Trip
Global Adventure - Yellowstone Cross-country Ski Adventure
Experience five days of cross-country skiing through the spectacular western winter wonderland of Yellowstone National Park. Enjoy gliding your touring skis across a variety of park terrain which is all dressed up in its finest winter scenery. We will ski on both skier-tracked trails and back country routes on gentle terrain, viewing majestic, historic landscapes that only Yellowstone can provide. For four nights our base will be a large, rented home in Gardiner, MT and we will end with two nights at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Total trip price is $1600.
Contacts
- Sun, Jan 28, 2024 — Sat, Feb 3, 2024
- Global Adventures Committee
- Global Adventures, Cross-country Skiing
- Age 55+, Adults
- U-XC 3 Intermediate Ungroomed, G-XC 3 Intermediate Groomed
- Moderate
- Mileage: 12.0 mi
- Elevation Gain: 970 ft
- High Point Elevation: 7,500 ft
- Pace: moderate
- $800.00
- 11 (12 capacity)
- Cancellation & Refund Policy
The trip starts in the afternoon/evening of Sunday Jan 28th at our rented house in Gardiner and ends at 6:00 pm in Mammoth Hot Springs at the conclusion of our Snow Coach ride out from the Snow Lodge on Saturday Feb 3. Reserving a hotel for that evening is highly recommended (at your own cost).
NOTE that the member fee listed above is the initial deposit only; the trip price is $1600
Itinerary Highlights:
Join us for XC skiing in Yellowstone National Park. We plan to ski in 3 or 4 areas of the park, including the Old Faithful geyser basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, and locations in the north/northeast areas of the park. A guided back country ski tour is planned in the Lamar Valley area with Yellowstone ecologist guides.
Our ski journey will take us over a variety of unique terrains whose trails range from easy to moderately challenging, with lengths of 8 to 12 miles each day. A few trails will be groomed but some will be untracked.
We will choose the best park section and trails to ski based on daily weather and snow conditions and trail reports.
Time of Year: Winter
Lodging:
All lodging will be double occupancy. Note that if the portion of male/female participants is uneven, paying a single supplement may be required.
The first four nights we’ll be at a large vacation rental house that is located just north of Gardiner, Montana, ten miles from the North Entrance into Yellowstone National Park. This large house has 4 bedrooms, a sleeping loft and 4½ baths.
We then have two nights in the Western Cabins at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, with 2 skiers per cabin (no cooking facilities).
Food:
One group dinner and one breakfast will be provided/cooked by the leader in our rental house. Participants will be responsible for all other meals, including their packed lunches. Gardiner has a decent grocery store and Old Faithful has a dining room and a grill.
Leader’s Experience:
Cindy Hoover (cyn@zipcon.com) has lead Mountaineer ski trips for over twenty years and instructed for the Seattle Branch’s Nordic Ski Courses for approximately a decade. This will be the 8th winter Global Adventure Cindy has led.
Participant Requirements:
Skills & Fitness:
- Intermediate cross-country ski skills, enough strength to take turns breaking trail, and the ability to control speed on hilly sections of ungroomed and groomed snow.
- Experience skiing on ungroomed routes is required.
- Endurance to ski 8-12 miles in varying conditions, for several days in a row.
- Ski consistently at a moderate pace for the distances noted. We will ski together as a group. If you are a speedy skier, this is not the best trip for you.
Equipment:
- Participants need metal-edged Touring Skis (back-country) that are between 62 cm-70 cm inches wide. Metal edges can be full or partial.
- Backcountry ski touring boots and bindings
- Poles with the wider baskets for keeping afloat in deeper snow
- AT/Randonee and track gear is not appropriate
- Bringing a second set of skis (for track skiing) is optional.
Skiers must be fully vaccinated with boosters (for COVID). Skiers must have medical insurance and also emergency evacuation insurance.
Transportation Detail: The approximate distance from the Seattle area is 1500 miles round trip, and the driving can be challenging in winter conditions. Carpooling is strongly recommended, but will be arranged independently by the participants. Carpool drivers will be asked to transport skiers to trailheads on the 3 days we ski in the northern part of the park, and to get skiers to & from Mammoth Hot Springs for our Snow Coach ride.
Trip Price Detail:
$1600, which includes 6 nights of lodging, round trip Snow Coach transport from Mammoth to Old Faithful, 2 group leader-cooked meals, and park entrance fees. Expenses not included are estimated at $575 ($175 for lodging enroute to & from plus hotel gratuities, $150 groceries, $125 emergency medivac insurance, and $125 carpool gas.)
Registration Instructions:
After receiving the leader’s permission, a $800 deposit is required to secure a place on the trip. The second and final payment of $800 is due Wednesday December 20, 2023.
Cancellation Policy: If you cancel because of an emergency, you may receive a refund less expenses incurred and a $100 administrative fee.
Required Equipment
62 cm to 70 cm BC Touring Skis, BC boots & bindings, poles with large baskets, and a daypack large enough to carry a thermos and emergency gear. After payment of your deposit, the leader will send participants a series of letters or emails with information about how to prepare for a successful outing including recommended ski gear and clothing. Note that Yellowstone Park can be very cold in the winter.