Photo credit Silvies Valley Ranch

One of cross country (aka “Nordic” and “XC”) skiing’s delights is the variety of venues – maybe day areas near you, distant destinations, options from golf courses to lodges to entire regions with hundreds of kilometers of groomed trails (think Lake Tahoe, Sun Valley, Anchorage, and more). And that’s just in the U.S., with many choices in Canada too.

Every fall, you’ll find magazine, newspaper, and on-line articles on Nordic “where to” and “best of,” and every year guest ranches concentrated in the U.S. Rockies get high listings. Current favorites with on-site groomed trails include a cluster in Colorado (Devils Thumb, Latigo, Vista Verde, Three Forks, C Lazy U…); several in Wyoming (Brush Creek, Trail Creek, Darwin, Turpin Meadow); a bunch in Montana (Lone Mountain, B Bar, Paws Up, Triple Creek, and Rock Creek are probably the best known); and at least one in Idaho (Western Pleasure Guest Ranch). You’ll find them written up in publications ranging from USA Today to Forbes to Cigar Aficionado. A fair number are within a half hour drive of alpine ski resorts.

Back in the Day

The 1980s and 1990s were the heyday of new XC areas, including winter guest ranches. Over the past decade several of the latter have closed for reasons including “going private” and families leaving the business. So, it’s exciting to introduce you to a new ranch resort located in central-eastern Oregon that offers XC as their major winter draw.

Silvies Valley Ranch (https://silvies.us/) is both vast and rural/remote, definitely a destination rather than day operation. Vast: 150,000 acres! Remote from airports: located about 3 hours by car east of Bend, OR (near Mt. Bachelor downhill resort), with Boise, ID another 3+ hours further east. The nearest town is tiny Seneca, OR (population around 200).

Silvies is a long-time working cattle ranch as well as – much more recently – a renowned golf destination, listed among the top 100 in the world. It’s likely that portions of their four golf courses, from par 3 to 18 holes plus a putting course, will be increasingly incorporated into the groomed ski trail system while protecting delicate grasses on tees and greens.

This first winter of operations, you’ll find 24 km/15 miles of trail with both classic tracks and skating lanes. You may not encounter the astounding range of activities that Silvies offers in summer (including trained goats for caddies, multiple shooting ranges, ATV/UTV tours, and of course trail rides with ranch horses). Nevertheless, recognizing that most of us XC ski only two to three hours on a typical day, and winter days can be short, there’s plenty to keep you entertained indoors and out – snowshoeing, warming hut for sledders on a ginormous hill, sleigh rides, whiskey tasting, sourdough cooking classes, a new disk golf course…

Silvies also offers the luxury of a handsome, 13,000 square foot, full-service spa “where nature nurtures your soul” with heated indoor pool for exercise and water therapy; a whole menu of treatments in addition to massage; hot tubs and Finnish dry saunas, fitness room; and even a climbing wall beside the pool.

Ski Stuff

Groomed trails at most winter guest ranches are largely adapted from roads or summer paths or run across meadows, generally following routes of least resistance and most grooming convenience. In contrast, Silvies brought in Oregonian Tim Gibbons, a professional trail designer, to choose and build scenic trails mostly suited to beginner and intermediate skiers, with expansive views of beautiful high desert country. They run through old growth Ponderosa pine, juniper, and sage, open and rolling, with gentle grades and good runouts. There’s even an area on a driving range for practicing downhill techniques. Trail access is ski in/ski out from your lodging.

At this time, there’s no daily ski school/guide service although both are likely in the future along with a series of warming huts. Instead, Silvies is offering special ski weekends with U.S and Canadian certified professional ski instructor Ingrid Granlin, owner of Bend-based Glide Nordic (https://www.glidenordic.com/). Ingrid can provide expert instruction in classic (“track”), skating, and backcountry skiing. Lessons are 1.5 hours long and can cater to any ability. Private lessons are also available by reservation.

The Ranch has snowshoes for guests as well as a limited supply of classic skis, but it’s probably wise to either bring your own gear or rent it at recommended shops in Boise or Bend.

 Lodging and Dining

Guests have the choice of several types of cabin, some with their own hot tub, as well as rancher suites – lovely, bright, and airy rooms, with individual décor. Silvies is known for its fine but informal dining, featuring beef from the ranch that’s 50% Angus/ 50% Herford cross, free range and 100% grass fed.

If you’re swept away by your initial visit, the ranch has recently introduced a real estate element with off-the-grid “eco-cabins” presenting grand views and easy access to ski trails.

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Jonathan Wiesel

Jonathan began life alpine skiing but fell totally in love with cross-country, after a downhill accident in Austria where he lost his ski suit. (It’s a long story, best related over several hot, highly alcoholic drinks.)
Since then he’s been in the Nordic business as an instructor, international trips planner and guide, trails planner/designer (www.nordicgroupinternational.com), author, writer, and resort owner (Royal Gorge near Lake Tahoe). He’s found that cross-country is fun, social, romantic, grand exercise, takes place in gorgeous surroundings, justifies seconds on desserts, and helps arthritic knees. He’s been known to race, but only on assignment. He’s also come to enjoy modern snowshoes, since mice don’t snack on the rawhide in the off-season.

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