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Reader scrapbook: Should we go left or right?

East Wenatchee resident Don Person captured this scene while on a mountain bike ride to Ancient Lake on March 10. He wrote that he climbed up onto the central palisade — with Ancient Lake on his left (north) and Dusty Lake on his right (south).

Backcountry ski trip in Chelan County exposes travelers to all forms of snow

Urban legend maintains that the Inuits possess some 49 words for ‘snow’ while Westerners identify all frozen matter falling from the sky or sitting on the ground with the same label. Naturally every backcountry skier understands what a total load of you know what this legend is. Like indigenous people who lived in the snow, we maintain a rich vocabulary that helps us better understand the white matter at the core of our activity. To name just a few snow forms, we’ve got: powder, corn, ice, blue ice, Styrofoam, breakable crust, sugar snow, temperature-gradient snow, sastrugi, equi-temperature snow, and rime on the ground. Falling from the sky we might have stellar crystals, needles, columns, plates, graupel, hail, or sleet. And then there are all those technical terms born from the annals of ski journalism, including phrases like ‘snorkel powder,’ ‘blower powder,’ and ‘cold smoke’ to describe the euphoric pole of the white spectrum. At the other end of the spectrum, where character is built, we’ve got, sludge, concrete, breakable crust, trap crust, and body-slamming death cookies.

Former Ridge skier 12th at Paralympic Winter Games

WHISTLER CREEKSIDE, B.C. — Mark Bathum, a former member of the Mission Ridge Ski Team, who is competing in his first Paralympic Winter Games at age 51, and his guide, Slater Storey of Sun Valley, Idaho, finished 12th in Sunday’s slalom for visually impaired men with a combined time of 2:10.45 for their two runs. The slalom was originally scheduled for Saturday, but was pushed back a day due to fog.

Hampton Cup races at Mission Ridge

Mission Ridge Ski Team member Kory Graafstra of Wenatchee zips around a gate Saturday during the giant slalom in the annual Hampton Cup races at the ski area southwest of Wenatchee. Graafstra finished second overall on the first day of the two-day event. This was the fourth running of the Hampton Cup, named for Walt and Wilmer Hampton, two of the founders of the Mission Ridge Ski and Board Resort.

Scoreboard: Hampton Cup results

Hampton Cup results

Rec week: WRAC wins titles at Spring Fling

WENATCHEE — The Wenatchee Racquet & Athletic Club Spring Fling Racquetball tournament wrapped up last weekend, and a number of WRAC and Wenatchee YMCA teams and individuals made it to the championships in their respective divisions. The WRAC’s Ryan Schwinkendorf came away with a pair of doubles titles in the tournament. In Mixed Open Doubles, he teamed with Randi Smith of WVC for first. Tony Sauceda and Tammy Donaghy took second in that division. In Open A Doubles, the WRAC team of Schwinkendorf and Rob Fitch was first, and San Rodriguez of the YMCA was on the consolation championship team.

Rams game canceled

EAST WENATCHEE — The Wenatchee Valley Rams season opener, originally scheduled for today against the Umatilla Coyotes, has been canceled. The Rams will host the South Sound Shockers at 1 p.m. next Saturday.

Wenatchee skier 10th at Jr. Olympics

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Max Christman of the Wenatchee Valley Nordic Ski Education Foundation finished in 10th place in the Junior Men’s Age 16-17 10K Freestyle on Friday at the Junior Olympics. In other action Friday, in the Junior Women Age 14-15 5K, the Methow Valley Nordic Team’s Sage Abate and Jacqueline O’Keefe took 33rd and 34th respectively, while Andi Zontek (WVNSEF) was 46th.

Christman leads locals at Jr. Olympics

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Max Christman of the Wenatchee Valley Nordic Ski Education Foundation finished 29th in the classic mass start junior men 16-17 age division at the 2010 USSA Cross Country Junior Olympics Wednesday, leading 13 local skiers at the event. Christman finished with a time of 47 minutes, 31.7 seconds. Casey Smith of the Methow Valley Nordic Team came in 30th (47:35.6). Fellow MVNT skiers Marc Leduc (62nd) and Evan Turner (72nd) also competed in the division.

Fun Run on March 20

WENATCHEE — Eastmont Junior High School will hold its 16th-annual Apple Capital Loop Fun Run at Walla Walla Point Park on March 20. Participants are encouraged to run, walk, bike, roller blade, wheelchair, scooter or skateboard the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail in distances of one-mile, 5K, 10K or 17K.

Trail of the Week: Goat Creek

Sweeping views await

Access: Get on Highway 20 and drive west of Winthrop for about 16 miles to Goat Creek Road No. 1163. Continue on that road for three miles to Forest Service Road No. 52; then continue on Road 52 for a quarter-mile to Goat Creek Sno-Park. Fees: A state Sno-Park Pass is required for parking.

Walking around the past

Trails near Stevens Pass provide glimpse into the Wellington disaster

WELLINGTON — This railroad town wasn’t much to begin with and now no longer exists. Too many ghosts.

Ask the Wenatchee Doc: Why is my foot numb?

1. When I jog around town, including on the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail, I have this slight burning feeling on the balls of my right foot that usually comes on after about a mile. Then the bottom of my right foot starts to go numb. Any idea what this could be? Dr. Michael Rossi: As you might guess, the numbness that you are experiencing could have various causes — and it is not always easy to sort out. Tarsal tunnel syndrome is something that can cause these symptoms. It is analogous to carpal tunnel syndrome in the hand but much less common. It is not dangerous but would require a nerve study to make the diagnosis. Surgery is always a last resort if it persists despite modifications in shoe wear, orthotics, and physical therapy. Other causes which can fool us include nerve compressions in the lower lumbar spine as well as systemic diseases such as diabetes. If this persists, it would be a good reason to see your physician.

Reader scrapbook: Springtime nears

Avid hiker Lance Stegemann of East Wenatchee snapped this photo from the top of Saddle Rock near Wenatchee, looking southeast, after hiking up on Feb. 28. The Columbia River and foothills of the Cascades are in the distance. Stegemann was joined on the hike by his girlfriend, Barb Wilson of East Wenatchee, his brother Shannon Stegemann, and Shannon’s wife Este.

Five local skiers at Jr. Olympics

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Five local skiers all fell short of reaching the quarterfinals in classic sprint competition Monday at the 2010 USSA Cross Country Junior Olympics. Four members of the Wenatchee Valley Nordic Ski Education Foundation, as well as one competitor from the Leavenworth Winter Sports Club, raced Monday, but none made it out of the preliminary rounds.