Winter Sports

Winter has arrived in the Methow Valley. Grab your skis, snowshoes, sleds, or skates and get outside.

Downhill skiing and boarding
Nordic Skiing
Snowshoeing
Ice Skating
Sledding/Tubbing
Gear Rental and Lessons

Downhill Skiing/Boarding

Loup Loup Ski Area

picture-001_2.jpg30 minutes from the valley on Highway 20 going towards Okanogan is the Loup Loup Ski Area.
The Loup offers 10 runs and 1,240 vertical feet. Rates are $36 for an adult all day pass.

Backcountry

The Methow offers great backcountry skiing. One of the more popular places to go is the Highway 20 corridor.
As the highway shuts down in the winter, these places are only accessable via snowmobile and your own legs. Those with a litte more cash and a desire to really get out there
can fly with North Cascades Heli-Skiing.

Nordic Skiing

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MVSTA

The Methow Valley Sports Trails Association maintains almost 200 km of ski trails during the winter. The trails run across a variety of private, State, and Federal Land and encompass a variety of terrain. The trails are divided into three basic areas:

  • Sun Mountain, with 13k easiest, 23k more difficult, and 18k most difficult trails
  • Rendezvous, with 23k more difficult and 25k most difficult trails
  • Mazama, with 28k easiest, 4k more difficult, and 1 k most difficult

These areas are connected to the 30k Methow Valley Community Trail running from Winthrop to Mazama.
Costs start at $18 for an adult day pass, $250 for an individual seasons pass. Visit MVSTA for more info.

Loup Loup summit trails
  • On the North Summit, trails begin from the Loup Loup Ski area. A $10 daily fee gives you 22k of groomed trails to explore.
  • On the South Summit, trails begin from the Sno-park. For $9 daily or $21 for the season, 46k of groomed trails are available for skiing.

For more information visit the Loup Loup Nordic Skiing page.

Free skiing

MVSTA does offer three free trails: Big Valley (4k and 8k loops), Lunachick (1.6k), and Cougar Bait 3.6k to Heifer Hut). If you don’t mind snowmobiles, the closed portion of Highway 20 west of Mazama is also available. This is good choice early season since it becomes skiable before most of the valley trails do.

Snowshoeing

MVSTA

MVSTA offers several dedicated snowshoe trails. A $3 snowshoe pass or a valid ski pass is required. Like the Ski trails, the snowshoe trails are divided into three areas:

  • Mazama, with 6 trails
  • Rendezvous, with 1 trail, which is free
  • Sun Mountain, with 9 trails
  • Methow Community Trail, with 2 trails, both are free

Ice Skating

The new ice skating rink is now open.  It is located near Winthrop Physical Therapy on the south side of town.

Sledding/Tubing

Loup Loup Ski Area rents tubes and has a dedicated tubing area.

Gear Rental and Lessons

Rentals and lessons are available from the following places:

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