Urban Skiing, Part 2

Most of Western Washington still remains under a heap of snow, but things seem to be improving slightly. Snoqualmie, Stevens, and Blewett Pass are all open, but the North Cascades Highway, Chinook and Cayuse Pass are now closed for the season. More info at WSDOT here.

However, a lot of neighborhood roads are still covered and snow and ice, and getting out of the cities and suburbs is treacherous at the moment.

The WTA office is pretty quiet, but there are a few of us diehards in here. I decided to make another urban ski expedition to work today, and the skiing was great! If you've got a set of touring skis and live in the city, now is the time to get out. (How often can you say you skied across Seattle?).

My route today was up Interlaken Way (some of which is open only to pedestrians) up to the crest of Capitol Hill. After taking one obligatory run downhill, I skied back up and the through the snow-covered open spaces of Volunteer Park. Then I got in some good gliding on back roads of Capitol Hill to Cal Anderson Park, and then a brief walk downtown. Total trip: 5.1 miles, about 300 feet of elevation gain. Snow conditions: slightly sticky, but a decent base of 4-6 inches. Some icy patches throughout the route. Avalanche danger is zero.

Have you discovered an urban ski route? How are you coping with the storm of December 2008? Sign in and post a comment.