I think Crescent Lake and Santiam Pass are closed during the winter when snow in on the ground, is that correct?

Sad if that is true...

I was reading a few other posts here in BCP Ski Flying...I don't fly skis, but I'd most certainly sign a petition, or write an email to help out, or climb a tree and camp out in it with a blue tarp over my head while playing the bongos and braiding my armpit hair to help out.

It would be great to have Santiam Pass opened, and then have a BCP Winter Ski Bash up there. I'll bring some "anti-freeze".
I'd even chip in some Low Lead $ to have a few guys come in and put a "this is how you do it". I think it would be good.

Just saying....

I like it. I'd say the problem is that lowland Oregon rarely has snow on it where most of the airplanes are based. That means wheel skis or retractables to depart and arrive home, which are rather expensive and probably not on the high priority list of your everyday valley-based pilot. And the season is short.

If I ever find out an anonymous benefactor has deposited a few hundred thousand bucks in my bank account though, I'm gonna order up a pair of Datums or Trickairs or Fernandes and go puts some laps down in the highlands. I'll probably find a big stump first time out.

I drop into West Yellowstone every winter. While it is closed during the winter, I have always taken the "closed" thing to mean "nobody there, runway not maintained, no fuel, land at your own risk". NOT closed as in verboten. And no, I have not asked the powers that be before hand, I just do it. Did I mention THERE IS NOBODY THERE?! If I was in Oregon I'd do the same, no harm no foul, the last thing I'd do is ask some bureaucrat to put his ass on the line by officially giving me permission.

"Raus Raus Raus !!! Ishd das Courier Guy again in das Flugen Bird, wid das wooden stiks unda das belly.


Isht very Verboten! To the Coola !!!!

I can't say that I really give it much thought as to whether the airstrip is open or closed. When I'm flyin' around with the skis on and there's snow on the strip "it's open". I fly into Santiam and Crescent, also on the snowy banks of the Wickiup Res. and a few times into Sparks Lake.

Hey FlybyMike,
I hears ya' brother! I was just thinking of insurance "walking away from it all" if you made a claim, or any other issue like that.
Don't want anybody getting the ol' FAR 91.13 Zsa Zsa Gabor face slap. ( remember that? LOL)

I care about ya' friend.

Sparks Lake? Looking that one up on G-Earth...

As Courier guy points out, sometimes Bill Clintons policy of "Don't ask, Don't Tell" is the best approach.

To meet FAA requirements to be listed as "open" to ski ops, the strip has to be marked and groomed, at least occasionally. And, if it isn't groomed, the wind blows hard, drifts appear, and someone lands and damages their airplane, guess who's not going to be happy? The Gov......

Unless there's likely to be a LOT of ski ops, for a LONG time each winter, you probably don't even want to bring it up, because then you'll most likely have a firm "No" on record, that could come back to bite you.

MTV

Last year Stanley Idaho had a big curling event, a big deal there, where it's often the coldest spot in the nation! I stopped by briefly, and was the only ski plane there. Maybe this year we could make it a curling/fly-in combo? The cafe at Smiley Creek is open all winter BTW, and Galena Pass is a piece of cake to traverse as compared to the summer months, thick and smooth air anyway. We have a ex Alaskan pilot who has moved to our area, he has some kind of fire breathing 235 hp Cub (but a lightweight one), has skis, and would seem to be a kindred spirit, we'll see, haven't met him yet. Also, a pilot with a ski equipped Carbon Cub is up by Driggs, and I know the Afton Husky crew have skis. It'd be real interesting to have an Idaho ski fly-in, sorry for the thread drift, I guess.

Yes, good point on the insurance....

I think a Ski Fly-in is a great idea.

I would be very interested to find new (and safe) places to fly skis. Glad to read people are interested in Oregon. There are some great areas but, we need a bigger number of pilots too.

I inquired at the Puyallup Conf a couple of years ago to Wash Aeronautics about why Washington can't do like Idaho does on many back country strips. Some Idaho strips in the A/FD say "No Winter Maintenance" and Washington and some in Oregon say "Closed". The answer I got was that Washington has an agreement with some snowmobile clubs to have some share in the maintenance responsibility of the strip in exchange for having use in the winter. I don't know for sure, but it sounded like some of the maintenance responsibility extends beyond the wintertime. I don't know if Oregon is in the same boat or not, but possible. That doesn't hold for Rogersburg, as that was a different agreement and reasoning - be it right or wrong.

Even if an airport is notam'd closed, there may not be anything in the FAR that prohibits you from landing there..... You'll be operating at your own risk, and if something bad happens, you can bet the fed will bring that up in the after action inquisition.....and your insurance company might not be too happy.

In Fairbanks, before the float pond is groomed for skis, and after the airport management pulls the markers off the pond in spring and notam's the pond closed, we operated regularly there....call the tower, and tell you're taking off, they'd inform you "Operation on the float pond is at your own risk, the float pond is closed, notify me when airborne".

They did the same with seaplanes in spring before they got the channel markers out.

On unmonitored airports, unless the state or local authority has some regulation that prohibits landings, I don't think you're going to get the FAA too stirred up. Unless something bad happens.

And, a lot of airports aren't notam'd closed, but rather as "unmaintained", or "unmonitored". Even better.

MTV

Zzz wrote:I like it. I'd say the problem is that lowland Oregon rarely has snow on it where most of the airplanes are based. That means wheel skis or retractables to depart and arrive home, which are rather expensive and probably not on the high priority list of your everyday valley-based pilot. And the season is short.

Yep

Late December the C3000A skis will most likely be installed. Ski ops are a niche market in Oregon. That's what makes me feel groovy, Dudes!

Oregon did not get much snow... 51 days till "Old Man Winter" comes knocking on the hangar bi-folding doors.

Cliff Mass says its coming to Eastern Or. Get your skis on Eastern Oregonians.

Here is the 24 h snowfall ending 4 PM on Thursday. A few flurries near Portland (temps are pretty marginal), but the eastern Gorge and eastern Oregon get hammered. We are talking feet of snow from the The Dalles to north of Bend. This forecast could change and max snow area could well shift north or south. But if you are living in that area, I would stock up on food, get some chains, and rent/download a few good movies.

More here:
http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2014/11/c ... -with.html

tcj wrote:Cliff Mass says its coming to Eastern Or. Get your skis on Eastern Oregonians.

Here is the 24 h snowfall ending 4 PM on Thursday. A few flurries near Portland (temps are pretty marginal), but the eastern Gorge and eastern Oregon get hammered. We are talking feet of snow from the The Dalles to north of Bend. This forecast could change and max snow area could well shift north or south. But if you are living in that area, I would stock up on food, get some chains, and rent/download a few good movies.

More here:
http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2014/11/c ... -with.html

That's funny right there. I seriously doubt we'll see feet of snow, maybe a couple of inches. I welcome however much we get. And I wish most folks would take the above advice and stay home. Too many people have no business trying to figure out how to drive in the snow and ice. Lord help you if you get caught in the Portland metro area in a snow storm I'll post a pic of what we get in the next few days.

CW

clippwagon wrote:Lord help you if you get caught in the Portland metro area in a snow storm

It's a Charley Foxtrot of a magnitude beyond anything you can imagine. You know how Google Maps displays traffic in varying degrees of color, with green being fast moving to red being stop and go? In 2009 we had a rush hour snowstorm that had all major thoroughfares in the Portland metro area show up as BLACK on Google Maps. I had seen the forecast and called my wife to come home at 2pm. We stood on an overpass and watched the carnage.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, the classic morons driving in the snow video. And Reno is just as bad.



Gump

According to the current forecast, we may be ski flying in the valley the next few days.