I'll freely admit that this issue can easily be filed under "tempest in a teapot". That having been said, I feel it's necessary to call foul on the implication that my objection is simply to the presence of snowmobiles on the Hog Loppet course. We need to draw a clear distinction between "I hate snowmobiles" and "I hate wilful distructiveness and harrassment by snowmobilers". It's absolutely true that the vast majority of snowmobile riders are courteous and considerate when they encounter skiers on the trail. I own snowmobiles myself and understand as well as anyone the need to "share the road". This is not the issue at hand. The Hog Loppet organizers use a good portion of a skier's entry fee to pay for grooming on the route. This is a one-time effort to prepare the route for skiers and most of the route is not part of the normal winter grooming (paid for by snowmobile registrations). The USFS has snow rangers on the course who make it very clear to snowmobilers that the Hog Loppet is in progress and that it's important to be alert, go slow and stay off the ski grooming. Any snowmobiler who unloads at Blewett Pass on Hog Loppet day could not POSSIBLY be unaware of the event. Nevertheless, every year there is a small cadre of angry, in-your-face types who make a point of engaging in bad behaviour; willfully destroying ski grooming, roaring around Haney Meadows and high-marking up the Rock Slide with skiiers going by. Objecting to this sort of behaviour does not mark one as a snooty, lycra-clad ski elitist (although there ar plenty of that type around). It's a simple issue of safety and civility.
Well said, Pico. And I would say that your observations were accurate based on what I witnessed as well. Many who skied the route never actually saw the behavior of the few riders you described, and would agree that the majority of snowmobilers exhibited courtesy and restraint. But those few snowmobilers created a safety issue that I saw as a real concern.
John
