Editor:

I rarely read the sports section of the Chieftain, but I couldn’t help noticing the “Winterfest still a go with no snow” article.

I found the first sentence particularly amusing: “Though the season’s dismal snowfall hasn’t been welcoming to organizers of the 2008 Winterfest….”

I just checked the NRCS data base. Snow water equivalents are at or above the 30-year averages for this time of year at both the Mt. Howard and Aneroid Lake Sno-Tel sights. I can attest from personal observation that this is, indeed, an above-average snow year for skiing. I have yet to hear a single snowmobiler complain of lack of snow.

For once, there may actually be enough snow to start the dogsled races at Wallowa Lake–but not, as usual, in downtown Joseph.

The article might better have been titled: “Unrealistic expectations not met again this year.”

Persistent, deep snowfalls have been rare in the Joseph and Enterprise areas for at least the last ten years, yet the promoters of Winterfest can’t seem to help but blame the weather for their poor understanding of local weather patterns. If you want snow at the rodeo grounds in Joseph, it would be a good idea to plan on bringing it in from elsewhere or making it in place.

This wouldn’t bother me too much if I weren’t involved in Ferguson Ridge Ski Area. When the Chieftain incorrectly reports that we are having a “dismal” snow year, it affects our attendance. I’m sure that the folks that run the backcountry ski camps are also overjoyed by this article–not to mention the other local businesses that count on skiers, snowmobilers and other winter sport enthusiasts.

Timm Turrentine

Enterprise