All about muscle-powered outdoor sports within an hour's drive of the Wenatchee Valley.

Picture of the Week

Shane Wilder took this photo of one of his favorite ski models (The Bird) in late January up at Stevens Pass. The Bird is flying (on skis) high above the clouds with Mt. Stuart back behind (on the right).

Recent Posts

 
+5 5 votes

WTA Photo Contest Winners

Washington Trails Association has announced winners in its annual Northwest Exposure Photo Contest.  The photos are stunning, although we think some of our regular photography contributors may have swept the podium had they entered (ahem). 

+4 4 votes

Ski Hill Citizens Race

Shane Wilder photographed Leavenworth's Ski Hill Skirennen Citizens Rave, a Nordic event that took place this past Saturday (January 9) under cloudy skies and over perfectly groomed trails. Shane describes the race as powerful, explosive, grueling, and graceful. Read and see more. 

+6 6 votes

Exploring the Backcountry with El Sendero

Even with the strange weather patterns we’ve been experiencing in the valley recently, Gus Bekker assures us that the backcountry has surprisingly good conditions for snowshoeing and skiing.  Read his trip synopses from outings with El Sendero.

 

+15 15 votes

Improbable Turns - Skiing the Foothills

A poorly thrown Frisbee onto the backyard was the giveaway. I could walk across the snow blanketing the lawn without busting through the crust. I came indoors excited -- it was time to ski the foothills.

 

0 2 votes

Remembering NCW Winters

cabin photoThis has been a roller-coaster winter with cold, dry Arctic weather systems followed by warm, wet Pinapple Expresses. It's been anything but normal -- but is weather ever normal? This article, written by Nancy Warner, shares stories about other unusual winters.

+7 7 votes

The Cougars of Dry Gulch

Chuck Largent sent an email with this comment: "... there have been 3 hikers who have seen cougar tracks on the Dry Gulch Preserve in the past few weeks... these animals are out there where folks are hiking. They follow the deer down and will be here thru the winter." 

+7 7 votes

Stevens Pass Nordic Area

Central Washington’s winter is shaping up to be high on ice and low on snow. That means skiers may need to drive farther than usual to places like Stevens Pass, which currently has the best Nordic skiing going.

 

 

+5 5 votes

Backcountry Film Fest & Upcoming Outings

 This year's Backcountry Film Fest held in Cashmere was a resounding success. El Sendero NCW, puts on that event. El Sendero also organizes local outings for snowshoers and backcountry skiers each winter. Two outing will be taking place in January.
+4 4 votes

Blewett Pass - Skating Options

Over this snowless Christmas vacation, many Nordic skiers living in the Wenatchee Valley are getting frustrated by the lack of nearby places to go Nordic skiing. But Mark Shipman says Blewett Pass has some good Nordic options to explore right now.

+2 2 votes

Winter Travel - Navigation

Tools and techniques to help skiers and snowshoers navigate the winter landscape. This is the modified handout that WenatcheeOutdoors used for its Monday Night Backcountry Skiing Prep Session on navigation.

These Prep Sessions help develop the skills that backcountry skiers and snowshoers need to start exploring the winter landscape safely. More navigation skills will be covered at the next session (January 4, 5:15 p. ...

WenatcheeOutdoors Video

This video highlights the adventure-sport opportunities around Central Washington -- produced by Shane Wilder

Hikes - Regional Map


View Central Washington Hikes in a larger map.    Note: We're about to build a regional map to Central Washington hiking so you can quickly scan hikes in the region and link to trip details and maps. This is a small sample of what's to come. Please test drive it and let us know what you think. Good? Terrible? What would make it better?