STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Sawtooth Ski Club aims to celebrate another year of grooming ski trails near Stanley with its annual Sawtooth Ski Festival.

…..First up is the Chili Feed and Poker Run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 7, on the Park Creek Trails several miles west of Stanley on Highway 21.

Ski Club members will serve up an array of chilis, from elk chili to white chicken chili, along with homemade cookies and brownies. And Nordic skiers and snowshoers may pick up cards as they ski and snowshoe around the trails to see if they can field a winning poker hand.

The winner gets a pair of snowshoes!

…..The fun will continue Saturday evening with Apres Ski at the Rod and Gun Club in Stanley from 5 to 7 p.m.

There’ll be a no host bar, complimentary pizza, snacks and fun celebrations.

……It’s back to the ski tracks on Sunday for the Soup Kitchen Social from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 8, on the Alturas Trails just north of Smiley Creek.

Ski Club members will serve up a variety of homemade soups from tortellini to minestrone, along with focaccia bread, homemade cookies and bars and mimosas, wine and beer.

Donations for the chili feed and soup kitchen will help pay for grooming on the trails. Those who can’t attend the chili or soup social but would like to donate to keep the magic of the trails alive may do so at https://sawtoothskiclub.com/499-2/.

The Sawtooth Ski Club does not charge for passes; it relies on a donation box at the trailheads. The Sawtooth Society’s Mountain Goat License Plate Grant program kept the Park Creek trailhead plowed this winter.

Other partners included the Blaine County Recreation District, the City of Stanley and the U.S. Forest Service/SNRA.