Want to glide, slide or jump? Point your skis to Leavenworth

LEAVENWORTH -- For the better part of the past 70 years, Kjell Bakke has been launching himself or helping scores of other daredevils soar into the star-lit winter night skies from a well-preserved ski hill on the northern edge of this Bavarian-motif village, glistening a mile below in the distance.

Having the only working, publicly accessible ski-jumping practice area in the state has been the lifelong passion for this Leavenworth native and legendary jumper, offering the epitome of the Nordic experience atop a literal bird's-eye view of a valley thriving in winter sports adventure and exploration.


		Dan DeLong / P-I
	As the surrounding hills bask in the morning sun, Rob Fallon of Leavenworth skate skis through a soft fog blanketing the Icicle River Trail. Fallon, a spokesman for the Leavenworth Winter Sports Club, says the trail "has to be arguably one of the best learning trails in the state of Washington."

Bakke doesn't jump anymore, after a foot injury he suffered after falling off his roof. And the once-famous Olympic-size jump at the top of the hill has been closed for years. But the white-haired former champion body builder and other members of the 76-year-old Leavenworth Winter Sports Club continue to maintain a veritable winter wonderland.

Included are 15- and 26-meter jump hills along with some of the most accessible cross-country skiing experiences on both sides of the Cascades.

Bakke's first jump was in 1939, on a run his father built on what now is the slalom hill, known more appropriately as "Bakke Hill." His father, Magnus, and his uncle, Hermod Bakke, were pioneer Leavenworth ski jumpers, and Kjell also competed in and judged the sport for years.

"When we were kids, that's all we did after school," Bakke said while watching five jumpers, ranging in age from young teens to early 30s, rotate through the regular Wednesday-night jumping practice. "There was only one radio in town back then, and it belonged to my parents, and the station went off the air in the evenings. So we came up here to the hill every day. That's all there was to do.

"We've got a lot more activities now than there was back then."

Jumping is the extreme edge of the combined Nordic/alpine activities that draw winter sports enthusiasts to what becomes a tourist destination for an often much less active sort of traveler in the spring and summer.


		Dan DeLong / P-I
	All skill levels can find Nordic skiing trials to suit them near Leavenworth.

"Jumping requires a lot of athleticism and quick reactions. Of course, you have to have no fear. That's why you see a lot of kids, because they don't," Bakke said as brothers Jesse and Taylor Boyd vault off the highest platform and then hurry back to the rope tow that shoots them to the top again in a matter of seconds. "Kids learn a lot faster, and when they start getting comfortable with the air, that's when you can start working on the finer points."

For those who would rather watch and admire the finer points of the Leavenworth area without air under their skis, the Winter Sports Club also maintains 26 kilometers of groomed classic cross-country track and skating lanes at the sparkling Icicle River Trail (with a special trail for snowshoeing), the Ski Hill (some trails lighted at night) and the golf course (currently closed).

The hill includes two other rope tows and two main runs for downhill skiing and snowboarders, and there's a tubing area in what was once the landing area for the old 90-meter jumping hill.

Cross-country ski racing in Leavenworth is an older tradition than jumping, dating back to the late 1920s, and the area has ample provisions for all levels of experience.

On a recent overnight cross-country outing, we pulled into town after an easy two-hour midweek drive from Seattle. At Leavenworth Mountain Sports, one of seven local business that rent cross-country skies, track skis, poles, boots and snowshoes, we were quickly outfitted with skis and boots and directions.


		Dan DeLong / P-I
	Khayias Hamilton, 2, of Leavenworth gets a some help from his mom, Kym, and her scarf as he learns to ski on the Leavenworth Ski Hill.

Leavenworth is a perfect place for the beginner who wants a stress-free and complete Nordic indoctrination. Not only can some of the local outfitters help in choosing the best skis and equipment for the conditions and terrain, but you can start out on easy, flat trails in town, then graduate to higher destinations.

"The Icicle River Trail has to be arguably one of the best learning trails in the state of Washington," said Rob Fallon, spokesman for the Winter Sports Club. "From a beginner's point of view, it's flat, there's only one or two little hills, it's very, very scenic, and it's not too far from Seattle and the population centers."

With the help of more than 1,200 members, the non-profit and all-volunteer Winter Sports Club has a basic mission: to provide free and affordable skiing for as many people as possible. It charges a $10 fee for trail use, but children 13 and under can ski for free on all the trails. The club also operates a learning center and after-school program.

Even though the skiing season in Leavenworth usually ends by the first of March, the goal is to make it a full-season adventure destination for not only winter sports but also the trail-bike riders, rafters, kayakers and hikers who begin to show up as the snow melts.

Fallon knows that Leavenworth may never rival the Methow area to the north for the quality of late-season Nordic skiing, but Leavenworth certainly is closer, has many more lodging and dining options, and is far more accommodating for families whose children want to ride their snowboards or take on something wilder, such as ski jumping.

"We want to have a trail system that really rivals what the Methow Valley has been able to accomplish," Fallon said. "In partnership with the Forest Service, we now have a lot of available land all the way up to the Lake Wenatchee area."


		Dan DeLong / P-I
	A boy glides along the cross-country track on the Icicle River Trail. The Leavenworth Winter Sports Club maintains 26 kilometers of groomed classic cross-country tracks and skating lanes around town. Kids under 13 and seniors 70 and older ski for free; others pay $10 for a Nordic pass.

Even when the snow is sparse in Leavenworth, the Lake Wenatchee area -- a couple of thousand feet higher in elevation and only a half-hour drive away -- offers a series of groomed cross-country trails that are both scenic and challenging for skiers of all levels. In fact, there are a couple of twisting downhill runs that downright take your breath away and skis right out from under you if you're not careful to step out of the grooves now and then.

If that's not good enough, the Stevens Pass Nordic Center is another thousand feet higher, and the trail up the power lines bordering the east side of the ski area is one of the best workouts, once you get comfortable in your cross-country abilities. The run back to the parking lot is a fast, fun, exhilarating reward for the effort.

Having skied for years on the Nordic trails and many of the Forest Service areas along Snoqualmie Pass, our experience in the Leavenworth area proved more diverse in vistas and conditions.

The area comes with less rain, lighter wind and a lot more sun -- when it peeks over the mountaintops. Last week, when we left Seattle it was a rainy morning; by noon we were at Icicle Creek, skiing in short sleeves and slathering on the sunscreen.

Last year, the Winter Sports Club sold more than 30,000 day passes, and many of those were to visitors from the west side of the mountains, Fallon said. "Combined with the growth of mountain biking and Nordic skiing, people here in Leavenworth are really seeing the recreational potential of the area," Fallon said. "We've been growing at 10 to 15 percent a year."

Bakke has seen it all come and go over the years and is a proud and tireless ambassador for the activity that once seemed to dominate the Northwest landscape before the advent of chair lifts, snowmobiles and snowboards.

Last year he helped spearhead a fund-raising effort -- which received a major donation from Leavenworth and Seattle resident Harriet Bullitt (daughter of Dorothy Stimson Bullitt, who founded KING Broadcasting) -- to put the rope tow and new lights adjacent to the ski lift. Bakke then plowed hours upon hours of his personal effort into the labor needed to make it all work.


		Dan DeLong / P-I
	Jesse Boyd, 13, soars off a Leavenworth Ski Hill jump. "The first time is always the scariest, but after that you just keep wanting to do it over and over again," says Boyd, who's been jumping since age 4.

"When I was jumping, there were probably a dozen areas that had jumps operating. There was Beaver Lake with three jumps at Snoqualmie Pass, there was one down in Wenatchee, one at Mount Baker; Mission Ridge had one, there was a small one at White Pass," Bakke said. "And back then, you didn't have any lifts. You had to walk up and then pack the landing yourself."

Now that he doesn't jump any more, Bakke prefers to get his morning workouts on a cross-country skating route.

"I love to skate, because you just can go so fast. And of course when I was raised, we didn't have that," he said. "I think it keeps me young."

So does working with a new crop of jumpers, many of them aspiring to Winter Olympics dreams. Bakke's students run as young as a 4-year-old boy.

The Boyd brothers, now 13 and 12, have been launching themselves off the Leavenworth ski hill since they were 4 and 5.

"Saturdays and Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, we try to get out here as much as we possibly can," Jesse Boyd said. "The first time is always the scariest, but after that you just keep wanting to do it over and over again. For a long time, Taylor and I were the only kids doing it, and now you see more and more people who want to try it out."

As a cross-country skier glides silently by along the lighted path that leads back toward town, Taylor adds with a laugh: "Except for the adults, and we just chase them off."

That's OK with everyone, from Bakke to the Boyds and all those with varying degrees of snow-packed adventure in their soul. There's plenty of room for winter fun for all generations in Leavenworth.

IF YOU GO

Carnival Days: The final celebration of the Nordic ski season takes place all day Saturday on the Leavenworth Ski Hill. Sponsored by the Leavenworth Winter Sports Club, events include downhill and cross-country races, ski jumping events, clowns, a barbecue and a torchlight parade at dusk, right before fireworks light up the Bavarian-themed village. For more details, visit www.skileavenworth.com

Special Olympics: The Winter Special Olympics of Washington will be at the Icicle River Trail March 5-7. The Meadow Loop will be closed for ski events Friday-Sunday. The Ned Kuch Loop will be open for skiing. For more information and details on volunteering and sponsorship, visit www.sowa.org

GETTING STARTED

Equipment rentals, trail passes and instruction booking are available at these Leavenworth retail stores:

Der Sportsmann, 837 Front St.; 509-548-5623 or 800-548-4145; www.dersportsmann.com

Leavenworth Mountain Sports, 940 U.S. Route 2; 509-548-7864; www.leavenworthmtnsports.com

Osprey Rafting & Ski Rental, 9342 Icicle Road; 509-548-6800; www.shoottherapids.com

For information on other skiing needs, call the Winter Sports Club at 509-548-5477.

For cross-country trail conditions, call 509-548-5115.

RATES AND PASSES

The Winter Sports Club grooms cross-country ski trails in three areas around town (one is closed for the season). Still open are the Icicle River Trail (skis and snowshoes), and the Ski Hill with combined Nordic and alpine facilities, tubing, rope tows and the jumping hill.

Nordic day passes are $10, or $16 for two days, and can be purchased at the ticket booths at each of the sites or by calling 509-548-5477; or by e-mail at info@skileavenworth.com. Skiers 70 years and older, and those under 13, ski for free on the cross-country trails.

An alpine day pass at the Ski Hill is $10, a tubing pass is $7 , and a play-all-day pass is $12. Skiers 65 and older and those under 5 ski free on the hill. The Ski Hill is open every Wednesday, 3-9 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday and holidays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

OUTSIDE LEAVENWORTH

Lake Wenatchee State Park grooms ski trails in the north and south parks and the See & Ski Trail from the Chiwawa Loop Sno-Park. The south park also offers a sledding hill and two miles of snowshoe trails. Sno-Park permits are required. For grooming information, contact the park at 509-763-3101, or the state Parks & Recreation Commission at 360-902-8844, www.parks.wa.gov/winter

Stevens Pass Nordic Center is open for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing east of the pass. For information, contact 206-812-4510 or www.stevenspass.com

LESSONS FOR ALL

The non-profit Winter Sports Club also conducts a variety of cross-country skiing lessons, daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Icicle River Trail. Regular group lessons are 11 a.m. for beginning classic ($15 plus the cost of a trail pass), and 1 p.m. for beginning skate skiing ($20 plus the cost of a trail pass). When group lessons are not scheduled, private lessons are available at the trail on an hourly basis.

P-I reporter Angelo Bruscas can be reached at 206-448-8010 or angelobruscas@seattlepi.com.

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