Rainbow Lakes Road I (experienced-beginner tour)

This is a scenic dirt road in the Indian Peaks area; in the summer it leads to a campground and a set of small lakes (really ponds). The route is friendly to relative beginners and a good place to starting getting comfortable with ski touring. There is enough early-season snow to make this road skiable, though note that early-season conditions can be potentially suboptimal and hazardous. Our total distance out-and-back will be about 4 miles. Photos of current road conditions are available on our member platform here. By the date of the event the road should be closed to cars.

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. All attendees are required to know the length and elevation gain of the tour; you can obtain that information on this map, which you must examine. As mentioned we will ski about 4 miles, which can be a bit shorter or longer depending on our inclination and the conditions.

To participate you must have a basic level of aerobic/physical fitness (see “Aerobic / physical fitness levels”), and you must be an experienced-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/8gNM92bNZwnBe49j8
This is the parking at the South Sourdough Trailhead; we may need to walk about 1/4 mile to where we can put skis on.

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.

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”