Firehole River, Yellowstone National Park
Covered in a frosty blanket of beautiful white snow, Yellowstone’s winter landscape offers visitors a journey through a dreamlike territory populated by steaming geysers, bubbling hot pots, enduring bison, majestic elk, and endless vistas of a massive frozen wilderness.
To celebrate the end of a 15-year controversy regarding winter travel in Yellowstone National Park, Derek Collins and I skied 75+ miles from West Yellowstone, MT to Flagg Ranch, WY.
The air and noise pollution generated by unregulated numbers
of dirty two-stroke snowmobiles in the 1990s is no more. Today, the
limited number of snowcoaches and guided riders on quiet clean-burning 4-stroke
snowmobiles creates an environment safe and enjoyable for Nordic ski
enthusiasts. The formally dangerous and polluted system of groomed roads
is now a cross-country skier's dream.
Snowcoach with Mattracks
The one caveat is the condition of the snow-road. Even with
daily grooming, the deep trenches created by snowcoaches (especially vans
rigged with Matttracks) make skate skiing challenging. Classic skis would
be a better option if not for the distances involved in traveling between
the road-heads and Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Grooming a classic ski track
along with several ski yurts could mitigate this problem and create a
world-class multi-day Nordic ski tour.
Trenches left by Snowcoaches
Another measure that would allow other quiet human-powered
recreationists the opportunity to enjoy their National Park is lifting the
irrational ban on snow-bicycles or "fat bikes." While many cycling advocates requested bicycles capable of riding on packed snow be allowed on groomed roads (the same roads bicycles are allowed on in the summer) and be included in the new Yellowstone Winter Use Plan, the NPS refused to listen.
Video by Fitzgerald's Bicycles
Arguably the “Best Available Technology,” it would be interesting to know how many snow bicycles would be needed to create one “Transportation Event”?
Regardless of these shortcomings, Nordic skiing along the
roads in Yellowstone National Park is a far more enjoyable and safer experience than it
was twenty years ago and a highly recommended journey through a unique winter wonderland.
Despite several feet of new snow during the weekend of February 8th, Derek Collins and I completed the 75-mile ski tour along the groomed roads between West Yellowstone in Flagg Ranch in a two-day weekend. Traveling with little more than a credit card and a toothbrush, we stopped for a night at the delightful Old Faithful Snow Lodge.
“All our prospects of success were based upon the
superiority of skis in comparison with all other means of locomotion when large
tracts of snow have to be traversed,” - Fridtjof Nansen
Cool trip.
ReplyDeleteWhen I watched the video, I couldn't help but wonder the wisdom of the skate skis -- it looked like a lot of work. What was the thinking in going that route?
We needed to cover 75 miles in two days, a long haul on Classic skis. The roads are groomed every night and even with all the new snow our moving average was 4.7 mph. I can't sustain that speed in anything but skating gear.
Deletehttps://cloud.gaiagps.com/public/QUgbcD1clf9CTSvpVTsFtQa3/
as a ultra-marathon skier of both the Tuscobia 150 and Arrowhead 135, skating is the only way to go in my book. Faster as mentioned, although not groomed for skiing grooming for snowmobiles is much better than classic with no track set.
ReplyDeleteAlso, waxing is less complicated if waxing is to be done, only have to worry about glide wax.
Well this article is really awesome and best for all travel lovers. I will share this with my father. He love to enjoy his winter vacations at these kind of places. so it will be prove quite useful for him. So when I will be back from mine niagara falls bus tours from new york I will share it with him.
ReplyDeleteYellowstone national park is one of the most amazing places on our planet! It is even included to the list of the most fun travel destinations: http://www.agsinger.com/top-10-most-fun-travel-destinations-for-you-and-your-family/. Being honest, I would include it to any travel list ;) Traveling is the best part of our lives! Traveling teaching possibilities are truly endless — with each destination offering a new and exciting insight to our world and the people who live in it.
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