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Icicle TV<br />
LEAVENWORTH<br />
SKIING, CLIMBING MECCA<br />
Leavenworth is Washington’s<br />
climbing capital.<br />
The Bavarian-themed town on the east<br />
slope of the Cascades has made an<br />
impressive transformation from kitschy<br />
tourist town to outdoors mecca. Two ski<br />
areas are within a short drive, Nordic skiing<br />
and hiking are available right in town, as<br />
are some of the state’s best rock-climbing<br />
pitches. “A lot of people will ski in the<br />
morning and rock climb in the afternoon,”<br />
said John Race, owner of Northwest<br />
Mountain School.<br />
YOUR ADVENTURE TOOLS: Alpine and Nordic<br />
skis, hiking boots, climbing gear<br />
Alpine skiing: You have two great daytripping<br />
options nearby. Stevens Pass is just<br />
45 minutes to the west, where Pacific storms<br />
deliver reliable dumps throughout winter<br />
and spring. Meanwhile, about an hour away<br />
near Wenatchee is the sunnier, drier skiing of<br />
Mission Ridge, with its striking basalt cliffs and<br />
views that seem to go on forever. Stevens has<br />
some double-diamond drops off its 7th Heaven<br />
chairlift at the top of 5,845-foot Cowboy<br />
Mountain to go along with ample intermediate<br />
terrain. Mission is a groomed-skiing paradise<br />
with glades and tree-skiing scattered amid the<br />
cliffy terrain.<br />
Nordic skiing: The flat trails along the<br />
Icicle River are made for skate-skiing;<br />
more challenging options are available at<br />
Leavenworth Ski Hill. Nearby, find even more<br />
skiing at the Plain Valley Nordic Ski Trails and<br />
Stevens Pass Nordic Center.<br />
Hiking: Leavenworth receives a fair amount<br />
of snow in winter, but hiking picks up early on<br />
some trails. The Blackbird Island hike is an easy<br />
late-winter leg-stretcher with great views along<br />
the Wenatchee River; for a vertical push, head<br />
for the 6-mile Icicle Ridge hike where the snow<br />
melts out early.<br />
Rock climbing: Leavenworth is Washington’s<br />
climbing capital, with several pitches that open<br />
up as the weather warms in Tumwater Canyon<br />
and Icicle Gorge, Race said. “Climbing tends to<br />
start low. As spring progresses, you move up<br />
the (Icicle) Canyon.”<br />
[leavenworth.org]<br />
FEBRUARY | MARCH <strong>2018</strong> <strong>1889</strong> WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 51
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