Cross-country Ski - Lost Lake

12.30pm at the Non Motorized Day Use Parking Lot # 1 Crystal Springs Snopark, 1 mile off I-90 exit 62. check out this link for a pic of the parking lot

Snopark permit with grooming sticker required.

This will be a snow camping cross-country ski shakedown trip.

You must also have snow camping experience and appropriate winter camping gear. This will be a fun ski excursion where we’ll get to share the fun & fellowship of our bikepacking buddies on their inaugural winter bikepacking trip. We’ll share our camp location with them. We’ll be skiing predominantly on a snowmobile groomed road (FR5480). We anticipate that the road will be groomed (hopefully freshly so), but that's not guaranteed (no Classic Ski Tracks on FR5480). I also anticipate that we won't see lots of snowmobiles on a Friday, but that's also not guaranteed.  For grooming information follow this link.

You can see the route here. Note the continual steady incline to the lake (800 feet elevation gain), which delightfully means a steady downhill on the morning return. Please be sure you are comfortable going 5-6 miles with your (heavy) winter overnight pack in variable snow conditions/grooming (with 3 of those miles without classic tracks, maybe even with snowmobile tracks on the road and/or fresh/crusty snow).

The solitude & stillness at the Lake is lovely. If we are lucky, we will have an almost full-moon, clear skies and great sunset evening light while our biking buddies are making their way up to the Lake. When the skies are clear, Tinkham Peak is visible right across Lost Lake.

Upon reaching the lake we will put up our tents/shelter, melt snow, start building our shared snow camping living room and kitchen, have dinner and get comfortable for the night and enjoy the company of our friends. The next morning, after coffee and breakfast, we will break camp and then return to the snopark by mid-morning.

When you request permission for this trip - please outline your recent cross-country ski trips (distance/duration & trail conditions) & your comfort/experience with ungroomed/road cross country ski travel in addition to your snow camping experience.