2009 Northwest Ski Guide

WASHINGTON

White Pass

Where: 50 miles west of Yakima on Highway 12.

Elevation: 4,500-6,000 feet.

Lifts: Six — high-speed express quad, triple chair, two double chairs, two surface lifts (percentages — beginner 33, intermediate 43, advanced 24).

Lift prices: Monday-Friday — $45 all-day adult ($28 junior/senior), half-day (12:30-4 p.m.) $31 and $19. Weekends and holidays — $50 all-day adult ($30 junior/senior); half-day $36 and $23. Nordic — $12.

Operating hours: Daily 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m.; night skiing until 9 p.m. Saturdays and holidays only from Dec. 26 through Feb. 27.

What’s new: The “Cruiser Package” offers three days on the slopes, including lift tickets, lesson and equipment rental, at roughly 15 percent off what you’d pay if you simply paid for each separately.

Instructional scheduling note: The area’s holiday instructional camps (Kids Clinic and the race, freestyle and snowboard camps) are typically held the first weekend after Christmas, but this year Dec. 26 — historically one of any ski area’s busiest days — falls on a Saturday, which would make for a doubly crowded experienced. So those instructional camps will instead run that Sunday and Monday, Dec. 27-28.

Rental shop/Child care: 509-672-3106.

Mountain information: 509-672-3101.

Snow phone: 509-672-3100.

Web site: www.skiwhitepass.com

Status: Opened for the Nov. 13-15 weekend, closed for the following midweek and reopened last weekend. With the recent run of unpredictable weather, best to check the Web site before heading up.

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The Summit-at-Snoqualmie

Where: Snoqualmie Pass.

Elevation: Alpental at the Summit, 3,140-5,450 feet; Summit Central, 2,860-3,865 feet; Summit West, 3,000-3,765; Summit East, 2,610-3,710 feet.

Lifts: 25 — Alpental, one high-speed quad, three double chairs, one rope tow. Summit East, two double chairs. Summit Central, two high-speed quads, one triple chair, four double chairs, one magic carpet and one surface tow. Summit West, two quad lifts, two triple chairs, two double chairs, one magic carpet and one surface tow. (percentages — beginner 15, intermediate 45, advanced 40).

Lift prices: $57 all-day adult, $38 youth (ages 7-12) and senior (62-plus). All day is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 1-to-5 p.m. prices are $49 and $36, 4-10 p.m. $38 and $32, or 9 a.m.-10 p.m. is $61 and $42.

What’s new: There’s a new 550-space parking lot that should ease parking congestion and ease guest access to Summit Central and the Silver Fir Express Chairlift.  Summit East crews completed slope stabilization projects and the design and permit work for a triple chairlift, with installation scheduled for next summer.  Alpental crews replaced several lift operator buildings, renovated on-hill restrooms, and improved the Denny Mountain Lodge.

Operating hours: Alpental: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Summit Central and Summit West: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Summit East: 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 4-10 p.m. Wednesday-Friday. Nordic Center 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Tubing Center 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday-Sunday).

Child care: Ages 6 months to 6 years; call 425-434-7669 Ext. 6520.

Mountain information: 877-881-2447.

Snow phone: 206-236-1600.

Web site: www.summit-at-snoqualmie.com

Status: Opened for the last two weekends, with a short midway closure in between.

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Crystal Mountain

Where: East of Enumclaw off Highway 410 near Mount Rainier.

Elevation: 4,400-7,012 feet.

Lifts: 11 — two high-speed six-passenger lifts, two high-speed quads, two triple chairs, four double chairs, one surface tow (percentages — beginner 11, intermediate 54, advanced 35).

Lift prices: Daily, all-day adult, $60, $55 youth (11-17), $35 senior (70 and up), $30 junior (7-10).

Operating hours: Daily, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

What’s new: Here’s what’s not: lift ticket prices. They’re essentially the same as last year, making them (surprisingly) one of several resorts to hold the line across the region.

Child care: Not available, though Kids Club daily lessons are available for ages 4-10.

Mountain information: 800-277-6475.

Snow phone: 888-754-6199.

Web site: www.skicrystal.com

Status: Same story as White Pass and the Summit at Snoqualmie with this weird weather — open, then closed, then open …

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Stevens Pass

Where: Overlooking Highway 2 between Leavenworth and Skykomish.

Elevation: 3,821-5,845 feet.

Lifts: 13 — two high-speed quads, one fixed quad, five triple-chairs, two double-chairs, three surface lifts (percentages — beginner 11, intermediate 54, advanced 35).

Lift prices: $63 all-day adult, $40 youth (7-12) and senior (62-69). The same tickets on Stevens Pass’ online “daily ticket reload” program, for Web-savvy folks who prefer to avoid lift lines, are $60 and $37.

Operating hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday-Monday; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday. (Six lifts are lighted for night skiing.)

What’s new: The Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association reports that purchased Elan/Dalbello equipment for new skier experiences, Rossignol equipment for high performance demos, and Rossignol equipment for the balance of the resort’s rental fleet.

Child care: for ages 3 to 12 years.

Mountain information: |206-812-4510.

Snow Phone: 509-782-5516.

Web site: www.stevenspass.com

Status: Opened Thursday in limited operation.

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Mission Ridge

Where: Overlooking Wenatchee

Elevation: 4,570-6,820 feet.

Lifts: Six — one high-speed quad, three double-chairs, two rope tows.(percentages — beginner 10, intermediate 60, advanced 30).

Lift prices: $54 all-day adult (ages 18-61), $48 young adult (13-17) $34 youth (7-12), $34 seniors (62 and up).

Operating hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday through Monday, except daily Dec. 19-Jan. 5. Night skiing 4-9 p.m. on Saturdays beginning Dec. 26.

What’s new: Mission Ridge upgraded Chair 1’s unload area and widened and recontoured the Easiest Way Down bypass of Chair 1’s beginner slope.

Child care: 3 months to 6 years, daily 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; 509-663-6543 ext. 248, or 888-757-4343.

Mountain information: 509-663-6543.

Snow phone: 509-663-3200.

Web site: www.missionridge.com

Status: Has begun snowmaking and is shooting for a Thanksgiving weekend opening (conditions permitting).

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Mount Spokane

Where: On Washington State Parks lands 30 miles northeast of Spokane.

Elevation: 4,200-5,889 feet.

Lifts: Five double chairs (percentages — beginner 23, intermediate 32, advanced 45).

Lift prices: Full-day weekends and holidays — $42 adult, $36 college/military, $33 youth (7-17). Full-day midweek/non-holiday $36 adults, $32 college/military $29 youth. Night sessions (4-9:30) $21.

Operating hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday (closed Monday-Tuesday except on holidays); open to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday Dec. 30-March 13.

What’s new: There’s a new tubing hill at the main lodge and a tubing lift that will operate day and night. The resort enlarged and recontoured Chair 2’s unloading station and replaced the operator building. There are also eight additional nights of skiing and two more skiing hours during the late season.

Child care: 2 and older; reservations recommended; 509-238-2220, Ext. 229.

Mountain information: 509-238-2220, Ex. 204.

Snow phone: 509-443-1397.

Web site: www.mtspokane.com

Status: Scheduled to open Dec. 5.

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Ski Bluewood

Where: 21 miles from Dayton in Columbia County.

Elevation: 4,545-5,670 feet.

Lifts: Three — two triple-chairs, one pommel lift (percentages — beginner 27, intermediate 43, advanced 30).

Lift prices: $42 all-day adult, $38 student, $33 child/senior; half-day are $34/$31/$28.

Operating hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; open all holiday Mondays.

Mountain information: 509-382-4725.

Snow phone: 509-530-4111.

Web site: www.bluewood.com

Status: Waiting for enough snow to open.

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49 Degrees North

Where: 10 miles from Chewelah.

Elevation: 3,956-5,774 feet.

Lifts: Six — one quad, four double-chairs, one surface lift (percentage — beginner 30, intermediate 40, advanced/expert 30.

Lift prices: Adults, weekends and holidays $48 all-day, $38 half-day (noon-closing), $42 all-day midweek; ages 7-17, $39, $32, $36; 65 and up, $42, $36, $39.

Operating hours: 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Friday through Tuesday through Jan. 22, to 4 p.m. daily after that until the end of the season; open daily for the holidays (Dec. 21-Jan. 1). Night skiing to 8 p.m. on four Saturdays (Dec. 19 and 26, Jan. 16, Feb. 13).

What’s new: The resort added new alpine trails and 170 acres of gladed descents in the terrain west of Chair 4 on Angel Peak. There’s also a new north parking lot and the lodge’s sun deck has been expanded.

Child care: Ages 2-10,

9 a.m.-4 p.m.; 509-935-6649, Ext. 618.

Mountain information: (866) 376-4949.

Snow phone: (866) 376-4949.

Web site: www.ski49n.com

Status: Opened Saturday in limited operation.

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Mount Baker

Where: East of Bellingham in the North Cascades.

Elevation: 3,500-5,000 feet.

Lifts: Ten — eight quads, two surface lifts (percentages — 24 beginner, intermediate 45, expert 31).

Lift prices: Weekends and holidays, $47.50 all-day adult, $35.50 ages 7-15. Weekday prices, $39.50 and $30.50.

Operating hours: Daily 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. through April 10, then weekends until season end.

Child care: Not available.

Mountain information: 360-734-6771.

Snow phone: 360-671-0211.

Web site: www.mtbaker.us

Status: Open.

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OREGON

Cooper Spur

Where: 23 miles south of Hood River and 21?2 miles west of Highway 35.

Elevation: 4,000-4,350 feet.

Lifts: One double-chair, one surface tow, two tubing tows (percentages — beginner 40, intermediate 40, advanced 20).

Lift prices: $25 adult, $20 ages 14-and-under and 65-and-older.

Operating hours: Noon-9 p.m. Fridays, 9-9 Saturdays, 9-4 Sundays. Open daily Dec. 20-Jan. 3 (9-4 Sunday through Thursday, 9-9 Friday-Saturday) and March 20-28.

Mountain information: 541-352-6692.

Snow phone: 541-352-7803.

Web site: www.cooperspur.com

Status: No opening date scheduled.

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Mount Hood Meadows

Where: Mount Hood,

35 miles south of Hood River.

Elevation: 4,523-7,300 feet.

Lifts: 13 — five express quads, six double-chairs, two surface tows, plus two tubing tows.

Lift prices: Adult shift (9 a.m.-4 p.m., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.,

1-10 p.m.), $57; 3-9 p.m., $25. Peak pricing ($69 adult shift) runs Dec. 19-Jan. 3, plus Monday holidays.

Operating hours: Sunday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m. -10 p.m.

What’s new: Meadows gave a facelift to its Web site (the highlight: “real-time” weather monitoring), enhanced its lift-ticket scanning to speed up lift lines and replaced its line of rental equipment.

Child care: 503-337-2222, x374.

Mountain information: 800-754-4663.

Snow phone: 541-386-7547.

Web site: www.skihood.com

Status: Already open.

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Mount Hood Skibowl

Where: Mount Hood,35 miles south of Hood River.

Elevation: 3,500-5,027 feet.

Lifts: Eight — four double chairs, four surface tows, one tube tow (percentages — beginner 20, intermediate 40, advanced 40).

Lift prices: Adults, weekend shift $44, weekday shift $36; shifts are open-4 p.m., 11 a.m.-7 p.m., 1 p.m.-closing at 10 or 11 p.m.

Operating hours: Monday-Tuesday, 3:30 p.m.-10 p.m.; Wednesday-Thursday, 1 p.m.-

10 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-10 p.m.

What’s new: Skibowl has combined forces with Timberline to offer the Mount Hood Fusion Pass, an unlimited season pass that’s good at both resorts.

Mountain information: 503-272-3206.

Snow phone: 800-754-2695.

Web site: www.skibowl.com

Status: Open.

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Timberline

Where: Mount Hood, 35 miles south of Hood River.

Elevation: 4,950-8,540 feet.

Lifts: Nine — five high-speed quads, one triple-chair, one double-chair, two surface lifts (percentages — beginner 30, intermediate 50, advanced 20).

Lift prices: Adults $54 regular or $59 peak (Dec. 25-Jan. 3, holidays, weekends in January/February); $46/$49 for 1-4 p.m. shift or $25 for 4-10 p.m. shift.

Operating hours: Sunday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Friday-Saturday and holidays, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

What’s new: With the continent’s longest ski season, Timberline is offering its “Timberline Complete Pass” for $999, a year-round annual lift pass that — get this — has no blackout dates.

Child care: Not available, but there are monitored kids’ ski programs for ages 4-12, 503-231-5402.

Mountain information: 503-622-7979.

Snow phone: 503-222-2211.

Web site: www.timberlinelodge.com

Status: Open.

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Mount Bachelor

Where: 24 miles southwest of Bend.

Elevation: 6,300-9,065 feet.

Lifts: 12 — Seven express quads, three triple-chairs and two surface lifts, plus two tubing lifts (percentages — beginner 15, intermediate 25, advanced 35, expert 25).

Lift prices: All-day adult $58, or $69 during peak season (Dec. 20-Jan. 4, Jan. 17-19, Feb. 14-16), all Saturdays; ages 13-18 $49/$58; ages 65-69 $50/$60, 70-and-up free. See What’s New below.

Operating hours: Daily 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. weekends and holidays.

What’s new: The resort got new grooming and Nordic track-setting equipment, plus improved road- and parking area snow-removal gear. But the big thing will be Bachelor’s new sliding scale daily tickets, where the daily lift ticket price will depend on the day’s weather and what lifts are operating.

Child care: 800-829-2442.

Mountain information: 800-829-2442.

Snow phone: 541-382-7888.

Web site: www.mtbachelor.com

Status: Opened Friday.

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IDAHO

Lookout Pass

Where: Wallace, Idaho, 73 miles east of the Washington-Idaho border along Interstate 90.

Elevation: 4,500-5,650 feet.

Lifts: Three double chairs, one surface tow (percentages — beginner 20, intermediate 50, advanced/expert 30).

Lift prices: Full-day adult $34 weekend/holiday, $31 midweek, $29/$26 for half-day, 12:30-4 p.m.

Operating hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays, 8:30-4 weekends. Open Thursdays through Mondays and all holidays, daily Dec. 20-Jan. 7.

What’s new: Skiers lunching at the Summit House can do so on the new 600-square-foot sun deck. The lower sections of the Red Dog and Marmot trails have been recontoured, and there’s another acre of parking.

Mountain information: 208-744-1301.

Web site: www.skilookout.com

Status: So far, open on weekends only.

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Sun Valley

Where: Outside of Ketchum.

Elevation: Bald Mountain: 5,750-9,150 feet; Dollar Mountain: 6,010-6,638 feet.

Lifts: 19 — Seven high-speed quads, four triples, five doubles, three surface tows (percentages — beginner 36, intermediate 42, advanced 22).

Lift prices: Bald Mountain: all-day adult, $82 ($85 Dec. 26-Jan 2); Dollar Mountain, all-day adult, $40 ($42 Dec. 26-Jan. 2). Reduced pricing through Dec. 13.

Operating hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Mountain information: 800-786-8259.

Snow phone: 800-635-4150.

Web site: www.sunvalley.com

Status: Scheduled to open Thursday.

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Schweitzer Mountain

Where: North of Sandpoint.

Elevation: 4,000-6,400 feet.

Lifts: Nine — one high-speed six-pack, two high-speed quads, one triple chair, three doubles, two surface tows (percentages — beginner 20, intermediate 40, advanced/expert 40).

Lift prices: All-day, adult $59, age 7-17 $42, 65-plus and college students $48; half-day, $54/$37/$43.

Operating hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; open until 8 p.m. daily Dec. 26-Jan. 5, then Fridays, Saturdays and holidays Jan. 11 through March 15.

Child care: 208-255-3070.

Mountain information: 800-831-8810.

Snow phone: 208-263-9562.

Web site: www.schweitzer.com

Status: Opening date not yet scheduled.

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Silver Mountain

Where: Outside of Kellogg, 75 miles southeast of Spokane.

Elevation: 4,100-6,300 feet.

Lifts: Seven — one eight-person gondola, one quad, two triples, two doubles and one surface tow (percentages — beginner 20, intermediate 40, advanced/expert 40).

Lift prices: All-day adult daily $49, peak season $52.

Operating hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

What’s new: In Thursday’s “Ski and Surf” package, for $59 you can get the adult lift ticket and also use the resort’s new water park after skiing.

Child care: Ages 2-6 by reservation at 208-783-1111.

Mountain information: 800-204-6428.

Snow phone: 800-204-6428.

Web site: www.silvermt.com

Status: Opening date not yet scheduled.
— Compiled by Scott Sandsberry

Ski Preview: Down the hills we go

YAKIMA, Wash. — With the downhill ski season off to an early start, perhaps you’re considering skiing for the first time or after years away, or planning to introduce your kids to the slopes. Here’s something to remember:

It’s cold and wet up there.

No, really.

Sounds obvious — well, DUH — but not preparing for that cold clamminess ruins more family skiing trips than anything else. Bringing the right kind of clothing, and enough of it, can be the difference between a great first trip to the slopes and a lot of whining followed by “Thank goodness that’s over.”

So whether you’re trying skiing or snowboarding for the first time, taking up family members who have never skied, or are simply hitting the slopes for the first time in years — in which case some of this will be obvious stuff — here’s a primer.

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Have realistic expectations

Know in advance it’s going to be cold and wet, and that you’re probably going to fall a few times. This isn’t a video game. That’s real snow, and it’s sloped, and you’re a noob. (Meaning you’re new. Green. A rookie.) You will fall and you will spend some time in, rather than on, the snow.

“If you’re skiing or snowboarding, you’ll be getting up and down a lot,” says Rick Reid, director of skiing at White Pass.

With kids, Reid says, “The cold is the biggest battle. Be ready for that. Take them out in the cold before (going skiing) — go hiking in the snow, maybe snow-sledding one day. If you come out on a really cold day and it’s like Whoa, that’s too cold, for the little kids, there’s no more thinking after that.”

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Wear the right stuff

First: No cotton. If you’re thinking you’ll be warm enough in blue jeans and long johns, you’re wrong. Unless you never plan on falling — and you will — that cotton will just become wet and heavy, and you’ll be clammy and cold.

That probably means buying some gear. If you’re worried you may not like skiing and will have all this stuff you’ll never use again, don’t fret; this kind of clothing is what you should be wearing for pretty much any winter outdoor recreation, whether snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or simply sledding with the kids. If you’ve never skied but have synthetic pants you bought for hunting or fishing, you’re good to go.

Your first layer should be a lightweight synthetic — it’ll look like colored long underwear — that will wick away the perspiration from your body. Then perhaps a fleece sweater, ski pants (or rain pants over something thick enough to keep you warm) and a parka. A skull cap is also good, because otherwise you lose heat from the top of your head.

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Necessary accessories

Gloves: Gotta have ’em. They don’t even have to be ski gloves as long as they’re waterproof — or at least water resistant — because you’re going to be pushing yourself up from the snow a lot.

Tinted goggles: You need eye protection, whether it’s sunny or snowy. “The cheapest thing is just fine,” Reid says, “as long as it’s got a tint to it.”

Good socks: Don’t just wear the thickest socks available because you’re afraid of having cold toes. Don’t shortcut with your feet; buy socks made for skiing and snowboarding, and when you’re trying on those rental boots, make sure you can wiggle your toes. You want them snug in there, but not squeezed.

Sunscreen: Sun reflects off the snow. Any skin that’s showing — particularly your face and neck — will need some. Otherwise, tomorrow you’ll look like a colorful raccoon.

Lip balm: It may not seem critical, but having cracked lips for three days after all that cold wind is just not fun. It is, rather, all it’s cracked up to be.

Snacks: Fill those pockets, people.

“Especially if you’re bringing kids or newcomers,” says Kathleen Goyette, marketing director at White Pass. “That way, right on the hill they can get a couple bits of a granola bar or pretzels, something that’s going to keep them going.

“People don’t realize, you burn a lot of calories (while skiing or snowboarding), and kids are expending a lot of energy playing in the snow, falling down, getting up. If you bring that little snack — nuts, a peanut-pretzel mix, something — it keeps them going.”

A change of clothes: This isn’t critical, but warm and dry beats cold and wet on that long drive home.

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Renting the ski gear

You can rent everything you need at the ski area, but it’s less of a hassle to rent them in the Valley than on the mountain, where the rental line is likely to be longer. And, perhaps surprisingly, it’s also less expensive.

An adult rental package at White Pass, with skis, boots and bindings — the thing that holds the boot onto the ski, at least until it gets wrenched free on an inevitable fall — will run you $26 (adult) or $17 (kids).

It’s much cheaper at Sporthaus in Yakima ($19 and $14) and even cheaper than that at the Little Red Schoolhouse west of Naches ($15 and $12). Both of those also offer more of that beat-the-line convenience.

The ease might be greatest at Sporthaus. There, you can rent your gear on, say, a Thursday afternoon, then have everything ready to pile into the car Friday morning for a full day of skiing, then return the gear to Sporthaus when you get back to town Friday evening — or, if you are too tired or too late, you can still take it in that next morning and not be charged an extra day.

At Little Red Schoolhouse, you rent in the morning on the way to the slopes, then return it that afternoon. That’s easily doable, since White Pass typically closes at 4 p.m. and the Little Red is open until 6.

There’s a legitimate safety argument for renting at the ski area, though. Most cars aren’t made for hauling something as long as skis, and having a snowboard or skis loose in your car isn’t really conducive to safety. They have sharp edges and are not the kind of things you want flying around in your car if you do the slip-and-slide on some black ice on your way to the slopes.

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Getting started

The best way to get started for beginners at White Pass is the area’s “EZ Ski (or Ride) 1-2-3” program. It’s $110 for ages 5-to-12 or $119 for adults, and you get a lesson plus rentals/lift tickets for three days. (Which don’t have to be sequential; it’s just like you have to use them on a Friday-through-Sunday; your three days can be used any time in the season.)

“The best way is this 1-2-3 program,” says Sig Fossum, Sporthaus owner. “That’s just fabulous, because if they go up just on their own the first time, never been before, they kind of don’t even know where to go. It’s just a struggle — carrying the skis the first time, getting the boots on, getting out there, getting a ticket and they’re late already. And if the weather’s crummy, they’re probably not going to go again because they didn’t have a good time.”

But if you’ve already paid for that second and third visit, you’ll be back because, hey, you’ve already invested in it. And ensuing trips are invariably a lot more fun than the first.

“The next time they’ve got a better idea of what’s going on,” Fossum says. “They’re not so starstruck. And by the third time, they’re hooked.”

If you’re not a true beginner but haven’t skied in a number of years, though, the “EZ 1-2-3” isn’t for you; you’d get bored with it. Your best plan is the “Cruiser Package,” a three-days-on-the-slopes plan in which you get rental/lift tickets and a lesson that’s designed not for noobs, but for folks who just need a refresher course.

“It’s for people who are not yet invested in equipment and are still looking for that confidence to ski all the terrain on the mountain,” Goyette says of the “Cruiser,” which saves you roughly 15 percent over making the same purchases piecemeal.

Getting the “Cruiser” or the “EZ 1-2-3” is as simple as walking up to the lift ticket booth and saying you want one or the other. They’ll take it from there.

• Outdoors editor Scott Sandsberry can be reached at 509-577-7689 or ssandsberry@yakimaherald.com

Ellensburg to play Saturday semifinal in Spokane

The top-ranked Ellensburg football team will play No. 5

West Valley (Spokane) in a Class 2A state semifinals at 4 p.m. Saturday at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane.

The contest will be the second half of a doubleheader. Ferris and Skyview will play a 4A semifinal at 1 p.m.

The Bulldogs are 12-0 after defeating Mark Morris 28-7 on Friday at Lampson Stadium in Kennewick.

Trout Bums: Adventures with Kentucky Don, English Bob

This fall, Chris and I took our annual Trout Bum trip. This year was to southwest Montana, territory that is very familiar to me from years of fishing the Beaverhead and Big Hole drainages.

It had been 10 years since I’d laid eyes on any of the country east of Missoula — it just got to be too far away for a fishing destination.

Our fellow Trout Bum Brandon Hill (of Hill’s Discount Flies) had arranged a log cabin for our stay on the banks of the Madison River. This was some 30 miles upriver from the town of Ennis, which is often called the home of American fly fishing. Really — they have a metal sculpture of a cowboy fighting a huge steel trout in the middle of town.

I got up early Friday morning, hooked up the boat, picked up Chris and we were on the road drinking coffee by 7:30. Our cabin wouldn’t be ready for us until late Saturday afternoon, so we decided to stay over in Dillon, Mont., a mere 10 hours and one time zone in the truck from Yakima.

Dillon is the classic small western town — like a cowboy Mayberry — and except for the Patagonia outlet store outfitting the locals with snazzy fleece outfits, you’d swear it was 1960 all over again. We checked into the famed Creston Motel, as in “Restin’ at the Creston.” This is an anti-chain motel; there is just one Creston, which may be plenty.

After parking the boat and hauling in our gear, we were enjoying the Creston ambience and letting the flies in our room get some fresh air when there was a knock on the door. A man about our age asked if we were the guys with the boat and did we know anything about fishing. Chris and I just looked at each other and grinned.

As it turned out, our guest was from Kentucky and had just driven in from Billings after a flight from Lexington. Now get this: Kentucky Don, as he was soon to be known, had come all the way from Kentucky, bought some fly-fishing gear at a pawn shop in Billings and was now standing in front of us asking if we could help him with the fishing knots, leaders, tippets, flies, etc.

Kentucky Don had never cast a fly rod in his life.

We saw Don the next morning at the gas station and he was more than ready to stand in the legendary waters of Montana and make an argument. At a time when fly fishing has become jaded by consumerism and the constant noise of fly-fishing expert advice, Kentucky Don was pure. He was just going to have some fun.

We made our way out of Dillon and met up with Brandon at the Westfork Cabin Camp on the Madison. The cabins were rustic but really quite comfortable and the location was great, just a two-minute walk to the river. The three of us drifted and fished the Madison for next two days. It was hot and the fishing was slow. The spectacular scenery and cold beer made up for the lack of fishing production. There’s a reason it’s called Big Sky Country.

On the evening of the second night, I was working over some pork ribs on the BBQ when a few of our neighbors showed up to introduce themselves. They had been coming here from Omaha for 25 years, just great old coots full of non-PC opinions about everything. During the conversation, they mentioned there was a gent from England staying in the last cabin. England — you must be kidding. This was too strange even for me. I walked down to the last cabin and sitting on the porch was English Bob. I introduced myself and invited Bob down for a drink; this was a story I had to hear.

English Bob had been fly-fishing in England for years and, except that the fishing in England was mediocre at best, he loved everything about the sport. We never really got a handle on what he did for a living because his English was a little hard to understand.

I covered all the English topics I knew about — Charles and Diana, Landover’s, White Cliffs of Dover; you know, the usual. We finally got to his Montana saga: English Bob flew from Amsterdam to Bozeman, a 22-hour trip. When he got to Bozeman, he rented an SUV and proceeded to the nearest fly shop, where he outfitted himself with the finest gear on Earth. Waders, rods/reels, boots — everything he had was new and shiny. He had rented the cabin for a month and was down to his last nine days.

Yes, we did take English Bob fishing to the Big Hole one morning, and although we really couldn’t understand each other, the grin on his sunburned face that evening told the story.

So what is the allure that Montana holds for grown men willing to come from such distances as Kentucky, Nebraska and Great Britain? Is it the fishing? No, I think as the sand starts to run out of the bottle faster and we realize our fading mortality, it’s the adventure we are really seeking.

Just one more adventure is all we ask.
• Trout Bums At Large, written by Randal Sumner, appears six times a year on the last Tuesday of every other month. Sumner, a fly fisherman since 1972, is owner of Blue Skies Guide Service on the Yakima River. Trout Bums can be reached at randal@blueskiesfishing.com

11/24/09 What’s Happening

Salmon anglers will pay more to play

Anglers fishing for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River and its tributaries will have to pay more this year with the requirement, beginning April 1, that they purchase a new annual endorsement that, after transaction and dealer fees, will run each angler $8.75.

State income from the endorsement, authorized by Senate Bill 5421 during the 2009 Legislative session, is intended to help offset a $30 million cutback in state funding for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The endorsement will be required, along with a fishing license, for anglers 15 years of age and older to fish for salmon and steelhead on the Columbia River and its tributaries, including (among many others) the Yakima, Klickitat, White Salmon, Wind and Cowlitz Rivers, plus Drano Lake. The full list of rivers proposed for the endorsement is available, along with more than 100 proposed sportfishing rules for 2010-12, online at wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/crss_endorsement.

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Horsemen meeting will be on barefoot trim

Cherry Fryar, a farrier from Moxee, will be the featured speaker at next Monday’s meeting of the Yakima Valley chapter of Backcountry Horsemen of Washington.

Fryar will discuss the barefoot trim, an alternative to horseshoeing, in a 7 p.m. presentation that will open the chapter’s meeting at Round Table Pizza (across from Fred Meyer on 40th Avenue).

For more information, call Faye Bradford at 972-4707.

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TWIG guests will see changing of the guard

Representatives of the area’s many different recreation groups will have a chance to get to know incoming Naches District Ranger Irene Davidson and say goodbye to retiring District Ranger Randy Shepard when the Trails and Wilderness Interest Group (TWIG) meets next Tuesday.

The 7 p.m. Dec. 1 meeting will be at the Naches Ranger Station.

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BIRD ALERT

Merlins are midwinter visitors to the Yakima Valley and there were several reported this week, including one on North 16th Avenue, one with what appeared to be a full crop in the 700 block of North Naches Avenue, and one that blasted over the feeders and made a U-turn, passing less than four feet over the head of a resident who lives southwest of the Yakima Airport.

The merlin is a small falcon that hunts with a lightning burst of speed as it chases flocks of small birds. This falcon usually catches prey in the air after a swoop from a perch or while flying low over the ground, making birds at feeders a favorite target.

One resident near 51st Avenue spotted six raptor species without even leaving the yard. They included a merlin sitting in the top of a neighbor’s tree, an American kestrel, two juvenile bald eagles performing aerial acrobatics, an immature sharp-shinned hawk, an adult Cooper’s hawk and an adult red-tail hawk soaring as the winds picked up.

Other good sightings this week included a Harris’ sparrow at a feeder on Konnowac Pass; a turkey vulture riding the winds heading west towards Tieton; a snow goose over the intersection of Summitview and 40th Avenue; a western grebe downstream from the Parker bridge; and a golden eagle at the junction of the Naches and Tieton rivers.

Please call your bird sightings into the Yakima Valley Audubon phone line at 248-1963.

— Kerry L. Turley

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AROUND AND ABOUT

AVALANCHE SITE IMPROVED: The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center’s online site (www.nwac.us) has undergone improvements, with its user-friendly interface allowing easy access to avalanche forecasts and safety information — imperative stuff for backcountry winter recreationists who might otherwise unwittingly put themselves in harm’s way.

LAST CALL FOR FISHING RULES INPUT: The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will accept final public input on new state sportfishing rules proposed for 2010-12 during its Dec. 4-5 meeting in Olympia, with the rules hearing set to begin at noon Dec. 5 (Saturday). Final commission action on the rules is set for Feb. 4-6.

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ON THE CALENDAR

TODAY: The Cascadians’ hardy Tuesday group meets at 8 a.m. at the 40th Avenue Bi-Mart parking lot and then heads out on whatever adventure trek (hike, snowshoe or cross-country ski) looks good that day, usually after breaking up into faster and slower groups.

WEDNESDAY: The Yakima Valley Audubon will do a bird walk of the Poppoff Trail at the south end of the Greenway beginning at 9 a.m., with the group meeting at the parking lot on the fast east end of Valley Mall Boulevard (east of the interstate). Of course, if it’s raining or blowing snow or the temperatures are sub-zero, the group won’t be there — that kind of weather isn’t conducive for birds or birders.

THURSDAY: What, you think the Pokies are going to be hiking on Thanksgiving? No way. Happy turkey day.

Was Fuerst ejection an ejectable offense?

Scott Spruill is out today and there are quite a few people commenting on sportsyakima.com about Eisenhower senior Joe Fuerst’s ejection.

Fuerst, the Columbia Basin Big Nine’s offensive MVP after rushing for more than 1,800 yards this season, was kicked out of the Cadets’ Class 4A state quarterfinal game for what officials ruled as unsportsmanlike conduct — apparently for what the officials deemed as kicking a Ferris player.

A look at video by WashingtonSportsNetwork.com shows Fuerst and Ferris linebacker Peter Anderson tangled up after the tackle.

Does Anderson kick Fuerst first?

Does Fuerst kick Anderson?

Is this a malicious play appropriate for a player ejection?

Or is this the kind of post-tackle, “Get off me” scuffle that happens 20 times in every game?

In looking at the video clip, what do you think?

Joe Fuerst Ejection from Washington Sports Network on Vimeo.

Ike rallies fall short in quarterfinal

YAKIMA, Wash. — In so many ways and on so many occasions, Eisenhower’s football team has thrived with an ability to dig deep. That’s how you win 11 straight games.

But on Saturday the Cadets hit bedrock.

Twice, actually, but this bunch was too stubborn and too resilient to notice the first time.

With a double-digit deficit, battling turnover issues and facing a second half without its conference MVP running back, Eisenhower lunged back repeatedly at Ferris in their Class 4A state quarterfinal before finally succumbing to the hand of a Division I-bound quarterback.

PHOTO GALLERY

Click here for more photos from this event

Nine yards from losing its lead in the fourth quarter to the comeback Cadets, Ferris instead recovered a fumble and three plays later scored the clinching touchdown in a 24-14 victory that sends the Saxons to the semifinals for the third straight year.

Up 10-0 at the half, Ferris protected its lead with two big second-half touchdown plays — Gage Orosco’s 76-yard run after Ike pulled within 10-7 in the third quarter and Connor Halliday’s 62-yard pass to Jordan Tonani with 10:39 left.

“We were back in it a couple times but we couldn’t control the big play,” said Ike coach Dan Eyman. “Ferris was real balanced. They throw it well and have a kid (Orosco) that can take it the distance. Whenever we responded they responded right back — that’s a good club.”

The 6-foot-4 Halliday, a Washington State recruit, directed a potent quick-release, short-route offense for the first half, took advantage of broken coverage on his big play with Tonani and finished 25-for-39 for 284 yards.

“Ferris is a good team and their quarterback was money,” said Eisenhower’s senior quarterback, James Lopez. “Their offense clicked and ours was getting there but … turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.”

Four of them, including two gut-busting fumbles inside Ferris’ red zone during the second half. The final turnover came on the first play of the fourth quarter when Eisenhower, trailing 17-14, had secured a first down on the Saxons’ 9-yard line.

“We’ve been getting better and better with turnovers,” Eyman noted. “But four today and those two (in the red zone), that hurts.”

Both of Eisenhower’s touchdowns came in the third quarter when the Cadets gained 187 of their 325 yards. Lopez’s 3-yard bootleg score got Ike within 10-7 and Issac Sarate’s 45-yard dash cut the margin to three again at 17-14.

The multiple rallies were all the more impressive given they came without Joe Fuerst, Ike’s record-setting running back, who was ejected from the game near the end of the first half.

At the end of an 11-yard run that involved a gang tackle of Fuerst on the Ferris sideline, the Cadets were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. After a lengthy conference by the officials, Fuerst was ejected to the stunned dismay of the home crowd at Zaepfel Stadium.

Eisenhower athletic director John Gonzales, who at halftime conferred with the head referee about appealing the automatic one-game suspension in the event the Cadets won, was told that one official saw Fuerst kick a player in the helmet after being tackled.

Despite Fuerst having ripped off runs of 14, 11, 16 and 11 yards prior to the ejection, Eyman refused to attribute the loss to that.

“It’s nothing you can dwell on, and we didn’t even talk about it at halftime,” he said. “I don’t think it made a game-changing impact. Ferris was the better team today.”

Fuerst rushed 12 times for 82 yards in the first half, and Sarate took over capably by producing 95 yards on 15 carries.

“As soon as Joe was out, we realized what we had to do and Issac came in and stepped up,” Lopez said. “Losing Joe was big — he was the (CBBN Cascade co-) MVP — but we handled it pretty good.”

Ferris receiver Jason Bates came in with all the big numbers, but it was Tonani that did the damage Saturday. He caught 12 passes for 144 yards and hauled in both of Halliday’s touchdown passes.

Orosco, however, was the back-breaker. Coming in with just 789 yards in 11 games, he had career-high totals of 30 carries and 166 yards

The Saxons (9-3), who have advanced through the playoffs with wins over CBBN foes Wenatchee, Kamiakin and Eisenhower, will play Skyview (10-2) in the semifinals next week.

Setting a school record for wins last week, Eisenhower finishes 11-1. Combining a favorable conference schedule with the rewards of their success in the postseason, the Cadets played seven of their final eight games at home.

“They’re disappointed and obviously it hurts us all to have the season end,” Eyman said. “But you know what? That was a heck of a run.”

Ferris 7 3 7 7 — 24 Eisenhower 0 0 14 0 — 14

Ferris — Jordan Tonani 16 pass from Connor Halliday (Alex Belling kick) Ferris — FG Belling 22 Ike — James Lopez 3 run (Andre Arcand kick) Ferris — Gage Orosco 76 run (Belling kick) Ike — Issac Sarate 45 run (Arcand kick) Ferris — Tonani 62 pass from Halliday (Belling kick) INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING — Ferris, Orosco 30-166, Brendon Olson 5-17, Tonani 1-5, Drew Sharkey 1-1, Halliday 4-1. Ike, Sarate 15-95, Joe Fuerst 12-82, Daniel Ortega 1-3, Lopez 8-minus 1, Asya Morioka 1-minus 10. PASSING — Ferris, Halliday 25-39-1-284, Jason Bates 0-1-0-0. Ike, Lopez 11-26-1-156. RECEIVING — Ferris, Tonani 12-144, Beau Bozett 6-60, Bates 4-22, ColeLemer 2-61, Orosco 1-minus 3. Ike, Morioka 4-96, Antonio Martinez 4-43, James Akers 1-8, Fuerst 1-6, Ortega 1-3.

Eisenhower-Ferris photo gallery

Photos from Saturday’s Class 4A state quarterfinal football game between Eisenhower and Ferris at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima, Wash. All photos by Andy Sawyer of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Photos from Saturday’s Class 4A state quarterfinal football game between Eisenhower and Ferris at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima, Wash. All photos by Andy Sawyer of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

La Salle falls on late field goal

YAKIMA, Wash. — It was one of those touching moments in sports: The venerable football coach who has seen it all, hugging the player who had come back from an injury and, when it counted most, overcome the pain to make the big play.

And as La Salle coach Jack McMillan and junior placekicker Mitchell Kennedy embraced in the aftermath of their Class 2B state quarterfinal, there was a hint of tears in the eyes of both.

PHOTO GALLERY

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But they weren’t tears of joy and relief. Because 64 seconds after Kennedy’s dramatic 30-yard field goal had given the Lightning the apparent winning points with just 1:06 remaining in a truly remarkable game, Victor Mata boomed a 29-yarder of his own — with just two ticks left on the clock — as DeSales pulled out a 29-27 victory.

The Irish got the chance because senior quarterback Pat Richard, already having a sensational second half, was even better in that final minute. He completed six straight passes, the last four of them to freshman Ryan Baumgart — Richard’s cousin, with whom the quarterback had spent countless hours throwing the ball on practice fields and back yards.

“Ryan, we’ve been throwing to each other so long,” Richard said, “I know where he’s going and he knows what I’m thinking.”

“The two-minute drill is something we practice every week, although you hope you don’t have to use it in a situation like that,” said DeSales coach Pat Graham, himself a former standout Irish quarterback. “When they start giving you those short routes, you have a chance for your team and your quarterback to get into a rhythm. Pat made a few passes, we got into a rhythm and gave Victor an opportunity.

“And Victor can kick.”

Mata’s field goal decided a seesaw affair that had seen each team seemingly in command only to relinquish the lead.

The Lightning dominated the early going, with 92- and 63-yard scoring drives in the first half capped by Nic Woodard and Matt Kuribayashi touchdown runs — each time taking on two-point conversions, with Kennedy unable to attempt the point-after kicks.

Then the Irish, down 16-6 at the half, got rolling behind Richard. The quarterback had been an ineffective 2-for-7 passing in the first half, but went 14-for-18 after intermission, including three touchdown passes of 18, 29 and 10 yards to Tommy Gregg — the first of which actually Gregg appeared to be juggling, both to the naked eye and on game video, until he was two yards out of bounds.

Helping the Irish cause was La Salle’s turnovers. The Lightning put the ball on the turf a half-dozen times and lost three fumbles — one of them inside the DeSales 10, erasing a possible scoring drive, and another at their own 12, setting up the third Richard-to-Gregg TD connection.

“We put the ball on the ground too much today,” McMillan said. “You can’t do that in the playoffs against a good team and expect to win.”

Down 26-16 in the final six minutes, though, the Lightning got a big special-teams play when Kuribayashi blocked Mata’s punt and Dylan Sattler picked up the loose ball and ran it 26 yards for a touchdown. When La Salle’s defense held, the Lightning got the ball back and drove to the DeSales 13, close enough for a field goal — maybe.

Kennedy, the Lightning’s steady kicker, had been injured while running on an early defensive series.

“My (right) hip just popped,” Kennedy said. “I couldn’t run after that. I could barely walk.”

“He got hurt and said, ‘I can’t do anything,’” McMillan said.

But Kennedy wasn’t counting himself out. Near the bench, behind the row of his teammates on the sideline, he continued to try to stretch out his leg, taking painful practice-kick swings. “Basically,” he said, “I had to tell myself for the rest of the game that when it came down to it, I had to be there.”

He was. Pain or not, Kennedy kicked the ball through.

A minute later, so did Mata.

DeSales 0 6 14 9 — 29 La Salle 8 8 0 11 — 27

LaS — Nic Woodard 5 run (Joe Sullivan pass from Mike McGree) LaS — Matt Kuribayashi 10 run (McGree run ) DeS — Nick Wales 5 run (pass failed) DeS — Tommy Gregg 18 pass from Pat Richard (Victor Mata kick) DeS — Gregg 29 pass from Richard (Mata kick) DeS — Gregg 10 pass from Richard (kick failed) LaS — Dylan Sattler 26 return of blocked punt (McGree run) LaS — FG Mitchell Kennedy 30 DeS — FG Mata 29 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING — DeSales, Kyle Lindgren 12-70, Nick Wales 13-66, Pat Richard 12-45, team 1-(minus 28). La Salle, Mike McGree 8-77, Nic Woodard 8-53, Tony Cacchiotti 10-51, Matt Kuribayashi 4-20, Brandon Seymour 1-2. PASSING — DeSales, Richard 16-25-0 209. La Salle, McGree 8-19-1 94. RECEIVING — DeSales, Ryan Baumgart 5-77, Gregg 4-59, Lindgren 3-50, Ryan Rea 3-26, Wales 1-(minus 3). La Salle, Sam LaFramboise 2-37, Dylan Sattler 2-18, Mike Stiekema 1-14, Ross Anderton 1-10, Joe Sullivan 1-8, Kuribayashi 1-7.

La Salle-DeSales photo gallery

Photos from Saturday’s Class 2B state quarterfinal between La Salle and DeSales at Marquette Stadium in Yakima, Wash. All photos by Gordon King of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Photos from Saturday’s Class 2B state quarterfinal between La Salle and DeSales at Marquette Stadium in Yakima, Wash. All photos by Gordon King of the Yakima Herald-Republic.

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