Idaho

Hop into the past at Galena Lodge north of Ketchum. Once a general store for hunters and trappers, today the restored log lodge delivers dinners to guests reading by lantern light in front of wood stoves in rustic Mongolian yurts. After exhausting Galena’s 53 kilometers looping through Senate Meadows, sail on the 30-kilometer Harriman Trail dropping nearly 1000 feet in elevation to Sawtooth National Recreation Area headquarters. (208-726-4010; www.galenalodge.com)

Last year, Bogus Basin, sixteen miles from Boise, saw its Nordic visits jump by 30 percent, due in part to solar lights installed for night skiing on 5 kilometers. The ski trails start from the Frontier Point Nordic Lodge near the downhill ski resort. Skiers this winter can get a two-for-one deal on Nordic tickets by staying in participating hotels in Boise. (208-332-5100; www.bogusbasin.org)

Built on a Selkirk mountainside, Schweitzer means only one thing for Nordic skiers—uphill. While hauling out to Howling Ridge is a grunt, you have two payoffs: immense views of Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho’s largest natural lake, and downhills to make waxless classic skis scream. Located above Sandpoint in the Idaho Panhandle, the resort suits alpine and Nordic skiers. (800-831-8810; www.schweitzer.com)

The only Northwest Nordic area with snowmaking, three-year-old Tamarack Resort can guarantee skiing on 5 kilo-meters. Ninety miles north of Boise, Tamarack mixes golf course routes by Lake Cascade with rolling foothill trails adjacent to downhill runs. Stay at the new luxury Lodge at Osprey Meadows, where a state-of-the-art Nordic shop downstairs opens right onto the ski course. (208-325-1000; www.tamarackidaho.com)

With a face full of the Grand Teton, Teton Ridge Ranch sits on 4000 acres of private land adjacent to Targhee National Forest. Skiers tour on foothill trails through lodgepoles, aspens, and meadows to earn their gourmet dinner of lobster with mango salsa. Outside Driggs, the knotty pine lodge maxes out at 14 people for an intimate setting conducive to quiet skiing. (208-456-2650; www.tetonridge.com)

Washington

On 3000 private hilltop acres, Sun Mountain Lodge connects its own trails to the meandering miles groomed by Methow Valley Sports Trails Association for a huge 200-kilometer total. Ski out the lodge’s back door or hop in your car to explore trails on the valley floor. Either way, you’ll have views of the rugged North Cascades without taxing your lungs, since elevations range between 1800 and 4000 feet. Aprés ski at Sun Mountain mixes dining with Methow Valley views and a 5000-bottle wine cellar. (800-572-0493; www.sunmountainlodge.com)

Oregon

With its 7100-foot base, the Northwest’s highest, Anthony Lakes serves up 40 kilometers rated 60 percent expert. In the Elkhorn Range, 35 miles from lodging in Baker, the cozy Nordic day lodge leads out to easy lake toodles flanked by heart pumpers, including one that chugs 10 kilometers up to 7900 feet. (541-856-3277; www.anthonylakes.com)

On the cutting edge with a terrain park for jibbers on skinny skis, Mount Bachelor is also a place where you can ski with Olympians flying past you on its world-class 56 kilometers. Three hundred and fifty inches of snow extend the season to mid-May. Access the Nordic day lodge from nearby Bend or Sunriver. (800-829-2442; www.mtbachelor.com)

British Columbia

With 3.3 kilometers lighted for night skiing, you can alpine ski during the
day, then schuss for an evening out on Kimberley Nordic Club’s trails adjacent to lodging at Kimberley Alpine Resort. Long loops traverse out to viewpoints overlooking the valley; you can even have your own winter marshmallow roast at Sunshine Corner fire pit. (877-754-5462; www.skikimberley.com)

The restored log lodge delivers dinners to guests reading
by lantern light in front of wood stoves in rustic Mongolian yurts.

A training site for international teams and considered one of Canada’s premier Nordic resorts, Silver Star holds November camps for cross-country skiers. Outside Vernon, the resort clusters in a colorful western village, a spiffed up version of Virginia City. The resort’s 60 kilometers also connect to Sovereign Lake Provincial Park, where Sovereign Lake Nordic Club grooms another 50 kilometers. (250-542-0224; www.skisilverstar.com)

While Lost Lake Park’s trails are not slated for 2010 Olympic glory like Whistler’s alpine slopes, a 5-minute walk from Whistler Village hotels takes you to groomed park trails. Whistler’s Nordic hub, Lost Lake Cross Country Connection, gives wax advice for the low-elevation schizophrenic coastal weather that dumps snow one day and melts the next. (604-905-0071; www.crosscountryconnection.bc.ca)

If you have energy after skiing groomed trails at Manning Park Resort near Chilliwack, you can try ice skating or tubing. Cabins, chalets, and lodges cluster in the Cascade Mountain resort. An additional 190 backcountry kilometers tour 176,000-acre Manning Provincial Park. (250-840-8822; www.manningpark.com)

One of the newest Nordic resorts near Kootenay National Park, Nipika strings 50 kilometers along the Kootenay River, with wildlife-watching perks. Pick up pointers with a lesson from Lyle Wilson, Canada’s 1988 and 1992 Olympic cross-country coach. Seven eco-lodges are furnished richly and run by solar power and propane north of Radium. (877-647-4525; www.nipika.com)

While Mount Washington requires ferrying to Vancouver Island and driving from Victoria or Nanaimo, consider who skis here—the Canadian National Cross Country Ski Team. As an Olympic training site, the mountain’s 50 kilometers are challenging, some even requiring chairlift access. The new 10,000-square-foot Raven Lodge corrals a wax room, lounge, showers, sauna, restaurant, and ski shop adja-cent to lodging at Mount Washington’s alpine ski area. (888-231-1499; www.mountwashington.ca)

Northwest Travel January/February 2007