Wenatchee World Articles and USFS talking points.

Thanks for keeping us updated.

Yes, you are welcome, thanks for saying so. Being here is certainly not for fun, amazing how tough it is to advocate for backcountry skiers on this website! But I am the one silly enough to go on Forums from our network- I believe that some folks are reached in this manner and will post here for that reason.

Here we go again.  WMC reminds me of Newt, a bomb-thrower prone to incendiary statements who ain't never gonna to be president.  Let's all write letters, speak at meetings, etc.  But let's quit feeding the WMC troll.  I wish WMC would designate some terrain in their own county as pristine and start fighting up there.  I've got to live and ski here in Kittitas County.

The "Voluntary closure areas" of the Teanaway are openly discussed as some 'favorite' snowmobile riding areas, and were areas prominently defended for snowmobile riding in Comments to the Draft Forest Plan Revision. No grief there, lines on a map, great snowmobile riding. We know folks in a party of skiers who were assaulted by a snowmobile rider who was in a Voluntary Closure Area, when the skiers pointed out to the riders the status of the area.

The WMC Proposal was first presented to the Forest Supervisor and her staff in Nov 2010. We, WMC, have talked to several folks on the snomo side, District Rangers and Forest Supervisor, and several rounds back and forth with Rep Hastings DC and Tri Cities offices. There is a list of various Organizations at state and national level involved, some directly endorsing our effort, some adding to it with their own effort. With all of the involvement over 24,000 comments were received for the OWNF Draft Forest Plan Revision that mentioned management of winter recreation- snowmobiles. The snowmobile community (part of it) has stepped up to stop the Wilderness trespass, which is great. Sadly there is a faction of snowmobile riders asserting their intention to continue riding the Wilderness e.g Headlight Basin, who are feuding with the snomo riders trying to get the word out, place signs, and stop the Wilderness incursion.

WMC and apparently OWNF believe that moving the snowmobile closure boundary to the NF Teanaway Road is the practical solution to control the Wilderness snomo incursion problems. WMC did not ask for Wilderness there, OWNF decided that. OWNF officials state that the PWA resulted from the need to control motorized traffic into the ALW. Other than that there is nothing for management of snowmobiles or provision for winter non-motorized recreation. There are initiatives by big-name Organizations that we talk to, active initiatives, that make WMC Proposals look pretty small in scale. There was a lot of interest before WMC came along.

The bottom line is OWNF officials clearly state that they refuse to address winter recreation in the Forest Plan or in the Travel Plan.

Yes, you are welcome, thanks for saying so. Being here is certainly not for fun, amazing how tough it is to advocate for backcountry skiers on this website!

Maybe because this is a huge non-issue. The only reports I've seen on TAY reporting user conflict with snowmobiles have been on Mt. Baker. Please give other specific examples of good backcountry ski spots that are overrun with snowmobile traffic in the Leavenworth Wenatchee area. I don't think there are any.

The ironic thing is that you ride a snowmachine to access skiing so how can you argue that snowmobiles are inherently damaging to the environment or wildlife? Do you think that because you supplement your sled rides with ski touring you are morally superior to those that just ride snowmobiles without skiing? Too funny.

Please give other specific examples of good backcountry ski spots that are overrun with snowmobile traffic in the Leavenworth Wenatchee area. I don't think there are any.

Stemilt Basin, Clara Lake Basin and the Mission Peak area.

I don't know about the other spots you mentioned, but Mission Peak is a legal spot to ride snomos, and there is quite a bit of terrain in that vicinity that is only good for skiers (the steep drainages crossing the 9712 come to mind). The N facing aspects that drain into Devil's Gulch are also killer for skiing, and sleds can't go down there either. I have never personally had any difficulty finding spots to ski around sledders, but I agree that some historically popular skiing spots should be reserved for skiers (like Diamondhead at Blewett or maybe even Cutthroat Creek and the areas around the hairpin at WA Pass). I disagree, however, that current user conflicts necessitate closing huge swaths of terrain that will never be accessed by skiers on foot, like all of the land proposed by WMC for closure in the Teanaway. Very few skiers actually use the current set asides in the Teanaway as it is. What will more land closures actually accomplish, besides making it more difficult for me and my friends to ski the N facing slopes in that area?

I don't know about the other spots you mentioned, but Mission Peak is a legal spot to ride snomos, and there is quite a bit of terrain in that vicinity that is only good for skiers (the steep drainages crossing the 9712 come to mind).  The N facing aspects that drain into Devil's Gulch are also killer for skiing, and sleds can't go down there either.  I have never personally had any difficulty finding spots to ski around sledders, but I agree that some historically popular skiing spots should be reserved for skiers (like Diamondhead at Blewett or maybe even Cutthroat Creek and the areas around the hairpin at WA Pass).  I disagree, however, that current user conflicts necessitate closing huge swaths of terrain that will never be accessed by skiers on foot, like all of the land proposed by WMC for closure in the Teanaway.   Very few skiers actually use the current set asides in the Teanaway as it is.  What will more land closures actually accomplish, besides making it more difficult for me and my friends to ski the N facing slopes in that area?

Mission Peak is legal. That wasn't the question, it was "what good spots for skiing are over run by sleds?"
The problem is that sleds routinely cross into the Mission Ridge permit boundary(not ski area boundary) despite signs posted that say no snowmobiles. This happens on all sides of the special use permit boundary. I know it's not all sledders or even the majority, but a large number of sledders can't help themselves when they see the untracked powder in a closed area. I have friends that sled for skiing and just for fun, but even they sometimes cross the line. It's a symptom of our society.