razor Hone, Near Cougar and Mom’s. A quick skate ski down Mom’s with the twisty trail might be really fun! And the weather for the rest of the week is supposed to be nice. Time to go ski! The highway should be in excellent shape, but be careful in the parking lot. It might be ok now, but yesterday it was a mess. You can park on the other side of the highway, but it still requires a snopark pass. If you see any new trees down on the trail with this latest windstorm, please let me know. – Pete

2022-02-20: 6″ of fairly wet snow on top of Thursday’s grooming. Razor Hone had some really nice user-created tracks. Snowshoers and walkers were very considerate and the tracks were in great shape. When grooming next happens, it should be really nice skiing – but it was pretty nice today, even so. Snow still in the tree branches – parking lot was a mess, but manageable. Or park on the other side of the highway. – Pete

2022-02-17: Grooming happened today at Salmon Ridge. Both Razor Hone and Silver Fir were done; no details are known. The weather for Saturday suggests somewhere between modest snow and rain. Sunday is suggested to be a bit of snow in the morning and cloudy in the afternoon. – Pete

2022-02-14: Grooming happened today at Salmon Ridge. Both Razor Hone and Silver Fir were done; no details are known. The weather for Tuesday and Wednesday is predicted to be sunny and warm. – Pete

2022-02-13: I skated at Salmon Ridge on Friday evening (Feb 11) (with a headlamp and the moon) and Saturday morning. Conditions were hard and fast. The Thursday grooming has held up, but everything was a bit icy.  On Saturday we skated up and down Near Cougar. The section from the gate down to the bridge was a bit treacherous (borderline dangerous for inexperienced skiers).  Overall, coverage was still pretty good, the sun was out, and it was some fun, fast skiing! – Adam

2022-02-10: Grooming happened today at both Razor Hone and White Salmon. No details, but I think you should go check it out! I don’t have time to paste in the weather predictions, but it’s calling for ‘Sunny’, ‘Sunny’ and ‘Mostly Sunny’ for the next three days. The Mt. Baker Highway should be in good shape (the 1-lane construction is all done) and the parking lot should be OK. And I think the potties were cleaned yesterday.

2022-02-07: I’ve just returned from Salmon Ridge which was groomed this morning! Track was set, 37 F, light drizzle when I got there, but that should change to snow overnight. Snow was soft, making it easy to control your speed on the way down. Had a great day! Grab your skis and go! – Gail

2022-02-04: Grooming happened yesterday (Thursday, the 3rd). It’s great! All of Razor Hone, Near Cougar all the way to the bridge, the first half of Far Cougar, Mom’s, the new Gerbil Loop, and the Silver Fir Campground were all groomed. Classic tracks were set on all of Razor Hone, Near Cougar and Silver Fir. I skated the Cougar Loop (don’t count how many times I had to stop and pant going up the hill…) Conditions were very good – and I finished before it started to rain. The weather for Saturday and Sunday is predicted to be pretty good – time to go ski! And speaking of skate skiing, skaters should really try Mom’s – it’s groomed for the entire length and the multiple short turns are really fun! It’s not just a Forest Service road, but you get to zig back and forth through the trees! And while you are there, try out the new Gerbil Loop – this is the first time ever for this trail. I’ll try to post a map tomorrow for it – but it’s just a 1/4 mile loop, starting on the Crossover, between Mom’s and Razor Hone. It’s the one with just one set of ski tracks on it!

Also, it’s been reported that they have been writing tickets for those without snopark passes. This weekend might be primetime.  Remember, the snopark fees are what pay for the grooming and potties. It’s self-support. You can buy online directly from the state and print out a temporary pass to put on your dashboard immediately. Sno-Park Permits (wa.gov)– Pete

2022-02-01b: “Seemed like more than 2 inches. Did all of Cougar and it was deeper in there. Still some washouts up near bridge, but no downed trees in trail! Lot was driveable but not plowed. 542 wet and bare, no construction.” – Dorothy [No word yet on when grooming might happen. Snow is predicted for today and tomorrow, rain (or maybe snow) on Friday, some sun on Saturday and Sunday.]

2022-02-01: Two inches of fresh snow. It was wonderful! – Mary Beth [That was at Razor Hone. White Salmon probably has more. But no grooming at either. The last grooming at Razor Hone was a week ago.]

2022-01-25: ‘Groomer was up today on Razor Hone and Silver Fir Campground. Both were good – he set tracks on both. We skied to the far Cougar Loop – tracks were set out to there. We didn’t ski Near Cougar Loop but it looks like he set tracks up there. Then we went up to Upper White Salmon. It had not been groomed [since last Friday, the 21st] and was very icy. Excellent day to ski.’ – John. And my understanding is that the weather is very nice (sunny, not foggy!), the highway is in excellent condition (although be prepared for a possible 10-15 minute wait at MP 45 where it is down to one lane), and the parking lot is in good shape – the water hole at the entrance has dried up! – Pete

2022-01-21: Time to go ski! It’s supposed to be nice this weekend, and Razor Hone, Silver Fir, and White Salmon  (The Knob and SE Extension) just got groomed today (Friday!) Razor Hone should be great skiing, White Salmon could be beautiful! The road up the mountain should be in excellent shape (1-lane traffic at MP 45 – allow extra time). Razor Hone parking is big and in pretty good shape. White Salmon parking is good, but very small. I’d go early (or on Monday 🙂 – Pete

2022-01-18b: A shorter version of the post below this one: Briefly, grooming happened yesterday on all of our trails, except Anderson (trees!) and one short leg of Far Cougar. Classical tracks were set on all of the trails, although they were shallow (or even disappear) in areas where the snow was compacted. Thanks to the groomer for all the work that he put into this! This morning, snow was hard enough for relatively fast skiing, but soft enough for good control. Given weather predictions, it may get mushy by the end of the week. The parking lot has plenty of space and is in fair shape, although it has the water hole at the entrance. Mt. Baker Highway was in great shape, although they were setting up a one-lane traffic light controlled section next to the river at about MP 45. Parking at White Salmon was easily accessible, but only room for 6 cars or so. See additional info in the next note. – Pete

2022-01-18: Classical skiing, in the tracks, out to The Knob and down to the bottom of the SE Extension (White Salmon). It was great! Kick ‘n Glide, in the tracks, coming up that *long* hill. (Admittedly, I wasn’t very fast and I didn’t glide very far, but I still liked it!) Skate skiing at White Salmon would have been excellent this morning. Grooming, with tracks, was also done at Silver Fir Campground, Razor Hone, and Cougar Loop. Note: with our wet, heavy snow, the snow forms a pretty solid (not really icy, but pretty solid) base and sometimes the tracks aren’t cut very deeply into the snow – but even if only one track is there, it makes a big difference for skiing. If you are new to skiing, try it! At the end of every step, slide the ski a little bit before ‘planting’ it for the next step. As you get practice, you will find yourself sliding further and further – and going faster and faster 🙂 Typing this got me to thinking that others could explain this a lot better than me. A Google search produced this video from REI: Classic Cross-Country Skiing for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started || REI – YouTube . Follow the instructions of this 13 minute video, and you will be an awesome classical skier! (Or just look at the part starting at 1:45 minutes for the discussion on Kick and Glide.) Thanks, groomers! – Pete

2022-01-17: Grooming happened today on White Salmon, Razor Hone, and Silver Fir. I hope to get up there tomorrow for a ‘skis on the snow’ report. Weather predictions call for some rain/showers for the next couple of days and then looking pretty nice for Fri-Sun. – Pete

2022-01-15: I meant to report yesterday that WSDOT did a major job of plowing out the parking lot and there is plenty of space to park (at Salmon Ridge). There is still the big water hole, but it’s manageable to go around it. The potties have been serviced and were clean yesterday. The Mt. Baker Highway was in excellent condition. The restrooms at Glacier Ranger Station were still closed due to a broken pipe, but a plumber is scheduled to come fix them in the near future – possibly by this weekend. – Pete

2022-01-14: Skied around Razor Hone and Cougar Loop today. Thanks to *a lot* of work done by our groomer cutting out trees on the far end of Razor Hone, fresh grooming is done to and some older grooming goes about half way up Far Cougar. The rest of Far Cougar is for the more adventurous skier, ready to deal with soft snow and some steep sections, but it’s fun. Then when we crossed the bridge, we found grooming that we followed up to the high point and a wonderful ski down Near Cougar back to Razor Hone. Conditions are sort of icy, although it softened up some in the afternoon. The surface was remarkably smooth. Classic tracks were set for the length of Razor Hone. There was a lot of little debris on the snow, but given the weather, that’s to be expected. Skate-skiing was pretty good! Also, remember that White Salmon was also groomed yesterday. Jim reports “

Great skating out to the Knob and SE Extension today. The sun softened up many sections and others remained frozen (but still edgeable).” Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like classical tracks were set on that part. – Pete

2022-01-13: Razor Hone, Near Cougar, and White Salmon were groomed today. White Salmon is pretty special! And the weather looks pretty good for tomorrow (Friday). Saturday and Sunday look ok too.

2022-01-11: Started raining at Salmon Ridge about 12:15. Many branches on trail. Classic tracks appeared good for a km or two but became intermittent for a couple km then non-existent. Passably good skate skiing if you don’t mind negotiating fallen branches. Only went as far on Razor Hone as the start of the uphill on Far Cougar. Didn’t look skiable from that point onwards. Don’t know how the grooming will hold up in the rain but it was well worth the trip. – Will

2022-01-10: Grooming is happening today. Not sure how far, but at least part way up Near Cougar and part way out Razor Hone past Near Cougar. Will post here again if I can see that other trails were done. Looking at the weather predictions (and the snow yesterday), this afternoon might be some pretty nice skiing – at least if you are ready to ski in a light rain! And then the rains start… I’m hoping to be out there Friday and will post after that in case you want to know what is left for the weekend. – Pete

2022-01-09: Beautiful day, beautiful snow. Several reports: Salmon Ridge parking lot: it has been plowed and is in pretty good shape (some water holes still, but not too bad). Lot was *full* of cars, though (and on the other side of the highway). Presumably not so bad on days that are not Sunday and the one sunny day all month… Potties: I suppose they are usable, but they were pretty gross. Glad I didn’t need to go. Hopefully they will be serviced on Wednesday?? Razor Hone trail: Wonderful snow cover, excellent skate-skiing (not super fast, but very nice.) Unfortunately classical tracks were not set. We’re hoping they will be during the next grooming. Shallow user-created tracks are available. I believe the grooming stops at the end of Razor Hone where I think there are still trees down. I believe Far Cougar is still blocked. My understanding is that Near Cougar is clear of trees and has been groomed (back on Jan. 6). Mom’s and the new Gerbil Loop are now clear of trees and ready for grooming. Currently a nice straight-forward back-country ski. White Salmon parking (up at MP 51.5): It was reported that yesterday, ‘the parking was nicely plowed’. Presumably it’s still a fairly small area, but it’s great that it got plowed! They skied out to The Knob and most of the way down the SE extension, but said there was a major dip at the creek crossing near the end. Be careful out there! There could be flowing water undercutting the snow. Thanks, Felicia for the report. Speaking of Far Cougar being blocked, a couple of us are tentatively planning on going out with a chainsaw this Friday. Want to circumnavigate the Cougar Loop and stop and help us throw wood off the trail? Not for the faint-of-heart (or people who have not done it before). Conditions will not be ‘the best’. But no rain is predicted! RSVP me for details. Pete

2022-01-07: Magenta sent out a report from the Forest Service today – key take-aways include: parking up the mountain at White Salmon is problematic (unplowed snow and a big berm – hopefully they will have a chance to plow it soon). The Salmon Ridge Snopark parking lot was plowed out, but has fairly deep meltwater puddles (and is a mess). She described the fresh grooming as ‘very saturated’ and the snowshoe trails were packed.

2022-01-06: Grooming is happening this morning. I’m not sure how much he was able to get done, but it looks like he made it up to the top of Near Cougar and out to near the end of Razor Hone. That should be a great ski for skate-skiers right now! I’ll add to this post later today if I can see that he has done more. You also might check the weather! Note: if you do get out there while the groomer is there, please don’t box in his truck/trailer while parking. He needs a lot of space to load up and get out!

Note 2: see comments below about the parking lot, driving up Mt. Baker Highway, and the state of the potties. I have no more recent information than that. – Pete

2022-01-03: Snow, lots of snow! Beautiful snow! We did a tour with

chainsaws up Near Cougar to the bridge over the creek. Many thanks to Dan, John, Mike, and Bob for all the work that you put in clearing the trail. We think it’s ready for grooming to the bridge (Far Cougar has not been cleared yet). Currently, it’s a great tour – check back here for grooming reports. It will be wonderful when we have a packed trail! Caution: Currently, the parking lot is in terrible condition – during the week there may be enough space on the other side of the road by Silver Fir Campground (and check road conditions, too. It was packed, wet snow for the drive home today.) The bathrooms at Glacier are still closed and the potties at the snopark are filling up… – Pete

2021-12-31: Go before you go! Reports have it that the restrooms at the Glacier Ranger Station are closed; the public potties in Glacier are porta-potties and full; the potties at Salmon Ridge are filling fast. The outhouse at the Excelsior trailhead is open – and no information about the one at the start of the Hannegan Pass Road.

2021-12-29b: The report from Anderson is that there are 2-3 large trees down over the trail – it’s evidently possible to get past them, but it doesn’t sound like grooming yet.

2021-12-29: Lots of snow, some grooming, and still some downed trees.  I haven’t had a chance to go up to Salmon Ridge recently, but it’s clear that there is lots of snow up there. Grooming happened this afternoon, at least from the parking lot out to the bridge over Bagley Creek on the main Razor Hone trail (that’s the bridge that is near the end, where the trail turns to go up the Far Cougar trail). Not sure if any of Cougar Loop got groomed. Also reports that there are some more trees down on Cougar Loop; still no reports one way or the other on Anderson (no grooming there). And more snow forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Friday is supposed to be nice. Hope to see some of this in person by the end of the weekend! – Pete

2021-12-28: No grooming at Salmon Ridge yet – but when it happens, this is the place to find out. Remember – the Pisten Bully (the grooming snow cat) is ‘oversize’ (10 feet wide) and on a big truck. So conditions need to be safe for all concerned for it to be hauled up to the snopark for grooming. But we’re looking forward to some pretty nice skiing! – Pete

2021-12-25: 6-8″ of fresh snow. User-created tracks all the way around the Cougar Loop. Cut out a few more downed trees. Looking forward to the next grooming! – John

2021-12-21(b): I’m sure this report is now obsolete, being overtaken by weather events, but it’s nice to see it happened: “We made it up for skate skiing on the fresh groom on Tuesday afternoon. First ski of the season for me. Misty rain while we were there. We skied Razorhone and near Cougar and a bit of Mom’s. Near Cougar was groomed all the way to the bridge, and the downhill was glorious. Mom’s was only partially groomed, and a lot of folks had walked on what was groomed.  It was a great ski in ok weather—I am pretty happy to be back on the skinny skis!” – Adam [He also reported classical tracks set on Razorhone.]

2021-12-21: [Update: Silver Fir Campground was also groomed. No report yet on whether classic tracks were set. The predictions still show rain tomorrow, but it sure seems colder than that at my house in Bellingham!] Happy Solstice! If you can go now, right this minute is probably the time to go ski. Grooming at Salmon Ridge is happening right now, at least as far as a little ways up the Near Cougar trail. Unfortunately, predictions call for rain starting around 4 pm this afternoon and then on and off tonight and tomorrow morning, changing to snow in the afternoon. Then we could be getting quite a bit more snow for the rest of the week. So maybe today’s grooming will give us a good smooth base for the future! – Pete

2021-12-20: Weather was beautiful, excellent snow cover, snow still hanging in the trees, making for a beautiful day. No grooming, a bit of rain had frozen in the snow on the trees, adding to the snow load and leading to the continuation of downed trees on the trails. Thanks to all the volunteers who have been out working on clearing. As of this afternoon (Monday, the 20th) Mom’s is clear, Razor Hone is clear ‘for a fair ways’, the River Trail is clear, Silver Fir was clear the last time it was checked, and we have no word on Anderson. White Salmon ought to be beautiful, but no reports. No new grooming and rain/snow is predicted for Wednesday. But after that, nothing but snow?? (I use this site for weather predictions and it seems to be pretty good. It’s linked at the top of this page. National Weather Service – Marten Ridge)

2021-12-17: So I have this to say about that… When conditions are good around here, it’s time to go skiing – because they might not stay good and the next day might not be quite so nice. The snow at Razor Hone was *beautiful* today. 3 inches of fresh, light snow on top of the grooming from Wednesday. I took the picture to the left to show the tree – but the tree is gone and look at all that nice fluffy snow. The highway up there was in good shape and the parking lot was easily traversed. (And DOT finished the repair in remarkably quick time and there is no one-lane pinch point!) But fair warning – predictions for tomorrow are for rain and then snow. But then again, they are predicting snow during the following days. Trees are almost complete cleared out – currently, two are left. (Thanks Dorothy and Gary for the report.) Grooming was done out to the bottom of far Cougar and the gate at the top of Near Cougar (on Wednesday, before the last three inches of snow.) – Pete

2021-12-15: Grooming happened today! My understanding is that he made it out Razor Hone to the gates on Cougar (the bottom of Far Cougar, the top of Near Cougar). I don’t think that Anderson or Silver Fir Campground were done. Many thanks to John for working with the groomer cutting out and clearing numerous trees from the trail. The snow wasn’t deep enough to set classical tracks, but hopefully this will serve as a well-packed base for future snowfall and skiing! I would probably take old skis rather than my brand new racing skate skis… – Pete

2021-12-13: DOT did get out and plowed part of the main parking lot. There are a bunch of trees down further out Razor Hone. Silver Fir is clear of any downed trees, but no grooming. Thanks to John, Joy, and Mike for reports. Anyone have a report on Anderson? – Pete

2021-12-12: Nice snow! I went up to Salmon Ridge this morning and found some great snow! There is no grooming yet, but we’re hoping it will come soon. The Pisten Bully is in its winter location and hopefully we’ll see it on the trails soon. I skied out Mom’s – but almost immediately went back for the chainsaw. But Mom’s is now clear from end to end. I came back by way of Razor Hone – there is one high tree that I didn’t have time to get to. If you are further out on any of the trails and find trees down across them, please let me know. Weather predictions call for snow showers – but no rain. And then a bit of sun on Thursday! We’ll post what we find out about grooming here. The highway up to the snopark was in excellent shape, although there was a section of one lane traffic with a pilot car due to flood damage. they are working hard on it – hopefully it will be fixed soon before too much downhill ski traffic uses the highway. It was a 15 minute wait on the trip back to town. The parking lot was not plowed and a mess, but I’m guessing that the highway department will get to it tonight. Speaking of which – plowing the parking lot gets paid for by our snopark passes. I saw 11 cars parked next to Silver Fir Campground. *One* had a snopark permit! It’s time to pay up for our access to the snow and woods that we love. Plus, you could get a ticket. You need the pass to park on the shoulder there, too. – Pete

2021-11-21: We drove Razor Hone and Anderson, checking for damage from the last storm. They are in good shape and ready for grooming (but no snow). White Salmon has a good base. Parking is limited, but probably sufficient for current use. The road was clear and almost dry, but predictions are calling for rain mixed with snow. – Pete

2021-11-19: Magenta with the Forest Service has posted her regular Mt. Baker Highway Conditions Update for the week of Friday, November 19, 2021 on the FS page: https://www.facebook.com/MtBakerSnoqualmieNF It has some fascinating video of the local rivers and streams in flood, as well as a number of washouts. A picture of White Salmon shows the start of a good base; that of Razor Hone shows just the last remnants of a little snow. Thanks for the report, Magenta!

2021-11-09: Up to 20 inches of damp snow at White Salmon (10 inches down lower below The Knob, with just a scattered inch or two at Razor Hone). White Salmon parking is plowed, but not completely–two cars wide, without room to park diagonally or turn around. When I arrived in late afternoon the highway was in reasonable shape as far as the lower ski area, dicey after that; when I left at dusk the plows had stopped running and snow was accumulating throughout.  Drive safe! Wax for wet, fresh snow or plan on giant clumps of hard snow adhered firmly to the bottoms of your skis. The current snowpack should survive the next round of warmth and rain, so any skiing amphibians or random waterfowl who read this should enjoy the trails this weekend. – Mark

2021-11-09: It’s stormy up there! Thanks, Lynne, for the pictures!

2021-11-06: Grooming has not started yet (and not expected until late December at the earliest, but snow is falling higher up the mountain and it’s time to think about the upcoming ski season. It’s fair to drive up to Heather Meadows (more info) and try your skis, but remember, it’s winter conditions up there! They expect you to bring chains! Thanks, Becky for the picture.

2020-21 Season @ Razor Hone / White Salmon (Salmon Ridge Snopark)

2021-05-08: In case anyone is reading and wondering, here is the latest report from White Salmon. Thanks, Mark! “More melt than I’d expected during the weeks of clear weather. Mostly good coverage leaving the parking lot, with just a couple of bare spots and 1-2 feet compacted snow on the trail (made pretty by an inch of fresh from last night). Tiptoeing delicately across the few minor stretches of bare gravel got me almost halfway between the first hairpin and the turnoff to the White Salmon extension, whereupon all snow cover abruptly vanished without a trace.

With an excess of time at my disposal, I also followed the Ridge Road up to the ski area; the steep section at the bottom is melted out (first hundred yards) or un-skiable by me (second hundred yards), but it’s otherwise quite pleasant. Guess it’s time to move all the way up the hill to Heather Meadows for the end of the XC season. With the new snow, fresh base wax will prevent stickage!

One definite plus: no competition at all for parking spots, even on a weekend afternoon.”

2021-04-14: There is still skiing! Mark sent in the following report on Razor Hone and Cougar Loop that he skied yesterday (and as I drove by White Salmon, there was lots of snow there): “I’m not a skate skier, and conditions are such that that’s probably a good thing. There is a very solid base throughout all the trails, with form 1 to 4 inches of recent wet snow on top. That means all the postholing and other rough surfaces only go a few inches deep. Mostly very good coverage, 1 to 2 feet compacted snow on the trails, although a couple of spots on Near Cougar and Razorhone will probably be bare within a day or two. Far Cougar is past its glory days, with quite a bit of bare ground showing (“skiable moss,” mostly). I thought the skiing was mostly quite good–solid bases, nice grippy snow, user-set tracks, no real impediments as long as I stayed on the trails. Conditions ought to last thru the week, but I’m not so sanguine about next week given the warm temps.”

I was planning to wander up the connector trail toward White Salmon, but there were just icy, tree-bombed bits of coverage on the ground when I got there, and it didn’t look like much fun. Next year, maybe.

The bare spots seemed to me a function of microclimates rather than meltwater–there are distinctly colder and warmer spots, and the warmer places seem to be the ones which melt out early. On Far Cougar, for example, the woods next to the trail are equally melted out, whether or not they’re well-drained, and it appears to me that this relates to their aspect with relation to afternoon sun, which has definite strength even through the trees. There are also be warm breezes which follow small-scale landscape contours–these were also very noticeable while skiing. Valleys and ravines, for example, typically channel cold air. I find warm air currents obvious on the ground, but it’s harder to trace their origins.

**** 2021-04-08: “White Salmon had 10 inches of fresh snow. Great skiing as a party of 3 ahead of me laid down a great track. We were the only skiers today. No one went down the Extension. If the forecast snow comes tomorrow, Saturday could be really nice.” – Rick

21-04-6: So it all depends on your point of view… There is still solid snow cover at Salmon Ridge. I skied Razor Hone / Cougar Loop this morning. The upper part of Far Cougar has melted out some where there has been meltwater on the road, but the rest of the trail is in good shape.  Razor Hone has reasonably good diagonal tracks down the side and is smooth enough for an experienced skater. A strong skier (not me) could probably double-pole the whole trail. It was icy at 10:00 – but starting to soften up where it was in the sunshine on my way back.  I’d expect it to be relatively soft by 2:00. There is actually a prediction of a little bit of fresh snow on Friday and Saturday. Next Sunday might be a nice day for a ski!  I didn’t go up to White Salmon, but I’m guessing that it’s pretty nice (icy in the morning, softening in the afternoon…) – Pete

21-04-02:  “I just skated White Salmon to the knob and back. It was still excellent, soft but not mushy. I started at 11 AM. Should still be good tomorrow if it doesn’t snow on it tonight.” – Jim

2021-03-31: one more day! Grooming at white salmon right now. Sunshine! Probably razor home shortly. Posted from the parking lot. I’m off for a ski! – pete

21-03-29: Weather predictions called for snow last night and clear skies today. And the groomer is out on Razor Hone / Cougar as I type.  It should be a beautiful day of skiing today. The last time I was there, Near Cougar was groomed all the way to the bridge. It would make a great skate ski trip out and back! Note that White Salmon is not being groomed and probably has 4-6 inches of fresh snow on it – which combined with today’s sunshine should make a wonderful tour ski out to view Mt. Shuksan (either on the first, level part of the trail, or the Knob, or the end of the SE Extension.) Predictions are also calling for freezing temperatures at night, so I’m guessing that the pattern of crusty, fast snow in the mornings and soft, slow snow in the afternoons will hold for a bit. My understanding is that the snopark grooming contract ends Wednesday, so this may be the last grooming of the season. There is still quite a bit of snow and I will keep posting reports as I get them (and as I go up for a ski!) Enjoy spring skiing! – Pete

2021-03-26b: I skied Razor Hone and Cougar Loop today at 2:00. It was really nice! I skied classical – the corduroy would have been pretty soft for skating. The snow was clean and plenty of it (no rocks showing, no sticks). Far Cougar was groomed half way up. The upper part had some gravel showing because of wet spots on the trail, but it was easy to go by (we need to work on drainage in that section this summer). Near Cougar was groomed all the way to the bridge. The trip down the long downhill of Near Cougar was perfect! Not sure what to expect tomorrow. The predictions say a 30% chance of rain in the afternoon. I’m guessing that it should be pretty nice about 10:00 in the morning for both classical and skate. Then nasty weather on Sunday. Silver Fir had smooth corduroy and would be perfect for someone wanting to try out skate skiing. Others reported that White Salmon was very nice and that a large parking area had been plowed out. – Pete

2021-03-26: Grooming today – at White Salmon right now, then presumable at Razor Hone! Fair warning – the grooming season is winding down. The snopark grooming contract ends on March 31, so this is probably either the last or next to last grooming of spring. But the predictions for today are ‘mostly cloudy’ and there are multiple feet of snow at White Salmon. I expect that skiing at White Salmon is excellent. So now is the time to go ski! When I was up there 3 days ago, the road was excellent and there was plenty of parking. The first mile should be great for beginners (both classical and skate), then the long downhill should be manageable for most skiers and a great workout to come back up!  The SE extension is also a reasonable slope, but might not have classical tracks set. The final hill up to the Knob is a ‘use your own judgment’ hill. As for Razor Hone, I’m guessing that the snow will be soft, but manageable.  And as for Saturday and Sunday – the weather for Saturday doesn’t look too bad, but Sunday actually looks sort of miserable… 🙂 But then they are predicting ‘heavy snow’ for Sunday night and clear weather on Tuesday. So maybe we’ll get one more grooming next week and an awesome day skiing on Tuesday? While the grooming contract ends and the snopark ‘closes’ on April 1, you are welcome to park in the lot and go ski as long as the snow lasts. Maybe another trip down the connector trail? – Pete

2021-03-23: Grooming today. White Salmon and Razor Hone.  Beautiful conditions at White Salmon – 4 inches of fresh snow from yesterday were groomed, so no ice. Corduroy and fresh classical tracks. Enough moisture in the snow that I don’t know what it will be like tomorrow, but I’d aim for around 10 or 11:00. I didn’t ski on Razor Hone. It was soft snow, but it was nicely groomed.  Tomorrow morning might be pretty good – but it might be sort of slow in the afternoon. The road to White Salmon was in good shape and parking was reasonable. – Pete

2021-03-18: Grooming is happening now on White Salmon and presumably will be done at Razor Hone shortly. There is still plenty of snow at both sites, so skiing should be good! Unfortunately, the weather predictions aren’t quite as good for the next few days as they were for the last few. My guess is that skiing will excellent today, then crusty and fast in the mornings and softening up in the afternoons. And the predictions do call for snow on Sunday rather than rain. – Pete

2021-03-17c: Had a great skate ski at Razorhone and Silver Fir today ! Beautiful conditions! Nice and firm all day for skating. Great Razorhone grooming! He has done a great job widening the snow pack on the trail, and leveling it. He did a amazing job covering any thin spots! I enjoyed a nice skating lane. – Ed

2021-03-17b:  8:30 AM 29 degrees and icy. 10:00 AM 40 degrees but still icy. Classic tracks holding up but a little trashed out here and there. – Will

2021-03-17: Good skiing out there! We were out on Razor Hone this morning. Plenty of snow – and fairly icy at 10 AM. But it was starting to soften up by 11:00 and was probably pretty good around noon. At this point, you need to figure out what time of day has the conditions that you want… Good luck! We did not go up to White Salmon, but it is probably not quite so icy. – Pete

2021-03-16: Skate-skied Razor Hone and Silver Fir campground from 11-1 today. Glorious. RH was predictably “firm” but sun-softened in enough sections to provide relaxing breaks. Cougar looked too firm for me on the skates. Campground was perfect spring conditions and untouched corduroy. – Meri-Jo [Silver Fir Campground looks like the time and place for beginning skate skiers to try it out! – Pete]

2021-03-15: Go, Go, Go! The weather for today says partly sunny. The groomer has just completed a trip out to the Knob and the end of the SE Extension at White Salmon and is presumably aimed at Razor Hone right now. It should be beautiful (and it should still be nice tomorrow, but might be a bit icier…). Skate skiers – if you haven’t done it before, this is a great time to go ski White Salmon (and how about sending me a picture of the corduroy (if convenient…)) I’ve done it – but if you are not in shape (me), it’s a *long* ways back up the hill. But if you are, it’s a great workout. It’s about 8.7 km to go out to both the Knob and the end of the Extension and back.  And if someone skis the full Cougar Loop, could you report on whether either of the final legs down to the bridge over Bagley Creek got groomed? I doubt that there is any problem with parking at White Salmon all week. – Pete

2021-03-13: Skate-skied Salmon Ridge from 9:30 AM this morning to noon.
Was not groomed since earlier this week. The skiing was passable although a little on the icy side. Cold temps meant the classic tracks were holding up reasonably well considering no grooming in the past few days. Cougar Loop was icy. My decision to stay on Razor Hone and off icy Cougar Loop may have saved me a trip to the emergency room.  – Will

Looking at my favorite 7-day prediction site, it looks like rain during mid-day tomorrow. So not sure what is going to happen! – Pete

2021-03-12b: I can confirm the grooming at White Salmon all the way to the end of the SE extension and the knob. Just skied it (10am Fri). Because of the cloud cover it didn’t freeze up overnight and conditions were soft and firm in the shade and soft and starting to get just a touch sloppy in the sun. But really nice overall. High clouds still but well above the peaks so great views! – Michael

2021-03-12: Plan your day – and the weekend!  Grooming is happening right now on White Salmon (all the way out to the end of the SE Extension). Then we’ll assume that Razor Hone will be done. The weather prediction for today and tomorrow is ‘mostly sunny’. We were out there yesterday – it was wonderful (although I admit that it was sort-of icy… And Razor Hone didn’t soften up like I suggested – my apologies…) But with fresh grooming, it should be great skiing today and still good tomorrow! The parking area at White Salmon is in good shape – and my car was the only one there when we got there yesterday – and when we left (presumably some others were there in between). Down at Salmon Ridge / Razor Hone, there is still plenty of snow – and the grooming on 3/9 went down Near Cougar, all the way to the bridge over Bagley Cr.  This is the time for skate skiers to get their workout skiing up Near Cougar and get their reward with a view of the creek and a quick trip back down! On another note, we traversed the Salamander Adventure Connector Trail from White Salmon to the Salmon Ridge parking lot yesterday. It’s now available for adventurous sorts – I’ll update its web page this weekend, but you might want to talk to me before attempting it… – Pete

2021-03-09: Grooming at White Salmon right now, presumably at Razor Hone later this morning.  White Salmon should have beautiful skiing. Going out to the second switchback and return is 2.6 miles roundtrip and is suitable for beginners. Going beyond that isn’t too difficult – just remember that any hill that you go down, you’ll have to come back up later. I’m guessing that parking shouldn’t be too bad during the week. If going on the weekend, first come, first served… Plenty of snow and parking down at the Salmon Ridge snopark (Razor Hone). I’m guessing crusty and fast in the morning, soft and more control (and slower) in the afternoon.  The weather looks pretty good – with Thursday being ‘Sunny’. Have fun! – Pete

2021-03-06: Spring skiing conditions now. Into the phase where snow conditions change with temperature and time of day. We went out to ski out to Huckleberry and then snowshoe that. But Razor Hone at 10:00 was ‘fast’ (some might call it ‘icy’, but it would have been awesome skate-skiing). By the time we were going back (down Near Cougar) things had softened up so that it was great skiing down, with comfortable edging.  Then on Razor Hone back to the cars, it was ‘sort-of-soft’. I saw some skate skiers – they were doing well, but ‘getting a workout.’  Classical tracks were good (though my backcountry skis were too wide for them.) So – go early for crusty and fast; go later for softer and more control. – Pete

2021-03-05: White Salmon was groomed to the Knob and to the far end of the SE Extension early this morning! The groomer is on Razor Hone as I type! I’ll update here later this morning if I have anything significant to report as to how far out he went. Weather predictions call for mixed rain and snow showers at Salmon Ridge. White Salmon (higher elevation) should be beautiful! And if you are thinking about adding Huckleberry, we’re hoping to put some fresh snowshoe tracks up it tomorrow (Saturday) morning. (Ski out to it, carrying snowshoes). Also, another source of information: Thanks to Magenta with the Forest Service for a regular report of conditions at many sites along the Mt. Baker Highway published on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MtBakerSnoqualmieNF/  – Pete

2021-03-04: I’m back in town and looking at my computer and my emails.  It looks like the groomer made it all the way down to the bridge on the Cougar Loop.  Fantastic! And that Wednesday was a beautiful day of skiing! But also that the snow was getting soft and mushy.  We’ll see what the next few days bring. Predictions call for a mix of rain and snow. – Pete

2021-03-01: Grooming is happening this morning – but I’m not sure what you will find when you get there.  It looks like the groomer tried to get up the mountain to White Salmon, but had to turn back before getting there. He definitely went out Razor Hone – but I’m not sure whether he got up Cougar or not. There is reported to be plenty of snow at the moment, but the weather predictions show some rain coming, as well as sunny, warm days. It might be fast skate-skiing in the mornings – or then again, maybe not… 🙂 I’m going to be out of town until Thursday evening and might not get anything more posted until after that. – Pete

2021-02-26: Not quite as much snow as predicted, but several inches of snow on top of the grooming. Beautiful skiing. Highway was in great shape this morning (be prepared – it could change in minutes…) Hannegan was groomed – now would be a good time to go explore it! – Pete

2021-02-25: Grooming is happening this morning at Salmon Ridge. It looks like the groomer also went up the Hannegan Pass road a ways. This is billed as ‘dog-friendly’ – harness up those mutts and get some work out of them!

Not sure what you will find when you get up there. There is a winter storm warning in effect right now and predictions are calling for (depending on how you sum the day, night and next day totals) from 5-18 inches of fresh snow today and tomorrow. It should be beautiful, but you might go prepared for a wide variety of conditions. – Pete

2021-02-24: Still no fresh grooming… For those of you watching the weather, significant amounts of new snow are forecast for tonight and Thursday. I’ll post here as I get information about what is happening. – Pete

2021-02-17: My apologies for not posting sooner. Grooming happened today, but I didn’t find out until I was up at the snopark. It was really nice! Predictions are calling for a bit of snow tomorrow, then quite a bit tomorrow night. And while I’m typing, the trees on Anderson have been cleared to the point that you can get out to the washout without having to take your skis off.  But it is going to be next year before we can get a groomer in there. And crossing the washout is not difficult. – Pete

2021-02-12: Grooming is happening on Razor Hone right now. I’m not up there, but I expect the same as last time: Razor Hone with classical tracks to the end, up Cougar Loop on both sides to the high points, and Silver Fir Campground. I was up there two days ago – there should be plenty of snow cover, cool enough for no melting – it should be excellent skiing and it should hold up through the weekend. (predictions call for a couple of inches of new snow scattered through the next couple of days.) – Pete

2021-02-11: Four snowshoers reported on a trip up the Huckleberry Trail yesterday. “Such an amazing snowshoe experience. Not for the faint of heart though. There were no super tough or non-passible spots. There were a few spots we needed to jump over wet areas, or climb a small tree laying down. The marking [blue diamonds] was clear.”  Laura, Thanks for breaking trail and sending in a report! I think I’ll ski out to it tomorrow, carrying snowshoes, and take a look for myself!  Hoks might be an adventurous way, too. = Pete

2021-02-10b: Another report from today:

Wonderful! Fresh snow falling this morning….not enough to obscure the grooming or make the road dangerous.  2 well behaved dogs, snowshoers following the rules. I got up and around Cougar loop clockwise. Snow had covered all but one of the mini creeks from Monday. A super nice couple helped my friend retrieve an errant ski. Thank you man, whoever you were. He went down off the trail and into a culvert. – D

  2021-02-10: A dusting of fresh snow – just enough to keep it from feeling icy. Time to go ski!  And it should still be good for a few more days! – Pete

2021-02-09b: It was as nice as I had hoped. Classical tracks were set on Razor Hone, corduroy went up both sides of Cougar to the high points, the surface was just right for a little edging when coming down Near Cougar giving control all the way. The short stubs down to the bridge on Cougar were not groomed. We went up Far Cougar, one of us walked down to the bridge, then we both skied up to the high point on Near Cougar and had a wonderful slide back down to the parking lot. Skinny classical skis – cool enough for extra blue wax – no fishscales! (Fishscales would be fine – it’s just a real treat to be able to ski on my old classic waxable skis.) The snowshoers were very careful to stay to the very edge of the trail – thanks! The Silver Fir Campground was groomed with corduroy, but no tracks. It’s perfect for beginning skaters. Predictions call for just a little snow over the next few days and temperatures staying below freezing.  It should be some pretty nice skiing! The highway was in great shape today – but that could change in minutes.  – Pete

2021-02-09: Grooming is happening as I type at the Salmon Ridge SnoPark (Presumably Razor Hone, parts of Cougar Loop and maybe Silver Fir Campground.)  A good base was packed down by the groomer last Friday, several inches of snow fell this weekend and with the grooming it should be beautiful! Hoping for classical tracks! Of course if you get there while the groomer is still there, please don’t block either his truck and trailer or his access on and off the trails. (and don’t park next to the potties – the potty truck needs to get close to them to pump them!) Check the weather link – the weather looks pretty good and it looks like this might last for several days. I haven’t seen it yet – but I’ll report this afternoon (retirement is great…) And while I’m typing, check out the meeting page – tonight is our general membership meeting; I’ll be talking about using Avenza Maps with the snopark map.  – Pete

2021-02-06: Not surprisingly, there are a couple of inches of fresh snow on top of the grooming – but it’s a great base! And with more snow predicted for tonight and tomorrow, we’re hoping that with the next grooming we’ll have some excellent skiing. The picture to the left doesn’t show a whole lot, but it’s definitely a nice place to go right now. And if you don’t want to ski down a Forest Service road, try Mom’s.  Guaranteed no trees to climb over, at least until noon today. – Pete

2021-02-05b: Postscript – The Silver Fir Campground was also groomed. A nice place to explore on a low-key day. Stop and look at the river, admire the big trees, and enjoy a day in the snow. – Pete

2021-02-05: Grooming on Razor Hone has happened! Actually, the groomer is out there as I am typing this. He has been up to the top of ‘Near Cougar’ and is doing at least most of Razor Hone. I haven’t seen it – so not sure of the details. I believe the snow is relatively heavy and wet – and given that it’s not too deep, the groomer might not be setting classical tracks yet. Predictions are calling for more snow Saturday and Sunday, then clearing a bit on Monday. Also, thanks to Magenta with the Forest Service for a weekly update on what she has found out the Mt. Baker Highway. Be careful driving out there. – Pete

2021-02-03: Beautiful sunny day and 5 or 6 inches of fresh, fairly dry snow on Razor Hone. Definitely worth a ski if you are ready to go on user-created tracks (and maybe with skis that you are ready to hit a few rocks with…) – Pete

2021-01-31: Because nobody is going to read the introduction and see the link above this – and I think it’s pretty interesting, check out what I did on a rainy Sunday morning: A one page, multiyear record of Salmon Ridge grooming. There is hope for February and March yet! – Pete

2021-01-29b: So remember those waxable, skinny, semi-racing skis that you didn’t throw away? Today was the day for them! Waxed with extra blue, all the way to the end of the SE extension, all the way to the Knob, then kick-and-glide (very slowly) back up the long hill. No fishscale noise! It was beautiful! The snow was fluffy and light (and then groomed). Classical tracks to the bottom of the main hill, corduroy out to the end of the extension and to the Knob. Soft enough to edge on the way back down. Admittedly, it would have been pretty soft for skating. I saw tracks of one skater that went part way out. And while the tracks were in pretty good shape, there were a fair number of snowshoers and a few walkers on the open skate lane. I don’t think they made much of a difference, but I would have been exhausted skating on the snow. From the predictions, I’m expecting a couple of inches of snow tonight. Probably pretty nice classical tomorrow, but tough skating. The road was in good condition and parking was as good as can be expected (and not too crowded…) Still not enough snow to ski on down the hill at Razor Hone, although nice hiking on the backcountry trails. – Pete

2021-01-29: White Salmon was groomed this morning out to The Knob! The weather prediction for today (Friday) is ‘mostly sunny’. Should be great skiing! A bit of snow is predicted for tonight, but I bet that skiing will still be good through the weekend. (I have not been up there to see this, but this is reported from my ‘eye-in-the-sky’. – Pete

2021-01-27: We went out to Salmon Ridge to clear out some more stuff from the big windstorm. The River Trail is now looking pretty good! But as for snow, there is just enough to cover up some of the gravel on Razor Hone. But skiing is out of the question until we get more snow. – Pete

2021-01-25b: It’s not groomed, but it looks pretty nice! White Salmon has 3″ of fresh snow and beautiful weather. And it looks pretty smooth under that powder. Thanks Laurie for the report. And I know people who are strong enough to skate in that – not me, though!

2021-01-25: A couple of inches of snow at Salmon Ridge!  It looks beautiful – but isn’t anywhere near enough to groom. If you go ski, use old skis and be prepared for hitting a few rocks. -Thanks Mary Beth for the report.

2021-01-19b: Sounds like it was pretty nice yesterday! This report from Joe: Was up there fairly early yesterday AM. [Monday, Jan 18] It was as perfect as it could be… must have been groomed early! We had taken up skis and snowshoes and it was easy to choose skis with the grooming that had occurred. By mid-afternoon… it was a bit thrashed by snowshoers, dogs, etc, but the tracks were still in good shape.

2021-01-19: White Salmon was groomed yesterday!  It should be nice – although I haven’t seen it myself.  Check out the current weather predictions (see 7 day link above this) and go enjoy a nice ski. – Pete

2021-01-15: A friend and I went to White Salmon on 1/15. Packed, hard and unyielding snow without tracks. Enough snow on the main trail. Bare spots going up the knoll and down the side trail. Ski if you must, but I suggest waiting for more snow. – Kveta

2021-01-14: I have not been up the highway since skiing on 1/11. But the report from others is that White Salmon was pretty icy – the rain predicted by the FS evidently came and froze things up pretty well. It sounds like there was space to park, but that it was exceptionally icy! Others reported that the snow (and ice) is completely gone from the lower trails (Razor Hone and Anderson). Another report came from someone who climbed down from the downhill parking lot to the Ridge Road trail and slipped into a hole – to the point of appreciated assistance from someone with a shovel.  Be careful out there! Just a reminder – our trails are in a location where a little change in the weather can make a big change in the trails.  I did ski on a ‘groomed trail’ on the 11th.  It wasn’t bad!  After that, it snowed a little, rained quite a bit, and froze.  Certainly not the same trail that I skied on.  Check the weather and think about what has been going on. And enjoy the day, regardless. Also, there are a whole bunch of trees blown down on the lower trails (as well as one sanican). We are meeting out there this Saturday at 9:00 to do some clearing. Thanks for all the reports! – Lynne, Magenta, Sylvi, Cleo, Nui, Barb, and Pete – oh, and if you want a prediction for the weekend – MOTS (More Of The Same) – I bet there won’t be any snow on the lower trails and White Salmon will be pretty icy.

2021-01-13: What a crazy winter. I would normally not post this, but given the lack of snow so far, this might be of interest. The weather prediction that I normally use (NWS 7-day forecast ) suggests for today a ‘Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.’ for the Salmon Ridge SnoPark (the lower, Razor Hone / Anderson trails). And they also predict ‘Partly sunny’ for tomorrow (Thursday) (and who knows after that…) That’s not going to be enough to groom, but depending on your standards, might be enough to ski out the trail (maybe on your 2nd-string skis). (There was a little ice on the road, which might provide some ‘base’ to the new snow.) I haven’t been up to White Salmon since Monday – I’m predicting (for what it’s worth) that fresh snow has already covered the grooming and that it’s a nice place to ski, but the skate-ski window may have already come and gone… – Pete

2021-01-11: Yes, grooming did happen at White Salmon. All the way to the Knob and half way down the SE Extension (note to self – we need to work on the drainage on the extension. The groomer stopped where water was running down one rut of the road…) Classical tracks were set as well as a wide, smooth skate lane. Skiing conditions were actually quite good – the snow has a very high moisture content and so was quite ‘solid’, but there was just enough softness for good edging with skate skis. Quite fast. A friend was on classic – good kick-and-glide. As for weather – who knows? We started in rain, then it switched to snow. It was really pretty with the snow starting to stick to the trees. But my FS source says ‘We are expecting rain at 4,000’ today, 4,500’ tonight and 5,500’ tomorrow.’  That’s way higher than White Salmon. Thanks, Rich! Evidently the parking issue is really dependent on time of day, day of week, and weather! I got my spot! And the groomer plowed out a wider space to park – thanks, groomer! As to what you will find in the next several days – I really don’t know. The snowpack should hold up – but the atmospheric river of rain could really mess things up, to say nothing of making for wet skiing. No snow at all down at the Salmon Ridge parking lot. Sheila reports that even a couple of miles up Anderson, there is still only a little ice. – Pete

2021-01-10: Breaking news! White Salmon has been groomed! The groomer was able to get out late this afternoon (Sunday, Jan 10) and groomed the White Salmon Trail, including portions of the SE Extension. I do not know if he went up to The Knob or not. This information is from some spotty GPS points – I do not know exactly what was done – I’m guessing that he set classical tracks, but I don’t know that. I will post more tomorrow afternoon after I’ve been skiing on it! Note: this is NOT Razor Hone and Anderson. They are at the main snopark and are still gravel. Note: parking is very limited at White Salmon. See the note in red a little lower on this page (and the separate parking page.) Note: the predictions for the lower trails call for lots of rain in the next few days (that atmospheric river of rain).  That probably will be snow up at White Salmon, but our grooming may be ‘snowed in’ fairly soon! Hope to see you out there. – Pete

2021-01-09: We were up at Salmon Ridge today working on drainage on the River Trail (snowshoe and backcountry).  No snow in sight in the near future on the lower trails.  White Salmon should still be beautiful (and as we drove out at 8:30 today in a steady stream of cars, my wife joked (I think) ‘Oh, all these people must be trying to get a jump on parking at White Salmon…’) – Pete

2021-01-08: No news means no grooming. If I know of any grooming, I’ll post here (and send out to the email group). But without posts, it means that as far as I know, not much is going on… – Pete

2021-01-07: Only park in the ‘parking area’ at the White Salmon trailhead (where there is room for about 8 cars). It sounds like you could get a ticket or be towed if you park in the chain on/off area across the highway!! Read more on this page. I recommend backing up the hill and pulling in as ‘diagonal parking’ so that you an pull directly out after your ski. More cars can fit than if you try ‘parallel’ parking.

2021_01_03: Still no grooming – there’s still no snow at Salmon Ridge.  I stopped by, coming home from White Salmon. I was going to say that there was no snow and impossible skiing – when I saw a couple people coming off the trail with skis on. My standards are pretty low – but skiing on one inch of slushy snow just doesn’t cut it! Congratulations to the couple for making it work! But White Salmon was wonderful! Maybe 8″ of fluffy powder (on top of boilerplate, but that didn’t matter). We broke trail down the left, the snowshoers broke trail down the right. With 6 skiers going down, we had a great trail going back up! The picture is at the overlook at the bottom of the SE Extension.  But no views of Mt. Shuksan today! We carried snowshoes to start down the connector trail, but we were low enough in elevation that there wasn’t much snow and we just walked. There is a big storm coming – predictions aren’t clear, but it may still be a while before Salmon Ridge gets skiable snow. Parking at White Salmon is problematic. If you can go during the week, you should do so. Also consider going to the ski lodge parking lot and going down the Ridge Road (see the page under White Salmon trails) – Pete

2020-12-30: For all of you who have been signing up to get grooming updates – the reason you haven’t gotten any is that there hasn’t been any grooming.  If you watch the weather (the Salmon Ridge 7-day Forecast linked near the top of this page is where I go for info) it’s RAIN! There should be snow at White Salmon, but not at the lower trails! Maybe next week… – Pete

2020-12-26: That picture I posted with 5″ of snow on Razor Hone?  Not any more! I was up at the main snopark (Salmon Ridge, where the Razor Hone trail starts) milepost 46.9, today. It was raining and the very little snow that was there was very wet. But I believe that White Salmon, up at milepost 51.5 was quite nice (although it has not yet been groomed). But on a positive note, our thanks to Rich Ternan and his son Cody for cutting out the two *very* large trees across Anderson and at the Silver Fir Campground. – Pete

Looking at weather predictions, I’d guess that it’s going to stay like that for several more days.

2020-12-23: No grooming to report. But there is some snow at Salmon Ridge, the gate is closed, and people have been skiing. Razor Hone has something like 4-5″ (maybe a little more) of snow. The picture to the left looks great! – but it’s pretty thin cover!  We went out (just walking with boots) a short distance to clear a log on a side trail. A few people had tried skiing. It was possible, but you would hit rocks on a fairly regular basis. We then walked back by way of the River Trail.  A beautiful trail (snow stuck on all the trees) but no snow on the ground under the trees. The highway was in excellent condition and likely to remain so through tomorrow (although you should always be prepared for ‘winter driving conditions’ and trust your own judgement.) There is clearly lots of snow higher up.

The predictions call for clear weather tomorrow, then mixed rain and snow for the next couple of days. – Pete

2020-12-18: It is what it is…  First off, there is NO grooming. We went up to Salmon Ridge to do some odds and ends (we raised the gate at Anderson to clear the expected snowfall, cleared a few ‘new’ small trees from the Cougar Loop…)  There is NO snow on the lower trails (Razor Hone, Anderson, Jerry Bourn. A few patches of old wet snow on Cougar.) We did not go up the mountain, but there is lots of snow at White Salmon and Heather Meadows, although looking at the cars coming back down, the snow seems pretty wet. But think positive – the next storm could give us a foot of snow! (or not…) – Pete

2020-12-11: We went up to look around on Wednesday (Dec 9). It was snowing at White Salmon and the top of Ridge Road.  No snow down low at Razor Hone and Anderson. Since Wednesday, there have been a few flurries down low, but not anywhere near enough for skiing or grooming. So nothing much has changed. – Pete

2020-12-04: Not really grooming news. There is no snow at Anderson or Razor Hone and no grooming. White Salmon has plenty of snow, but sort of crusty (and no grooming). But we did go up to Heather Meadows today with beautiful conditions. Lots of user-created trails, but also lots of untracked snow – you sink into about 3″ of fluff. Perfect for Hoks. If you are nervous about the big steep slopes, don’t go very far! Just put your skis on and leave the parking lot! And if it looks too steep to go back down, take your skis off and walk. It’s beautiful! See pages on White Salmon and Heather Meadows for more information. – Pete 

2020-11-23: Stopped in to check the gate and the snow at Anderson today.  You just never know what you’ll see around the bend… Pictures were taken 100 yards past the gate. Thanks to the NNSC for their work at keeping the trails skiable…

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2020-11-19: On snow report! About 10-12 inches new. Heavy enough though that my Touring skis stayed 2-3 inches from the top while breaking trail. Did get a bit sticky/dense in the afternoon. Saw 3 others and track is pretty good now. – Rick

2020-11-14: And so it begins!! Thanks Mary Beth for sending on this picture of White Salmon today.  The weather predictions suggest that the snow will continue to fall up there this next week.  Conditions (user created tracks) should be good.  Not so good down the hill at Salmon Ridge with more rain than snow.  Be safe and have fun!

2019-20 Season @ Razor Hone / White Salmon (Salmon Ridge Snopark)

2020-03-30: How things change, part II. The State of Washington has closed down state parks, including snoparks. (The contract for Salmon Ridge snopark only runs through the end of March, regardless.) So the season is over.  Be safe, take care of yourself and friends and family. See you next year. – Pete

2020-03-24: How things change! Lynne was up skiing today and sent this report and the picture to the left. “I was up at Salmon Ridge today. 34 degrees when I arrived and 37 when I left. Had it all to myself. I think there was at least 8-12″of new snow. Last week the parking lot was bare – not so today; pretty deep. As you can see from the pictures no grooming, but someone had set a track. On Razorhone it went only as far as the 1st shortcut to Mom’s; they went left down the spur to the river. I set track from there to part way up the 1st hill after the regular Mom’s trail. On Anderson, again someone else had already been there in the new snow. Got a chance to appreciate nature, exercise and be alone. The restroom at the ranger station is closed but our port-a-potties are still there. “

2020-03-23: Grooming happened this afternoon on Razor Hone and Anderson.  Weather predictions call for snow showers.  There was a pretty good base last Saturday – I’d expect that skate skiing is still pretty good.  Historically, the snow lasts better over at Anderson.  I’m guessing that skating will last for another week or two. Too bad the sunshine from last Saturday isn’t lasting a little longer… – Pete

2020-03-21: Went skiing today. Skate-skied Silver Fir Campground at 10:00. Smooth, flat, icy, and fast. Went up to White Salmon at 11:00. Grooming from Monday has held up surprisingly well. While lots of people have snowshoed and walked on the trail, it was actually perfectly good skating. (Major work-out to come back up the hill. If you are as slow as me, plan on lots of rest stops.) The groomed classical tracks are still in good shape. And user created tracks continue down the SE extension, back towards Mt. Shuksan. Things were icy/crusty at first, then starting to soften up. Significant difference between sun and shade. A great place to go ski! Then back to Salmon Ridge and Razor Hone at 1:30. Track was good for classical skiing, lots of people skating. Summary: 10:00 – 12:00 icy and fast, 1:00 -> on, softening up. – Pete

2020-03-20: Grooming happened today. Razor Hone, the near side of Cougar, Anderson, and the Silver Fir Campground. The forecast calls for a low of 28 tonight and sunny with a high of 51 tomorrow (Saturday). I’m guessing really fast (crusty) skate skiing in the morning, turning soft and slow in the afternoon. White Salmon was not groomed this time, but was on Monday. It has a very solid base of snow. Should be a great day to go get caught up on some Vitamin D! Hope to see you out there. – Pete

2020-03-16: The groomer is out on White Salmon (the upper trail) as I type. Presumably he will then groom Razor Hone and Anderson when he is done there.  White Salmon today could possibly be the very best skiing of the year! And if you see the grooming go down the SE extension near the low point, down towards Mt. Shuksan, be sure to take that. It’s a really pretty view at the end. And if the groomer is still out on Razor Hone when you get there, please don’t block his exit from the trail (or his loading area onto his trailer. Happy trails! – Pete

2020-03-13: Grooming happened this morning on Razor Hone (both Cougar legs up to the high points), Anderson (to the washout) and Silver Fir Campground.  I skied the Cougar Loop and Anderson and conditions were great! When I left, there was only one set of skate tracks on Razor Hone with several classical tracks in the set tracks. Plenty of snow cover! What I’m expecting (no promises) is that it will freeze tonight and be really nice skiing tomorrow morning. I’m guessing that it will be a little crusty and fast in the morning, then warming up and softening (and becoming more forgiving – and slower) in the afternoon. Note: the two short sections down to the bridge on the Cougar Loop are not groomed and are ‘challenging’.  I kept my skis on, but it’s ok to take them off and walk where you need to (or just side-step).  Don’t worry about what you do to the trail there.  But the bridge / creek is a really pretty place. It’s a great destination. For your first trip, I’d recommend going up ‘Near Cougar’ and then come back the same way. For the record, while I usually say ‘clockwise’, I did it counter-clockwise and it was smooth enough to ski down the ‘Far Cougar’ (with plenty of snow-plowing.) The highway was clear and dry, the parking lot plowed and the potties ‘clean’. Finally, rumor has it that they might groom White Salmon early next week. – Pete

2020-03-11:Just got back from Anderson/Razor Hone 9AM-11AM. 1-2″ of heavy last night on top of soft grooming… slow and wet skating. Good classic. – David

2020-03-10: Razor Hone, Anderson and the Silver Fir Campground were groomed early this afternoon.  Not sure about the Cougar Loop. I was up there yesterday (before grooming) and there was really good snow cover. This should be some pretty nice skiing! – Pete

2020-03-09: Skied Razor Hone and Cougar Loop today. It had been groomed several days ago and had 4-6 inches of fresh snow on top of that.  Good user-created classical tracks (and very forgiving skiing back down the Cougar Loop).  Grooming had occurred to the high point on each side of Cougar and there was good snow cover. I’m hoping for grooming on Thursday or Friday and it should be really good skiing when that happens. – Pete

2020-03-05: “Skate skiing good today!” – Mary Beth. (It, including White Salmon, was groomed yesterday.)

2020-03-04: The groomer just completed White Salmon and is now down at Salmon Ridge. Note: if he is still out there on the trail (see truck and trailer in the parking lot), please don’t block his exit from the trail (back left corner of lot) or block his trailer. Should be beautiful skiing! – Pete

2020-02-29:

Razor Hone has a couple of inches of damp fresh snow from last night, with user-set tracks (not as deep or as forgiving of poor technique as proper groomer tracks). If the skies clear tonight all will freeze solid and you’ll feel every formerly-slushy lump. Coverage is good everywhere. 

Took a quick peek at White Salmon, where there has been no grooming for a while: a packed snowshoe track right down the middle, with thigh-deep damp, unconsolidated recent snow off to the sides. Fatter skis would allow turning, though with some degree of risk to knees (and dignity). For skinny skis at my skill level, the snowshoe track is too narrow to allow any control on downhills. 

I climbed almost to the end of the Anderson Creek Road earlier in the week, and by the end I was breaking trail sinking knee-deep in recent snow. Gathered some karmic points by sawing off a couple of scary-looking stubs on blowdowns, allowing an impalement-free ski out in the dark. I’m guessing another foot of fresh snow since then above 3000 feet, so difficult to make a case for heading back up there. 

I see indications this used to be groomed up to about where I turned around, 3200 ft. Any hints of that ever happening again? There’s nothing I can see which would currently prevent a groomer from crossing the washout culverts. – Mark

2020-02-27: The ‘eye-in-the-sky’ says that they are grooming this morning.  Not sure what is being done, but expect Anderson, Silver Fir, and Razor Hone. Note: if he is still out there on the trail (see truck and trailer in the parking lot), please don’t block his exit from the trail (back left corner of lot) or block his trailer. My interpretation of the weather report is that skiing, including skate skiing should be excellent through tomorrow (Friday), but that there might (or might not) be some fresh snow on it on Saturday. – Pete

2020-02-25: Mary Beth reports 4-6 inches of fresh snow today. Nice skiing on user-created tracks.  I’m guessing that there will be grooming either Thursday or Friday.  I’ll report when I see it. If you are out ‘chasing the snocat’ please don’t block his exit (or entrance) to the ski trails. – Pete

2020-02-20: Eye-in-the-sky report: grooming happened this morning at White Salmon! And Anderson, Silver Fir Campground, and Razor Hone. Note: if he is still out there on the trail (see truck and trailer in the parking lot), please don’t block his exit from the trail (back left corner of lot) or block his trailer. Both have been done in the past. I was out there two days ago and the snowpack was great.  This could be fantastic skiing!! A chance to skate White Salmon! (please try to diagonal park, backing in, so more people can park there.) My reading of the weather prediction is that tomorrow (Friday) should be great and that it will hold up through Saturday and maybe even Sunday. I’d expect fairly crusty and fast in the morning and more forgiving (and slower) in the afternoon. – Pete

2020-02-18: No grooming since last Thursday. There has been a fair amount of snow and a little freeze/thaw. It was a beautiful sunny day today with lots of user-created tracks. I had a good ski out to the first bridge on Razor Hone and then a great hike up the Huckleberry Snowshoe Trail (1/2 mile up, not to the end). I will publish a page about what I found. It was a great place to mess around! Keep an eye out for the report of the next grooming. It should be wonderful skiing when it happens. – Pete

2020-02-13: The ‘eye-in-the-sky’ says that grooming is happening this morning at Anderson, Silver Fir Campground, and Razor Hone. Should be nice skiing today!  If you happen to get out there while the groomer is still there, please don’t park in the corner, blocking his exit from the trail! – Pete

  2020-02-10: Nice day, sufficient snow, but Razor Hone was pretty icy.  Went across the street to Anderson and the campground – still icy and fast, but not quite as much as Razor Hone. But any day on snow in the woods is a nice day! – Cleo

2020-02-08b: Surface re-freezing in spots open to the sky at 5:00 this evening, although still basically mush with crust at 5:30. Expect it will all be frozen solid by early tomorrow morning, especially open spots and valley bottom. Machine and skier set tracks quite icy. – Mark [So presumably this means icy, bumpy, and FAST in the morning, and it might soften up a little in the afternoon. Supposed to be sunny. – Pete]

2020-02-08: We had a great time at Salmon Ridge with the Nordic Ambassadors today. Thanks to everyone who stopped by. Note: a very friendly Fish & Wildlife game warden stopped by – but he was writing tickets for non-compliance on snopark passes. As for snow, it was groomed Friday (see below) and had 2 inches of fresh snow on top of it. With warm temperatures, the snow was sort of mushy. Skating was quite smooth and very nice – but slow – I felt all of my years of being old and slow. Classical tracks were quite nice. I’m guessing that things will hold up well through tomorrow, which is supposed to be quite nice weather. If it freezes tonight, the skating tracks might be a little rough until they soften up. – Pete

2020-02-07b: Update: Mary Beth reported that it was fresh snow yesterday, not rain.  So the skiing after this morning’s grooming might be pretty nice! – Pete

2020-02-07: Grooming happened this morning on Razor Hone, Anderson (to the washout) and Silver Fir Campground. Not sure about the Cougar Loop (I’m sure the far side of it is in poor condition – don’t attempt a complete loop unless you are prepared for it.) This is an ‘eye-in-the-sky’ report – I haven’t seen the actual trail.  I’ll be out there tomorrow with the Nordic Ambassadors and will report late afternoon.  I’m guessing that it will be smooth, not-too-thick, dirty snow that is compacted, with a very high moisture content, but not too icy. Probably fairly fast skating and classical tracks. Weather predictions call for maybe an inch of new snow tonight, then clearing and sunny weather on Sunday and Monday. We’ll see. If you get out there while the groomer is still there, please don’t block his exit from the trails (the corner nearest the gate) – Pete

2020-02-03: 30 degrees and sunshine! Bring your sunglasses! An inch of new fluffy and light snow! Skating (and classical) good. See picture. (10 AM)  – Mary Beth. Conditions may change… Looking at the predictions, they call for sunny today, increasing clouds tonight, 3-5 inches of snow Tuesday, 5-9 inches of snow Tuesday night, then changing to rain on Wednesday and Thursday. – Pete

 2020-02-02: No grooming since Friday – and since the grooming, it has rained and then frozen. But it was smooth when that happened, and the skiing isn’t really that bad. ‘Firm and Fast’ is the nice way of putting it – ‘Icy’ is another way. But I skated out to Near Cougar (and a little way up it). Others reported that the classical tracks were reasonable.  My guess is that these conditions will hold up for a bit longer. Some predictions suggest a couple of inches of snow on Tuesday. Anderson and the Silver Fir campground were similar. Reports from White Salmon (higher up the mountain) say that there is plenty of snow, but it also got rain and freezing and is pretty icy. – Pete

2020-01-31: My ‘eye-in-the-sky’ says that Anderson (to the wash-out), Silver Fir Campground, and Razor Hone were groomed today. Judging by the snow that I saw on Monday and the weather reports, I’m guessing that there is now a pretty solid (but fairly thin) base, possibly sort of slushy. I’m guessing that it is possible to skate, but the weather doesn’t look really good for Saturday. Predictions call for some snow Saturday night and Sunday during the day, so it might be fun to ski then. We (Nordic Ambassadors) should be out there 10-2 on Sunday. Stop by and say ‘hi’ and get a cup of hot chocolate! And the Super Bowl isn’t until 3:30 – plenty of time for a ski beforehand! – Pete

2020-01-27: Friends asked me to join them skiing on Razor Hone / Cougar Loop today. I was pleasantly surprised by great weather and beautiful snow. 1-2 inches had fallen since yesterday and it made for great skiing, both classical and skate. The Near Cougar is groomed (before the latest snowfall) up to the high point and then beyond, down to the new culvert at the now-repaired mud-wallow, leaving a short distance of rough skiing down to the bridge. I’m guessing the snow will hold up pretty well for the next few days – but not sure what the weather will be like. – Pete

2020-01-26: Skated 8-10 AM. Initially rain, then clearing. Solid base with soft chunder. Lots of alder twigs and catkins so expect some waxing damage. Overall better than average conditions. – David

2020-01-25: Sorry for not getting this posted sooner. I was out at Salmon Ridge all day with Nordic Ambassadors.  Grooming happened this morning on Razor Hone, much of Cougar Loop (but not all), and Anderson out to the washout. White Salmon was not done. The groomer was not able to get over the berm to do the campground. Conditions were excellent! Both classical and skating. Temperatures were in the low/mid thirties and skiing was fast. Weather prediction for tomorrow is ‘Rain before 11am, then showers after 11am. High near 40. South wind 9 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.‘ I think the snow and the grooming is going to hold up fairly well – if I were going tomorrow, I’d aim for 11:00, but it might be good all afternoon. I think you could skate or diagonal tomorrow.  Then again, you never know.  Good luck! Note: if you have not skied the Cougar Loop before, go up the near side as far as you want (maybe to the bridge) then come back down the way you went up. Don’t try to do the entire loop until you’ve seen what it’s like to go down to the bridge. The parking lot was plowed out, the road was in good shape and the potties were gross! Go before you go!- Pete

2020-01-24c: a word to the wise: ‘go before you go’. Evidently the parking lot has not been plowed before the potty pumper truck has gotten there and the potties may be ‘at capacity’. You might want to stop at the Glacier FS ranger station to use their facilities…

2020-01-24b: Skate skiing is possible, tracks are there!  Sort of mushy, but skiable. (see picture) – Mary Beth [White Salmon was groomed out to the knob 4 days ago – it might be pretty good!  -[Current news: while White Salmon (further up the mountain) was groomed Tuesday, heavy snow has covered all grooming]… And we’ll be out with hot chocolate at the snopark parking lot tomorrow as the ‘Nordic Ambassadors’.  Stop in and say ‘hi’! – Pete]

2020-01-24a: The WSDOT site shows that the highway has been re-opened and is in good shape out to the snopark, probably clear pavement and wet.  Expect winter driving conditions further up the mountain near the downhill ski area. – Pete

2020-01-20: This report is from my ‘electronic eye-in-the-sky’ rather than from ‘on the snow’.  But grooming happened this morning on Razor Hone, Anderson (out to the wash-out), at least parts of both sides of Cougar AND White Salmon! Admittedly, the weather prediction doesn’t look really good, but it should be pretty nice skiing.  And I’d expect that skate skiing should be awesome! Also – the weather prediction for yesterday wasn’t very good either and it actually was pretty nice.  Only a couple minutes of rain over the course of 5 hours. And pleasant temperatures (35 or so).  The highway was in good shape (I didn’t go up to White Salmon). Hope you get a chance to try it out. – Pete

2020-01-19: Evidently, we missed the best skiing of the year, Friday evening, after the grooming. But then five inches of snow fell and a bit of rain.  But we were out today (Sunday) for Nordic Ambassadors.  Something like 90 cars came during the day to Salmon Ridge.  And the snow wasn’t bad. A little too thick for skating, but with a solid, smooth base, user created tracks through the 5″ of snow turned out pretty well. And thanks to Lynne for going out and cutting the tree with her little chainsaw.  Grooming later this week would make for some pretty special skiing.  We’ll see… – Pete

2020-01-17: Grooming is happening as I type!  Anderson (to the washout); the Silver Fir Campground; Razor Hone; the Near Cougar Loop, including the segment down towards, if not to, the bridge. Don’t know about Far Cougar yet, but we’ll see. (If you ski the Cougar Loop, my recommendation is clockwise, not counter-clockwise.  But if you haven’t done it before, my recommendation is to go up the near segment as far as you want, possibly to the bridge, but plan on coming back down the way that you went up.) I haven’t skied on this yet, but it should be beautiful!  Can’t go tomorrow? How about Sunday!  Stop in and say ‘hi’ at our ‘Nordic Ambassadors’ table.  And maybe take a spell at it and we can trade off going for a ski. (Nordic Ambassadors) Let me know when you have skied all of the groomed track! – Pete [For the record, the weather prediction (see the 7-day forecast above) suggests that the weather is going to warm up and turn ‘not-so-good’. It may be the sooner you get out there the better.  As in Saturday morning…]

2020-01-16: Beautiful day, lots of snow, no grooming.  Temperature was 33 degrees at noon. Highway was very good – mostly wet pavement, but with some slush.  All sanded, – Pete

2020-01-14: Lots of snow, but no fresh grooming. Will post when grooming happens. – Pete

2020-01-12: This morning there was shin deep (~6+ in) snow over what the groomer laid down yesterday. It was snowing heavily all day and the snow is pretty wet. By mid day there was a good set of tracks on Razor Hone. – L and C

2020-01-11b: I just got back from Razor Hone. Grooming did indeed occur and the conditions were quite nice. Temp was 31 degrees and it was snowing intermittently. There’s good coverage on the main road all the way to the end, with maybe just the one slightly rough spot mentioned in the 1-09 report. We didn’t do Cougar, so can’t speak to that. The snow was fast and very enjoyable for classic — it looked perhaps a bit sloppy for skating.  – Michael

2020-01-11a: Grooming happened this morning on Razor Hone and the first part of Anderson. I have not been out there to see it, but it should be nice.  The Cougar Loop has not been groomed. Predictions call for 1-3 inches of snow today, 5-9 inches tomorrow (Sunday). See the report just below this for Jan. 9 for a bit more information. If you go out there, how about sending me a report? Thanks. – Pete (ski@tryonhayes.com)

2020-01-09: Full circuit of Razor Hone and Cougar Loop.  Thanks to Sheila, Claus, John, and Mary Beth (and the sort-of trusty chain saw) all (lots) of downed trees have been cleared from those trails.  Who’s to say how many more are falling in the wind as I type this. Good snow cover on Razor Hone and the near Cougar.  Significant wet/melted areas on far Cougar.  BEWARE of a couple of gravel spots on Razor Hone, especially the one on the downhill just this side of the Cougar Loop.  With the snow today and tomorrow, and hoped-for soon to be grooming, skiing is looking up! Thanks to the snowshoers who so carefully stayed out of our ski tracks that we made going out.  It was wonderful skiing back to the cars. Check back here for grooming news. – Pete

2020-01-05: I actually skied the Razor Hone / Cougar Loop and it was fun! I went out fairly early and there were nice, user-created diagonal tracks down the side for some nice kick-and-glide skiing (on a thin layer of pretty mushy, wet snow.) The snow has not been groomed, but it was consolidated down to a relatively level surface. A strong skier could have skated on it, but it would have been pretty tough going. I went up the far side of Cougar, where there were significant patches of gravel where the snow had melted as it landed on surface moisture. (I looked in at the lower end of the Connector Trail, but it needs more snow!) The hill down to the bridge was pretty good! Lots of snow and wider and smoother than years past. The climb up to the top of ‘Near Cougar’ was great. A foot of snow over the culverts that were put in.  No open water to ski over. The ski down Near Cougar was quite nice with plenty of snow. But by the time I was back to Razor Hone, it was pretty warm and the snow was pretty wet. And the prediction for today and tomorrow (Tuesday) is heavy rain.  We can only hope for the snow predicted for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to finally give us some trails.  Maybe by the weekend (Jan 11-12).  I’m hoping to go up on Thursday – check back here for a report. – Pete. And Mary Beth reports similar conditions on Anderson.  She had a very pleasant time, crossing the washout and skiing beyond it, but finding some open sections of gravel. It is assumed that there was plenty of nice snow and snowshoe tracks up the mountain at White Salmon.

2019-12-28: No news is sad news. Snow news is sad news… Actually there is great snow up at White Salmon (up at the switchback), but without grooming.  Unfortunately, it’s been raining down at the lower Razor Hone trails.  I haven’t actually been there this last week, nor have I gotten reports, but looking at the 7-day forecast (see above link), it doesn’t look good.  I have talked with our groomer, and no grooming has taken place yet.  I’ll try to get out there before New Years (and ski White Salmon), and give a first-hand report. Anyone else with information, send it along…  Think Snow! – Pete

2019-12-22: Around 6 inches of ungroomed snow at RazorHone [Main

Salmon Ridge Snopark].  A little crusty top layer – once user made classic tracks in place should be fun times. – Mary Beth.  The weather prediction (see  Salmon Ridge 7 day forecast further up on this page) calls for nice weather tomorrow and the next day, then possibly some snow.  Time to get out and enjoy winter! White Salmon ought to be pretty nice! And I heard that people have been crossing the washout on Anderson.  But I don’t think that any grooming has taken place on any of the trails. – Pete

2019-12-21: As I’m sure that you are well aware, there’s been a lot of rain recently. I haven’t been up to our trails since the start of the storm, but my impression is that there is very little snow at the lower, Salmon Ridge snopark, but hopefully the snow is building up at White Salmon. As far as I know, our groomer has not been out on either our trails or the other snowmachine snoparks around Mt. Baker. I’ll post any grooming information on our website and send it out to the grooming hotline as soon as I receive any. Some of the more reliable ski spots (eg. Methow Valley) have been getting snow. – Pete

2019-12-17: We have news!  We have snow! (but not enough for grooming yet…) Mary Beth reports: “Got a classic ski in today [on

Anderson, see picture to the right]… There’s snow … Not enough to groom trails but enough for user made classic tracks. Someone drove down White Salmon Road messing things up. Anderson Creek Road, Razor Hone and the Silver Campground gates are closed so no one can drive down those roads. So make some classic tracks – preferably a set on one side of the trails. Snowshoers please do not walk on classic tracks – right now those tracks are being made by Classic ski enthusiasts.”

2019-12-12: Razor Hone is still bare gravel.  I was there yesterday for some trail work on the connector trail.  Today, it’s raining.  But there might be snow this weekend.  I’m assuming that there is now some snow at White Salmon, but it hasn’t been groomed. – Pete

2018-19 Season @ Razor Hone / White Salmon

2019-03-21: White Salmon has quite a bit of snow, no groomed tracks, but good consolidated snow. But some gravel is showing down the middle on the long downhill. And some of the hill going up to the knob is more-or-less snowfree. This morning it was still pretty icy – the hills should be skied by experienced skiers only. The snow softened up as the afternoon progressed. Razor Hone has lots of bare spots – it may be past the time of skiing down low… – Chloe [Remember that there will be skiing up at Mt. Baker in May as grooming is done for people to practice for the Ski-to-Sea… – Pete]

2019-03-19: I skated White Salmon between 09:40 and 10:30 this morning Tues 3/19. Coverage is good, though there’s one narrow melt-out on the last uphill outbound that catches morning sun. Surface fair; a few snowshoe and boot tracks made for chatter on the shady parts coming down. After a couple hours riding the lifts I skated Salmon Ridge between about 13 and 14:00. Coverage mostly good but a few melt-outs are starting in the center of the road. The worst is just beyond the lower Cougar Loop road, open gravel in the center and scattered stones in the snow in places. A few snowshoe tracks. I’m with Michael, I think it’ll involve taking skis off in places by this weekend. – Will

Actual ski report – 2019-03-18b: Salmon Ridge groomed Monday (3/18) morning. Conditions alternate between compacted and a little icy to soft / mashed potatoes, depending on the sun. Overall it was very, very enjoyable spring skiing. Coverage on the main road is still fine and should hold through this week. The groomer made it up either end of the  Cougar Loop, but there are spots getting bare and it’ll be hard to ski by the end of this week. – Michael

2019-03-18: The groomer has just finished with White Salmon and I assume is on his way to to Razor Hone.  The weather prediction for Razor Hone is sunshine and 60 degree temperatures for the next three days, so better get out there soon!  I’m assuming there is plenty of snow up at White Salmon, but unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to get out there myself in the last week. I’m guessing fast in the morning, softer and slower in the afternoon. – Pete

2019-03-13: Razor Hone has been groomed this morning. I believe that White Salmon has not. No further information at this point. – Pete

2019-03-09: White Salmon is being groomed right now. (saturday morning) I think it is safe to assume that Razor Hone is next.  I haven’t been out there, but with 5-6 inches of fresh snow in the last couple of days, it should be beautiful skiing! – Pete

2019-03-08: No grooming as of 11:30 am today. 5 inches fresh snow at Razorhone… Definitely a classic day! Beautiful snow draped trees!   – Ed

2019-03-06: I skate skied this morning and it was fantastic. The groomed trail was excellent, no wind, 25 degrees, fast snow and wonderful skiing, even got a little sun! – Kelly [For the record, the weather reports suggest that there might be a little more snow on top of the grooming now… The link that I use to watch the weather. Pete]

2019-03-05: Fresh grooming today on Razor Hone and White Salmon. Should be beautiful skiing! (haven’t been up there myself…) – Pete

2019-03-02: The grooming on Razor Hone is in good shape, with classical tracks all the way out. Grooming goes up each leg of the Cougar Loop, although tracks were not set on that part. The middle portion of the Cougar Loop is not groomed, but is well traveled. Feel free to take your skis off and walk if that seems appropriate. The first half mile out of the parking lot was glazed a bit (sort of icy), but that disappeared on the first hill. Nice day for a ski (we did the Cougar Loop with a snowshoe extension out the ‘in progress’ connector trail.) – Pete

2019-03-01: I was just sitting down to type up a positive report on yesterday’s conditions (thanks Dorothy and Magenta), when I checked in on grooming.  Both Razor Hone and White Salmon were groomed today! With predicted partly sunny or mostly sunny for the next few days, it should be beautiful! I would guess that it will be a little crusty and fast in the morning, and softening up and being a little slower (and more forgiving) in the afternoon. – Pete

2019-02-26 (b): It is probably inappropriate to say categorically that ‘it was the best day ever for skiing at Razor Hone that I have ever seen!’ – but I’m certainly ready to say that I’ve never seen it better! Lots of snow, groomed this morning, corduroy, classic tracks, including tracks going up to the high point on the Near Cougar end. I did ski the Cougar Loop (clockwise) – it is not groomed in the center portion (including one tree to go around), but it is certainly passable.  Feel free to take your skis off and walk if you are having trouble (I kept my skate skis on, but it probably would have been faster to walk…) Enough ‘texture’ so that it was easy to maintain control going down the Near Cougar. The highway was dry, the weather looks like it might last for a bit. White Salmon was also groomed and should be equally good, but I did not get up there. – Pete

2019-02-26 (a):  Grooming happened this morning at White Salmon – out to the Knob and Razor Hone and parts of the Cougar Loop (if you do the entire Cougar Loop, be prepared for some ‘heavy sledding’ in the middle part…) Given all the fresh snow that fell during the last few days (and no rain), this should be some of the nicest skiing we’ve had in a long time! (I haven’t been out there yet, but am on my way!) – Pete

2019-02-21: Grooming happened this morning at both White Salmon and Razor Hone.  There was fresh snow yesterday, so it should be beautiful.  No word on whether classical tracks were set, but I’m guessing that they were (I haven’t been out there yet). – Pete

2019-02-20: 6-8 inches of fresh snow last night. Beautiful day, with user-created tracks. Anderson: The washout at 0.9 miles has three culverts in it with quite a bit of snow on top.  If you are ready to take some ‘medium-big’ steps on skis, crossing it is no problem (see picture). There are some trees across the trail beyond the washout. The tracks when I left were just about ready for ‘kick-and-glide’ (although there wasn’t much for pole tracks…) – Pete

2019-02-17: It was a wonderful skiing day on Razor Hone. The grooming from Thursday has held up well with classic ski track. Both ends of Cougar Loop groomed (no track); the middle section is somewhat rough with fallen trees, deep snow that got rained on, etc. Passable, though.
No grooming on White Salmon. Snowshoers and skiers softly moving in deep, about 18” wide track. (Two of them, parallel, at places). Lots of snow. No more bare spots on an approach to the Knob. This was not fast, yet very pleasing experience. – Kveta

2019-02-16: Nice Saturday with the Nordic Ambassadors. Lots of people enjoying the day and the snow. The classical tracks on Razor Hone are holding up well – it was pretty good skiing. In the morning, skate skiing was pretty lumpy, due to the tracks from the previous day freezing up. the snow softened in the afternoon and skate skiing was pretty good. Cougar loop is groomed at either end, but the middle was ‘challenging’, though many people did do the loop. The River Trail / Mom’s loop got lots of snowshoe traffic. The Mt. Baker Highway up to the snopark was in excellent shape (although always be prepared for winter driving conditions and changing conditions.) – Pete

2019-02-15: Salmon Ridge Sno-Park area: We parked at the sno-park (permit required) at 10 am on a Friday and strapped on our snowshoes. Started on the River snowshoe trail. This is a gentle walk through the trees that then meanders along the river. Very well marked and traveled. We came out on the Razor Hone trail, which is a forest road groomed for XC skiers. Very gentle climb here for awhile. Hiked along the side of that up to the Cougar Loop/Blueberry Bounce loop (right side of the fork). Now the climbing becomes a bit more, but you’re still on groomed trail. Eventually you reach a gate. It was closed and this was the end of the groomed trail. One person had skied beyond, though, so we decided to continue the loop by following his or her path. The next 30-45 minutes was hard work, essentially breaking trail through a foot or more of powder. Mostly gentle down slope, but some flat and some up which was probably gentle as well but felt like a slog through the powder! The reward halfway through this part of the adventure was a beautiful winter scene of a small waterfall/cascade with a bridge crossing. Then onward through the powder again until we finally broke out onto the groomed trail on the other side of this “loop”. The ungroomed section had a couple downed trees we had to navigate around/over, and I don’t remember if there were clear trail markings, but because the skier had preceded us the path was super easy to follow. We headed back along Razor Hone and Mom’s trails, returning to the car around 1:30, tired but content! -Tammy

2019-02-14-b: The groomer did make it and did set classic tracks and corduroy out Razor Hone and at least some of the Cougar Loop (the part where it drops down to the bridge is not groomed – to complete the loop, you will need to do a little ‘do-it-yourself’). Mom’s was packed, but without track. Anderson was not groomed (and has a washout at 0.9 mile). Half the parking lot is plowed, the other half has some practice tracks, courtesy of the groomer. A couple of inches of snow is still predicted for tonight and tomorrow. – Lynne

2019-02-14-a: I don’t have confirmation, but we are expecting grooming at Salmon Ridge later this morning (Thursday). It should be beautiful skiing.  A couple of inches of snow is predicted between now and Saturday, but it should still be great this weekend. SnoPark passes are required. I’ll be up for our first of the year, Nordic Ambassadors day on Saturday, 10-2. Check here for details. Additional volunteers would be appreciated (an hour before or after you go ski would be great!) – Pete

2019-02-11: I haven’t been up there, but I’m convinced there is snow at our snopark. Now, we need grooming.  I don’t know when it is going to happen, but I anticipate that we will have it by this weekend.  So Saturday and Sunday might be pretty nice! I’ll post here as soon as I hear anything. And the plan is to have the first of our ‘Nordic Ambassador Days’ this Saturday, 2/16/19, at the Salmon Ridge Snopark at mile 46.9 on the Mt. Baker Highway. Come join us anytime between 10 and 2 for hot chocolate, maps, discussion of snow, skiing, snowshoeing, our club, etc. (check back here later in the week for more details.) – Pete. Meanwhile, check out this report for activities closer to home: Lake Padden – Good classic skiing at Padden! I skied the entire lower (north) half of the main trail. User-created two track in places and skiing the packed walking path in others, but all of it was surprisingly good, including some legit kick and glide for good stretches. The coverage is light under the trees but doable with care, and about 10” of powder out in the open. I didn’t dare the hilly and shady backside, though. Get it while you can! – Michael

2019-02-09. Evidently Razor Hone was groomed on Thursday. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough snow to cover the gravel base on the road. The optimistic view is that the packed snow will be a better base if and when we do get enough snow to ski on. It was a nice day for a walk. Details: There is about half an inch of fresh snow on top of the packed grooming. Just enough to hide the rocks that are still sticking up through the ‘corduroy’. I started off skating on the flats; and thinking it was pretty cool – mentally composing the positive post I was going to put up. Then I hit a rock and quickly was flat on my face. (look carefully at the picture to the left. You might see skate marks in the back, sitzmark in the front.) Then on that first hill, lots of rocks were showing through (see picture on the right.) I then walked up to the first bridge, wondering if I was going to find more snow further up the valley.  In a word, no. The bottom line is that there is enough snow to take kids out to walk on their skis. But anything that is more than walking is likely to hang up on rocks. Classical skiing might find a path through deeper snow, but skate is out for now. – Pete

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2019-02-06. Bottom of the mountain: 2-3 inches of snow at Razor Hone – clearly not enough to groom. Some people have been skiing, but take old skis and expect to hit a few rocks. But it could be a bit of a base IF we get more snow on Friday.

Mid mountain: Lots of snow at White Salmon, but no grooming.  User created tracks in several inches of snow on top of a couple of feet of base.

Heather Meadows: Fantastic conditions: See picture ->

Even if you don’t have back country skis and don’t want to go up or down steep hills, on a day like today, drive up to the parking lot, put on your skis and go out for a few hundred feet and look around!

Up at Cypress Mountain / Hollyburn.  I know that others have skied there over the years, but I finally got there and tried it myself. Fresh grooming every night. By all accounts, I’d suggest getting there before noon on a weekday if you can. Just under two hours from Bellingham, assuming no traffic crises. Classical tracks (I skied with waxed (extra blue) skis!) and skate corduroy. – Pete

2019-01-24. White Salmon was groomed this morning with tracks! Beautiful skiing! With the predicted nice weather, I’m expecting good skiing throughout the weekend. I’m guessing that for experienced skate-skiers, it will be fast and fun in the morning – then softening up for more control and slower skiing in the afternoon. The tracks should be reasonable all day. But then, that’s a guess… As you drop down the hill to the lowest part of the trail, you cross what I think is the line between snow to rain during the last storm (elevation-wise) and the trail becomes icier, but it is a relatively short section. The groomer was not able to set tracks in this section. The southeast extension was not groomed. Limited parking – please consider diagonal parking. map: White Salmon . There is essentially no snow at all at the lower Salmon Ridge parking lot (although there is ice in the parking lot and the potties are there). – Pete

2019-1-21: Skating (for strong ankles) at White Salmon! And a NNSC website first! A movie trail report (which actual gives a pretty good view of the conditions.) Basically, White Salmon (the upper trail) has sufficient snow and has been through enough use and freeze/thaw cycles to be skatable, but it has not been groomed. The first-person report is . “Sufficient snow except for two 10-m stretches on the final climb to the knob. Snow was packed and uneven which made for testy conditions skating but so fun (see attached movie).” Thanks, Eric, for the report!WS_Video

2019-1-20:

You haven’t been hearing from me because I don’t have any news to report.  The last that I was up the Mt. Baker highway was January 7.  I’ve been watching the weather since then and it has looked like rain at the lower (Salmon Ridge) snopark.  (The best source that I know of for weather is: https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=48.903771761478716&lon=-121.69538497924805&site=sew&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text#.XEURqlVKjIV .  It’s not right at the parking lot, but it seems to correlate pretty well.)  Note that snow is predicted for Tuesday.  I’m hoping to go up there later this week (not until Thursday) and will let you know what I find.

White Salmon (higher up the highway) is sure to have plenty of snow, but has not been groomed since it was packed at the end of December.  Significant snow has fallen since then. – Pete

2019-1-7: White Salmon had 10 inches of fluffy fresh snow on top of the packed snow from last week. And a modest set of user-created diagonal tracks.  Razor Hone had 8 inches of wet snow on top of gravel and no grooming or tracks at all.  And predicted rain for Wednesday. – pete

2019-1-1: Happy New Year! White salmon has wonderful groomed skate skiing. It has no classical tracks at all, so diagonal skiing is not good. [Maybe I’m too harsh – This report just in: “We were there yesterday. While it is true that skate skis are a better choice for the terrain on White Salmon, skiing on X-country skis was just as marvelous.” – Kveta]
28 degrees and very light snow. Highway is in good shape. Normal winter driving. We’ll see if we can get the groomer to set tracks next time. Razor hone doesn’t have much snow at all and no grooming. – Pete

2018-12-31: White Salmon has been groomed!  I haven’t seen it myself, but the groomer has made it out to the ‘Knob’.  Should be wonderful skiing tomorrow! (Weather is predicted to be ‘Partly Sunny’) I don’t know if classical tracks were set or not, but certainly hope that they were. As stated before, please consider diagonal parking with the idea of fitting more cars in. Hope to see you out there. – Pete

2018-12-30: Not enough snow to groom at Razor Hone / Anderson (only a few inches). Lots of snow, but no grooming at White Salmon. – Mary Beth

2018-12-27: Razor Hone (the big parking lot MP 46.9) only had 4 inches of snow – not enough to groom or really to ski on. But White Salmon (at the switchback at MP 51.5, click here for more info) has a couple of feet of snow and user created tracks. It was beautiful. Current predictions are for snow tomorrow (Friday) and rain on Saturday. – Pete

2018-12-17: Razor Hone and Anderson are wet gravel. There is about a foot of snow up at White Salmon, but it is *very* wet.  There’s no telling what is going to happen in the next few days of storm. It’s time to do some snow-dancing… – Pete

2018-12-8: It’s not that this page is dead, it’s just that there hasn’t been anything to report.  We were up at the far end of the Cougar Loop, working on the Salamander Adventure Connector Trail on 12/3/18 and while there was frost on the ground when we started, it was back to wet moss by the end of the day.  We didn’t drive up to White Salmon, but by the looks of things, there wasn’t much snow up there.  Vague reports from people who went up to the Mt. Baker downhill area and went out past the downhill slopes reported snow and fun times. But at this point, there are definitively no groomed trails.

2017-18 Season @ Razor Hone / White Salmon

2018-4-11: Surprisingly enough, conditions for skate-skiing on Anderson were excellent! (1.5 km to wash-out) Smooth and fast!  A little soft, but not badly so.  I skied between 9 and 10 in the morning.  I’d go early – I’d guess that it softens up quite a bit in the afternoon.  But if you were preparing for the Ski-to-Sea, it is a nice place to ski.  I didn’t look at Razor Hone, but I’d guess that it is similar, but a little rougher.  Conditions may change pretty quickly though.

Speaking of Ski-to-Sea, there are some people looking for cross-country skiers. I did this last year – if you want to see the requests that I have received or more info about the race, email me at ski@tryonhayes.com . Or check the page http://forum.skitosea.com/ – Pete

2018-4-3: Now the ski season is getting into full swing.  Eight inches of new snow on Razor Hone and Anderson. – Ron

2018-3-31: Razor Hone and Anderson were groomed yesterday (Friday) for the last time this winter.  They both have excellent snow cover at this time and nice classic tracks set down one side. Razor Hone has seen skate traffic in the afternoon when it is mushy, leaving frozen tracks in the morning (no complaints, just reporting).  Then as it softens up, it’s pretty nice. Remember, if you do the Cougar Loop, the center part where it drops down to the bridge is not groomed.  Suggestion: for the next week or so, skaters might skate on Anderson when it is still solid in the morning, then stay off it in the afternoon (go over to Razor Hone).  This morning (up until noon), Anderson was arguably ‘perfect’ for the first 0.9 miles up to the washout.  It might last for another week or two. Classic skiers, staying in the tracks won’t have any effect morning or afternoon… Mom’s was groomed earlier this week and makes a fun twisty-turny skate back to the parking lot. White Salmon has lots of snow, but no grooming.  Stay tuned for next winter’s plan for user-created and maintained classic tracks. Regardless, go out and enjoy the snow! – Pete

2018-3-28: Greetings from Salmon Ridge! Well over a foot of snow on Razorhone. Groomed just now!! Great spring conditions!!! 35 degrees and cloudy. The groomer said 6 inches fell here Monday. The groomer tells me his last grooming is Friday. Come out and enjoy!!! – Ed

2018-3-19: Groomed this morning at Razorhone. There is still substantial snow (at least a foot?) of snow still on the road. Should be good. – Kurt

2018-3-15: Monday’s grooming onRazorhone appeared to have held up well. There was some fresh snow on top but what was underneath was slick enough that it made for decent skating. It is lucky the road is so completely shaded- helps to protect the snow. Sunny spots were quite soft (midday). It would probably be good this morning and very soft this afternoon. – Claire

2018-3-12: I wanted to report that Razorhone Road was groomed today. The

corduroy set up soon after he groomed, so there was pretty much perfect skating conditions!!  [Classical tracks set, too.] And amazing bluebird skies!!! – Ed

2018-3-9: Still ‘fabulous’, but a little different.  There’s been 2-3 inches of snow on the grooming that was done on 3/5.  Skiers have skied in the classical tracks left from the grooming and they are in great shape.  Skating is possible on the rest of the trail, but you’ll need to be a strong skater to appreciate it.  The fresh snow is going to slow you down.  The predictions are calling for sun for tomorrow, Sunday, and Monday.  I’m guessing that it will be crustier and faster in the morning, softer and more forgiving (and slower) in the afternoon. The Cougar Loop would make a great outing – but remember, the section between the two ‘high-points’, including the bridge is not groomed.  If you are on skinny skis, you’ll have to ‘adjust’. I’d do it clockwise.

Time to ski!  The highway is in great shape – no ice or snow (conditions can change quickly, use your own judgement) [having just typed that – word of warning, the parking lot is a mess and likely to get worse as snow melts.] – Pete

2018-3-6: Still ‘fabulous’ conditions at Razor Hone. – Jim [note predictions of sun for Wednesday and rain for Thursday] – Pete

2018-3-5: Razor Hone was groomed this morning and reports are that it was fantastic skate and classical skiing. Weather predictions are for sunny weather Tuesday and Wednesday.  Time to go ski! – Mary Beth

2018-2-27: Razor Hone was groomed yesterday, but it now has 6 inches more snow on it.  But it’s beautiful!  32 degrees at noon.  Highway was ‘normal winter conditions’ – well plowed, but snow cover on the pavement.   I’d drive it with 2-wheel drive, but only with snow tires (I have a Subaru with snow tires…)  We’re hoping for grooming again Thursday morning.  Note predictions of continued snow on the 7-day forecast linked higher up this page. – Pete

2018-2-26: Went to Salmon Ridge today. Arrived about 11am, just as the groomer was finishing up and leaving. So we had fresh corduroy and classic tracks. It looks like it had snowed at least a few inches overnight (unsure exactly how much). There is PLENTY of snow, no shortage right now. We used the purple Glide wax on our waxless XC skis and had absolutely no problem with sticky snow. The temp was low 30s, overcast with occasional blue skies poking through. The snow was great, relatively dry even.  Mt. Baker hwy was clear and wet all the way, almost no slush or snow on the road. Today was a great day to be at Salmon Ridge! – Brooke

2018-2-24: Fresh snow on previously groomed track. A bit sticky – good to apply some wax under the heel. [I would put ‘MaxiGlide’ or similar ‘goop’ wax on the fishscale part of my skis – Pete] We arrived later in the day (about 15 cars at the White Salmon the parking lot) and it was obvious that there had been skiers. Yay! Their good job and tracks were unfortunately undone for much of the way be snowshoes.  The winter scenery and the snow were at it’s best. – Kveta

2018-2-23_C: Beautiful skiing.  Hannegan also groomed. – Claire, David

2018-2-23_B: I skated razor hone and CCW around cougar loop. The grooming was excellent and the skate skiing was superb! Temperature was about 20° when I arrived and 24° when I left at about 1 PM. – Jim

2018-2-23: Razor Hone and Anderson were groomed this morning.  Sorry, no more details available. But it looks like more snow coming this weekend.  Time to go ski! – Pete

2018-2-20: Great classic skiing!  Kick and glide! It would have been perfect to have skinny waxable track skis with extra-blue wax on them – not what I had, but it would have been great! Lots of nice snow, beautiful user-created tracks (see picture).  I skied up to the top of the Cougar Loop and it was very forgiving on the way back down.  Conditions should be good for doing the whole loop (if you do, I recommend clockwise.)  Temperature was 27 degrees at 12 noon.

The groomer is planning to be out there this Friday and there should be enough snow for some beautiful groomed classic tracks.

Highway was in good shape, though it had some sections with some packed snow on it.  Well sanded by the highway department though. This could change quickly – be careful. – Pete

2018-2-19: Good snow today but not groomed. Okay for classic if you are not spoiled by groomed trails! (We were in Winthrop last week…) Pretty with snow on the trees. Susan

2018-2-18: It was beautiful out there today. The wind was mostly blocked on Razor Hone and the new 9? 10? inches of snow were powdery. There were [skier-created] classic tracks, though there was heavy traffic with snowshoes, dogs etc. Definitely complete coverage out there. I was there last Friday and there was A LOT more snow today. – Claire

2018-2-16: Four cars at the Salmon Ridge parking lot. No traces of yesterday’s grooming mentioned by Pete. About 6-8 inches of fresh snow. Reasonable user-track all the way to Cougar Loop, then gradually fading. I’ve never thought of myself as being a “trailblazer”, but today I was: Cougar Loop is THROUGH! At least for the time being. There are a few fragile spots with water peering from underneath. All in all, awesome scenery and freshness. -Kveta

2018-2-15: Fresh corduroy at Salmon Ridge SnoPark.  Razor Hone got 6 inches of fresh (wet, heavy) snow and was groomed today.  It looks in great shape, although I’m guessing that there are thin spots further out on the trail. (and unfortunately, no tracks were set.)  I expect that it will be firm and fast (and a little icy) early in the morning and much more forgiving later in the day. I went up and skied out White Salmon and as we left, there was an excellent user-created set of classical tracks.  5 skiers going both ways and no one walking or snowshoeing on it!  (it was snowing when we left though.) The connector trail is not yet ready for prime time.  If you want to explore it, you might check with me.  I didn’t make it all the way to the overlook over the creek – let me know if you would like to join my next attempt. – Pete

2018-2-12: Skate skis on White Salmon! White Salmon was groomed a number of days ago. No classical tracks were set, but there presumably was corduroy out past the turnoff to the SE extension and on towards the Knob. Since then, it has seen many a snowshoer and the corduroy is long gone, but it’s still relatively smooth and flat. Experienced skate-skiers should not have any trouble with it. (Probably not too good for beginners.) I continued on down the SE extension and the crust was as good as the grooming! The only problem is that from the viewpoint for this picture, it’s all uphill back to the car!

I skied it about 11 AM. The highway was in excellent condition and the parking area had enough gravel/sand in it that anyone would be able to pull in and park. Of course, conditions could change in minutes! Do not drive beyond what you feel comfortable with.

(A quick perusal of the trails down at Razor Hone suggested limited snow and pretty icy.) – Pete

2018-2-8: We skied Razorhone today, and it was great, even though it was 40 and raining. Recently groomed corduroy , and only one other had skied it. We skated so not sure how track is, but it is not set very deeply (not enough snow). Had to take skis off 15 min. in,(due to bare spots) but then put them right back on. Also did both ends of Cougar Loop. The near end of Cougar has been groomed and was great. Checked out Anderson Creek Rd., but only went 5 min. in, due to lack of snow. Get out and ski before it turns to mush or washes away. – Kim and Ethel

2018-2-7: Razorhone has been groomed. I skated Anderson today on fresh corduroy. I Left Razor Hone with untouched corduroy … it’s pretty. – Mary Beth

2018-2-2_B: “The trails have been groomed. They seem to be in pretty good shape.” (see picture) – Mary Beth

2018-2-2: Mount Baker Club’s scheduled Sunday snowshoe outing at Salmon Ridge is cancelled.  Forecast shows heavy rain up to 5000 feet.  – Mike

2018-1-26_B: About 10 inches new snow at snow park, early skiing was great. Grooming fair on razorhone, corduroy bumpy, one good set of tracks, some snowshoe traffic on groomed trail. Afternoon turned icy. Snow park parking was very wet, recommend rain boots. – Dana and Pat

2018-1-26: fresh snow and the groomer is out on the trail someplace.  Maybe we will see you with the Ambassadors tomorrow (hot chocolate and fresh-baked goodies!) – Zack, Mary Beth and Pete

2018-1-24: Grooming at Salmon Ridge is expected to take place on Friday Jan 26.  Should be good snow conditions for Ambassador’s Day on Saturday, with REI and USFS in attendance. – Gail

2018-1-24:  Skiing Anderson on fresh wet snow was fun!  The Razorhone parking lot was a sloshy wet mess that was too wet to walk in. – Mary Beth

2018-1-21: At 7:20 AM, 36F, sleet, no new snow at Salmon Ridge.  At 8:10 AM, 32F, snowing,  at Heather Meadows – Zach

2018-1-20: 2-3 inches of wet snow on top of an old, old smooth base.  Not too bad, but we are really hoping that the predicted fresh snow will be coming later this week.  Who knows, maybe even some grooming!  It would be nice to have it for the last big Ambassador Saturday on the 27th.  It was reported that there was over a foot of fresh powder at White Salmon (and that skate skiing was ‘impossible’ :). – Pete

2018-1-13: Better than expected!  There has only been a little new snow since last Saturday and no grooming, but Razor Hone is still flat and smooth.  Skating was ‘good’!  And while there were no set tracks for classical, it was smooth enough and just soft enough for smooth kick and glide.  I’d expect it to be pretty nice tomorrow on a predicted sunny day. I’d probably not wait for too late in the day though – it could get mushy in the afternoon. Not so sure about how it will hold up through the week.  And watch out for occasional stray rocks…  White Salmon ought to be beautiful tomorrow with great views, although plan on a mish-mash of user-created tracks (snowshoe and sk) And I’d bet the parking up there will fill fast! – Pete

2018-1-6: They did groom Razor Hone, Anderson, and Hannigan Pass Road last Wednesday or Thursday.  And the snow has held up surprisingly well with a little corduroy still showing!  I skated part way up Cougar this afternoon and it was ‘good’!  (Watch out for a very few rocks…) Broadly speaking, I’d expect it to be faster in the morning and a little softer and more forgiving in the afternoon.  No tracks were set, but classical skiers reported that it was smooth and reasonable skiing.  It was reported that White Salmon had fresh snow.  (It was a very gentle mist of rain at Razor Hone.) – Pete

2018-1-4: I went not far from the end of Anderson Cr Road on my Hok skis.  Crossing at the 0.9 mile washout can be difficult and very dangerous if you slip crossing the culvert.  There are downed trees across the road on several places. – Dale

2018-1-2: We’re hoping for grooming Razor Hone tomorrow (Wednesday morning) in which case it should be great conditions.  Today’s report – Razor Hone: Solid, firm base, relatively smooth, no tracks. It was reasonably good skating, but not for beginners – no corduroy and a little bumpy. Not very inviting for diagonal (in-track) skiing. Temperature 34 degrees at 12:30.  White Salmon: Beautiful snow with multiple user-created snowshoe trails, but no grooming.  Main highway in very good condition up to the icy parking area.  (Road conditions can change in minutes!) Temperature 37 degrees at 12:00. Weather reports suggest tomorrow might be great, Thursday ok, and ‘not-so-good’ for the weekend… Pete

2017-12-31: No grooming at all.  The trip was a bust.  – Douglas

2017-12-22: The groomer went up to Salmon Ridge Snopark today.  The main trail (Razor Hone) was groomed for skating, but no tracks were set (presumably the snow was not deep enough to put them in.  As always, if you have reports of conditions, please fill out the form linked to the volunteer page: (or email me at tryonj@tryonhayes.com ) – Pete.  Additional: 2pm: Razor Hone groomed this morning. Rough, but fully skate-able. Anderson creek ungroomed and sticky. – David

2017-12-21: With a few inch previous base and a little more soft snow Razorhone and Cougar Loop (go clockwise) are ready. I spent time there today and gliding in Silver Fir CG. – Dale

2017-12-20: Beautiful day! Looks like enough snow for ‘rock skis’ but not for grooming at Razor Hone. White Salmon should have lots of snow, but no grooming yet. – Mary Beth

2017-12-05: Combined single wide user snow shoe/ski track on White Salmon – Dale

2017-12-04: Plenty of snow at White Salmon to snow shoe.  Not much snow at Salmon Ridge. – Herm

2017-11-30: 8-12 inches of fresh snow at White Salmon on modest base. The snow thins out but is still skiable down to the turnoff for the SE extension.  The snow on the SE extension is pretty thin!  Temp: 35 degrees; light snow falling as I left at 2 pm.  No grooming has taken place. No snow on the ground at all and 37 degrees at Razor Hone and Anderson. The potties are in place at the parking area. – Pete

2017-11-18: 16 inches of snow at White Salmon (user-packed trails, no grooming). Just scattered patches of snow at Razor Hone. – Mary Beth

2017-11-06: All the highway traffic delays (steel bridge and new bridge construction) have been removed.  WSDOT workers may be finishing the road edge bamboo pole placement along the upper highway segment that I saw them working on today.

There was insufficient snow and the roadways were churned up by vehicle tracks on Hannegan, Anderson Creek, and Razor Hone roads (a surprise to see Razor Hone and Anderson Creek Road gates still open after November 1st).

White Salmon Road (just below the lower Ski Lodge;, ski resort facilities still not open) had the typical narrow plowed parking area.  Snow appeared sufficient for ski and snowshoe but I didn’t spend much time there.

Heather Meadows parking lot was completely plowed and I saw about 30 vehicles there when I arrived late morning.  The area is richly blanketed in wonderful powdery snow.  The roadway to Artist Point (not the winter cat track) was groomed and well used this weekend and follows the road before turning off on a rougher track up Pan Dome most likely for pre-season ski resort operations.  The ski, snowshoe and boot “cattle track” continues on the roadway as far as Austin Pass where my travel ended today.  I skied a little down into parts of the Lake Ann basin but no higher though everyone else I saw was continuing up including what I later learned were two people walking up in shoes with nothing more than a grocery sack lunch who were on their way to what they thought was the Mt Baker Hot Springs!  Wish I had known and could have pointed out that they were on the wrong side of the mountain.  Off trail the snow sank a good foot before thickening up.  There was no crust and even the people tracks and groomer margins were still fluffy enough to ski thru without difficulty.  There were other tracks through out Heather Meadows but not as many as I thought there would be given the excellent quality of the recent snowfall.  The base is not deep however, so eventually doing much off trail skiing would almost certainly include rocks, shrubs and small trees.  -Bud

2017-11-06: Today quite a few of us, including solos, enjoyed blue skies and great snow for going to Artist Pt and beyond. Some were in walking boots, some on snow shoes and quite a few on various skis. The good news it appears snow will last for many good days till Spring. Get out and enjoy and stay healthy! – Dale

2016-17 Season @ Razor Hone / White Salmon

2017-04-28: Today folks were enjoying snow travel to and from and around Austin Pass and Heather Meadows areas and White Salmon Roads. Some fog, light rain and not much sun but I got sunburned so beware if you have fair skin! Today was my latest ever day to cross country ski except once in May to try my Hok skis. I used them today to Austin Pass but rode the cross country skis on White Salmon.  Most interesting is hearing what I believe are owls in two places like last time On White Salmon but never saw them. -Dale

2017-4-10: Today was too stormy to enjoy Heather Meadows and higher. White Salmon was quite good including the Eastern spur near the bottom. I was there. Also at Razorhone at 40 degrees and softer snow but pretty good skiing. Snow should be around quite awhile with no permit required. Fun is being out early and trying to identify all the critter tracks. As in the past on White Salmon, I think I heard an owl.. I tried to call back. No owl showed its face like a spotted owl did in October 2015 along Hannegan Road. – Dale

2017-4-8:  Razor Hone and Anderson looked pretty grim.  I didn’t really inspect them, but they were unappealing (even though there was significant snow.)  But White Salmon was beautiful!  Multiple feet of base, with a solid top and then a couple of inches of fresh snow.  Temperatures at about 35 today.  User-created tracks might give you a little kick-and-glide.  No skating though… 🙂 Highway and parking were in great shape.– Pete

2017-4-4: At Razor-hone, plenty of snow with good conditions. [remember, the last grooming was March 17.] There are two water breaks between mile 1 and Blueberry.

Anderson Creeks side is about finished.
Up to mile 1, fair conditions.
Miles 2 and 3 are mostly unskiable with hard thin ice and bare road
Miles 3 to 5+ good conditions with an inch of new on a hard base.

For the first time in years I skied to the end of the road and beyond. Equally good skiing past what had been groomed with a hard frozen base on deep snow and 1-2 inches of fresh snow on top. – Ron

2017-4-3: Still a great place to go ski!  I stopped to look at Anderson – plenty of snow and fairly crusty.  Potential for a fast skate in the morning – might be too slow in the afternoon.  White Salmon was beautiful – Many feet of snow with a good crust with a dusting of fresh snow on top.  User-created trail with reasonable potential for kick-and-glide.  (the first quarter mile was messed up, but after that it was pretty good tracks.) – Pete

2017-3-30: While last groomed two weeks ago, it was beautiful skiing today at Razor Hone. I skied (skated) to the top of the first hill on 1-2 inches of fresh snow on top of smooth, level, packed snow. It was slow, but very nice. Excellent workout for Ski-to-Sea-ers! I skied out to the first corner on Anderson and it was even nicer. Not much in the way of classical tracks, but it would have been great striding, even so. I stopped at White Salmon – 6-8 inches of fresh snow on a six foot base. Then I went up to Heather Meadows to try out my new Hok skis.  While I’m not the first to extol their virtues (thanks, Dale), I’m the most recent convert.  Short and wide, they are a very forgiving pair of skis. They are similar to snowshoes while tromping around on the snow, but they allow sliding back down on the way home. I’ve skied (non-expertly) back-country for decades – these are a game-changer!  Talk to me if you want to try them out!

The highway was in great shape, with a little bit of slush above White Salmon on the way to Heather Meadows.

I believe the Razor Hone potties are going away tomorrow.  Stop at Glacier Ranger Station, Hannegan Pass lot, or Heather Meadows (at the top of the far lot) – Pete

2017-3-23: I used my Hok skis on White Salmon on fresh snow while two others were there on snow shoes.  After going to the bottom of the hill I followed the snowed on trail to just below the ski area.  Others were at Razorhone while I went up Hannegan on soft melting snow on my cross country skis until the road was bare in sunny weather. Nice day overall. – Dale

2017-3-17: The report is that grooming happened this morning. (And rumor has it that it might be sunny and 50 degrees on Sunday.) This will be the last grooming of the year, so it seems like a good time to go ski!  No report on whether White Salmon was done, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. – Pete

2017-3-16: Razor Hone above freezing.  Heather Meadows stormy and windy all morning.  One of the best days at White Salmon with new snow over old tracks.  If you are an adventurer go to the end of the spur on the right going down near the bottom of the hill. Takes you to the base of Mt Shuksan. – Dale

2017-3-15: The Salmon Ridge Sno-Park parking lot was plowed down to gravel by DOT today.  No longer will your AWD Subie become mired up to the roof in some deep, wet hole in the middle of the lot.

With the very warm, wet weather forecast for days to come, we’re either at or very near the end of the grooming season.  The Sno-Park probably will NOT be groomed tomorrow.  Check back for updates. – Jim

2017-3-14:  I was out the highway for other reasons, but the report for today is that it was pretty sloppy.  No new grooming, 37 degrees and drizzle, very wet snow. Maybe cooler temperatures and one last grooming later this week…  (And I did stop by at the Glacier Cr. snowmachine snopark – very wet snow, but fresh grooming for what it’s worth… (see note below)) – Pete

2017-3-10: Lots of snow, but no grooming. 34-35 degrees and misting rain at 11 AM today.  User-created tracks on all three trails.  I just looked at Razor Hone and Anderson, and then drove up the hill to White Salmon.  The base was about five feet! The snow was wet and sloppy. Someone else had skied in a trail a few inches of snow back – it was actually pretty nice going.  If you had two or three people, at the end of your train, you’d have pretty good tracks! The road was wet pavement to Razor Hone, with some slushy snow on the pavement on the way up to White Salmon. The parking lot at Razor Hone was bad – without 4WD, I’d park across the road at Anderson. I stopped at Glacier Creek snowmachine snopark on the way home. Check out the page for more info if you are a strong skate-skier or solid back-country skier. – Pete

2017-3-5: Another beautiful day of skiing. Temperature around 30 and sunshine at 10:00. New snow at 2:00. Lots of user-created tracks with good kick and glide, but no skating. A great time to ski the Cougar Loop. We’re hoping for one more day of grooming towards the end of this next week. – Pete

2017-3-4:  Snowing and 30 degrees at 11:15am. There is now over 18″ snow on top of the groomed trails on Razorhone and 2′ of snow on top of the groomed trails at the top of the Cougar loop. – Gail

2017-3-3: At the risk of sounding like a civic booster, it was pretty good skiing! I (skate) skied up to the first switchback on Anderson from 9-10 this morning. It was light rain at 34 degrees. There has been no new snow since it was groomed yesterday and it has not frozen up. Consequently, the snow is a little mushy, but skating on the corduroy  was good (a little slow) and with excellent control. It would be a serious workout to skate up the hill to the top, but you’d have control coming back down. The tracks for classical were in excellent shape (no-wax skis needed – don’t even think about red klister!) Across the road, Razor Hone looked in equally good condition. Thanks to the groomers for a great job. Roads to RazorHone were wet pavement (I’m sure there is lots of snow on them higher up). No report on White Salmon – I’d expect fresh snow. Go have fun (but bring a raincoat) – Pete

2017-3-2: Grooming happened this morning.  Anderson creek road was finished grooming around 11:30. It was 34-35 degrees and wintry mix that transitioned
to rain. Quite sticky at the top and snow accumulating rapidly. Tracks were good and corduroy was mostly smooth –rutted in places, but hard to say what will happen with new accumulation on top. Razorhone was groomed after. – Claire

2017-2-27: (3 PM) 30 degrees, snowing heavily. Skied to the end of Razorhone and back. 3 inches new snow on trail. Well worn skier set track along entire length. Beautiful winter wonderland! – Ed

2017-2-24: Time to go ski!

RazorHone: groomed, with tracks.  Excellent skating. I skied it at about 11:00.  It was fast, but with sufficient texture for control on the hills.  (I didn’t go up Cougar). I’d guess that morning is best for fast skiing, skating in particular, and afternoon would be best if you want softer snow.

Anderson: same as RazorHone.

White Salmon: groomed, with tracks, and about an inch of fresh snow.  Cooler than RazorHone.  I skied at about 12:00 and did waxed! classical skis.  It was beautiful!  (extra blue wax, my favorite)  The fresh snow makes for excellent control on the downhills.  It’s thin enough that a strong skater would have no trouble – but I would find myself stuck at the bottom of the long hill – wondering how I would get back to the car. [the picture isn’t as clear as I had hoped.  It’s supposed to show skate tracks and classical tracks down the left…]

Roads: the road out to RazorHone was bare pavement, with a few wet spots.  The road up to White Salmon had some slushy snow and ice, but with sanding by the highway department.  Please use your own judgment – but it’s in pretty good shape. The Salmon Ridge parking lot was plowed out this morning and can be navigated with any car.

Dogs: My understanding is that the Forest Service says that dogs should not be taken on groomed trails. I know that some people would like to change this – BUT, if you take your dogs on the trails, be a good citizen! Between yesterday morning and today, someone’s dog left a pile of ‘special brown’ in the middle of the freshly groomed trail out near Cougar.  This is not the way to win friends and influence people!

Hannegan Pass Road: not groomed.

2017-2-23: The report is that White Salmon was also groomed today (hopefully including classical tracks).  This could be some of the best skiing of the season! Remember, we’re experimenting with diagonal parking – pull in angled to the left as you look up hill. Depending on how wide it has been plowed out, we can get as many as 12 cars in there at once. – Pete

2017-2-23: Our groomer is scheduled to be up at Salmon Ridge this morning, as I type.  If you go up today, PLEASE don’t block his access onto and off the trails. He needs the ramp to get the Pisten Bulley onto the snow. – Pete

2017-2-12:  Got to Salmon Ridge 2:30pm, 37oF, gorgeous sunny day! Nice job with the grooming, track well set, 1/2″ soft snow on top of a well packed base this afternoon. Melting a bit, and likely refreezing at night, so if you don’t want to ski on ice, don’t come early. Get up to ski Tuesday, before the rain comes (W & Th). More snow coming next weekend if you can’t make it now. Gail

2017-2-12: The report is that grooming is happening this morning!!  Time to go ski! I don’t have any more information than that… – Pete

2017-2-11: Thanks to Kveta and Andrew for sending in reports from today.  No grooming was done, but it sounds like the snow was pretty nice.  A user-set track going out Anderson will hopefully still be in good shape tomorrow.  And I’m sticking with the prediction that it should be nice conditions for skiing around the Cougar Loop (although I was not up there today!) – Pete

2017-2-10: Noon.  There is lots of snow, but no grooming yet.  Razor Hone and Anderson were very wet (it was raining). One only sank 4-6 inches to consolidated snow – it would be slow going, but it would be a fun expedition to go around the Cougar loop and see the creek and bridge with excellent speed control on the hills.  I skied at White Salmon – snow falling and very pleasant.The highway to Razor Hone was pretty good – only a very small amount of ice or slush. Experienced drivers would not have had trouble today.  Beyond 47 mile, I was very happy to have snow tires and allwheel drive.  Be Careful! Conditions might change in minutes. – Pete

2017-2-7: Lots of snow!  But check to see if the highway is open before driving up there.  They have closed it because of trees falling -either already or potential.  One source is the WA DOT Pass report And I’m sure that grooming hasn’t happened yet… – Pete 

2017-2-3: Grooming happened this morning, although no report on whether White Salmon was done (I’m guessing, probably not…) Kveta reports that Anderson has ‘great conditions’.

2017-1-30: Icy! Beware down hills on skis. You go very fast and if you fall the icy surface is very hard. Going to the end of Razorhone you need your back country skills to get over the creek and road washout. – Dale

2017-1-27: Fresh grooming today on Anderson and Razor Hone. The surface level is wonderful, but unfortunately, because of the layer of boilerplate underneath, the track setter was only able to cut shallow tracks for classical.  Skating was terrific.  I skied around the Cougar Loop (classical, and clockwise). The groomer had been able to get to the high point on each side of the loop, leaving only the short downhill section to the bridge on either side unpacked except for user trails.  I took my skis off and walked down the hill to the bridge, but kept them on for the trip up the other side. White Salmon was not groomed. – Pete

2017-1-24: Fresh grooming on Anderson and Razor Hone today. (and Hannegan – sort of.) Sean was out with the Pisten Bulley grinding up ice and making snow today.  I skated up to the 2nd switchback on Anderson and had a quick trip back down.  If you go, don’t count how many times I had to stop and pant…  But it does make a good workout – and if you can do it without stopping, let me know and I’ll find a Ski-to-Sea team for you. Sean made two round trips grinding up Razor Hone and it was beautiful skiing right after he was done.  Unfortunately, I’m guessing that things will be freeze up tonight.  Even so, it is smooth and should still be good skating and there are good classical tracks on both trails.  He tried grooming Hannegan, but said that it was really icy.  I just looked at the end of it – it would probably be good ski-joring with back-country skis and metal edges.  White Salmon was not done.  The highway department put a restriction on the road – no wide loads.  (the road was in great shape out to the lower Salmon Ridge SnoPark.) They are hoping to groom again on Thursday – if your schedule is flexible, I’d aim for 1 pm on Thursday and hope for great skiing.  No promises though… – Pete

2017-1-21: Half empty or half full?  I skied out to the first bridge on Razor Hone today at 2:30 after Nordic Ambassadors. I had been telling people that it was pretty icy. It was, but actually it wasn’t that bad.  The grooming last Tuesday was really smooth – and the skating was fast! Once out to the first hill, it softened up a little. For experienced skaters, it’s pretty fun! Faster than usual, but not glare ice.  Classical tracks were really solid – good for double-poling and also reasonable for fishscale skis and kick and glide.  Others reported similar conditions at Anderson.  White Salmon had 5 or 6 inches of snow and snowshoe trails since the packing last week. Stay tuned for grooming reports next week. I’m guessing the pattern is icy first thing in the morning and softening a bit into the day.  12-2 might be a good time to ski. Temperature at 3:00 was 35 degrees.  Highway in good shape. – Pete

2017-1-20: 3 PM.  Icy boilerplate at Razor Hone!  But tracks are still there.  Double pole in the tracks works…  And be careful in the parking lot.  It’s glare ice. – Mary Beth.  [I’d guess it’s the same at Anderson (see new page if you’ve never skied there: Anderson Trail).  Probably nicer snow at White Salmon, but no tracks – Pete]

2017-1-19: Skied at White Salmon today.  Beautiful base, wonderfully packed by the groomer, but no classical tracks.  Hopefully we will get them next time. 3 inches of new snow on the groomed base at the top, almost no new snow at the low point on the trail.  Temperature 34 degrees at 1 pm, with light, wet snow coming down. We are experimenting with diagonal parking in the very limited parking area – seems to help a bit (9 cars fit in at once on Saturday).  It was raining (and 34 degrees) down at the bottom of the hill.  Some debris on the snow. Tracks and grooming holding up pretty well, given the weather – one could either skate or classical.  Anderson looked the best. – Pete

2017-1-17: Grooming happened today, including White Salmon.  I haven’t been up there and am a little worried about what is happening with wind and rain. [7-day forecast]  Please send me a report if you go up there.  I probably won’t see it before Saturday. – Pete

2017-1-14:  Nice day at the snopark!  Razor Hone and Anderson were groomed yesterday.  Tracks were a little shallow, but still really nice skiing, both classical and skate.  Some call it ‘a little icy’; others call it ‘pretty fast!’  You choose…  And while it was only in the teens and people were asking about where there was open sunshine and warmth (higher up the hill) – remember – all that shade and coolness is going to keep the snow with us longer this spring! White Salmon was not groomed, but great back-country touring (with snowshoe trails).  Note that we are experimenting with diagonal parking at White Salmon with a hope of fitting more cars in. – Pete

2017-1-13: Grooming happened this morning, but I don’t know whether White Salmon was done. Razor Hone and Anderson should be good, but maybe a little icy. If I were looking for skate skiing, I’d probably try Anderson first.  (If it’s your first time there – cross the Mt. Baker Highway from the SnoPark parking lot, but don’t go out the stub road to the campground.  Instead, look 50 feet to your left and climb up over the berm. You should see groomed trail immediately. If you don’t see a gate (open) within 100 yards, you have the wrong spot.)  I’ll be out at the snopark tomorrow (Nordic Ambassadors – stop on by and say ‘hi’ and have a cup of something hot…)  Hopefully I’ll check out White Salmon and post a report in the evening. – Pete

2017-1-10: Razorhone and Anderson were groomed this morning [Tuesday]. Both were good and fast but icy.  Only 1 to 2 inches of new snow meant that corduroy was partly frozen and bumpy when snowplowing down hills. – Pat and Dana [No report on White Salmon]

2017-1-7: Went out to Salmon Ridge today.  Anderson was fantastic.  Razor Hone was groomed and good, but Anderson was even better.  White Salmon was not groomed, but a beautiful ski on solid snowshoe tracks.  (thanks, snowshoers!) – Pete

2017-1-6: Razor Hone and Anderson groomed with tracks. Very nice!  White Salmon not groomed, but lots of snow and user tracks.  The groomer was broken yesterday, but they fixed it last night and went back out to groom.  Thanks! – Pete

2017-1-2: No ‘skis on the ground’ specifics (see two reports from Saturday, below). But the groomer is planning to be out later this week (before Saturday, the 7th) and then twice a week for the rest of January. If you go out in the next few days, dress warmly! It should be beautiful weather, but a bit chilly. – Pete

2017-1-1: A friend and I snowshoed from white salmon lodge down to salmon ridge parking lot. We had some trouble finding the flags at first, but part way down a gully below the knob we picked it up. Followed the flags down the Razor Crest Route all the way to Cougar Loop. Conditions were excellent for classic, and there were quite a few people out. No skaters obviously. Lots of snowshoes. Very good coverage everywhere we saw. – Dorothy [The route from the Knob down to Cougar is ‘unofficial’ and should only be attempted by experienced snowshoers.  Or extremely experienced skiers.  I wouldn’t do it on skis. – Pete]

2016-12-31 b: Anderson Creek Rd: Good user tracks from the start and all the way up about four switchbacks. The lower snow had a slight crust and was pretty fast. The upper switchbacks were deep with two-to-three feet of powder and incredibly enjoyable coming down — a true float on all the powder. Falling down presented a bit of a challenge up there because the snow is so deep that it was hard to find a consolidated bottom to help with the getting up. But that was a small price to pay! – Michael

2016-12-31 a: Happy New Year!  No new grooming, but a beautiful day regardless.  Razor Hone has had a lot of traffic and shows it – but starting at the first Cougar turn-off (a mile or so out) out to the second Cougar turn-off, it actually had pretty nice user-set track.  Good kick and glide. Before that, a wide, packed ‘road’. Reports from others that were out indicate that Anderson has very nice user-set track, right from the beginning.  Conclusions:  rough-and-tumble skate-skiing for the first mile of Razor Hone; pretty good classical skiing out Anderson; assumed to be beautiful back-country skiing up at White Salmon.  Hoping to get grooming early next week.  Enjoy! – Pete

2016-12-30: All is well – the dog has been found and is happily back with its owner.

2016-12-28: Anderson and Razor Hone were packed by the groomer (apparantly no tracks) yesterday, but there has been 8″ of fresh snow since then. Lots of skier and snowshoe trails at Razor Hone. A beautiful set of user-created tracks at Anderson – I skied out to the first switchback.  Kick and glide!  I used heavy skis, but light-touring would be perfect. I don’t believe that White Salmon has been groomed yet at all.  There was 18″ of fresh snow with a well-packed snowshoe trail down it. The highway was plowed, but with some snow.  I wouldn’t drive it without snowtires.  But with snowtires, it was easy going. 28 degrees at white salmon, 33 degrees at Razor Hone, lightly snowing as I left. – Pete

2016-12-27: Grooming happened this morning with a reported 12″ of fresh snow. I did not have a chance to go up there myself and do not know what trails were groomed nor what the weather is doing now! – Pete

2016-12-24: At 8:30 AM, it was 30 deg. calm and six inches of light new snow lay upon the groomed trail. I was the first skier on the Razorhone Road trail and after the first-quarter mile it was unmarked by dogs, walkers or snowshoers. Cougar Loop had from eight to 16 inches of new snow, which rendered the steep parts from a cougar into a pussycat. This season has had the best December for skiing at our trails in the past four years.  – Kurt

2016-12-23: There has been more snow and I understand that the snopark was groomed today, although I have not been up there and do not know the status of the various trails. – Pete

2016-12-19: 6 inches of fresh snow on top of the grooming that was done last week at Anderson and Razor Hone.  User packed tracks for pleasant skiing.  Hope to have grooming on all trails later this week. Temperature between 1:00 and 3:00 today was 33 degrees. Highway to Razor Hone was in excellent shape (could change in minutes…) – Pete

2016-12-16: White Salmon Rd. not groomed but good skiing nonetheless. Snow is pure confectioner’s sugar, so much so that traction was a challenge on some of the steep uphills, but a joy overall. Snowmobilers, for better or worse, have been using the road which has consolidated things a bit, but also took away any ski tracks. The SE extension hasn’t seen much use and it was more ski walking than anything and there’s no consolidated base. Salmon Ridge is in incredible shape with perfect conditions and grooming. – Michael

2016-12-15: Razor Hone and Anderson were groomed today. Corduroy and one set of tracks. Skiing was fantastic – best ever, that we have seen at Razor Hone. Was getting a little icy when we left – Dana and Pat. [White Salmon was not done, but it is expected that it will be done next week. Pete]

2016-12-11: Fresh snow!  No grooming yet, but it’s beautiful.  At 10 AM, there was almost 2 ft of snow, ‘snowball’ snow, but still comparatively fluffy at Razor Hone. A nice skier/snowshoer packed track in on Razor Hone, no tracks on Anderson.  I did not go up to White Salmon, but I’m sure there is lots of snow and user-created tracks.  Hopefully we will get grooming this next week. The gates are closed and the SnoPark signs are up.  I’ll keep you posted. Pete

2016-11-29: November and skiing! Just got back from a nice ski at White Salmon. I went down to the far end of the new SE extension. Lots of (relatively warm, wet) snow and user-set tracks, but no grooming yet.

Details: Indeterminate (a foot or so), excellent base with 6-8 inches of fresh snow on top. Snow is wet (snowball quality) but quite skiable. I used back-country fish scale skis and had a great time. A strong person with light touring skis could have had legitimate kick-and-glide. Note that the trail after a couple of passes was excellent.  Get a couple of friends together and you’ll have pretty good track skiing behind the leaders. Not suitable for skate skis though 🙂

No snow at all at Razor Hone / Anderson.

Weather: overcast, 34 degrees at White Salmon, 37 degrees at Razor Hone at 2 PM.

Driving: The road was clear and sort-of wet.  At the time that I was there, two-wheel drive and all-weather tires would have been fine.  Note that could change in a matter of minutes! Parking for 6 or so cars was plowed out at White Salmon. Happy skiing! Pete

2015-16 Season @ Razor Hone / White Salmon

2016-03-26: Skied White Salmon from 1:30-3:00. It was warm, sunny and the mountains were out in all their glory. We were the only skiers. Saw 11 snowshoers and their dogs who tore up the trail; however the snow was such that it was easy to glide over their trail. Or we made our own tracks in the fresh snow. Skis had to be removed several times on the way up to the knob. We spent the night at the Mountaineer’s Lodge and it snowed about 2 feet. As we drove past the White Salmon parking lot on Sunday afternoon, we didn’t see any cars but lots of fresh snow on the trail. – Karen [Sorry for the late posting – I’ve been traveling away from the internet… Pete]

2016-02-29: 4 cars parked at the hairpin curve by White Salmon, with no etiquette as to how others will get in or out. About 6″ of supreme fresh snow covering any previous grooming. Wonderful pioneer skiing. I imagine if compacted any time soon, skiers might be able to ski here for days or even weeks to come. No one by Salmon Ridge. Very little snow, no tracks, still skiable on the lower Razor Hone. Skol! Kveta

2016-02-15: White Salmon was groomed today with (shallow) classical tracks down the side.  It was a beautiful day! Temps about 40. Corduroy all the way out to the knob and half a mile down the newly cleared south extension. A little gravel showing on the hill up to the knob, but you’ll see it as you slog up. Plenty of snow elsewhere. My guess is that things will be hard and super fast at 5 AM, and soft, mushy, and slow at 5 PM.  The trick is to pick the right time between these to go for a ski.  I’d probably go with mid-late morning for experienced skate skiers, and late morning-mid afternoon for people on fishscale skis just out for a nice ski.  Razor Hone and Anderson were not groomed and don’t have a lot of snow – but what is there is definitely skiable.  Don’t rule them out! Don’t know about access to White Salmon? Check this page: https://www.nooksacknordicskiclub.org/trails/descriptions/white-salmon/ – Pete

2016-02-25: I believe that the trails (at least White Salmon) are being groomed as I type this.  I’m on my way to check it out! My expectation/hope is that White Salmon will be beautiful skiing, both skate and classical. Will post again this evening. Wish you read this in your email? See note in the paragraph above. – Pete

2016-02-22: I was out of town, but am back and just did a trip up to Salmon Ridge.  I was up from 2:00 – 4:00 this afternoon; temperatures in the high 30’s, sunshine with a few clouds, highway in great shape. White Salmon: plenty of snow, 8-12 inches + on top of old grooming.  Nice ski tracks on top of old snowshoe tracks allowing a little kick and glide, but no skating.  Touring skis would give you a great ski out. I’m hoping the groomer will be out later this week – if so, this should be some great skate and track skiing. I didn’t go all the way out, but it looked nice. Razor Hone: Better than expected! (I expected nothing but road…) It’s still relatively flat and smooth.  Possible to skate, or kick and glide in nice tracks left by other skiers.  But when you get to the first hill, the snow is pretty thin.  Everything is ‘covered’ – but only enough so that it is hard to see the icy/rocky spots.  I’d still ski it, but use care coming back down any of the hills.  I only got out to the top of the first hill.  Anderson: I didn’t ski out it, but the first part looked like Razor Hone.  Possible to skate or kick and glide.  I’m assuming the rocky parts that I saw the last time that I was out there are only just barely covered with snow.

If I find out about grooming, I’ll post a report.

2016-02-04: Arrived early at White Salmon Road; it was not plowed out. 8 to 10 inches new snow. Went back down to Anderson; 2 inches new on old corduroy. Nice skiing snow is wet, may freeze up. We then skated some of Razorhone, up to bridge. Conditions similar to Anderson, maybe a little more new snow. – Dana and Pat

2016-02-03: Skated out Razor Hone and around Cougar Loop (part of the way). Fresh corduroy and excellent skiing!  The snow looked good enough to weather a bit of rain in the next day or so.  We’ll see how it holds up. Classical tracks were in great shape, too! (For the record, there wasn’t enough snow to groom the upper, back part of Cougar, but the near side is groomed to the high point. Depending on your skis and enthusiasm, you might wish to hike the upper half past the bridge.) I expect that White Salmon and the first part of Anderson are also in great shape, but can’t confirm. – Pete

2016-02-02: Groomed this AM. Razor Hone:2 to 3 inches new snow, good corduroy. White Salmon: 6 to 8 inches new snow. Groomed, good corduroy, Shallow track set on left side.  Best day at Baker this year for us. – Dana

2016-02-02: Grooming is happening this AM (Tuesday morning).  I was out at Razor Hone yesterday and found ‘well-traveled’ 8″ of snow on top of the solid base that was there from last week.  With fresh grooming, it should be great! – Pete

2016-01-26: afternoon.  White Salmon was groomed this morning, with classical tracks set down one side.  Use caution on the hill back down from the Knob.  It is *fast*. The South extension was also groomed to the last turn-around before the first washout, but without tracks.  There was significant rain, but skiing was actually pretty good.  There is enough snow up there that it might be ok throughout the forecasted rain for the next few days.  Once it freezes up, it will be pretty icy until it gets some more snow.  Razor Hone was not groomed – the snow pack was pretty thin.  But while there were a few icy spots and a few rocky spots, it was good skating all the way out to the Cougar loop.  It has stayed remarkably smooth.  And the old tracks are still there – good for double-poling and ok for kick-and-glide, although they’d be pretty icy for kick on any hill. Who knows what the next few days will bring.  Thanks to the groomer for such a careful base. – Pete

2016-01-26: Tuesday.  Grooming is reported to be happening this morning and conditions could be good (possibly excellent at White Salmon) this afternoon.  And then we may have rain and it may all fall apart… Who knows, here in the Pacific Northwest. I was up there yesterday (Monday) and there was excellent base. [This just in – White Salmon is groomed, it’s starting to rain and the groomer is going to ‘check out’ Razor Hone…] – Pete

2016-01-22: I was going to go ski (and report on the trails) today, but the rain was just too yucky out my window in Bellingham this morning. And next week’s predictions don’t look all that good either. My guess is that grooming is waiting for cooler weather, but I have no first-hand reports.  I’ll post if I get up there or if someone sends me anything. – Pete

2016-01-20: No grooming since last Thursday – hopefully the Pisten Bully will be out there tomorrow or the next day! (Thursday or Friday)  Razor Hone and Anderson are both still sort-of smooth, but as of 12:00 noon, very icy.  They would be FAST but not very pleasant skiing – I passed them by.  White Salmon was beautiful!  6 inches of fresh snow on top of a well-groomed base. Scattered ski and snowshoe tracks all over.  If we happen to get classical tracks set with the next grooming, it could be close to perfect! The picture on the right is at the junction of our newly cleared South extension, about 2 km out the White Salmon trail. – Pete

2016-01-14 Grooming happened this morning.  Razor Hone was groomed out to the top of Cougar with great skating and solid classical tracks (no tracks up Cougar).  Lots of moisture in the snow (it rained the last couple of days) and as it freezes overnight, it’s going to get harder.  The sooner you get out there, the better.  White Salmon was also groomed and is beautiful, but no classical tracks.  Check back next week, we think we’ll have them then.  Anderson is still smooth from the last grooming, but is pretty icy.  Hannegan has people driving trucks on it… – Pete

2016-01-11: Sorry, I didn’t copy over the last week’s reports from the old website.  Basically, Razor Hone, Anderson, and White Salmon were all groomed last week (about Jan 5) with excellent skating, but no classical tracks.  It may very well be raining up there now, but it might get colder and turn to snow.  I’ll try to post a ‘first person’ report in a couple of days. – Pete

2015-12-28: Grooming happened this morning!  The PistenBully was out today, laying down beautiful corduroy at Razor Hone, White Salmon, and the first part of Anderson. And several big trees were removed. Unfortunately, classic tracks were set only for the first half of Razor Hone, but skating was good to both of the gates on the Cougar Loop.  (The gates are now open and grooming should extend all of the way to the upper bridge next time.) There is a lot of moisture in the snow, so it is consolidating to a pretty solid base, but there is lots of it – no rocks or dirt.  Don’t forget your SnoPark pass for Razor Hone and Anderson – but White Salmon is free. – Pete

2015-12-25: 11:30 a.m.  Snopark plowed with space for parking. Great new snow and good ski track [skier created, not groomed] on Razor Hone all the way to where it meets Cougar Loop. Beyond that, we had to make our own all the way to where it is temporarily closed. – Kveta. [Still no word on when grooming will commence. – Pete]

2015-12-24: Arrived at Snow park at 9:30, road conditions good. Razor Hone had 5 cars, looked wet and slushy with 5 inches of new snow, so we drove up to White Salmon Road. Fantastic conditions. About 6 to 8 inches new snow over old tracks. Tracks 18 inches deep, a little difficult poling. – Dana & Pat [No word yet on when our grooming will commence. But enjoy the snow and the holidays! – Pete]

2015-12-21: White Salmon – Temp at 11am 31 degrees. At least six inches of fresh snow from overnight on top of a 2-4 foot base. There’s a 2′ wide snowshoe / ski path that provided a decent foundation, but it’s at least a foot deep, so it’s a bit of a trough. Adjustable poles with powder baskets would be very useful. Snow was light but very sticky — wax would help. The parking area is well plowed and room for seven or eight cars, no problem if people park well. Gorgeous out. – Michael.   Note: an unforeseen situation has occurred leaving the date of the first grooming as uncertain.  I’ll post here as soon as we know more. – Pete

2015-12-20: As of early Sunday afternoon, Razor Hone had 4-6” of very wet slush – not worth much other than to serve as a hopeful precursor of things to come. White Salmon (up at the switchback) had over two feet of snow and by mid-afternoon, a lovely trail broken out by a dozen snowshoers and one skier. Thanks! We’re hoping that we will have grooming up there shortly – I’ll post here when we do. And it was snowing with temperatures near freezing at both places when I left. – Pete

2015-12-19: No reports since the 16th, but we are hoping that it has snowed lots! Grooming has not happened yet.  I plan to go up tomorrow (Sunday) morning and will report what I find.  Who knows, we can at least dream of groomed trails for Christmas! – Pete

2015-12-16: Two of us enjoyed 3″ of untouched new dry snow on a clear day plus two others on snow shoes. http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Mount-Baker/snow-report was accurate predicting these conditions about five days ahead. By adding 3 to 4 degrees to the Mt Baker 3500′ snow report you can get a pretty good idea of the conditions at Razorhone of if you can see snow on the top of Sumas Mtn odds are good that there is snow at Razorhone. Watch for thin spots under trees. PortaPoties are at Razorhone. – Dale

2015-12-11: Today from the parking lot to Artist Pt and beyond the most and best snow of the season. Saw 7 on snow shoes, no others on cross country skis. Clear and no wind with awesome views on top. White Salmon had few inches over big vehicle ruts. Good run down to switchback. Beyond looked too fast and thin. One other on snow shoes. No snow at Razorhone. Expect 24″ snow at 3500′ to Sun night with light wind then turning quite cold. – Dale

2015-12-2: This AM 8″ new at Heather Meadows and 37 degrees and windy with fog above Austin Pass. Easy going up to Austin Pass on groomed road and snowmobile tracks. [Austin Pass is the picnic area pull-out on the road above Mt. Baker ski area and before Heather Meadows. Ed.]  Nice at Austin Pass except snow sticky. Ok for sliding but stepping built up snow on bottoms which can be removed by sliding skiis on pole baskets. Saw only two out with snow shoes and no others on cross country skis. If forecast right, expect 72″ more snowfall by Sun night. Snow skimpy at White Salmon and Razorhone. – Dale

2015-11-20: Two of us today to Artist Pt on cross country skis.  Perfect on top and around Austin Pass. Lots of virgin places for snow shoes. Groomed road from parking lot to Austin Pass is icy in many places and extremely fast—beware! Snow was on White Salmon with one vehicle parked there.  Condition unknown.  Snow on ground at Razorhone/Anderson creek but conditions are doubtful until more snow. – Dale

2014-15 Season @ Razor Hone / White Salmon

2015-3-1: I assume that everyone knows that there is no snow at Razor Hone right now.  I just had a nice bicycle ride up to the top of Anderson Creek Road.  But for skiing, one needs to go elsewhere! – Pete

2015-1-27: Only patches of snow left at Razor Hone.  NO SNOW at White Salmon.  Time for hiking, biking, kayaking, or driving north to Canada or east to Methow!  – Pete

2015-1-20: No new grooming and nothing exciting to report, but here it is:

• White Salmon: 8-10 inches of new snow, sort of ‘light snowball’ quality. (30 degrees @ 3:00 pm) Unfortunately, someone was able to drive their truck around the big berm that DOT piled up and drove out over the first rise.  I’m guessing they didn’t go past the hairpin and down the big hill, but I didn’t go out there.  It would probably be a nice tour out to the knob, if you kept your thoughts light as you skied around the truck tracks. A few skiers and walkers had at least started up the trail. If anyone goes back to the knob, please send in a report.
• Razor Hone: One ‘short’ inch of ‘crusty’ snow on top of the old hard-pack.  (33 degrees @ 3:00 pm) Not too bad skating on the first flats, OK tour skiing, but the tracks aren’t in good shape.  I’m sure the hills have lots of rocks in them, but I didn’t go back there, either.
• Anderson: Similar to Razor Hone, but I actually skied on it.  Short sections of pretty good skate skiing with some sections of double-poling down the narrow path of good snow between the gravel. It reminded me of ‘spring crust skiing’ in Alaska. I took my skis off in two places and there were several places that I was quite careful because of gravel.  Not really worth the drive, but if you are there, it’s a fun little ski. – Pete

2015-1-13: To what do you compare them?  Beautifully groomed trails at Whistler Olympic Park? Or sitting on the couch at home?  Either pretty sad – or not too bad!  Today was 32 degrees at 3 PM, but the snow never warmed up.  So crusty / fast snow.  The flats at Razor Hone weren’t too bad – a few (but only a few) rocks showing through. Tracks still in pretty good shape – one person walked on them part way out.  Skating not bad.  The hills have lost some snow and were quite icy.  Metal edges were nice, plus rocks to dodge. Not so good.  Anderson was still in pretty good shape (icy and fast – but good skating).  Skiers put in some pretty good tracks and no one has walked on them.  Should be fairly good for a few more days.  I’m guessing that things will be ski-able into the rain at the end of the week for those who are hard core.  But it would be really nice if it turned to snow!  I don’t think it’s worth grooming until we get more snow.  No report on White Salmon, but I’d guess that it’ pretty bad. – Pete

2015-1-10:  Walked around the Jerry Bourne trail with the dog. A great trail around the pond, no snow shoes needed. The dog loved it! Two cars stopped at Hannegan Pass road, but upon seeing people were driving down it, they left. Too bad there’s not enough snow to berm up and keep the vehicles out so people could ski here with their dogs. Arrived at Razor Hone road 1pm, 39 F, gray and misting. We skied down Razor Hone, the flat part was great. But going up the first hill, there were lots of rocks in the middle of the road. I tossed several off the road, but there are still lots left. The snow got very thin before getting to the Cougar trail as you near the top of the RZ hill. So we turned around. From here, some folks took off their skis and walked down the hill. That is probably the wisest course of action unless you are very skilled at dodging rocks. I skied, missed most of the rocks, but did manage to hit one and have a new scratch in my good skis. My husband, who’s a good skier, was less fortunate. He tried to ski down, but caught a ski on a rock and was thrown hard onto his shoulder and head. We ended up going to Urgent Care. My advice: if you are desperate to get out to ski, stay on the first flat part of Razor Hone. If you really want to venture further up the hills, take your ‘rock’ skis. Beware of lots of rock and thin areas.
We really need more snow. – Gail

2015-1-9: Razor Hone, Anderson, and White Salmon are all groomed!  And they are skiable!

Short version:

Thanks to our groomer for doing an excellent job with marginal materials.

• White Salmon – groomed with ‘corduroy’ but no tracks.  Snow depth 4″ and melting.  First part probably good for this weekend, but no more.  Gravel showing in a number of places. If you skate, probably best to use ‘rock’ skis.
• Anderson – groomed with corduroy but no tracks for 0.9 miles.  Currently beautiful!  Should last through the weekend and more.  Good for inexperienced skate skiers.
• Razor Hone – groomed with corduroy AND one set of tracks.  Excellent condition to the end of the flats, noticeable gravel showing in spots on the hills.  Tracks in pretty good shape all the way out. Cougar Loop not groomed (and with many bare sections.) Should last through the weekend and a little more, although the gravel is only going to get worse.

Temperature: 41 degrees @ White Salmon, 34 degrees @ Razor Hone, early afternoon.

Long version:

White Salmon – I skate-skied out to the hairpin turn that points down the big hill.  It wasn’t bad up ’til there, but lots of rock going down the hill.  I’d have tried for The Knob if I had my ‘rock skis’, but didn’t want to attempt the gravel (see pictures below).  It skied pretty well and was reasonably fast, but it was also melting fast.  I had to take my skis off for one short section. No tracks, but touring skis would be fine.  Very pretty – but conditions won’t last long. Think of it as ‘Spring Skiing’ – what you do before you put your skis away for the season…

Anderson – This was a real surprise.  It actually was awesome!  Very smooth skiing with gentle up and down hills.  If you want to try skate skiing, this is the place to do it. (no tracks) Touring skis would be fine, too.  My guess is that it will be sort-of crusty and fast in the morning, a bit more forgiving (and slower) in the afternoon.  If you are a beginner on skate skis, when you come to the orange/white ‘saw-horse’ sign, stop and consider the hill.  The tree you see across the trail at the bottom of the hill is the washout.

Razor Hone – The first flat area is almost as nice as Anderson, plus it has a good set of tracks down the side. Then as you start up the first hill, you’ll see some gravel, but you can ski around it (the track is clean). The second hill is a bit worse, but still skiable.  But be careful when you come back down. I hiked up the far side of Cougar, thinking I was going to ski down the near side, but ended up walking down half of it because of bare spots.  But it made a fun loop. (I didn’t go past Cougar) Like Anderson, I’m guessing fast in the morning and late afternoon, slower and more forgiving in early afternoon.

Summary:  Beats sitting on the couch!

Comments or questions?  E-mail me at the address at the top of this page. – Pete

2015-1-7: Inversion – 32 degrees at Razor Hone, 40 degrees and sunshine at White Salmon. Solid snow cover at Razor Hone, with skier-created tracks. Not bad skiing, but nothing to get excited about.  But skate skiing in the sunshine at White Salmon!  While I couldn’t say that it was perfectly smooth corduroy (it wasn’t groomed), the top surface had softened a little and it was actually not bad!  I only had time to get about a mile out (just before it went down the big hill) but I enjoyed it.  No tracks at all – and you could have walked back there instead… – Pete

2015-1-2: Nice day at Razor Hone!  Fairly nice ‘skier-created’ tracks –

good enough for classical kick-and-glide with skinny skis. A couple of hardy souls were skating, but you would need more aerobic capacity than me for it. Solid base and it was snowing as we left.  If the next storm comes as snow rather than rain, we should have our first grooming next week (Jan 8 or 9 maybe…) – Pete

2014-12-29: Happy Holidays! I skated out to the end of RH this morning at about 10:30 under beautiful, calm sunny skies-couldn’t tell it was gale force winds elsewhere, except for wispy snow flurries being swept off of the highest ridges. There was 5-8 inches of fluffy on top of previous denser snow which made it a great skate ski workout. – Eric G.  [Note: I was there in the afternoon – very nice, with skier-packed tracks – in pretty good shape.  29 degrees and calm @ 2:00 PM. But you’d have to be in shape to skate through the snow… – Pete]

2014-12-28: There is about 4″ on heavy wet snow at Razorhone – enough to ski upon so I closed and locked the gates. I only skied part way up West Cougar, but had talked with some skiers that had done the whole thing. There are some twigs down on the snow and lots of tracks, but I never hit gravel. I saw several skiers, snowshoers, and families playing in the snow. It was 34 F at 1pm and snowing big flakes when I left at 3pm. There were 15 cars at RZ, 1 at AC, 7+ at HP road. – Gail

2014-12-16: Warm weather has done its thing.  There is no snow at all on Razor Hone, the Cougar Loop, or White Salmon @ the Knob (the far end).  I didn’t actually see the road end, but I don’t think there was any there either.  How about a few snow dances to bring in the new year? (And it’s great conditions for hiking!) – Pete

2014-12-03: The tree is chunked up and in the ditch, the road is clear, but Razor Hone has only a thin layer of snow.  Easy walking, and people are still driving.  White Salmon has 4 inches of snow on the ground, but people are driving back to the knob.  One could ski the newly cleared White Salmon Extension, but it’s as easy to walk. – Pete

2014-11-30: There is a big tree across the Razor Hone ski trail, about 1/4th of a mile in from the parking area. Ground had a dusting of snow, great to walk on, not enough for skiing. [We’ll try to remove the tree by the end of next weekend – Pete] – Titti

2014-11-23: There is about 2 ft of snow at the Mt. Baker ski area and about 1 ft at White Salmon road. – Herm