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TUESDAY January 27, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels Backcountry skiers still shredding By Chris Miller Ashland Daily Tidings It's 5:30 a.m. - outside the light of day is just starting to break. While most Ashlanders are dreaming, the bedroom of Chris Garvey is filled with the noise of his alarm clock yelling at him to get up. The day's forecast is for the mid-70's and sunny. Perfect. Contributed photo Unlike most in town, Garvey isn't thinking of spending the day lounging in a lawn chair lathering himself with Coppertone. Garvey is thinking of cutting turns on Mount Ashland's backcountry. Yes, skiing in mid-May. "It shocks me that we don't see more people out there," Garvey said sporting a freshly sun-burned face from another good day on the slopes. "It doesn't matter what your level is - there is something there for you." His words have rubbed off on at least one Ashlander. Elena Withers, who works with Garvey at the Ashland Mountain Supply, has accompanied her co-worker on four adventures into the backcountry. "You can drive a half-hour and be a world away," Withers said. "The few times I've been on the hill, we haven't seen more than one or two people. And we always wonder, 'Why aren't more people up here. It's gorgeous.' "Everybody in town is waiting around for the good weather, but we get summer on snow," Withers said. "We get to get sunburned and hike around in tank tops." For Mt. A's backcountry neophytes, there are about 13 miles of terrain between the main mountain runs and Dutchman Peak, the bulk of the area of use for those equipped with the proper gear: Telemark skis with skins, or backcountry cross-country skis. While Withers owes Garvey for that introduction into the spoils of spring skiing, Garvey said he owes his to the Southern Oregon Nordic Club. "They're an amazing organization," Garvey said. "They are all 50-plus (years old) and they ski more than I do. Edgar Hee and Ken Glascow, those guys are the ones that turned me on to that area." Garvey and his backcountry ilk say the best time to hit the snow is when it has turned into corn snow, or when the snow is slightly melted - usually a few hours after sunrise and a few after sunset. "I leave at six so that I am back to work by nine, then after work I am on the hill by seven and home by 11 (p.m.)," Garvey said. "Sometimes I have to wait until after dark - for the snow - but there's nothing better that making full-moon turns. The snow firms up and it's perfect." Although cross-country skiing is probably known more for its strenuous aerobics, Garvey and Withers said they have found the backcountry to provide plenty of beautiful scenery, and even some random treasures. "We climbed up to the top of a hidden ridge and found a coffee can painted pink," Garvey said. "And we looked at it and said, 'there's got to be a reason for this to be here - because nobody paints a coffee can pink' - so we opened it, and there was another coffee can in there and there was a journal with entries dated back to the 1980's and snacks that didn't look too good." Garvey, who spends as much time on the mountain as he can during the regular ski season, said the experience of skiing after the lifts have stopped offers a lesson in camraderie. "When you're there at the resort and you're making turns and it's main season, it's fairly busy," Garvey said. "This time of year I see a handful of folks and they're always the same ones." Garvey, who doesn't always have a partner to go into the woods skiing, said he is never without safety equipment, and he always fills out a trip plan to ensure his return to town. He stresses skiers should be safe while traveling off the beaten path. "Never go out there without a compass and a map," Garvey said. "I look at the map ahead of time and I have a backup plan in case the snow's not right. "I try to get people to go with me as often as possible," he added. "But when I go alone I bring a cell phone, talkabout radio, serious first-aid kit, and I tell a friend or Megan (his fianc�) and I stay within my time frame." As to why more skiers who take advantage of the mountain when the lifts are running don't come out in the spring, Garvey offered a reason: "Ashland is a town that happens to have a resort, not a resort town," he said. "The backcountry is mostly under-used." But this doesn't bother Garvey in the slightest. "You can tell everybody reading this article to go garden, cause I got stuff to do," he said. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - ODOT Road Cams