We are rapidly approaching the end of the season for the Alturas Lake and Park Creek ski areas with Easter Sunday looking like a soft landing date for grooming. We want to thank the Sawtooth Ski Club, the City of Stanley, Blaine County Recreation District and the Forest Service for coming together to provide great ski trails again this year. Thanks to everyone who came out to ski the trails with smiles on their faces. Thanks to everyone who made donations on line and at the ski area collection boxes. Thanks to the grooming crew and the people who moved grooming equipment up and down the highway and to the repair shop as our snow machines unfortunately succumbed one after another to winter’s deep drifts and harsh conditions. Thanks to that guy who came out to the trails to rewire and fix track setters when the temperature hovered around zero, and of course a big thanks to the soup kitchen queens of Alturas and the chili dippers at Park Creek. Finally, we must send out an extra special “Thank You!” to the Sawtooth Society and their Mountain Goat License Plate grant program. The ski club had been saving up donations for several years hoping to step up to the next level in grooming equipment and their “Goat Grant” helped make possible the purchase of two new tracked ATV’s for grooming the trails.

On the second day of April, all trails at Alturas Lake were rolled. At Park Creek, all trails except Larkspur were rolled. There was significant newly fallen snow at both areas with depths of up to 12 inches, so expect some of that to be blown about in open meadows.

On Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the last days of March, all trails at Alturas Lake were groomed. Going out again on Sunday, April 2nd to knock down new snow. At Park Creek, Thadeus has been doing some old school grooming to the delight of classic enthusiasts.

Sawtooth ski trails were groomed on Thursday through a snow storm. More grooming scheduled today. Next storm on way.

On Wednesday, March 29th, National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day, snow has been falling in the Sawtooth Valley. At Alturas Lake on Tuesday, the Trail to the Lake, Over the Hill, and North Cabin were all groomed but were quickly covered in new snow. A weather advisory predicts much more of the same for a few more days.