Cross-Country Ski Tours: Washington's North Cascades (2nd Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Good, but environmentally disturbing...
Review: This book helped me out a lot in terms of finding areas to ski in when I first moved to Washington from Montana. However, some of the dialogue disturbed me, as I am a cross-country skier who also works for an organization that fights for the elimination of catastrophically damaging logging techniques. One quote is as follows: "In the rosy glow of the 1980s, it seemed that the overcutting of timber on forest lands was, if anything, a boon to the cross-country skier: more forest roads to explore in the winter, more clearcuts for downhill runs, and easier access to high meadows." At one point, it even described clearcuts to be "picturesque." I see clearcuts as the rape of the land, and because I learned how to cross country ski on narrow trails used for hiking in the summer rather than forest service roads, many of the descriptions turn me off to areas rather than draw me in. Where can I ski in a truly wild area, enclosed by frosted trees?

Rating:
Summary: Good, but environmentally disturbing...
Review: This book helped me out a lot in terms of finding areas to ski in when I first moved to Washington from Montana. However, some of the dialogue disturbed me, as I am a cross-country skier who also works for an organization that fights for the elimination of catastrophically damaging logging techniques. One quote is as follows: "In the rosy glow of the 1980s, it seemed that the overcutting of timber on forest lands was, if anything, a boon to the cross-country skier: more forest roads to explore in the winter, more clearcuts for downhill runs, and easier access to high meadows." At one point, it even described clearcuts to be "picturesque." I see clearcuts as the rape of the land, and because I learned how to cross country ski on narrow trails used for hiking in the summer rather than forest service roads, many of the descriptions turn me off to areas rather than draw me in. Where can I ski in a truly wild area, enclosed by frosted trees?