Sandpoint Winter Riders

03/11/2026

If you get out and ride, be safe out there!

An AVALANCHE WATCH is currently in effect for the Selkirk, West and East Cabinet, Purcell, and Bitterroot Mountains above 4,000 feet.

A potent atmospheric river and strong to extreme winds will produce heavy snowfall across the region and dangerous conditions are developing. Snow totals will be better measured in feet instead of inches. The danger will continue to rise as the storm unfolds. Wind speeds will be on an increasing trend as well, and gusts could reach nearly 70mph tonight and tomorrow morning.

02/05/2026

Winter Riders,
I think it is safe to say that this winter isn’t going the way we all thought it would. Everything from the late summer forecasts to what we saw in the mountains throughout the fall sure tricked us! We got all the moisture we could ever want and then some, it has just been a few degrees too warm to make snow. We’ve had low snow years in the past, but even the long-time resident locals that have lived here for more than 50 years can’t remember a year when we had a lower snowpack. We were up Schweitzer a week ago and they told us that they haven’t ran the Idyle-Our T-bar over to little blue all season. I know a few of you are still getting out there though and I love seeing it! We have some real die-hards in our sled community and I have to hand it to you – you don’t let a little gravel or brush stop you from laying down some tracks. North Idaho still has good spots if you know where to look, even when we don’t have the coverage we’d like to see. On the note of getting out there and getting it done, I’d like to shout out John and his crew, they brushed a lot of trail up Pack River recently and put a lot of work into trying to keep our trails open, so thank you John!!
In terms of events, our breakfast burrito feed on January 11th was by all accounts a success, and all the credit goes to Anna for cooking and Geoff at Sandpoint Marine and Motorsports for sponsoring! We received an additional membership and $42 in donations for the general fund. The next event is supposed to be our upcoming snow scramble, and it was originally scheduled for February 21st, but after seeing the current conditions and no guarantee of snow within the next two weeks, the club made the decision to postpone it until March 7th when we have our end of season bash scheduled. As we get closer to March, we will keep a close eye on conditions and coordinate grooming with Bonner County. If it looks like there isn’t enough snow to groom trestle creek by that time, we will have to cancel the snow scramble and raffle, so bust out some snow dances!
Hopefully everyone saw my last email about Seth Johnson and his tragic passing. The club decided to keep the donations going until the snow scramble and to match up to $400 in donations, so if you can, please head over to our club QR code and give a little to help out his family – they appreciate anything and it will go a long ways to help them get through this difficult time.
The last point of business is that we will have officer positions coming up for election at our March meeting. After several years of leading the club and keeping us on track, Mike and Chris are both going to step down after this season, so if you see them out and about please give them a heartfelt Thank You for giving their time and effort to the club the last few years. Right now the following positions will be up for elections:
President – Open, Eric Kedish has been nominated
VP – Open, no nominations, Eric will vacate VP if elected President or is willing to run again as VP
Secretary – Nominations open
Treasurer – Nominations open, Corie Laude has offered to run again if there are no new nominations.
Details for each of the positions’ duties will be available at the March meeting – all in all the different positions have a limited time commitment, usually just a few hours a month during the winter so it isn’t too bad and we get to help our local snowmobile community.
Upcoming club events:
4 March – Last club meeting of the year – Officer Elections!
7 March – ‘For All The Marbles’ snow scramble and raffle @ Trestle Creek (if conditions allow)
Following our last events of the year we typically try to put on an ATV run in the spring and the fall to do some trail cleanup and brushing. If we have our grant application straightened out with the Forest Service by then there may be some club reimbursement involved with those runs as well, plus it is always a good time to get out and enjoy our public lands.
Speaking of ATVs, I’m going to bite the bullet and de-winterize all my summer toys this week – that should get some snowflakes flying!
See you on the hill,
VP Eric

Idaho State Snowmobile Association: www.idahosnow.org
Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center: www.idahopanhandleavalanche.org
Sandpoint Winter Riders Facebook: www.facebook.com/sandpointwinterriders
SWR squarespace link:
https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLGQ64X1JHWH6/checkout/DB23HX6RH5B7W6LKUDQB675D?src=qr

Sandpoint Winter Riders membership. Single $30 Family $40 Business $80

01/22/2026

Winter Riders,

It is with a heavy heart that I am sending you this message on behalf of the club. Over last weekend we lost a local snowmobiler to a tragic accident near Roman Nose - an area we all know well. Seth Johnson was only 35, and not just an avid snowmobiler, he was a Husband, a Father, and a friend to many. We all accept that there is a certain amount of risk any time we ride, but Seth's time with his family and community was cut too short and has left a hole that can never be filled. While his loss will be felt forever, what we can do is honor his memory and try to support his loved ones, which is why I'm writing you now. If there is anything I know about our community in North Idaho, it is that we take care of our own better than anyone - and this is a chance to step up as fellow sledders and put our best foot forward. Through January 31st, any money that comes through the club's membership link or QR code will be considered a donation, and we will deliver 100% of the donations to the family on behalf of SWR. Alternatively, the family has a go fund me set up, so if you feel more inclined to help them out via that method please do so.

You can ignore the membership verbiage on the QR code link and input any amount you would like, any donation during this time is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your support,

VP Eric

SWR membership link for donations:
https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLGQ64X1JHWH6/checkout/DB23HX6RH5B7W6LKUDQB675D?src=qr

Go fund me:
https://gofund.me/debd4e1c9

01/08/2026

01/08/2026

Winter Riders,

Winter is finally here and boy are we ready to ride! Snow reports in the high country sound promising, especially after the snow this week. We had a good turnout at our meeting tonight, so thank you to everyone who made it. For those that couldn’t be there, I’ll give a quick rundown of what is happening with SWR: Gabe from the Friends of IPAC was there to share with us about what they have going on around North Idaho as well as what they are seeing in our snowpack – the bottom line is that avy danger is high right now so be careful and make good decisions about where you ride on the hill. In addition to their observations, they also put on several motorized specific avalanche courses throughout the year for a modest fee, so be sure to check them out if you haven’t done a course or need a refresher. In addition to Gabe’s presentation, The Forest Service confirmed that lightning creek will not be accessible or groomed this year, so we are down to only having trestle creek as an access point. Across the valley the Jeru loop road up Pack River had another landslide which took out the rest of the upper road, making it impossible to get a sled through the full loop. The main pack river road has been cleaned up, but the Jeru loop and Jeru ridge will only be accessible from the south end which connects at the main parking lot.

In terms of club business, we made some changes to the BBQ this Sunday, January 11th. Since Pack River has low snow coverage and road issues, we moved the event to Trestle Creek and have changed it to doing breakfast burritos, so swing in on your way up the hill for an extra bite to eat – This event is being sponsored by Sandpoint Marine and Motorsports, so big shout out to them for helping make this happen. The other piece of club business that was brought up and passed was a budget of up to $500 to spend on items for the club raffle on February 21st. There will be a bunch of great stuff given out, but the only way to win the raffle is to be there!

On the access front, it looks like the Over the Snow Vehicle Use Map (OSVUM) is still being held by an injunction, but as soon as that is lifted, the IPNF will likely move forward with implementation, so stay tuned as it will impact where we can legally ride. As a side note to access, we all need to continue to be respectful of other users and land owners in the mountains – specifically when riding up around Roman Nose, we need to keep an eye out for the snow observation area utilized by IPAC (and avoid riding through it). We also need to stay on the road when crossing private timberlands as well. Shared use is a goal we all have in common, and the best way we continue to have access is by working with – not against – those who live, work, and play in the mountains with us.

Upcoming club events:

11 January – Breakfast Burritos @ Trestle Creek Parking lot

21 February – ‘For All The Marbles’ snow scramble and raffle @ Trestle Creek

7 March – End of season Taco bash @ Moose Lake Warming Hut

Last but certainly not least, Cody confirmed for us that the Fully Loaded Trucking Avalanche BeaconTest Station is indeed working up Trestle Creek, so stop on your way past and ensure your beacon is beeping!

See you on the hill,

VP Eric



Idaho State Snowmobile Association: www.idahosnow.org

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center: www.idahopanhandleavalanche.org

Sandpoint Winter Riders Facebook: www.facebook.com/sandpointwinterriders

Snowmobile and Snowbike Club in Sandpoint, Idaho.
An Idaho State Snowmobile Association Club.
This is a PUBLIC Facebook site. **
Groomer reports and club information can be found at

https://www.bonnercountyid.gov/winter-activities

**

12/26/2025

If you are headed out in search of fresh snow this weekend have fun but ride safe!

12/18/2025

Hey everyone! I want to share an update following the recent rains and flooding we experienced in regards to impacts on our riding season. The lightning creek drainage experienced several washouts and loss of bridges, so we do not expect it to be groomed this season. The moose lake warming hut is still going to be accessible from the trestle creek side.

Upper pack river also experienced a road failure on Jeru Loop which is typically groomed. Near the north end of the loop, the road bed washed out and slid across the main pack river road. The main road should be getting cleared of debris, however the section of Jeru loop that washed out will not be getting repaired this winter. The fault lake trailhead will still be accessible, as well as 99% of the loop so access to Jeru ridge will still be possible when snow conditions allow.

It looks like snow is in the forecast, so we will see you on the hill or at our next meeting January 7th at the Farmhouse; 6pm for social hour and 7pm for the meeting.

VP Eric

12/05/2025

Winter Riders,
Happy Holidays! It looks like our 25-26 season is going to get started in the very near future with a little snow on the ground and more on the way this week. If you couldn’t make it to the membership meeting on December 3rd, we are sorry that we missed you, but don’t fret, I’ll get you up to speed with what we have going on. I do want to give 2 quick shout outs before diving in though – firstly, when I went and checked on the warming hut last month and found it surprisingly well stocked, it turns out that the Holt brothers had snuck in and delivered a load of firewood. Make sure you high five Jeff and Mark if you see them and say thanks for keeping us warm up there this year. Secondly, Cody is hooking us up and replenishing the batteries in the Fully Loaded Trucking avalanche beacon test station up Trestle Creek (which is graciously hosted on private property thanks to Grey Whittier) – so thank you Cody! Now, on to our events;
Our Christmas party is this coming weekend, Saturday December 6th in Sagle at 248 Chevy Street behind Badger Building Center at 6pm. As is longstanding tradition, the event is a potluck dinner, BYOB, and a white elephant gift exchange for adults and children. The suggested price range for the white elephant is in the neighborhood of $25. HUGE shoutout to Justin for being generous and smoking the meat again for us this year! It is going to be a fun event, and we want to thank the Sandpoint All Star Cheerleaders for opening their gym for us to use for the evening.
After we ring in 2026, we have several rides planned for the year – each of which will have FOOD! Kicking us off will be a BBQ up Pack River on Sunday, January 11th to deconflict with IPAC’s avalanche course up trestle creek on the 10th. We plan on BBQing either in the parking lot or up in the gravel pit below Jeru Loop – we will see what the conditions allow. Sandpoint Marine & Powersports graciously offered to sponsor the event – so stop in and say thank you the next time you are in need of oil or parts!
February 21st is our main event, that will be our snow scramble up Trestle Creek with a BBQ and general raffle to follow. Last year we saw a TON of great prizes being given out and I’m sure this year will be no different. That being said, we can always use more items to raffle off so if you would like to donate anything from gift cards to gloves, goggles, shirts, wine, ect, we would greatly appreciate the support in making the raffle a success.
The last event of the year for us is up Trestle Creek again on March 7th, and this time it will be a taco feed! Last year our taco feed worked out really well so we plan on doing it again to close out the year on a high note.
On the grooming front, the county is prepped and ready for the season and will be putting in for a grant for a pickup to use in conjunction with the groomer program, and they are also working on building a groomer hut up trestle creek that is adjacent to the current parking lot. This is going to be a little bit of a lift as there are planning requirements that need to be satisfied before it can happen, but don’t be surprised when you see progress in the future. Speaking of progress, John also reconfirmed with the Forest Service that the OSVUM maps will be getting signed and published in the near future – so please be aware of those changes when they are implemented. It also sounds like there will still be logging happening up Falls creek and Ruby creek this year, so Snow creek remains the only sure bet to access Roman Nose. Last year Falls and Ruby creek were supposed to be open on the weekends, but we will have to be flexible until they finish up the timber projects happening up there.
Lastly, IPAC is starting up their avalanche forecasts, so keep an eye out of them on facebook or download the Avalanche Forecast app on your smartphone to get the most current updates. IPAC has an on-the-snow courses available as well, so get in touch with them if you need a refresher before hitting the hills!

I hope we see you at the Christmas party and out on the hill this year – bring a friend out and show them why we love it when it snows!
VP Eric

Idaho State Snowmobile Association: www.idahosnow.org
Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center: www.idahopanhandleavalanche.org
Sandpoint Winter Riders Facebook: www.facebook.com/sandpointwinterriders

Snowmobile and Snowbike Club in Sandpoint, Idaho.
An Idaho State Snowmobile Association Club.
This is a PUBLIC Facebook site. **
Groomer reports and club information can be found at

https://www.bonnercountyid.gov/winter-activities

**

11/08/2025

Sandpoint Winter Riders,
We had our winter 25-26 kickoff meeting on November 5th and had the opportunity to reconnect with our members as well as line out what looks to be a VERY fun season this year. Due to scheduling conflicts and member availability, we didn’t have the opportunity to complete our normal fall clean up run to the Moose Lake warming hut – but this morning I was able to make a quick drive up Trestle Creek and have good news to report. To begin with, the avalanche beacon check station sponsored by Fully Loaded Trucking survived the summer and is in great shape! Cody Walker graciously volunteered to head up and refresh the battery for this season, so don’t forget to stop and make sure you are beeping this year and make sure to thank Cody if you see him out and about. The Moose Lake warming hut and restroom are fully stocked and looking good. There are several fun messages in the log books and on the chalk board – so if you were one of the people over the summer who stopped in, I want to just say thank you for keeping the hut clean and taking good care of that public resource. Finishing out the loop, I wanted to scope out the area that burned next to Lightening creek road. The appropriately named Lightening Creek Fire burned through a scar from the 2018 Cougar fire and ended up at an official 2,522 acres. From my point of view, the fire looks to have opened up a lot of terrain that runs from the road all the way to the top of the ridge in places, so once we have appropriate coverage, it may be worth checking out if you are into tree riding and hill climbs.
As I mentioned, we set some dates for this season’s events, beginning with reaffirming that our meetings are the first Wednesday of the month with social hour starting at 6 PM and the meeting start at 7 PM. The Farm House Kitchen in Ponderay agreed to let us continue to use the space for our meetings, so we hope to see you all there! The next event is our annual Christmas Party on the 6th of December at the Sandpoint Sparks All Star gym behind Badger Building Center in Sagle. Then in January we have a BBQ and/or taco feed planned for the Highland Flats warming hut. Our Snow scramble ’For All the Marbles’ will be held on February 21st up Trestle Creek along with our safety raffle. Lastly, we will have one last BBQ as an end of the year bash either at Highland Flats or at Trestle Creek on March 7th.
John Finey, our representative to the groomer board reported that we are in a good place for grooming this year and the county had a second drag delivered, so depending on the snow conditions there is now more equipment to deploy to keep our trails ship shape this year. In addition, John also reported that we can expect the new Over Snow Vehicle Use Maps that the Forest Service proposed last year to be implemented in the near future, provided there is no further litigation. As always, make sure you have a current map and respect closure areas, we don’t want to give any ammunition to those who wish to see our riding areas shrink even further.
As we inch closer to winter, don’t forget to renew your club membership and purchase your registration stickers, and if it has been awhile since your last refresher – check out IPAC’s schedule of events to brush up on avalanche awareness. They have an upcoming hour long course on November 13th at the Alpine shop in Sandpoint at 6 PM and many more scheduled throughout the year. In addition to education, I highly recommend the avalanche forecast app on your smartphone. It is an easy way to stay updated on snow conditions so you can make good decisions on the hill.

Looking forward to an EPIC North Idaho winter with everyone, see you out there!

VP Eric

Idaho State Snowmobile Association: www.idahosnow.org
Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center: www.idahopanhandleavalanche.org
Sandpoint Winter Riders Facebook: www.facebook.com/sandpointwinterriders

11/06/2025

With winter right around he corner, now is the time to start thinking about safety while travelling in the backcountry. Join us for one of our FREE avalanche classes in North Idaho. We'll cover topics such as safety gear, rescue techniques, and hazard recognition/avoidance followed by a day out on the snow putting it into practice. Register today at https://reced.idaho.gov/