Winter of 2023/2024 Hopes and Expectations: We hope to see Razor Hone Road (the trails starting at the Salmon Ridge Snopark parking lot) groomed twice a week this winter. Contract work has been done on the Cougar Loop and we are hoping to see regular grooming all the way to the bridge on both sides. If so, that’s going to make a great loop for relatively experienced skiers. We are hoping that White Salmon and Hannegan Pass Roads will be groomed relatively frequently. Anderson Creek Road is washed out at milepost 0.9; we should have grooming done to the washout. We’ll see.
Please send your Nordic ski and snowshoe conditions reports to Pete Tryon at ski@tryonhayes.com. And if you can get a count on how many cars were in the parking lot, please send that along too. We use the data to help support grant requests. You might also check the State’s SnoPark page or the Forest Service’s page for more information
- Weather predictions for Razor Hone: Salmon Ridge 7-day Forecast– This is the site that I use. It seems to match up pretty well in my experience…
- Weather predictions for the foot of the Mt. Baker Ski Area (3500 ft, just a bit higher than White Salmon): http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Mount-Baker/6day/bot
- Mt. Baker downhill ski area snow report – published by the downhill ski area
- Northwest Avalanche Center
- Forest Service Facebook page with recent postings about what is happening along the Mt. Baker Highway
Latest news by email? I’ve been getting word from our groomer as he goes out to Salmon Ridge. Do you want to be the first to hear about it? I’m sending out a group email (addresses hidden) whenever I have grooming news that seems worth sharing. Get the details on this page.
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!
BY THE WAY! DON’T PARK SO THAT THE POTTY-PUMPER TRUCK CAN’T GET TO THE POTTIES! [Not that it was anyone who would be reading this page…] –
Want to peruse the reports from previous years and figure out patterns? Check out our one page, MultiYear_GroomingRecord_SalmonRidgeSnoPark – or read everything here!
Other grooming sites: Washington State has experimented with grooming maps, but the arcgis grooming site is currently not operating. Nordic Pulse has been expanding grooming coverage, but only limited sites in Washington state. The groomer posts limited information on the official Salmon Ridge SnoPark site.
2023-24 Season @ Razor Hone / White Salmon (the Salmon Ridge Snopark)
2024-04-06: Snow report – have fun with what is there!
I hadn’t been up Mt. Baker Highway for some time, so I went for a look today. Weather predictions were a little ‘iffy’, recent reports were a little vague, and I didn’t really know what to expect.
First stop: Heather Meadows. It was snowing, with lots of snow on the ground. It was ‘consolidated’ and ‘solid’, but not icy, with 2 inches of fresh snow on top. It was wonderful! You could go anywhere! Which meant that I was able to ski on long traverses, both up and down hill, so that it was easy to ski at reasonable speeds and under control. I went up a little past the FS visitors center. (the black dot below ‘3090’ in the blue area: https://www.nooksacknordicskiclub.org/trails/descriptions/10-heather-meadows/ ) I don’t want to send people off beyond their abilities, but you could have a good time on these long traverses with light-touring skis. Don’t plan on going to Artists Point, but an hour out on skis should be delightful. (And racers, it looks like there should still be enough snow for the Ski to Sea…)
Second stop: White Salmon. Not a lot of parking available, but then there wasn’t much demand for it either 🙂 A nice crust with an inch of snow on top. I only had my back country skis, but it was ‘kick and glide!’ And a challenge to the hard core – I bet you could skate out to Hairpin #1 – see tracks in the picture for the 4 skate steps that I took. (Think ‘crust skiing’). Beyond the hairpin, there were some bare spots and the snow disappeared by the turnoff for the SE Extension. I took my skis off and hiked up the hill towards The Knob and then hiked up the shortcut back to Hairpin #1. (Note the turnoff for it is what looks like a FS road a little ways below The Knob, and then turn left off that road https://www.nooksacknordicskiclub.org/trails/descriptions/white-salmon/ ) A fun loop! No snowshoes needed. The temperature was right around 32, and things started to soften up after 12:00.
The highway was in great shape. No snow or ice at all.
Apologies to friends that I didn’t invite to go with me – it was a fun day out on the snow. I should have had more faith that we’d have a good time regardless.
Moral: Yes, check the weather. Yes, check the conditions. But don’t despair – if you want to get outdoors, grab your gear and go! And if it’s too miserable, you can always cut it short and return home. – Pete
2024-03-21: I guess I was mistaken and my information was incomplete. Grooming did happen on the lower trails yesterday. A report from Walter: “The first half of near Cougar will be gone by the weekend. Grooming went up to the gate. The top of far Cougar is gone. It was groomed ’til the snow disappears. Razor Hone is in nice shape. The snow is surprisingly clean with a few bare spots. Skating looks to be excellent. Classic track was not set but snow is soft and friendly.” No reports from White Salmon and I still don’t know if grooming went past the boulder that is encroaching on the trail.
2024-03-20: Grooming happened at White Salmon today https://www.nooksacknordicskiclub.org/trails/descriptions/white-salmon/ . No pictures and no word on how much was groomed or how much parking, but it should be nice skiing. If you don’t want to ski up that long hill, bring some snowshoes along and go back by way of the shortcut up to Hairpin #1. The report from down low is that there is still quite a bit of snow, but bare spots are showing up. It may be frozen in the morning and slushy in the afternoon. With more wood in the middle of Anderson! We’re guessing that grooming is over on the lower trails.
2024-03-14: I skied Razor Hone today as far as Far cougar. It was crusty in shaded places and soft in sunny places. There is still good snow and skiing. – Lynne
2024-03-13b: I went skate skiiing in the silver fir campground. Nice firm conditions. About 2 inches of fresh snow since the last grooming. I also skate skied out Razorhone road. Once again good skating conditions in spite the couple inches of new snow. Still good snow depth and coverage throughout all trails. And yes, the snopark parking lot is plowed! – Ed
2024-03-13: Things are happening, but I’m in Alaska and not keeping up! Multiple things to report: Grooming happened yesterday (Tuesday, March 12). This included White Salmon!! (think way more snow than down at Razor Hone – and limited parking…) Anderson was also groomed. Also, during Sunday’s (March 10th) grooming, Hannegan was done, out to where the snow level ran out. Remember, Hannegan is dog friendly – if you are out there with your dogs, how about a picture to help us with grant support? – Pete
2024-03-10: Grooming happened today. I have limited information as to what was done – I’m open to receiving reports 🙂 It is likely that Hannegan Road (just across the bridge from the main snopark) was groomed as well as Razor Hone. Hannegan is officially dog friendly – and the state snopark received additional money this year to include its grooming. It would be great if we got some pictures of ski-jorers (or skiers) with their dogs on that trail. – Pete
2024-03-09: Skied at Salmon Ridge from about 11 am to 1 pm. It was lightly snowing when we arrived and raining steadily by the time we left. Trails had been groomed nicely on Thursday. Good classic tracks all the way out Razor Hone and Near Cougar to the bridge. On the other side of the bridge, the trail was groomed at some point, but not recently. The snow is 8 to 10 inches deep but passable, even on light touring skis. After about 300 yards, the trail is groomed again all the way back to the junction with Razor Hone. Several bald spots were easy to get around. Would recommend skiing in a counter-clockwise direction because going uphill through the ungroomed snow is easier than going downhill – you could ski rather than side-step.
Skating will be mushy, especially if it does not go below freezing tonight. If you want to skate tomorrow, go out early. Classic should be good all day. Bring a raincoat! – Mark
2024-03-08: Today it was 36 degrees at 3:00 PM and raining lightly when we arrived at Salmon Ridge and remained that way most of the time until we stopped skiing about 4:45 or 5:00 PM. Parking lot was muddy with puddles but at least it had been plowed recently. We skate-skied, it was soft and slow snow but Thursday’s Razor Hone grooming held up pretty well. Grooming went up Near Cougar but I turned around about 50 yards from the end because there was a bunch of debris on the groomed trail. Far Cougar was groomed as far as I went up, which was only about 35 yards. Anderson was also in similar/decent shape all the way to the wash-out. – Will
2024-03-07: Another day, another gorgeous picture! Grooming happened today on Razor Hone, Cougar, and Anderson. If you’ve never skied Anderson before (just across the main highway from the parking lot), now is a good time to check it out! Thanks, Lynne, for the picture and report. – Pete
2024-03-05: Grooming today! Not sure what all got done, but at least Razor Hone and Near Cougar. Given all the fresh snow, it should be wonderful! Go have fun! Looks like it should last for a number of days. (And no telling what the parking lot is like – hopefully it will be plowed. Remember, don’t block the grooming truck and his access to the back of it!) – Pete
2024-03-04: More snow! At least another foot. March is looking pretty good for skiing! This picture was sent to me from a ski outing this morning! Will post grooming news as I find out. In the meantime, enjoy DIY skiing! Plus, LOST and FOUND: a pair of ski goggles found on the trail Saturday, a battery charger left on a hood today. Email me and I’ll make the connections. – Pete
And if you want more snow, go across the road to Anderson. This picture was also taken today!
2024-03-02: Reports from yesterday were that there was lots of fresh snow on top of Thursday’s grooming. But by the time we got there for Ambassadors this morning, there was 4″ of fresh snow on top of recent grooming. Sometime between 2:00 PM yesterday and 8:00 today, the groomer came through! Beautiful classic skiing; skating would be only for those that want a pretty serious workout (but do-able for the hard core types…). Far Cougar was groomed part way up, Near Cougar was groomed almost to the end. I’m guessing that tomorrow (Sunday) and for that matter, much of next week, should be pretty nice skiing. And it was snowing more when we left this afternoon. – Pete
2024-03-01: More fresh snow! Warm temperatures! Some melt, it may freeze tonight, there may be more fresh snow. The grooming has been covered with more snow – there are user created tracks on a good base, but it would be pretty tough for skate skiing. The parking lot was good yesterday – but it’s gotten more snow and was reported to be a mess today. Maybe they will plow it tonight?? But we aim to be there for Nordic Ski Ambassadors Saturday @ 10:00.
2024-02-29: Happy Leap Day! More snow at Salmon Ridge and grooming happened today. Tracks were set and fresh corduroy, but it was snowing when I left. More snow is predicted for the next several days. But it should be nice, regardless. We are planning on Nordic Ambassadors from 10:00 – 2:00 this Saturday, March 2. Stop by for some hot chocolate if you are out there. The parking lot was plowed (thanks, groomer), and the highway was in good shape (thanks, WSDOT) but be careful out there (there is snow on the road and we did pass a big heavy SUV in the ditch as we drove back to town). – Pete
2024-02-27: Snow! It’s still February and there is snow at Salmon Ridge! Which means there should be quite a bit of snow at White Salmon! No grooming yet, but more snow is predicted in the next couple of days and we are hoping for grooming by the weekend. I’ll post here when I know. – Pete
2024-02-08: There has been no grooming, but just to show some action on this site, I’ve pasted in the email that I just sent out to our club members.
A quick note that our Ski Ambassadors that was scheduled for this Saturday is canceled due to a lack of snow. We’ll reschedule if we get some nice snow cover at the SnoPark. This is the first hill on Razor Hone this morning:
But given that I’m sending out an email,
Bonus Material #1: To get to the point that I took this picture, I had a delightful walk along the River Trail from the parking lot. It was really pretty and easy walking. Thanks, Lynne, for all the work that you’ve put into it. I recommend it as an outing! And as discussed in the newsletter, you could expand it into an ‘adventure’ by continuing on beyond this point! Another hike you might try is going out Anderson on the other side of the highway. If you’ve never been out that trail, now’s a good time to check it out.
Bonus Material #2: Don’t forget the general membership meeting this next Tuesday evening – in person at the ReStore, 7:00 PM. https://www.nooksacknordicskiclub.org/meetings/
Bonus Material #3: After checking out Razor Hone, I went up to White Salmon. No problem parking today! I hiked up the Ridge Road (trail) and came back on Pete’s Shortcut (not me, a much earlier Pete). There was enough snow to be beautiful, but not enough to even think about skis or snowshoes. I did appreciate having a ski pole for balance. A great outing. The Ridge Road was manageable without any trouble, but the willows are starting to grow back. If we don’t get anymore snow, we ought to do a work party up there with a couple of brush-cutters as an activity. https://www.nooksacknordicskiclub.org/trails/descriptions/white-salmon/
View off the side of the Ridge Road into the clouds today:
Bonus Material #4: It was starting to snow at White Salmon as I left. Who knows, maybe more will fall! It was rain when I got down to the SnoPark. Predictions suggest that there might be enough fresh snow coming at the SnoPark to make for pretty hiking, but maybe not enough for skiing. I’m guessing that White Salmon might get enough for skiing. (Bring ‘rock’ skis and stay flexible). My current check is to look at the Mt Baker Downhill page: https://www.mtbaker.us/snow-report/ My prediction is that when it shows that the ‘White Salmon Base Area / Lodge’ is Open, our White Salmon trail is going to have plenty of snow.
As someone told me, ‘It is what it is…’
Pete
2024-02-02: Breaking news! Anchorage, Alaska has over 100 inches of snow! And the -15 degree temperatures are expected to abate any day now! In other news, there is no snow on either the Salmon Ridge trails or higher up the mountain on White Salmon. Temperatures are supposed to be a bit cooler next week with some precipitation, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. – Pete
2024-01-24: Grooming: Yesterday, (1-23), Anderson, Silver Fir Campground, Gerbil Loop, Razor Hone, Near Cougar, and the bottom half of Far Cougar were groomed with nice corduroy. Classical tracks were set on the first flats of Razor Hone out to the first hill. White Salmon was not groomed. Narrative: There had been snow, then lots of rain, and some grooming. With no detailed reports, it was time to go take a look. [Disclaimer: Welcome to the Pacific Northwest. This is NOT the description of a blue-bird day and Utah powder. Recognize that I’m talking about skiing in the rain on saturated snow.] I drove out today, checked that Anderson and the campground had been groomed, then grabbed my skate skis, figuring I’d check conditions out to the first hill on Razor Hone. It was nice! If you could look past the rain dripping off the bill of your cap, you’d see smooth corduroy – just enough ‘texture’ to give good edging and control, but still fast! I kept going and skated out to the end of Razor Hone, then walked up Far Cougar (that had been my longest skate for quite some time…) Fresh corduroy half way up, then 5-day-old grooming up to the top (with some bare spots). The hill down to Bagley Creek was not groomed. I kept my skis on, but lots of side-stepping. Someone had cleared out the log at the end of the bridge (Thanks!!), then 5-day corduroy up to the high point of Near Cougar. Fresh grooming all the way back down to Razor Hone. Fast, but easy to snowplow. It was a nice ski! A few rocks showing on the big hills, but easy to miss. Razor Hone was good skiing, suitable for all. Too bad the tracks didn’t go the whole length, but there would be good grip for fishscale skis and it was smooth skiing. The flats would had good conditions for beginning skate skiers. Cougar should only be skied by those who can look at it and recognize what they are getting into. Skating up and down the upper part of Near Cougar would be an excellent work-out for someone like Will! 🙂 Of course all of this could change momentarily, but I think it will be good through this weekend. If it were to cool down and freeze, it would be nasty ice, but predictions are not calling for that. Unfortunately, they are calling for rain. Thursday and Friday sound like they might be better than Saturday. Bring foul-weather gear! (We might – or might not – be up there on Saturday with Nordic Ambassadors and Parks and Rec SkiDattle.) – Pete
2024-01-23: The groomer was out at Salmon Ridge today, but I don’t know what was groomed, nor what the conditions are. There was a lot of snow earlier – but it appears to be quite warm and raining on and off out there. I don’t believe that White Salmon was groomed. I’m going out there tomorrow to go for a ski and will post what I find out. – Pete
2024-01-22: I skated the campground and it was surprisingly fast and firm, though of course you’ll want your warmest wax. It was recently groomed and untracked. There were a few bare patches under the trees, but easily skirted. With all the rain and warmup coming it may not last past Wednesday. – Hans
2024-01-19: The groomer was out at Salmon Ridge today, but I don’t know what was groomed, nor what the conditions are. There was presumably lots of snow, but it appears to be quite warm and raining out there. I don’t believe that White Salmon was groomed. – Pete
2024-01-15: Grooming of Razor Hone, Anderson, and Silver Fir Campround was just completed (12:30). I doubt that White Salmon will be groomed today. Be careful out there – the snow is not very thick and there will be gravel coming through in spots. – Pete
2024-01-12: We skied Razor Hone all the way to the fallen tree at 6F temperatures. It was enjoyable, no wind. There is lots of debris-cones and needles covering the snow. Still, very nice to be out there. – Kveta
2024-01-11a: Beautiful day skiing! Razor Hone, Near Cougar (all the way to the bridge), Anderson, and the Silver Fir Campground were all groomed today. Tracks were set on Razor Hone and the Campground (the campground makes a really nice low-key ski with big trees and views of the river. If you haven’t been around it, you should check it out!) The snow isn’t very deep, but the grooming was very smooth. Tracks are relatively shallow, but that’s good! They don’t get down to the gravel. There were just a couple of rocks on the first two uphills, but nothing major. I had a great time! The grooming stops at the end of Razor Hone – where there are three big trees that just fell over the trail. We’ll see if we can get them cut up and out next week. The road was in excellent shape and the parking lot has been plowed (still rough, but manageable.) There is also a tree down directly in front of the bridge on Cougar. Thanks to the person who trimmed branches. We’ll try to get that one cut next week, too. It is possible to climb over, but Far Cougar has only a few ski tracks on it. Today was 26 degrees at 12:00, 22 at 2:30. White Salmon has lots of snow, modest parking, and no grooming.
Do check conditions before going up over the next few days. Friday and Saturday are forecast to be cold. Sunday looks like it should be great. – Pete
2024-01-11: Grooming has happened! The Pisten Bully has been out on the Razor Hone trail this morning. I don’t know how much was done or what the conditions are. Or any news about White Salmon or Anderson. But check back this evening for a more complete report. I’m off to go see! – Pete
2024-01-08a: Went for a walk at salmon ridge earlier today. I walked the river snowshoe trail which didn’t have much snow on it since it was in the trees. However, there was at least four inches of packed icy snow on the razor home roadbed. I left there about three o’clock and it was snowing steadily. Temperature was thirty one degrees. I would have skied today on Razorhone road if I had my rock skis! If the snow keeps up, by tomorrow Razorhone road will definitely be skiable. Trails that are under the trees could be more marginal. – Ed
2024-01-08: No grooming yet, but White Salmon has snow! A report from yesterday has 14″ on the high section, 6″ at the low point. I think more is on the way!
2024-01-07: No reports from Salmon Ridge, but snow (and rain) is definitely in the forecast. The Pisten Bully (groomer) is at its winter home in Glacier, ready for action! And given the grim report that I posted just below this, I thought that I’d put up this picture just sent in from Manning Park, across the border in BC from two days ago. Snow is on the way!
2024-01-06: No reports yet from Salmon Ridge. The snow predicted for this weekend and next week could be coming as snow – or as rain. We’ll see. I’m hoping that White Salmon is getting good snow – I see that the downhill area has opened up their lower lodge. Meanwhile, Gail sent this report (thanks much!), having just returned from Canada: “I just got home from Nickelplate Nordic trails (near Penticton). There is plenty of snow and great grooming there. We had a great time and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to go ski. With the Nordic area being higher than Apex alpine area, (4000-5000′ elevation) you can usually count on them to have snow. While there we talked with other skiers from: Hollyburn, Whistler, Winthrop, and even Silver Star (near Vernon). Skiers were coming from all those ski areas because none of them had sufficient snow. Though it is a 5 hr drive, It is the nearest snow from here. Manning had patches of snow, but not enough. Princeton (China Ridge ski trails) was brown, dirt! Hopefully this new storm will bring lots of snow to all the ski areas. But, in a few days they were expecting the temperature there to drop to -33 C, so it pays to do some homework and check out the weather and www.DriveBC.CA for road conditions.”
2023-12-28b: White Salmon – bare gravel. Heather Meadows – plenty of snow cover.
2023-12-28: It’s still pretty warm up there. White Salmon still doesn’t have enough to ski. I’d go up to Heather Meadows and poke around. Or Anchorage, Alaska. They’ve received over 6 feet of snow in town and have awesome skiing! Sorry, back on topic: I’d check the link for the Mt. Baker Downhill area (listed on the third bullet higher up this page). If they show reasonable conditions, Heather Meadows should be fun. When they open the parking lot for the White Salmon lodge, there will probably be enough snow to ski at our White Salmon. Will post when our grooming starts. – Pete
2023-12-16: Yes, this is the place to check on trail conditions. I’ll post when I have some conditions to talk about! (Please send me trail reports when you find snow here!) Unfortunately, it’s been too warm so far. The picture was sent to me by Andrew, from a hike he made on White Salmon on Dec. 16. (3400′) – Pete
2023-11-14: No snow at Razor Hone and no skiing. But I’m updating the page. This is where to look when things happen! There could be snow at White Salmon pretty soon! (But no grooming until December at the earliest.)
2022-23 Season @ Razor Hone / White Salmon (the Salmon Ridge Snopark)
2023-04-03: I skied Razor Hone today out to the end then went up Near Cougar to the bridge. Plenty of coverage with nice user tracks to follow and good conditions. Fewer tracks on Near Cougar but still good conditions. I saw some skate tracks leftover from yesterday, but I think it might be a lot of work to skate right now. I did not get up to White Salmon, but I imagine it would be a very nice snowshoe in these conditions. The porta potties were still in place, and they graded the parking lot while I was there. – Kathy
2023-03-24: Last grooming of the year happened today. White Salmon, Razor Hone, the Cougar Loop, and Anderson! Classic tracks were set over much of it. Predictions call for more snow tonight and tomorrow – this would be a great time to tour the whole Cougar Loop! The base is still pretty thick and the snow should last for quite some time. As it does melt out, consider Anderson for skate skiing – it seems to last a bit longer than Razor Hone. The parking lot and highway were in very good shape today, but it was snowing as I drove back to town, with snow on the road in Maple Falls (I think it’s likely that it will melt quickly.) I believe the potties will remain in place until March 31. Check back here for updates as we hear about grooming up at the downhill ski area in May for Ski-to-Sea practice. I’ll also continue to post trail reports as they are sent in… Also, a couple of snowshoers did the Connector Trail today. It’s in play! – Pete
2023-03-21: 39 degrees at Salmon Ridge Noon this Tuesday March 21. Parking lot was plowed the best it’s been plowed in a long time. Parking lot puddles that were much shallower than Saturday’s puddles and the snow and slush were manageable. Salmon Ridge grooming from the 15th is still holding up. The snow surface on Razor Hone was flat with non-existent corduroy and had thawed then refrozen then thawed. By noon there was a thin layer of softer snow on top of a solid base layer. Very good skating until I left at 3:00 PM. The on-again off-again classic tracks were fading because of the rising temps. Far Cougar was more skateable than Saturday morning because of the soft surface. There were two spots on Far Cougar that were starting to melt out. Near Cougar was very skateable all the way up to the bridge even though it lacked any corduroy There was enough grip on that soft upper layer to facilitate snow plows, wedge turns and the occasional stem christie. It had warmed up to just over 40 degrees by 3:00 PM. – Will
2023-03-18: 32 degrees at Salmon Ridge 9:15 AM this Saturday March 18. Parking lot had a number of the usual bottomless-abyss water-filled pot-holes. The lot was, as is so typical, a hummocky piles-O-ice conglomerate that allowed one to slowly but safely drive through. Salmon Ridge grooming from the 15th held up as well as could be expected given the subsequent warming then freezing . An icy Razor Hone was skateable at 9:15 and there were on-again off-again classic tracks that were sometimes fairly decent. Far Cougar was icy and intimidating-looking enough that we didn’t ski up it. Near Cougar eventually warmed up enough that I attempted to go up. Near Cougar had no corduroy and looked like a sheet of ice. But at 12:45 or 1:00 PM it had a very, very shallow soft surface. I expect it would have been decent to ascend after 1:30 or so. It had warmed up to just over 40 degrees by the time we left about 1:15 PM. At that time the skate lane had stretches with a shallow layer of softening snow but still there were still icy stretches. -Will
2023-03-15: Grooming happened this morning on Razor Hone and Near Cougar, but not on White Salmon. “I skated at SR this morning. Good grooming with tracks set on razor hone only. Near Cougar groomed all the way to the bridge. Looking across the creek to the other side, the turnaround around for the groomer looked untouched. I don’t know if he groomed the rest of far Cougar as I didn’t ski down that way.” – Jim [Note: Also, it looks like Anderson was groomed today. Historically, Anderson seems to have relatively good late-season (into April) skate skiing after Razor Hone melts out. – Pete]
2023-03-08a: I skated down at Salmon Ridge this morning. Near perfect grooming and conditions. Soft dry snow on top of a firm base. Skated up and down near cougar. While I was standing on the bridge enjoying the creek view, the groomer was making his turn around on far cougar. no classic tracks on near cougar but I saw that the groomer was laying in tracks on razorhone on his return trip. – Jim
2023-03-08: Grooming is happening this morning, at White Salmon right now and presumably down at Razor Hone shortly. There is lots of snow to groom! NOTE: I have been asked to not post before grooming has been completed. This time I’m in Oregon right now (nice ski at Mt. Bachelor Nordic yesterday) and about to ‘leave the internet’, so am posting now. If you are out there while the groomer is there, please give him a wide berth and give his truck/trailer plenty of space to maneuver! The weather forecasts suggest a little more snow over the next couple of days. It should be wonderful skiing! Also, we have been in discussion with the snopark people about the parking lot – WSDOT is doing the best it can with a very limited budget. We appreciate what they have done, and be careful out there! – Pete
2023-03-05: No grooming at Salmon Ridge recently and about 6” of fresh snow. Temp at the parking lot was 34 and the snow was a bit heavy and mash potato-y in places. If it had been groomed the conditions would have been amazing because in the places of more consistent user tracks it was an excellent glide. The snow is too heavy and lumpy under-ski for skating, and even snow plowing down the hills was a real challenge, especially on Near Cougar. But it was beautiful out and a good adventure, if not excellent skiing. – Michael
2023-03-02: Beautiful snow. About 3 inches of fresh snow on top of yesterday’s grooming at noon today. More snow is predicted! The parking lot is in good shape, DOT has been keeping the main highway open and I’ve been told the potties will be serviced tomorrow. Hope to see you at Nordic Ambassadors on Saturday! – Pete
2023-03-01a: Jim also reports that classic tracks were set on Razor Hone and that the parking lot has been plowed and is in reasonably good shape.
2023-03-01: Look at the snow! Grooming happened today on fresh snow! It looks great! Grooming happened up Cougar Loop all the way to the bridge on both sides! The picture is taken on the Gerbil Loop – hopefully there are classic tracks set on the main trails. More snow is predicted tonight, tomorrow, tomorrow night, and Friday! and maybe Saturday and Sunday and Monday! Go ski! I don’t believe White Salmon was groomed. Thanks to Jim for the picture and the report. (and please forgive me my exclamation points!)
2023-02-23a: 27 degrees at 3:40 PM at Salmon Ridge and a great day to skate-ski there. Grooming was decent for skating all the way to the end of Razor Hone. The corduroy continued up Far Cougar about 80 % of the way to the Bridge. After that there were spots where one had to take off skis or “portage” and ski somewhat off the edge of the trail. Toward the high point of the trail it would have been necessary to take off the skis to access the corduroy beyond. Near Cougar had corduroy all the way to the point where you can see the bridge. There were a few rocks in the trail shortly after you start up Near Cougar. The sun is setting later these days and since it wasn’t cloudy it was still skiable until 6:00 PM. – Will
2023-02-23: Grooming happened today with classical tracks at Razor Hone, Anderson, and the Silver Fir Campground. White Salmon was not groomed. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny. Go ski! And then, more snow is supposed to be coming! Thanks, Magenta, for the report. Note: I just heard that classic tracks were only set a little past the end of Mom’s. Maybe they go all the way to the washout on Anderson? It might be worth a ski out in that direction.
2023-02-21: Beautiful snow! Terrible parking lot! The report (Thanks, Mary Beth) is that Razor Hone has 6-8″ of fresh snow, beautiful user-created tracks and maybe a bit more snow tonight. Wednesday and Thursday look like nice weather, then maybe some more snow! No grooming yet, but will post here if we see/hear of some. (And the expectation is that once DOT gets the main highway in good shape, they will plow out the parking lot…)
2023-02-18: Snow, but no new grooming. White Salmon looks great! Lots of new snow (picture on left is White Salmon, Feb. 18.) – Dan. A separate report on Cougar: Cougar loop was thin at the top before and after bridge. Good skiing conditions today! – Catherine.
2023-02-17: No new grooming, but some fresh snow. Lynne reports that the temperature was in the 32-34 degree range and the warm, wet snow was sticking to skis. But it sure is nice to have some fresh snow! I’m guessing that White Salmon has quite a bit of snow and user-created tracks. Note that the optimistic predictions suggest significant new snow in the next several days.
2023-02-10a: Razor Hone groomed up to where Mom’s creek crosses. Snow is soft but very skiable with one classic track set. After Mom’s still good for skate skiing though there’s a bald spot at about one mile you have to take your skis off and you can continue past the bridge but we didn’t go all the way to near cougar due to sparse spots. Anderson road has not been groomed but good for skating 3/4 of a mile before you run out of snow, no classic tracks. Compact snow with a few icy spots. – Deb & Mark
2023-02-10: Grooming is happening this morning. NOTE: I have been asked to not post before grooming has been completed. I’m in Alaska right now and about to ‘leave the internet’, so am posting now. If you are out there while the groomer is there, please give him a wide berth and give his truck/trailer plenty of space to maneuver! My reading of the weather forecasts is that White Salmon should be beautiful, but might be getting more snow on top of the grooming. And that Razor Hone and Anderson are going to remain pretty thin. I’ll post again tonight if anyone sends me an on-snow report. – Pete
2023-02-08 – Sorry I didn’t post yesterday. Grooming happened yesterday, Feb. 7. White Salmon was groomed, but got significant snow since then – covering the grooming. Razor Hone and Anderson were groomed, but with only a little bit of snow since then, so the overall cover is still pretty thin. Skiing today was reported as very nice (but thin). Classic tracks were set for the first part of Razor Hone. Weather predictions for tomorrow are problematic. – Pete
2023-02-03: Trails were groomed this morning – and an in-person report: “really good up to the first bridge [Razor Hone] but after that some thin spots and rocks showing so treacherous to come down from near cougar. We also did Anderson on the other side of road – not groomed recently and 1-2 inches of fresh snow on it but quite nice too. Very skiable.” – Deb. White Salmon was also groomed. Warning: Weather predictions do suggest that there is a fair amount of rain in the forecast…
2023-02-02: As of late Thursday afternoon, Razor Hone had passably good classic tracks and was OK but not great for skating if you kept your eye out for rocks. Near Cougar has lots of rocks. Anderson was OK for skating until the weeds/grasses poked through the center of the trail at about three-quarters of a mile in. No classic tracks at Anderson. White Salmon was in reasonable shape for both classic and skating. – Will
2023-01-31: White Salmon received snow since the grooming this morning [Tuesday]. The classic tracks appeared to be in good shape and had been skied in since the snow fell. The skate skiing lane was also in very good shape with a little soft stuff over a great base. Anderson had quality corduroy for the first half mile or more. About seven-tenths of a mile it was still groomed but there were some weeds in the center of the skate lane. You could feel your ski poles sink into the gravel beneath the thin layer of snow. There were no classic tracks set at Anderson. Salmon Ridge was groomed nicely with good classic tracks and skate ski corduroy. The groomer did a great job covering up the section that was bare rock about three-quarters of a mile up the trail. – Will
2023-01-31: Grooming happened this morning at White Salmon and Anderson. I’m assuming that Razor Hone was also done, although I don’t have direct evidence of it. Weather predictions call for a mix of rain, snow, and sunshine. Go figure. Or go ski! – Pete
2023-01-27: Yes, there was still corduroy yesterday on White Salmon, but not today! Fresh snow (and beautiful peek-a-boo views today. (see picture). No report on the lower trails. Thanks, Dan, for the picture.
2023-01-26: 35 degrees +/- 1
degree from Salmon Ridge up to Heather Meadows. No fresh grooming today. I enjoyed skate skiing White Salmon and the classic tracks were in very good shape and look like they’ll hold up. Razor Hone was skiable for three-quarters of a mile today before one must take off their skis to “portage”. And yes, rocks are starting to show through on the first hill on one side but it is still very skiable. Didn’t ski Anderson but viewed from the road it looked skiable. – Will
2023-01-25: Skied down the SE Extension of White Salmon. Snow and grooming in great shape. Reasonably good classic tracks out the main White Salmon, but not down the extension. Fresh corduroy (one day old) all the way down to the overlook of the extension. I stopped and looked at Razor Hone – it wasn’t bad! I was worried, but it had tracks and good skating. I did not ski out the trail – some of the hills might have thin snow cover and the spots where overflow happened are going to be bare gravel. Parking lot was manageable. Main highway was in excellent condition. 34 degrees at noon at White Salmon, 38 degrees at Salmon Ridge. All good enough that we’ll have Nordic Ambassadors this Saturday from 10-2. Maybe see you there! – Pete
2023-01-24a: Anderson not groomed but skatable for 0.6 mile, with a little fresh snow. Razor Hone has classic tracks that are intermittently good and not so good. – Will
2023-01-24: Grooming today at White Salmon, out to the Knob. I’m guessing that there is plenty of snow and pretty nice skiing! The weather prediction shows it to be on the cusp between rain and snow right now, then partly sunny tomorrow. Razor Hone was also groomed – but no promises as to snow quality there. (33 degrees and light rain) I anticipate a ski report later today and will post. – Pete
2023-01-19: Beautiful day. It snowed 6-8″ at White Salmon last night – so nice fluffy white snow, but no groomed corduroy or classic tracks. Skiers were out though and when I was skiing back, after 7 people had skied in the track, it wasn’t bad. And should only get better. The one guy that was out skating had pretty heavy going though. I stopped and looked at the start of Anderson. 1+ inches of snow – you could see the set tracks under the snow. Nobody had skied it yet. I actually think it would be pretty good. Same for the campground. I didn’t look at Razor Hone, but reports had it that the snow wasn’t enough to cover up the rocks and debris. 34 degrees at Salmon Ridge, 30 degrees at White Salmon at 1:00. – Pete
2023-01-18a: I skied Razor Hone last night, and it’s holding up surprisingly well — the classic track was well defined, and the skating deck was loose corn up to the first washout, which comes before bridge 1. Beyond the washout gets increasingly thin and dirty, OK for rock skis and boot packing. So, repeats to the first hill are a thing, for both skating and striding. – Hans
2023-01-18: Grooming happened this morning at White Salmon. No on-ski reports, but I’d guess that it’s pretty good! Weather predictions call for a little rain/snow (the snow level is supposed to be 3000 feet, which will hopefully keep it as snow). Then Friday is supposed to be nice!
I don’t think any grooming happened down the hill at Razor Hone – nor do I think there is anything worth grooming right now. Hopefully new snow will be coming. – Pete
2023-01-15a: Thanks to Dan for a snowshoe trip report, posted on the WTA site. He posted a number of pictures of both River Trail and the snow on Razor Hone. Trip report.
2023-01-15: No new grooming, but there is some skiing. Will reports:
Salmon Ridge was 36 degrees at 11:00 AM today. The parking lot was a slightly wet lumpy mass of ice. The first mile of Razor Hone was still holding up despite not being groomed since Wednesday and receiving a bumper-crop of rain. At first, over that mile, the skate lane was too borderline icy for easy skating. Within the span of two hours the skate lane surface improved due to warming temperatures and multiple laps by skate skiers. Those that went beyond the first mile brought back disconsolate tales of the second trail washout and debris on the trail. Razor Hone classic tracks were still in reasonable shape for that first mile.
No reports from White Salmon. That’s where I would go…
2023-01-13: There’s still skiing at Salmon Ridge! Report from Will:
• Salmon Ridge Temp was 37 degrees at 10:00 AM.
• Rain was light to medium from 10 AM to 2 PM when I left.
• The parking lot was still a bumpy ice field with water puddles in abundance
• Wednesday’s Razor Hone grooming held up well for a bit more than the first mile. Skating was still very good on that stretch, a firm base with enough give on the top layer.
• After about 7 minutes of skate-skiing you’ll need to take off your skis and walk across a 12-foot stretch of water trickling over the trail.
• The rain has washed away some of the snow that covered a good bit of debris.
• After a few more minutes you’ll need to take off your skis one more time to cross a 2 ½ foot stretch of trail wash-out.
• Razor Hone classic tracks now alternate between being in good shape to non-existent in some stretches
• Skied up Far Cougar for a few minutes. If you’re prepared for the occasional debris in the trail, it wasn’t too bad. After 3 minutes of climbing the trail looked like it was washing out too much for my liking.
• The first stretch of Near Cougar is now pretty much un-skiable with more rocks are sticking through large patches.
• Skate-skied Anderson which has improved since Wednesday. No longer a rock-hard-ice surface, there is just enough give to make skate skiing good for about seven-tenths of a mile. Unfortunately, Anderson wasn’t groomed since last week but there are still sections of the classic track that would be OK to ski.
2023-01-11: Grooming happened today. Both White Salmon and Salmon Ridge. No particular details, but reports suggest that skiing was still pretty good, all things considered. I’d expect that White Salmon is pretty nice! – Pete
2023-01-09: 35 degrees at 3 PM. The parking lot was a bumpy ice field with water puddles throughout. Razor Hone hasn’t been groomed since Jan. 4th; it was icy with just barely enough softness at the surface for a fast & moderately-in-control skate ski all the way to Far Cougar. As the snow is melting out, there is a certain amount of debris building up, but still skiable. The classic tracks are holding up pretty well. Far Cougar doesn’t have as much snow and has not been groomed recently. Near Cougar has rocks poking through in the middle of the trail near the first corner of the uphill. Anderson is really holding up pretty well. It was reasonably good for skate skiing and the classic tracks were in good shape. – Will
2023-01-08: It was raining (or “almost snowing” depending on your attitude) a fair bit, especially in the late morning, but snow coverage was pretty good! Better than New Year’s Eve. Anderson was a bit fast, firm with a little bit of ice on top. Good for skating.
We also did Razor Hone. Snow was still fairly firm, but not as iced over as Anderson. It felt like you could get a better edge. Mom’s loop was just lovely. Not slushy yet. – Sarah
2023-01-05a: “Salmon Ridge had a number of spots that were more icy than the bulk of the trail, but on the whole, very skiable for both classic and skate skiing. The Anderson skating was about as good as skate-skiing gets with a virgin-corduroy soft upper layer grading to very firm about 1 or so inches down. Great classic tracks at Anderson yielded excellent skiing.” – Will
2023-01-05: Skied out to the Knob on White Salmon around noon today. Very nice classical tracks were set yesterday. Plenty of snow – well groomed, but warm enough that the snow is sort of soft. It was a great ski! SE Extension was groomed for skating, but not tracked. I checked Anderson and the Campground on my way by. Nice classical tracks there too. White Salmon parking was plowed out by the groomer and the big Salmon Ridge lot was in good shape. Weather predictions look a little warm and wet… – Pete
2023-01-04: Grooming happened this morning, including White Salmon! The Pisten Bully made it out to the Knob and out Razor Hone to the end. Maybe not Anderson, the Campground, or Cougar Loop. Interpret the weather predictions as you see fit, but there were two inches of fresh snow yesterday before the grooming and it’s not too warm out there now – should be nice skiing! And the rain predicted for tomorrow is “mainly after 4pm”. Report from GPS data from the groomer, not from personal observation… – Pete
2023-01-03: “Salmon Ridge temperature was 32 degrees when I arrived at 3 PM today. The parking lot was mostly iced over with that new snow on top. The icy base from last week’s grooming had another couple inches of rather dry snow on top. No grooming at Salmon Ridge or Anderson but the classic track was holding up very well at Salmon Ridge. The new snow was well ground into the icy base in the track so it was fast whenever I jumped in the track on my skate skis. The skating at Razor Hone was passable. Skate skiing was better at Anderson where I appeared to be the only one who skied Anderson since the 2 inches of new snow fell. Anderson has a classic track with 2 inches of snow in it. They will be great tracks as soon as they are skied in. The moon was lighting up the trail enough to ski a good bit after sunset. – Will
2023-01-01a: Happy New Year and Happy Crust Cruising! Folks were both Classic and Skating on the crust today which started to soften at 2 PM. I stayed were it was flat and cruised along the crust in my XC BC non metal edged fish scale touring skis with skate ski poles and skate ski boots – used a little bit of everything a Smorgasbord of classic, double poling and skate technique. It was fun!
Forget those icy hills when you can just cruise along the flats.
When trails get groomed skiing should be SWEET for Classic and skating until it freezes again. A little Off trail crust cruising was a possibility early today … – Mary Beth
2023-01-01: “Happy New Year!!! Went for a x-country ski jaunt today and wanted to let you know that Salmon Ridge is groomed [several days ago – I think on 12/29 – pete] but icy…. Anderson creek has a hint of grooming – but icy. Looks like a skate skier has been there recently. Parking lot was decent. Many folks were braving the icy conditions and were skiing and snowshoeing on a sunny first day of the new year.” – Jane
2022-12-31: “I was out at Salmon Ridge this afternoon. Until I got within about 5 miles of the snow park, it looked like there would be no snow. When we arrived at Salmon Ridge, there was plenty of snow with a good classic track. No grooming on Mom’s which was covered with snowshoe tracks. So, don’t be discouraged by the lack of snow driving in. You will be able to have a good classic ski on New Year’s Day.” – Mark
2022-12-29: Grooming today on Razor Hone, Looks pretty nice, complete with classic tracks. Mary Beth posted a nice video on the club’s facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nooksacknordicskiclub/videos/702745151248610 . thanks! No reports on Anderson, the campground or White Salmon. Sorry for posting it late – I got side-tracked with grandkid visiting in Seattle. – Pete
2022-12-28a: I skied Razor Hone and Cougar Loop today. Good skating, light corn snow over consolidated base. There are a couple rain washouts requiring skis off between the bridges. Far cougar is very thin with multiple washouts and lots of debris toward the top. From Bagley Creek back down Near Cougar had good coverage, fast but easy to scrub speed. A couple of thin spots with rock/gravel hazards. Classic tracks are thin at best. Recommend avoiding far Cougar between Razor Hone and Salamander Trail until there is fresh coverage. – Hans
2022-12-28: There is still snow up at Razor Hone, although it’s a little mushy. DOT drained the pond at the entry to the parking lot, so no problems there. – Pete
2022-12-27: It was great skate skiing at both Razor Hone and Anderson, as well as a fair chunk of Far Cougar and Near Cougar. It was 36 degrees and rainy when I arrived at 10:15 AM. Huge puddle for 10 yards as you start to drive in stay to the right as much as possible. Depart on that side too, I discovered it was much deeper on the other side as I exited. Trail washed out in a few places but I’ll take a day like today anytime over the icy conditions we skied on a few times this season. You’ll need to ignore a bit of tree debris on the trail if it doesn’t snow tonight and you decide to go up tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. Far Cougar somewhat before the high points was washed out and I decided to take of my skis and “portage”. There were a few places where rocks poked through on near Cougar but I was able to ski almost all the way to the bridge before the tree debris got to be too much. The rain decreased to a trickle at 12:00 PM. When I left at 1:30 PM the rain had stopped completely. Several creeks were raging at Razor Hone and a couple were raging at Anderson. There were no trees down over any of the trails.
And yes, a raincoat was an absolute necessity today. Also, dry clothes to change into immediately after skiing. – Will
2022-12-26: A lot to report. Before you read this and dash out to Salmon Ridge for a beautiful ski, do check the weather and go prepared for a variety of conditions. Rainy weather is predicted and then snow. But I had a great ski today. White Salmon, 12:00. 37 degrees. No grooming, but nice snow. Consolidated on top of old grooming, I think it would make a very pleasant ski tour. With several people skiing, you’d make a nice set of tracks. You won’t sink too deep. But I just looked, I didn’t put my skis on. Razor Hone / Cougar Loop. 12:00-2:00. 37 degrees. Not raining! I think Razor Hone was groomed 3 days ago (Dec 23), but it still looked fresh. There were shallow classical tracks for the first 1/2 mile, but they might have been left from the previous grooming. They sort of disappeared after that. I skied with my skinny classical fishscale skis and they worked pretty well. Good kick and glide, but better tracks would have been nice. Skating conditions were actually very good – without exaggerating too much, the word ‘excellent’ might almost creep in. I got out to Far Cougar – I think it was last groomed 2 days earlier, Dec. 21, but it was still in good shape. I trudged up it on fishscales, with a bit of herringbone. The animals could skate up it. But the big news is that the hill down to the bridge on the Far Cougar side was groomed! This is the first time in years that it was done. Thanks both to the contractors who improved the trail and the groomer for going down. I admit that I side-stepped a bit of it, but it was easy with the wide grooming and much of it could be skied. Then back on Near Cougar – which was fast, but reasonable. Snowplow – but no side-stepping.
Anderson – I just skated out around a couple of bends. Very good condition for skating, but no classical tracks. We’ll ask the groomer again to put them in.
Campground – groomed, no classical tracks. I did not ski into it.
Predictions: I really couldn’t say. There is plenty of snow. I don’t think it will disappear. (There are a few places where running water has melted it out, but all manageable.) There is lots of rain predicted. I think the snow will absorb the rain and still be passable skiing – though maybe not as nice as today. Bring layers, including a raincoat. They are currently predicting snow on Wednesday and Thursday.
Parking lot – cleared down to ice. Very slippery. The pool at the entrance takes both AWD and faith that it’s not too deep (it isn’t). As I left, DOT was trying to do something about it with a pickup truck. Hopefully they will attack it with something heavier. There is parking on the other side of the road. You might park there and ski Anderson!
The River Trail – is probably under water from the stream going through it. I didn’t go down it, but it’s pretty clear that it’s flooded at the moment.
2022-12-21 a: The groomers truck and trailer were in the Salmon Ridge parking lot at 10am this morning when I drove by. I did a ski tour up at White Salmon. Excellent deep dry powder! No sign of grooming when I left at 2:30pm [at White Salmon] – Jim.
The weather looks pretty good for tomorrow (Thursday) – (high of 19) : then snow on Friday and ‘heavy rain’ on Saturday. Sounds like tomorrow is the time to go! – Pete
2022-12-21: Happy Solstice! Happy 12″ of snow in my driveway in Bellingham! Everything below this entry on this page is obsolete. We’ve had quite the snowstorm. But I have no news of grooming. This will be where I put it when I get it. 🙂 Meanwhile, enjoy the snow. (And if you find trees down across a trail, please let me know.) – Pete
2022-12-18: (about 2 pm) About 6″ of new, very light (temp 20 degrees) snow at Salmon Ridge. All grooming has been buried but there’s a nice base beneath the fluff and a variety of user tracks, both ski and snowshoe. It was quite enjoyable and beautiful. Didn’t do the Cougar Loop, but I ran into some friends who did it counter-clockwise and they said it was pretty nice and skiable. SR 542 was partially snow covered and speeds were not much above 40mph from Deming on. A small part of the parking lot had been plowed by mid-afternoon. – Michael
2022-12-17: Still pretty nice skiing today. Trail was ‘hard’ but not icy. (And it was starting to snow when I left at 2:30) Classical tracks on Razor Hone had been skied in and were actually pretty good (shallow, but skiable.) Near Cougar was groomed (two days ago) all the way to the bridge, but no classical tracks. Pretty fast coming down the hill. Huckleberry is in great shape for snowshoeing, all the way to the bridge (one log down in the upper section, but it’s easy to go around. – Pete
2022-12-16: They did groom yesterday and today was pretty good skiing! Razor Hone had classic tracks set (not really deep, but as good as conditions allowed.) The snow is damp, PNW snow that makes for a fairly hard trail, but it wasn’t what I would call icy. Near Salmon was groomed and forgiving conditions for skiing downhill. My guess is that it will remain relatively nice through tomorrow, then depending on how much it snows, the grooming might disappear later on Sunday, but it should be a good base, regardless. – Pete
2022-12-15: The word on the street is that the groomer was observed being unloaded at White Salmon today. (Thanks, Marcy.) Presumably that means that Razor Hone was also done. If I were looking for a ski tomorrow, I’d go up to White Salmon, early enough to get one of the *limited* parking spots. (Remember, if there is enough room, we are suggesting that you back up and park diagonally, so that you have a clear route to exit after your ski – and that we can fit in as many cars as possible. Or you could ski out Razor Hone and snowshoe up the Huckleberry Trail. – Pete
2022-12-12: Grooming report. The groomer did make it out yesterday (Sunday, Dec. 11). Razor Hone and parts (not sure which parts) of Cougar were groomed with a shallow set of classical tracks on Razor Hone. Conditions were ‘fast’ (or as translated by a skier in the parking lot – ‘you mean icy’) (at 11:00 AM). Anderson was groomed, presumably as far as the washout. Smooth for skating, but no classical tracks. Given the weather predictions for the week, I’m guessing that it’s going to stay hard and fast most of the day, possibly softening up a bit in the afternoon. White Salmon was not groomed – It was reported to have ‘lots more snow. Snowshoe tracks down middle of road. Could blaze ski tracks on the side. Snow is crusty.’ Potties were put in place this morning. (On the base which was installed an hour earlier.) The parking lot was being scraped with a front-end loader as we left. The highway was clear – though it looked slippery to me. I drove pretty carefully. If you are out there later this week and see fresh grooming, let me know and I’ll post here. – Pete
2022-12-11: Grooming happened this morning, both Razor Hone and Anderson. Not sure of the details. – Pete
2022-12-10: Skied late this afternoon. No potties, lot unplowed, no grooming. Wet and crusty, skating not possible. Tracks broken in, pretty good for moderate striding. You’ll want big powder baskets on your poles, and maybe some bushwhacking for extra work. – Hans. / Potential grooming: If I were to speculate from previous years, I would guess that there will be no grooming Sunday, but likely fresh tracks on Monday or Tuesday. Will post a report Monday afternoon. – Pete
2022-12-7: Magenta confirmed that White Salmon was groomed at the same time as Salmon Ridge.
2022-12-6: Grooming! Snow! Wonderful! What a great day out there! You might have seen reports of nice snow. The groomer has been out – beautiful, smooth corduroy. No classical tracks – the snow is too shallow to put in tracks at this point, but it makes a great base. Do watch out for a few exposed rocks – the first hill past Mom’s has a couple of partially hidden ones.
Significant amounts of snow are predicted for the rest of the week. Hopefully we’ll see tracks soon. The snow wasn’t wet – extra blue on classical skis would have been perfect.
Groomed:
- Razor Hone – to the end
- Near Cougar – to the high point (and it was ‘perfect’ to ski down! Now is the time to ski it.)
- Anderson – thanks to the groomer (Sean) for widening the slot through the one set of recently downed trees. He got the groomer through. We didn’t go past that, but I’m guessing it’s groomed to the washout. If you ski it and find out, please let me know.
- Mom’s – fragment from the Cross-over to the Gerbil Loop and at least part of the Gerbil Loop. (Skaters should try this out. It’s a fun little curvy ski.)
- White Salmon – not sure how far, or if the SE Extension was groomed or not.
Not groomed:
- Far Cougar, Near Cougar from high point down to bridge. But the dirt work that was done on the Far Couger hill down to the bridge definitely makes it a little easier to ski. And you can always walk and/or side-step. 🙂 I still recommend skiing the Cougar Loop clockwise. Coming down Near Cougar is a blast.
- Most of Mom’s
- Silver Fir Campground
The state and groomers are switching to new hardware for the gps system and it is not yet live. So neither the Winter Rec Grooming Map listed at the top of this page nor my connection to the live grooming is functioning. That means if you see fresh grooming that hasn’t been reported here, please send me a message. – Pete
2022-12-6: More on potties. No potties today, but it is reported that a contract has been written and they will be up there shortly. – Pete
2022-12-5: There have been questions about the lack of potties at the Salmon Ridge parking lot. The potties are paid for through the state snopark program (and your snopark passes) and through a contract administered by the program. No company (including the one that did it last year) submitted a bid to maintain the potties this year. The state is looking for one who might do it. In the meantime, many stop at the Glacier Ranger Station on the drive up (Thanks, Forest Service!) and I believe the outhouse in the Hannegan Pass Road trailhead is open, although I have not confirmed that. – Pete
2022-12-3/5: I’ve been out for a few hours at a time at each of Salmon Ridge, White Salmon, and Heather Meadows/Artist Point during the past week, so here are quick impressions:
Skiing at valley bottom out of the SnoPark is still pretty good once you out-distance the walkers and snowshoers; the temperature inversion has kept temps quite cool, and surface snow remains fluffy and cold with a supportive–but shallow–base. Old school waxable skis should serve very well for as long as the inversion lasts.
I skied early last week down to The Knob at White Salmon, right before another foot of dry snowfall. [Parking: freshly plowed for 6-10 cars, on 12/5. ] I lost a phone somewhere between my low point and the parking lot, so if anyone turns up an iPhone SE there’ll be a reward in universal currency (i.e., beer) available at (360) 223-0132. My phone should be buried about a foot deep right along the main trail, but its “Find My Phone” signal has gone dead.
The Heather Meadows area has been remarkably well-used, with giant superhighways of trodden snow in all directions. A couple of days ago, light crusts were forming where sun-exposed, with a solid foot of consolidated powder over an excellent base elsewhere–excellent skiing on tele or AT gear, somewhat awkward for skinny skis. Surface hoar was forming throughout, and this may have avalanche implications once new snow arrives. Ski area parking over the weekend was full, suggesting a choice of very early arrival or waiting until mid-afternoon (the latter being my personal preference). – Mark
2022-12-4: We skied this morning, and there was about 12″ of snow (measured by pushing my pole until it hit the gravel on the road) on the trail by the river. The snow was light and fluffy, without any crust and minimal consolidation from the weather. There was at least one and usually two decent tracks laid down from other skiers. Downed tree where cougar loop downhill trail meets with the river trail, but about 2-3′ of a gap available to ski through. There were about 20 cars at the trailhead when we left about 11:30am. Parking lot was plowed with a shallow packed snow surface. – Mike
2022-11-30: No Grooming. I skied around River Trail and back on Mom’s. Beautiful! 12″ of snow. Logs and brush have been cleared from River Trail enough that touring skis work well on it. The parking lot was plowed and Mt. Baker Highway was in great shape (which can change momentarily…) – Pete
2022-11-29: Magenta (with the Forest Service) sent out a report of what she found today. “Razorhone Road #3070 has about 6” of snow. Suitable for XC skiing. The parking lot was not plowed and grooming has not started. Anderson Creek Road #3071 patchy snow. Gated and closed at mile 0.1 due to a washout. White Salmon Road #3075 has over a foot of snow starting at the junction with SR 542. Parking at the junction is very limited. Parking along the highway prohibited.” Thanks, Magenta, for the report! (And the pictures!)
2022-11-22: People have been out skiing, but there’s not much snow there! I’d recommend going on up the hill to Heather Meadows and poking around out past the parking lot. But you are in the right place to check for news about the Salmon Ridge snopark!