Making tracks

It wasn't hard to find those cross-country skis Santa left under the Christmas tree -- not many other things come in that shaped present. But finding a place to use those new Christmas skis in the weeks since has been difficult.

So far, the best place for new skis is the garage, because the unusually warm winter -- without much snow -- has kept many recreational skiers at home this winter. If you want to ski, you have to head south -- yes, south -- this winter.

"The only good place right now is the Hillside in Anchorage," said Ed Strabel, the Colony High ski coach and a man who knows a thing or two about cross-country skiing. "The Hillside is about the only place to go."

Strabel and the rest of the Valley high school teams have been put in a lurch because there is no place to practice. He took his troops up to Fairbanks last weekend, but that's a little much for the recreational skier looking for an hour ski close to home.

Hatcher Pass has snow, but there hasn't been a lot of grooming, making it a bit more difficult for recreational skiers. Heading north isn't a viable option, either, as one might assume.

"Su Valley [Talkeetna area] is terrible, too," Strabel said. "They got a little dusting, but not even enough to groom. They've been skiing on some lakes up there, but that's it."

Closer to home, but still out of the Valley, is Chugiak, an option that many have been taking advantage of, and subsequently, one that isn't available anymore. "We skied Chugiak last week, but now they are starting to find big rocks and boulders on the trail," Strabel said. "It's just too warm."

In the Valley, there are normally a number of options for recreational skiers. Hatcher Pass is often the preferred destination because it is backcountry Alaska, yet close to home, making it the best of both worlds.

It gets snow earlier than the rest of the Valley and snow stays there longer than anywhere else in the spring, making it ideal.

Another positive thing about the Hatcher Pass area is that if the snow is bad, or the weather turns sour, there are always places to go. Hatcher Pass Lodge and the Motherlode Lodge cater to skiers during the winter, and if all else fails, there is always time to grab lunch at these locations.

"I've skied at Hatcher's a few weekends before Christmas, and at least you could ski there," Wasilla skier Antoine Fisher said. "This winter has just been really, really weird. I've had a couple of overnight ski trips washed out because of the weather already. You don't normally have to worry about that at this point in the winter."

In the lower end of the Valley, the Crevasse Moraine trail system is one of the most popular options available -- but this year, unpredictable temperatures and a lack of snow have made it a great place to hike, but a bad place to ski.

Of course, some of the best trails around are those that are also the best-kept secrets -- that trail leading from your house to the lake that nobody but your family uses, the trail between your neighbor's cabin and your house -- and trail conditions for those types of trails aren't reported often, for fear of the news getting out to the general public.

There are a number of options in Anchorage, although, again, this winter's conditions have left them sketchy at best.

Among the most popular choices is Kincaid Park. But Strabel cautions those hoping for good snow and groomed trails there, too.

"Kincaid is way, way behind where it normally is because it hasn't gotten the snow it normally does," Strabel said.

The Hillside trail system is known as Far North Bicentennial Park, and is an elaborate system of loops and trails that wind for miles and miles.

"It's a good lunch trail if you work in Anchorage," said Aaron Banks, a skier training for the 100-mile Susitna 100 race held in February.

The Far North Bicentennial Park system winds its way past Service High School to Hilltop Ski Area and beyond. There are plenty of lighted trails there, which are accessible from Abbott Road in Anchorage.

Other Anchorage options include the Campbell Tract, Russian Jack's numerous trails and the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.

"The snow isn't ideal, but you can ski," Banks said.

In Anchorage, the phone number for the weather conditions at Kincaid Park is 248-8929 and the phone number for weather conditions on the Hillside is 346-2322. For those with new Christmas toys, that has to be enough.

"I've got a new pair of skis in my closet next to my fishing rods," said Fisher. "It seems like I'll get to use the fishing rods before I get to use the skis. I never thought I'd say that in January."