Jeff Lubeck

Sunrise on The Oregon Trail

The volcanic high desert of the Oregon Trail in South Central Idaho provides huge contrast. The band of fire that provides evidence of the grinding of the plates of land-mass on the continent stretches from the West Coast of the United States through Lassen Peak to Craters of the Moon to the Caldera of Yellowstone. The fire on this day is the dawn of a new day. However, as the sage and cooled molten rock landscape suggest, volcanic activity occurred as recently as 3,000 years-ago.

The First Day of Spring Approaches – And How Does That Look Deep in the Sawtooth Mountains.

So the first day of spring is approaching. For many that means grass is greening, and flowers are starting to flower. In the high desert and mountains of central Idaho Spring may technically arrive, but usually only the valley floors can possibly suggest Spring is in play. On occasion (about two in ten years) can I technically play a round of golf at the house and snow-ski the same day on March 21st. Usually that ability is reserved for mid to late April.

So the image below displays exactly how the first sunrise of Spring can look in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho.

In The Limelight

As the month of March progresses thoughts of what Spring and Summer will offer in The Valley begin in earnest, while the benefits of Winter remain. One benefit is Spring Skiing and with daylight growing longer there is no better place to be than the Warm Springs side of Baldy in the afternoon. With a warm sun as the spotlight the perfectly groomed snow softens to enhance the carving of turns for top-to-bottom skiing.

And the best of the best of the skiing? Being in the limelight on the Limelight run (left of center).

Thanks to the U.S. Geologic Survey we know that there are only two lift-served ski runs in the United States that are of more than 2,500 feet in length, more than 1,250 feet of vertical drop and provide 30 degree angle throughout. In short Steep, Deep and Long. The two? Al’s Run in Taos New Mexico and Limelight. I have the privilege to say I have skied both many times.

After a third straight top-to-bottom ski of Limelight the late Warren Miller looked back up the run and then to me and said “when this run is groomed and the temperature is right there is no place on earth you can ski faster and farther – and we just did it three times in a row in under an hour.”

Jeff’s Worthless Trivia

In the late 1980’s The Challenger and Greyhawk lifts on Warms Springs were proposed and created. John Phipps of the U.S. Forest Service retained me for consulting – on this amongst other things – during the period. It was fun to see the lifts go from concept to finished product.

Before the lifts were created the route to the top of Baldy was a two-step effort. From the bottom it was Chair Lift #7 Lower Warm Springs as step number one. Next it was Chair Lift #8 Limelight as step number two. For virtually the entire ride hovering over this steepest and deepest of runs skiers in the Limelight could be observed.

In the image above the remnants of the cut in the trees for the Limelight lift can be seen.

I am honored to say I have skied Limelight with Bob “why bother stopping” Sigley many times.

Baldy Ski Map 1974

Baldy Ski Map 2018

Sunrise on The Oregon Trail

The First Day of Spring Approaches – And How Does That Look Deep in the Sawtooth Mountains.

In The Limelight

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