Nordic Skiers Had Cool Time Cross-Country Enthusiasts Get Free Day On Mount Spokane
Five minutes on Mount Spokane State Park’s ski trails was enough for 12-year-old Andrew Beaton.
The Nordic novice couldn’t feel his fingers or his face Sunday morning, so he tracked back to the warmth of Selkirk Lodge’s wood-burning stove.
“I went up the hill and on the trail a little,” said the Farwell Elementary sixth-grader. “I just couldn’t take it.”
Despite a 10-below-zero wind chill, hundreds of other first-time skiers took in as many free lessons as possible during Spokane’s celebration of SkiFest, an annual event introducing people to the sport.
The local sponsor, Mountain Gear, provided all the equipment - skis, poles and boots. Volunteer instructors from the city of Spokane’s Parks and Recreation Department led lessons.
“A sampler of skills,” is how David Follansbee described it. He and two co-workers showed wobbly-kneed men, women and children how to slide, glide and balance on one ski.
“Gliding is the name of the game,” said Mike Rubin, one of the instructors. “Some people spend their ski day scooting along step by step. That’s not skiing. That’s walking.”
Even walkers managed to find icy-slick spots and land on their derrieres, “where the extra padding is,” Rubin said.
Park rangers worked extra hard to prepare the mountain for several events and SkiFest after November’s ice storm ravaged trails.
If it weren’t for ski enthusiasts who helped park employees clear almost 500 downed trees from 10 trails, the mountain would still be a mess, said Ranger Kary Peterson.
“Our grooming machine is one of the best groomers around - but it’s not too good for logging,” Peterson said.
All Nordic trails now are open, except Wild Moose, Shady Way and the Twin Lakes spur, he said.
After their morning on the mountain, Debbie Yochum and Dave Lenartz were ready for “hot tub time” after they got a workout “better than any Stairmaster or treadmill.”
“We were up at Schweitzer (Mountain Resort) Saturday and were socked in by fog and snow,” said Lenartz. The two headed home with their slalom hopes dashed.
“We woke up too late to go downhill skiing (Sunday),” said Yochum. “But here we had sunshine - guaranteed.”
In the lodge, shivering skiers huddled around the crackling wood stove. Others noshed on high-energy food - oranges, bananas and free samples of Gu, a thick paste made by the company that produces Power Bars.
“It tastes like brownie mix before you cook it,” said Barb Beaton to her husband, John, and son, Andrew.
Was a sample of Gu enough to send the Beatons back to the frozen trails?
Andrew wasn’t moving. On his third cup of cocoa, Andrew said, “I’ll cross-country ski again - when it’s not so cold.”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo