Spring 2009

Features

  • Montana Fish Stories

    Whether it’s the quest for monster trout, the search for the Flathead Monster, or the snagging of prehistoric fish, Montana lays claim to some impressive big-fish lore. Here’s a look at some of the best-known Big Sky…
  • Mountain-Bike Trifecta

    By the time May rolls around, most of us are looking forward to the mountain biking season and miles of twisting and turning single-track bliss. The problem is, area trails usually don’t dry out until mid-June. Solution:…

Departments

  • The Tributary Fund

    A fisherman, Buddhist monk, and a blonde meet on a riverbank in Inner Mongolia.This scenario might sound punch-line perfect, but it actually represents the real-life collaboration between anglers, Mongolian monks, and the…
  • Alternative Transportation

    What a Wednesday in Yellowstone! Whether you just need a lift to Mammoth or Old Faithful, or want to stay aboard for an entire day’s guided adventure, a Yellowstone Park shuttle is the way to go.Leaving Bozeman about 7 am,…
  • The Zirdle

    I discovered the Zirdle my first season working at the fly shop. It was hidden in the top row of the streamer bin, on a need-to-know basis. Of course, that prompted my curiosity. On my next day off I fished the bird float (…
  • Trails to Nowhere

    Urban trails may get overlooked, but they help us thrive by offering opportunities for recreation, alternative transportation, and a higher quality of life. It seems trails ought to be a key part of the valley’s…
  • In on the Action

    How to capture images on the fly.Here's the deal with photographing action: if you don’t get it right, you can't save it later with Photoshop. Out of focus is out of focus. Kathy Eyster, who teaches digital imaging and has…
  • Rental-Rafting

    Lessons from the Gallatin. The ability to easily and cheaply rent professional-grade whitewater rafts in Bozeman is a beautiful thing. It allows inexperienced, impulsive morons like me and my friends to get into potentially…
  • Tournament Fishing

    I used to avoid entering fishing tournaments because of some false impressions I had about competitive fishing, mainly my concern that it had a negative impact on the fishery. But based on my limited experience as a…
  • Lighten the Load with Llamas

    "Let's go llamas!" So sings German-born Susi Sinay, with emphasis on the first and last words, as she sets off down the Daley Creek Trail in the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park. Her refrain is repeated each time we…
  • Letters – Spring 2009

    DOGMATIC DOCTORIn your Summer 2008 issue Dr. Liz Layne has an excellent article on preventing heat exhaustion in pets. Then Mike England undoes all the good she did in his sidebar about the To-Go Bowl. He says, "Now [that…
  • Bear Spray vs. Guns

    Which one is better?   *Approximate number of scoville heat units in a Habanero pepper = 300,000* *Approximate number of scoville heat units in bear pepper spray = 3.2 million* Gary Clutter, a big-game hunter from Bozeman…
  • Gallatin Tower

    Tackling a Bozeman classic. The rock looked flat to me; nothing to grab but tiny protruding nubs. How the hell do people do this? I thought. Our instructor Coop, scampering up the wall easily a few minutes before, had made…
  • Bozeman vs. Salt Lake

    It's time again to take a swing at other cities and see who comes out on top. This issue, we're picking on the tiny little Utah town of Salt Lake City. With a metro area that is home to about 1.8 million people, Salt Lake…
  • Mud, Sweat, & Gears

    Although some folks are still enjoying what snow can be found, others have already shifted toward traveling on two wheels. Bicycle season is approaching, and nothing kills the spirit of the season more than finding your…
  • Runner at Heart

    I turned 40 and had a baby and knee surgery all within a year. It took me two years to recover. The doctor told me that with bone on bone in that knee, the one thing I should never do was run. Of course, having been a…
  • Drugs for Bugs

    As we trade our skis and skates for bikes and boots, our animals are entering the most dangerous time of year for parasitic disease. Many parasites affect pets, but the two I am asked most about are fleas and heartworms.…
  • From Zero to Ultra

    Although humans no longer need to run for basic survival, cardiovascular exercise still helps us to reduce our risk of chronic disease and offers many other preventive benefits as well. A heel strike during a running stride…
  • A Stimulating Topic

    Montana is slotted to receive about $625 million from the new stimulus package, an amount Sen. Jon Tester says will save or create 11,000 jobs in the state. The lion's share of the package, about $333 million, is for the…
  • Gardiner Getaway

    Springtime activities in Gardiner. With the ski hills shut down and the local trails slathered in mud, spring’s a great time to jump in the car for a close-to-home road trip—and Gardiner is a great place to start.…
  • Tricks of the Trade

    I think my sister coined the term trucker butt during one particularly memorable trip back to Iowa after a Colorado backpacking foray. At about hour 14 of the 16-hour push, I recall, in my groggy haze, gazing over at her…
  • Fighting for the Lionhead

    Mountain biking is not a crime—unless you’re in a Wilderness Protection Area. That’s why the Montana Mountain Bike Alliance (MMBA) seeks a relatively new bike-friendly designation: A National Protection Area, or NPA, for…
  • Lights Out, Bozeman!

    Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder where you—went?Have you looked for the North Star lately anywhere around the northeast side of town or downtown? Wasn't it brighter just a few years ago?What’s happening in the…
  • No Place for Pansies

    I feel like I’m gonna hurl.It’s round four of “The Chief,” a brutal combination of power cleans, pushups, and squats. We’ve been doing all three exercises—in rapid succession and with painfully short breaks between rounds—…
  • Lost in Translation

    Learning the lingo of kayakers. Whitewater boaters, like Trekkies, have a jargon all their own. But instead of completely fictional, original terminology, most river terms also translate into land-lubber. So to clarify, I’…

Gear Reviews

  • Urban Tote

    For those wet winter days spent commuting on your bike or riding in the mountains, the need for a truly waterproof bag is sometimes overlooked. Whether your need is to separate a camera from a waterbottle inside another bag…
  • Review: Red Ants Pants

    I bought a pair of Red Ants Pants at the Bioneers Conference last October and have been wearing them most days since. Based in White Sulphur Springs and made in the U.S., these pants are designed exclusively for women (…
  • Nanda Devi Pant

    The top compliment a pair of pants can receive is that they are unnoticeable. Such is the case with the Nanda Devi Pant from Isis. When I wear them cross-country skiing, it’s like they aren’t even there. I’m not hot or cold…
  • Niobe Jacket

    I’ve been wearing a baggy men’s down jacket for 10 years. It has served its purpose, but it was time to upgrade to something with a better fit and bit more style. The Niobe Jacket is the cure to my baggy-coat blues.The…
  • Review: Ruffwear Grip Trex

    These are not for every Bridger in the bunch. If the most exercise your dog gets is running down Peets Hill to catch a Frisbee, you’re definitely alright with letting him go au naturale on his paws. However, if your pup…

Additional Articles

  • CUTting a Deal

    On December 3, 2008, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks director Joe Maurier approved the controversial Royal Teton Ranch Grazing Restriction Agreement, which calls for the National Park Service, a handful of non-government…
  • Downtown Doin's

    Staying local. There are plenty of fun and inexpensive ways to enjoy your own local community and culture right here in Bozeman. The Downtown Bozeman Association (DBA) sponsors several spring events starting with the…

Book Reviews

Outside Bozeman Spring 2009

Newsletter

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