WE ARE ON: Wuritz Ditch Road, Tennessee Pass I (advanced-beginner tour)

The nordic season is on, and we are starting in the Leadville area, which has nearby terrain that is often an early-winter nordic snowbowl. Wuritz Ditch Road is in such an area, and the snowfall so far indicates it should be skiable after Thanksgiving. It is a dirt road that is accessed in summer for hiking, dispersed camping, and gravel cycling. Our travel distance should be about 4-5 miles with a stop for lunch at our turnaround point.

Note there is another club ski on this same route on Sunday.

In order to participate in this event you must carefully read the following in its entirety, read all posts in the comments below, and reply promptly to all direct messages from the event organizer.

You must also complete the club’s activity waiver. This only needs to be done once. The waiver requires your real first name, your real last name, a valid email address, an online signature, and then a click on a confirmation link sent to that email address. This should take only a couple minutes. If you do not complete the waiver within 24 hours of signing up for this event you will be removed from the event. There are good reasons for asking you to perform this basic task, which is to protect the club and its volunteers.

We will travel as a group; you cannot go your own route. The length of the tour will depend on conditions and the inclination of the group; we will have lunch at our turnaround point. A lengthier version of this route is found on this map, which you must examine.

To participate you must have an intermediate level of aerobic/physical fitness (see “Aerobic / physical fitness levels”), and you must be an advanced-beginner level nordic skier (see “Somewhat arbitrary nordic ski skill levels”).

If you have any questions about your ability to do the tour from a fitness or skills standpoint just message the organizer directly. If you cannot finish the tour then getting back to the trailhead is your responsibility.

Given Meetup has effectively broken its meeting location feature, we will be meeting here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/7H5DGRZSGidDhKvQ7
(at the "Crane Park Trailhead" -- we will need to load into fewer cars carpool to the actual trailhead nearby given limited parking there)

To attend you must agree to 3 basic guidelines regarding the role of the tour organizer. Please understand that these guidelines are based on repeated experience and are meant to make the tour better for everybody.

1. If you are faced with a decision regarding where to go next (due to e.g. a junction, or an obstacle, or the disappearance of the trail), you must always, without exception, stop, wait, and consult with the organizer before proceeding.
2. The organizer will decide when we "move out" after any stop.
3. The organizer will be in the lead and set the pace at the start of the tour.

(There is more detail on the reasons for these guidelines here:
“3 guidelines regarding the role of the tour organizer”)

You must know how to dress properly for the weather and your level of activity, remain hydrated, eat enough food, have working equipment, and other such basics. A complete list can't be provided here. This ain't Denali of course, but you should know how to care for yourself on the trail.

We will be ascending to an altitude of over 10,000 feet; if you are unfamiliar with the potential effects of recreating at altitude you should familiarize yourself with this before the event.

Note the group will be stopping for lunch, meaning sitting down and eating.

For this sort of outing toothpick track skis (fun as they are) will not be effective. There are ski shops that offer rentals of metal-edged / touring nordic skis.

Expected weather and snow conditions will be shared in the comments thread. Please do not post your opinion on conditions or the terrain unless you have recent facts specific to our route. If you decide not to come there is no need to tell the rest of us why you don't think it's going to be fun.

All attendees must be signed up here as Meetup members, which also means minors cannot attend the event. If the tour is full, exceptions can't be made to add more people. Dogs are not permitted on the tour.

Do not expect any messages sent the morning of the event to be seen.

And lastly please be sure to read:

• “Be on time and don't be a flake”
• “Have a good attitude”