An unseasonably dry and warm January spell has diminished an already thin base and subsequent storms have not dropped enough snow to reverse that trend, Neaves said.

And to make matters worse, Neaves said a person or persons on a four wheeler drove around gates closing the Forest Service roads to motor vehicles.

“It’s bad. It really looks like somebody deliberately vandalized every inch of trail we had groomed up there,” Neaves said. “The ruts are almost a foot deep in places and the snow has set up like concrete… I nearly flipped the snowmobile trying to run it over the trail to knock down the tracks.”

Annie Creighton, Neaves’ girlfriend and another avid Nordic skier, discovered the messed up trails a couple of weeks ago, Neaves said.

“She called me on her cell phone after she saw what they’d done and said ‘You’re not going to believe what’s happened,’” Neaves said.

Neaves spearheaded the Como Trails effort with Randy Leavell, his friend and the owner of Valley Bicycles, after working for several years to find just the right place in the valley where there were suitable roads in an area that typically held snow for much of the winter.

And the pair was pumped when the Forest Service gave Como Trails the nod of approval in December. Prior to that they’d been working on the plan with officials at the Darby Ranger District of the Bitterroot National Forest and putting it out for public comment.

Nobody offered any negative feedback on the plan, Neaves said.

With Como Trails, Neaves and Leavell set out to offer about 30 miles of groomed skiing on roads 550, 550A, 13201 and 13200, which climbs out of the boat ramp parking lot on the southeast end of Como Lake. Como Trails is groomed for skate skiing and, unlike many Nordic skiing locations, allows dogs.

Neaves said he’d been trying to track the area’s use since the winter started and he estimated that, during the month it was skiable, Como Trails was seeing a handful of skiers each weekday and as many as 30 skiers on a typical weekend.

Still, Neaves and Leavell both said they figured there would be some bumps in starting the Como Trails project.

“We knew the first year was going to be tough,” Neaves said.

Both men said they thought some of first-year rough patches could be due to the fact that it was a new arrangement.

“People just don’t know it’s there,” Leavell said. “And maybe people thought of that as their area.”

While technically, as public land, it is everybody’s area, it is a crime to drive a vehicle past a Forest Service gate marked to prohibit motorized traffic.

Officials with the Bitterroot National Forest said they were investigating the incident but declined to comment further.

Leavell said he hoped people would understand that adding a first-class cross-country ski area would attract visitors to the Bitterroot Valley, something that should only boost Ravalli County’s struggling economy.

Neaves agreed.

Since word about the area spread through a December article in the Ravalli Republic, “we’ve been hearing from people from all over the Northwest… wondering ‘where can we get lodging?’” Neaves said. “I’ve had to call them all up and say we’ve got no snow. It’s lucky that we have Chief Joseph where there is more snow.”

Plans to have the Como Trails offer a Nordic skiing component for Darby’s Winterfest 2010 celebration on Saturday had to be scrapped. Instead, a separate Winterfest skiing event is tentatively scheduled for Sunday.

In the meantime, Neaves said he and the other skiers will be doing their snow dance.

“All we need is one good dump and we’ll be back grooming up there,” Neaves said.

Log on to RavalliRepublic.com to comment on this and other stories.

Reporter Sepp Jannotta can be reached at 363-3300 or sjannotta@ravallirepublic.com.

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oregon111 wrote on Feb 27, 2010 9:55 PM:

" judging by some of the comments, it seems the hillbilly redneck culture is thriving in Montana "

oregon111 wrote on Feb 27, 2010 9:51 PM:

" allows dogs???
pretty soon your trails will look like an unflushed toilet - just like the Trillium lake area by mt Hood

Also, have fun getting charged while going downhill

All dogs must be banned "

35 years wrote on Feb 6, 2010 11:34 PM:

" When something negative happens that supports your agenda respond with out-sized righteous indignation. When something negative happens that undermines your agenda, claim its a conspiracy by the other side to make yours look bad. If someone with a different opinion starts to sound like they are making sense, its because they are using tricks. When rationality itself becomes another trick of the devil to deceive, you have a mind hermetically sealed to new information and ready to be led anywhere. Welcome to the brave new world of information silos unreachable by the "main stream media" and their "so-called facts." "

Boberto wrote on Feb 4, 2010 7:45 PM:

" Whiner. I stole a snowman's nose, and put it on his forhead. Part snowman, part unicorn. Snownicorn. Snow vandalism at it's best. "

Whiner wrote on Feb 4, 2010 11:22 AM:

" How do you vandalize snow???? "

Really wrote on Feb 3, 2010 12:49 PM:

" I'm still just trying to figure out how you can nearly flip a snowmobile in an "almost" foot deep rut. It really is to bad that something like this happened. However, is the over dramatization really necessary? "

Sharon wrote on Feb 3, 2010 9:11 AM:

" Harold is right, the organization he mentioned is the FBI Top 10 List of domestic terrorism, and has members in Montana who have been convicted of domestic terrorism. "

Harold wrote on Feb 2, 2010 6:41 PM:

" I sincerily hope that none of the before mentioned groups are active in the Valley, and I seriously doubt that they were actively involved in the ski trail vandalism, but if you are in doubt that they do exist, just research Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and Environmental Rangers, which is affiliated with ELF. They are both active in Montana, and they both have an interesting status with the FBI and Homeland Security. "

jlb wrote on Feb 2, 2010 5:50 PM:

" it is probably cc because it's obvious he has no morals or ethics because that's all he ever has to say so you know what they say when you get told you have no morals or ethics over and over you begin to repeat it to other people and it's obvious that is all he ever has to say so cc get some morals and ethics "

Joe wrote on Feb 2, 2010 2:12 PM:

" Hey Evelyn, it makes no difference to C.C. if the Como area can be accessed by others. Darby is vilified even if the perp is from Hamilton or Missoula and just happens to drive through Darby. "

Harold wrote on Feb 2, 2010 2:09 PM:

" Responding to "My Eyes" you are right, it's probably just some bufoon. The thing I mentioned would be more in the area of sabotage, not terrorism.
It does occur.

At any rate, Neaves has done a good thing, and his efforts are not harmful in any way. "

Evelyn wrote on Feb 2, 2010 1:39 PM:

" This is to "Concerned Citizen". - Since when are roads around Lake Como, Darby? The last time I looked you could get there from both the North and the South. "

My Eyes Have Been Opened wrote on Feb 2, 2010 1:21 PM:

" I assumed Boberto was making an attempt at humor...I even smiled on reading it.

Harold, however, has grabbed that ball and run with it. By this logic, the true acts of eco-terrorism (tree spiking, destruction of logging machinery, etc.) were actually done by LOGGERS trying to make environmentalists look bad! Why did I not see it before?

Thanks for your insight Harold. "

Harold wrote on Feb 2, 2010 11:43 AM:

" Boberto, I hope the investigation is thorough, there's a good chance that you're right on this. There has been a great deal of this in Washington and Idaho, it's ecoterorrism. The eco groups will go to any length to further their agenda. The tactic of tearing up trails this way will focus public attention on careless forest users, and away from the ecoterrorist groups. It's a form of deception.

The bottom line, they don't want anyone in the forests. "

Boberto wrote on Feb 1, 2010 9:05 PM:

" Maybe this was done by someone who wants to ban ATV's from the forest. Maybe MOST of the damage we hear about is. "

Kirk I wrote on Feb 1, 2010 7:42 PM:

" To the person on the wheeler who wrecked this trail, STOP! I own two and your making us Ill look like idiots. It wont be long and we wont be able to ride them anywhere. Go and spin-up your dads property and see what happens. Sorry guys you just cant fix stupid! "

Local Yokel wrote on Feb 1, 2010 4:34 PM:

" Citizen,

There seems to be an insatiable appetite for conspiracy around the Bitterroot. It doesn't matter if it involves the lab, the local politicians, the cops, the courts, the forest service, the elk herd, or even ... GASP ... local people trying to do a free local service for everyone that wants to ski. It just doesn't matter; some posters need to see the dark side in anything, real or imagined. "

John wrote on Feb 1, 2010 2:36 PM:

" Dear Ya,

The Forest Service has similar agreements on other National Forests. Some are with snowmobile clubs to groom snowmobile trails and some are with cross-country groups that groom trails for skiing. All are for public use. Trails groomed for skate skiing can't also be used for four wheeling or even snowmobiling. They rough up the surface to the point its not usable for skate skiing and fill in the tracks for classic cross country skiing. "

Citizen wrote on Feb 1, 2010 1:52 PM:

" Confused and Concerned, first the road is gated to keep non authorized motorized traffic out. The ski club has the authorization to go beyond the gate, the same as say a logger might get when they are working a timber sale for a certain area. The road isn't only there for the ski club but for all. The groomer is allowed to go beyond the gate to do its job which is to groom the trail for x-country skiers. There is no conspiracy here and don't understand why some of you are trying so hard to cook one up. The only problem here is that someone went beyon the gate on a vehicle that was not authorized or approved to do so and it wrecked the hard work of others. Confused I am sure if you took the time to read one of the thousands of signs next to gates you would gain a better understanding as to why they are closed. "

K.L. wrote on Feb 1, 2010 1:31 PM:

" The Como Ski Trails are "PUBLIC" OPEN TO ALL persons to SKI FOR FREE. The roads behind the gates are closed to unauthorized motor use during the winter season. The ONLY motorized users supposed to be beyond those gates are AUTHORIZED. The GROOMERS of the The Como Trails ARE AUTHORIZED. A person or persons WITHOUT authorization drove from a private property access point behind those gates. They used the roads that EVERYONE ELSE IS KEPT OUT OF, for their own pleasure at everyone elses expense. What they did benefitted only themselves. At least Como Trails offers SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE FOR FREE during the winter season. The Como Trails will our local economy by bringing to Darby & Hamilton people from out of state and out of town, to stay in local hotels, shop at local stores, eat at local restaurants, buy local gas, etc. ALL THIS AT NO COST TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. This is all at the expense of the individuals who choose to donate money for operating expenses. They are paying the cost so that they AND you, the general public, can enjoy this for FREE! Say thank you! THANK YOU!!! "

Davet wrote on Feb 1, 2010 11:30 AM:

" Confused--don't be. It's called a permit to try something positive. Probably comes with a key to the gate to groom. "

Cathy Locatelli wrote on Feb 1, 2010 11:11 AM:

" The grooming and work that Tony, Annie, and Randy have done to give nordic skiers a close place to ski has been an awesome gift. I've skied the trails many times since the conception and enjoyed watching families, and beginner skiers join in the fun. I have so enjoyed bringing my dog with me and left the worries of the looming economy behind. Hopefully the snow will come so the grooming can begin again. Thank You Tony, Annie and Randy! "

rocket scientist wrote on Feb 1, 2010 11:08 AM:

" The nordic club has an agreement that allows them to groom. The gate has a lock. It opens with a key. "

Ya wrote on Feb 1, 2010 10:31 AM:

" CC I agree there is no way these skiers should be allowed to use the public road for there private ski area..im glad we see it the same way !!!Where are the morals of these people??? "

Love to ski wrote on Feb 1, 2010 10:17 AM:

" There are many places to snowmobile and drive 4-wheelers. It would be nice to have a few places where we could have ski trails. I would like to see motorized traffic notice and respect cross country ski tracks. We usually make tracks on the side of a snowed in road, and it seems like snowmobiles, cars, and 4-wheelers deliberately drive on our tracks. I think there is room for all of us if we respect one another. Good luck on the Como ski trail project. I think it is a great idea and wish it much success in the future. Thanks for posting the story to make us more aware of this project and what it means to our Bitterroot community - year-round multiple use and recreation for us and visitors. "

REBECCA wrote on Feb 1, 2010 10:11 AM:

" I imagine he was given a key or permission to go beyond the gate to groom the trail.

I hope this doesn't happen again. To have a great place to ski here and without any threat of vehicles is a real gift.

Thanks for all your hard work guys. "

Concerned Citizen wrote on Feb 1, 2010 9:23 AM:

" Only in Darby. Another ISOLATED incident. Wake up folks. teach morals and ethics. "

confused wrote on Jan 31, 2010 7:50 PM:

" Okay so I don't understand. If there's a gate on the road how does one take a snowmobile past the gate to groom the trail when it's illegal for any motorized vehicle to pass the gate? Did the FS close the road for everyone except the cross country skiers and their equipment or is it suppose to be closed to all vehicles? Just curious "

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