Matthew Singer

Month: December 2010

  • Winter Desires

    I was in town today getting snow tires for Erin’s Jeep, and when I’m in town, I often head over to Hyperspud to look at maps, books and gear that I can’t afford. Today I was looking through the book Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills put out by the aptly named Mountaineers Press. They put out some nice hiking guides and how-to books for outdoor recreation. Turns out, this book is the “Bible” for mountaineers, and I want it. I also desperately want to get into mountaineering so that I may continue to hike and explore all year round. While researching a potential winter hike to Stevens Lake, I stumbled upon the idea of making for the summit of Stevens Peak just behind. At just over 7000 feet, it’s not a particularly hard peak to summit, especially in the summer. But it looks like it would be a good peak to try out winter mountaineering. Turns out, Stevens peak is used by several nearby mountaineering clubs as a novice peak. For now, I just want to get into basic mountaineering. I want to be able to summit mountains by basically walking up them. There are tons of options for the summer, but ice and avalanches are deterring me for just getting up and going. I got a pair of nice snow shoes for the holidays, so a hike to some of the lakes basins isn’t out of the picture. But the exposed slopes above treeline are where the extra skill come into play. I will eventually work up to climbs that require winter camping, ropes and other technical expertise. I’d also like to own an ice axe and a pair of real crampons at some point. For now, I can rent everything I need from the university’s rec center. Of course, before I can make any of this a reality, I need to find some people to go with.

    Right now it’s snowing pretty heavily. Last night we got an inch or two of wet snow that promptly turned to slush. It started snowing again this afternoon and we’ve already got another couple of inches or so. In all, we’re predicted to have up to 6 inches which means more for the mountains. Time to find a good trail to use those snowshoes.

  • Skiing

    I went skiing for the first time in over five years, and it felt like I never took a break. Erin and I went to Silver Mountain with Tyler, and Travis. Silver is the nearest ski area to Moscow and it’s not that bad. When the entire area is open, it’s got a vertical of 2200 feet, but we haven’t had enough snow to open the lower portion. But even with those few trails closed, the vertical was still a nice 1400 feet with some nice, lengthy runs.

    Silver is unique to all of the other ski areas I’ve been to. The main part of the resort is at the bottom of the mountain at 2500 feet in the town of Kellogg, ID. But the skiable portion of the mountain is between 4100 ft and the summits of the two peaks, the highest is at 6300 feet. To get there, you take a ride on what they claim to be the world’s longest gondola that takes you to a lodge mid-elevation in the ski area. The gondola ride is nice and scenic, but it does create a traffic jam at the end of the day when everyone is coming off the mountain at the same time.

    Despite its relatively high elevation, Silver must not have been spared the above-freezing temperatures in the heat wave of the last two weeks. Beneath the powder, there were some slick spots, but nothing compared to the ice that formed on Blue Knob back in Pennsylvania. I’m hoping that the temperatures fall and stay low for a few months coupled with a few more large snow storms to open the whole mountain with some nice powder.

    With a summit not much over 6000 feet, the mountain doesn’t seem impressive, but consider that the town is almost 4000 feet below. These mountains are not to be taken lightly. They tread on tree line and some of the higher peaks in the distance certainly surpass the trees. The views from the ski area are magnificent. On the next go, I shall bring the camera.

    Until then, it’s good to be skiing again.

    Links:
    Silver Mountain – www.silvermt.com