find some new lunch and resting spots, Liman said, including the “Mile High Sun Lounge” at the top of the Loup’s quad chair lift. The “lounge” is actually picnic tables at the summit. Liman said skiers can take their own food up, or get a bag lunch at the lodge and carry it up on the lift. The resort’s 10-year master plan calls for a warming hut at the top, but for the time-being the bright Okanogan sunshine will provide the heat. The resort has also added picnic tables at a couple of spots along Ridge Run that have good views and south-facing exposure to provide sun. “People can picnic, rest, and hang out,” Liman said. “We can’t build 2,000 more feet of vertical, but we can create more options for fun experiences.” Tube the ‘Wild Wolf’ The Loup’s popular tubing hill has a new name – the “Wild Wolf Tubing Hill” – and 10 more tubes have been purchased to accommodate more sliders. The ski rental shop has also increased its inventory with new shape skis. For skinny skiers, the Loup Loup Ski Area grooms a Nordic trail system offering a combination of flat, easy trails at the base of the resort, and very challenging trails that climb up Bear Mountain. Liman said the resort plans to expand its 23-kilometer system this winter by grooming an additional 8 or 9 kilometers of easy trails
leading from the resort to the U.S. Forest Service campground at Loup Loup pass. The Loup also grooms another 50 kilometers of Nordic trails at nearby South Summit under a contract with the Washington State Parks Department. Plans to log that area have been delayed because required environmental studies and permitting haven’t been completed, so the area will remain open to skiers this winter. Loup Loup Ski Area is planning a special event this winter in conjunction with the opening of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The opening ceremonies will coincide with one of the Loup’s signature events – the annual “Wolf Chase” ski race that draws about 300 skiers from all over the Northwest. “We’re going to do a Loup style opening of the Olympics, with a torchlight parade that night,” Liman said. Mother Nature delivered a great season to the Loup last year, with early snow in December providing good skiing through the holidays, and a snowpack that kept the lifts running through late March. Liman is watching the long-term weather forecasts, and has hopes of another good season. His favorite forecaster, Cliff Mass of the University of Washington, “is calling for a winter similar to last year, but maybe a little bit warmer,” Liman said.
Photo by Ashley Lodato
Basics at the Loup • Located on Little Buck Mountain between Twisp and Okanogan on Highway 20 • 1,240 vertical feet, 10 cut runs on 300 acres • Quad chair lift, platter surface tow and beginner rope tow • Ski school, rental and repair shop, day lodge, food service, terrain park, tubing hill, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, doggie trails, fat biking (byobike) • Open Wednesday (January and February), Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m. Open every day during Christmas week (except Christmas Day). Open all week for President’s holiday and Martin Luther King holiday. • For conditions: skitheloup.com or (509) 557-3405.
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Methow Valley Winter – 31