Alpine Cat Jamboree / Joseph, Oregon / Jan 10th-12th

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Alpine Cat Jamboree 2020
Dates: Jan 10th, 11th and 12th (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)

So it sounds like there are some great events being planned for mid to latter part of winter. Therefore we are offering this to everyone that are itching to get on the snow asap. Alpine Cat Tours Inc. (previously known as Vintage Snow Cats Inc.) and Wallowa Alpine Huts have decided to put on a 3 day event in the mountains of Joseph, Oregon. Major sponsor of this event is Tucker Sno Cat Corporation. Other sponsors are noted on the bottom of the event poster.

Day 1: Friday morning (the 10th ) we will be meeting at Ferguson Ridge Ski Area and we will be taking over the Ski area which will give all the cats plenty of time and different terrain to play on. The public will also be welcome to view the machines, and if drivers are willing, possibly go for rides.

Day 2: Everybody will be caravanning in their sno cats up the back side of Mt. Howard to the summit for an epic view overlooking Wallowa Lake and the rugged Wallowa Mountains.

Day 3: We will be going on an extended sno cat cruise out to the Salt Creek Summit overlooking beautiful Hells Canyon.

I, Alpine Cat Tours Inc. (previously known as Vintage Snow Cats) and Wallowa Alpine Huts, have been working closely with US Forest Service and the politicians of Wallowa county and have been asked if we can put on a winter event to bring another activity to the area. It’s been a fun journey building relationships with the local leadership and the US Forest Service and gaining their support. They have granted us the proper permission and permits to run these days on US Forest Service lands. Because this is a community gathering, we have decided not to team up with any restaurants or lodging in particular in an effort to give everyone in town the opportunity to grab a little business. There are many places to stay in Joseph and just a few miles away is another great town, Enterprise. Joseph has places like the Wallowa Lake Lodge and private cabins to rent. Enterprise has larger motels like the Ponderosa Motel. Both towns have many restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

There will be a pre-registration and $75 fee to participate. That is due to the cost of permits and insurance for this event in addition to the donation we will be making to the local snowmobile club for grooming some of the terrain that we will be running the night before. Anybody and everybody is invited… you must just pre-register for the event by Friday, December 27th. What you get for the $75 is the driver and cat entry, event t-shirt and poster, and also a goodie bag. If you have anyone coming with you (the pre-registered driver) that may want an event t-shirt, you must notify me at pre-registration and tell me the size of t-shirt and they can be purchased for an additional $15. Spectators and passengers are free. To pre-register, you must email me directly at jesse@alpinecattours.com so I can get the proper information. There will be a paypal set up to take payment which I will supply to you once you email and register.

Any and all makes and models of over snow vehicles are welcome. Any questions can be made by replying to this thread, by sending me a pm here or emailing me at jesse@alpinecattours.com . A secondary contact would be Clyde Moody with Tucker Corp at clyde@sno-cat.com

This will be a one time opportunity to run in some very unique and beautiful territory. We thought this would be a wonderful place for everyone like-minded that shares the same love and passion for these snow machines to get together and have some fun. If this event is a success and people enjoyed it we will shoot for making changes, additions, and improvements if needed, and making it an annual event.

A little information about Joseph, Oregon:
Joseph, Oregon is located on the north side of the Wallowa Whitman Range and is also known as “Little Alps”. Joseph, Oregon sits on the edge of the mountains, minutes from Wallowa Lake and the popular Wallowa Lake Tram which runs to the top of Mt. Howard. The town is a quaint town with multiple restaurants, gift shops, local art galleries and a historical museum.

If you have any interest or questions, reply here or use one of the contacts above.

How many miles are each of these trips?

1boringguy said:

How many miles are each of these trips?

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Day 1 is basically going to be just like a playground. You can run as much as you want in the ski area. Terrain varies from flat to impossible hill climbs.

Day 2 will be about an 8 mile round trip up Mount Howard. We will caravan up the steep switchbacks up the back side of Mount Howard.

Day 3 Salt Creek Summit aka Hells Canyon Loop is roughly a 7 mile loop. Terrain is pretty easy going.

Thanks Jesse, Looks great!
Another part of the Northwest that has been on the bucket list.

Have to say, that is a mighty fine looking poster, especially on the right side!!

little Alps you say

Boy, this does sound fun...Thanks for putting in all the effort on it!

tucker said:

Day 1 is basically going to be just like a playground. You can run as much as you want in the ski area. Terrain varies from flat to impossible hill climbs.

Day 2 will be about an 8 mile round trip up Mount Howard. We will caravan up the steep switchbacks up the back side of Mount Howard.

Day 3 Salt Creek Summit aka Hells Canyon Loop is roughly a 7 mile loop. Terrain is pretty easy going.

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To lay out the travel logistics to determine if I can bring my Frandee, could you please provide the approximate start time on Friday, and the approximate end time on Sunday? Thanks.

Who’s planning on going?

Frandee 37 will be there, just made my reservation at an airbnb in Enterprise.

Sno-Surfer said:

Boy, this does sound fun...Thanks for putting in all the effort on it!

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Yeah, it's no problem. Should be fun to get out for an early run with some other sno catters. Hopefully you can make it. The last time we went catting together, you had to pull me several miles with no steering. That was a lot of fun... I still owe you one.

GMoose said:

To lay out the travel logistics to determine if I can bring my Frandee, could you please provide the approximate start time on Friday, and the approximate end time on Sunday? Thanks.

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The start time will probably be sometime around 9am-10am Friday. And as far as an end time, we will probably be running an earlier Sunday run and finishing up sometime right after lunch so people can get a head start on their travel home. Looking forward to seeing you and your machine.

Hey folks, thought I would mention something that may be a benefit to all of you...

I personally have a strong relationship with the US Forest Service from interacting with them for the past couple of years regarding operations that I do in NE Oregon. I am also a member of Search and Rescue. So they know me and are very familiar with my operations but I have seen multiple people on the forums talk about where they can and can't run their sno-cats. With all the restrictions in place for sno-catters this would be a great opportunity to make a presence to show how a group of responsible sno-catters operate and have close to zero environmental impact on the forest.

If you've seen our event poster, you will notice the Forest Service logo... They are supporters of this event and were gracious enough to provide the proper permits to put on this event. I have been notified that a couple heavy hitters from the US Forest Service are going to try and make an appearance to see what normally takes place at these events. They are not attending to be police, rather just observers. They will more than likely be passengers in my sno-cat.

We have had a handful of people pre-register but only a couple people that are members of the forums.

Once again, this could be a good opportunity to make a statement and for us like-minded sno-catters a chance to get together to run our cats early this season. We already have people attending, but the more the merrier!

THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF SNOW

Two things, first do I need to purchase any special permit, and if so where can I get it?

Second, your FS people are more than welcome to ride in and drive the Frandee.

tucker said:

Hey folks, thought I would mention something that may be a benefit to all of you...

I personally have a strong relationship with the US Forest Service from interacting with them for the past couple of years regarding operations that I do in NE Oregon. I am also a member of Search and Rescue. So they know me and are very familiar with my operations but I have seen multiple people on the forums talk about where they can and can't run their sno-cats. With all the restrictions in place for sno-catters this would be a great opportunity to make a presence to show how a group of responsible sno-catters operate and have close to zero environmental impact on the forest.

If you've seen our event poster, you will notice the Forest Service logo... They are supporters of this event and were gracious enough to provide the proper permits to put on this event. I have been notified that a couple heavy hitters from the US Forest Service are going to try and make an appearance to see what normally takes place at these events. They are not attending to be police, rather just observers. They will more than likely be passengers in my sno-cat.

We have had a handful of people pre-register but only a couple people that are members of the forums.

Once again, this could be a good opportunity to make a statement and for us like-minded sno-catters a chance to get together to run our cats early this season. We already have people attending, but the more the merrier!

THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF SNOW

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I won't be able to make this event, but I wanted to sincerely thank you for your efforts and leadership with respect to responsible use of public lands, and putting the best foot forward for the snowcat community.

I am a firm believer that use of any, and all, land you don't personally own is a privilege, not a "right". As such, it is incumbent on us to act responsibly, and treat such land with respect. Failing to do so will almost assuredly result in restrictions and less access.

It is a HUGE pet peeve of mine when I see people acting irresponsibly and disrespecting the land... and it thoroughly pizzes me off. A few idiots will ruin things for the rest of us.

Thank You!

GMoose said:

Two things, first do I need to purchase any special permit, and if so where can I get it?

Second, your FS people are more than welcome to ride in and drive the Frandee.

Click to expand...

All permits and insurance have already been taken care of up front. Your registration covers everything you will need as the driver and your machine. A portion of the registration fee is being donated to the local snowmobile club for helping out with trail prep.

The FS may prefer riding in something besides a Tucker. They are used to my machines. Thanks. Looking forward to the event.

Blackfoot Tucker said:

I won't be able to make this event, but I wanted to sincerely thank you for your efforts and leadership with respect to responsible use of public lands, and putting the best foot forward for the snowcat community.

I am a firm believer that use of any, and all, land you don't personally own is a privilege, not a "right". As such, it is incumbent on us to act responsibly, and treat such land with respect. Failing to do so will almost assuredly result in restrictions and less access.

It is a HUGE pet peeve of mine when I see people acting irresponsibly and disrespecting the land... and it thoroughly pizzes me off. A few idiots will ruin things for the rest of us.

Thank You!

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Thanks for the reply. And yes, I totally agree and understand. Respect is key to be able to continue to do what we love to do. As far as you not making it to the event ...don't sweat it. We will catch up at a different event another time. Take care.

Hi everyone! Merry Christmas!

Just a quick update:
We've had several people reach out recently to register. Just a friendly reminder that we are still taking pre-registrations but we are coming up on the t-shirt deadline. So, if you want to pre-register and be able to still receive the event t-shirt the registry fee includes then you would need to pre-register by this Friday, December 27th. You will still be able to register for the event after this date , however you might not be able to receive the event t-shirt or be able to request a specific size. Quantities will be very limited.

Hope you've all had a great day.

Blackfoot Tucker said:

I won't be able to make this event, but I wanted to sincerely thank you for your efforts and leadership with respect to responsible use of public lands, and putting the best foot forward for the snowcat community.

I am a firm believer that use of any, and all, land you don't personally own is a privilege, not a "right". As such, it is incumbent on us to act responsibly, and treat such land with respect. Failing to do so will almost assuredly result in restrictions and less access.

It is a HUGE pet peeve of mine when I see people acting irresponsibly and disrespecting the land... and it thoroughly pizzes me off. A few idiots will ruin things for the rest of us.

Thank You!

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You are the early event this year and like stated above, Kudos for investing the time to establish the event. I too am unable to attend.

My only outside looking in observation is copied from one of your earlier posts.
You coined the phrase:
"show how a group of responsible sno-catters operate"

I can only offer a suggestion that you bring all the vigilance you can muster. ( eyes in the back of your head, extra people with eyes in the back of their head, ect,) the clowder got off to a great start in the early years and was nearly lost because of a simple rouge act of one cat each of the following 3 years. Ironically it was a different operator each of the years, doing simple, understandably simple acts that appeared innocent upon themselves.

Details of the what the rouge act were, does not benefit the conversation here. the message is simple.
be vigilant of what you told them you are going to do. do it. and do no more. the non-silent sport community has a much different threshold of acceptable use of the *Forest or event grounds* it is a privilege.

the amount of time spent apologizing is 3X the amount it took to get permission in the first place.

Keep up the good work. if the event goes off as good and the marketing you, are set for an awesome time.

redsqwrl said:

You are the early event this year and like stated above, Kudos for investing the time to establish the event. I too am unable to attend.

My only outside looking in observation is copied from one of your earlier posts.
You coined the phrase:
"show how a group of responsible sno-catters operate"

I can only offer a suggestion that you bring all the vigilance you can muster. ( eyes in the back of your head, extra people with eyes in the back of their head, ect,) the clowder got off to a great start in the early years and was nearly lost because of a simple rouge act of one cat each of the following 3 years. Ironically it was a different operator each of the years, doing simple, understandably simple acts that appeared innocent upon themselves.

Details of the what the rouge act were, does not benefit the conversation here. the message is simple.
be vigilant of what you told them you are going to do. do it. and do no more. the non-silent sport community has a much different threshold of acceptable use of the *Forest or event grounds* it is a privilege.

the amount of time spent apologizing is 3X the amount it took to get permission in the first place.

Keep up the good work. if the event goes off as good and the marketing you, are set for an awesome time.

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Yes, I totally agree. Fortunately everybody that has registered at this point seem to be the responsible type. Thanks for the input. We will see how everything goes.

how many have registered and what is the best location to stay at?

JimVT said:

how many have registered and what is the best location to stay at?

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It depends on what type of places you like to stay....the Ponderosa Motel is a decent affordable place to stay in Enterprise. But we also have several people that have grabbed an Airbnb. And as far as the number of registrants ..we have several registered but also have some that have expressed interest but haven't committed yet. When I first organized the event, being our first yr and the first event of the season, I thought if we had 10 cats show up then we would be doing good. I think we will meet or beat that.

But the real question is, is what's your hold up?

Team Thiokol will be there!
From little old Lake Stevens, WA

Okay you guys, the Alpine Cat Jamboree is just days away! Some participants are already on their way due to their long travels. If anybody is wondering, there will be plenty of snow.

It is not too late to let me know if any of you would still like to attend. The only thing you would potentially be missing out on is the event t-shirt and poster as there are limited quantities.

For those of you who have registered- there was a detailed schedule of events emailed to you last night. Make sure to check your email and let me know if you have any questions.

Should be a good time hanging out with everyone and a good turn out for being our first year. Looking forward to it!

good luck guys, looks like you will have lots of fresh snow...

Some great times in Joseph Oregon.

Don’t be shy on those pictures. Pretty sure your conditions will be epic.

Here is a parade of the snow cats today at Salt Creek Summit. Snow conditions were incredible. Many fun play areas, we did 14 miles today.

https://youtu.be/6ZEKNxgD4mQ

Sno-Surfer said:

Don’t be shy on those pictures. Pretty sure your conditions will be epic.

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This might fall under be careful what you wish for.

Hope there are a couple here you like, and not to redundant with everyone else. I missed today's run due to some confusion
so others will surely have more that will include today.

Thanks to our hosts for sharing some great catting.

Looks like a good time by all. I was given a stay at timberline this weekend. if your snow was anything like here, it was wild. I'm just as glad I wasn't trailering the cat today. the road up here was poor, and full of idiots.