Winter 2004-05

Winter has arrived too soon. It’s early November, and my family is slowly adjusting to our first change of seasons in Montana. The snow doesn’t fly until December in Illinois and even when it does, snow tires are not…

As the warm July breeze chilled the sweat on their backs, Jonas and Kim shifted their skis and boots in their backpacks. It was Independence Day 2004 and their 57th consecutive month skiing. They packed in fireworks and hot…

In these days of rapid land development, caused primarily by increased population, Montana has witnessed innumerable instances of clear-cutting, commercial construction, and other damaging impacts to our cherished…

Taking the Level 1 Avalanche Safety course at the Yellowstone Forever Institute. A thick fog shrouds the Lamar Valley as we stumble out of bed, wolf down a quick breakfast, and drag our ski gear to the parking lot. Sleepy-…

The odds may be good, but the goods are odd. The temperatures have dropped and the nights have taken over the days. Suddenly we’re inspired to find someone with whom to snuggle and drink a hot cocoa, and maybe even, but…

There you are, standing in the wine section at the Co-Op, faced with an overwhelming array of choices: red or white; merlot, cabernet, or chardonnay; French or Australian… the list goes on and on. So many wine-selection…

Walk through the halls of Longfellow Elementary School and you enter a world where art and the outdoors intersect. Four walls throughout the school are testimony to the overall art theme that Longfellow has adopted: A Sense…

Ice-skating options around Bozeman.There’s no shortage of opportunities around Bozeman for you to slide and glide on the ice. Bozeman’s three public skating rinks—Southside Park at 5th & College, Bogert Park off S.…

It happens all the time in this great valley we live in. You’re racing back from Bridger Canyon to see what the sun is doing in its last half-hour of the day, and as you emerge from the canyon’s confines, there on the side…

It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced climber looking to hone your skills for a March trip to the desert, or have no idea what a figure-8 knot is but heard that climbing was better than playing your X-Box—either way,…

Not far into Aron Ralston's April 26, 2003, expedition into Utah's Blue John Canyon, a falling boulder pinned Ralston's right hand to a canyon wall. What followed was almost a week's worth of physical devastation, mental…

Wild Animus is a novel that takes place in Alaska’s wildlands. It’s written from the point of view of Sam (later known as Ransom), a 22-year-old risk-taker who’s consumed with experiencing the life of a Dall ram by wearing…

Originally penned nearly a century ago, Finding the North Pole is a collection of accounts of North Pole expeditions, including Frederick A. Cook's own report of reaching the pole on April 21, 1908 and Robert E. Peary's…

One hunting season, I was creeping toward a mature mule deer buck. I inched in, wind in my face, the lone bachelor still in his bed. Then, high up in a lodgepole pine, an obviously irritated pine squirrel leaned out onto a…

Nevermind the ice. Montana acquires a white cloak in winter. Depending on the season’s precipitation, the mountains hunker down in their quiet majesty under several feet of cold smoke, and the lower-elevation water bodies…

When Nelson Story trailed the first Texas longhorn herd to the Gallatin Valley in 1866, Montana held great promise as a ranching Mecca, but 20 years later a cruel winter would put an end to the open range of cowboy lore.…

There are few recreational pursuits in this world quite as extreme, quite as foolhardy, or quite as all-out crazy as is ice fishing. It takes a mighty big pair of mittens to sit motionless on a frozen lake all day, waiting…

Getting away from it all at Yellowstone's northeast entrance. You know that familiar dream where you're falling off a cliff, but you wake up, startled, just before hitting the ground? Carry it out for a second. Instead of…

The hard truth about soft-tissue injury.Anyone who has spent time recreating in the Gallatin Valley has likely suffered the symptoms of soft-tissue injury in one form or another. It comes with the territory. By and large,…

Wintertime in West Yellowstone is about as pure a representation of the historic Rocky Mountain West as you can get. Roadside snowdrifts higher than your car; sprawling pine forests and picturesque alpine meadows; rustic…

Soft-tissue injuries & sports massage therapy.Everyone experiences a soft-tissue injury at some time or another during the course of his or her life. The term “soft tissue” generally refers to muscle, tendons, ligaments…

How Chinese medicine can help your health.With the change of seasons comes changes in physical activities—from biking to skiing, raking to shoveling, walking to driving. These changes all too often affect health and…

Where to go before going home.The energy is high after spending a long day on the mountain, so why call it quits at 4:30pm? It’s either home to the hot tub—if you’ve got one—or an evening out for a bite to eat and cocktails…

The history behind it.No single piece of clothing is more endemic of the rugged spirit of the American West than the cowboy hat. The first cowboy hats were most likely modified versions of the vaqueros’ sombreros or the…

Chardonnay is a great grape that can make a wonderful wine—just not as often as many people think. The word Chardonnay has become synonymous with white wine and is perhaps the all-time blockbuster of “trendy” wines. The…

“Should we take the transceivers?” Caleb asks.“I don’t think we’ll need them,” I reply. “The snowpack seems pretty stable. Besides, if there’s a possibility of a slide, we just won’t climb.” “Good call,” Caleb says. That…

Big Sky Youth Empowerment Project gets local teens outside. Imagine being of limited means, then receiving a snowboard, all the gear, and a Big Sky lift ticket to go hang out with a new group of friends on Saturdays: an…

Cloudveil—Jackson, WYCody Bowl Glove $75www.cloudveil.com877-255-8345Warmth and superior dexterity come together in the Cody Bowl Glove, Cloudveil’s mid-range winter handwear. With an integrated fleece lining and elastic…

On belay! More than any other, this brief statement says succinctly and clearly, “I’m properly equipped, I’m in position, I’m prepared, you can trust me.” When you accept advice about your health and safety, you just as…

Winter in Montana offers some tremendous opportunities for fly-fishing. What many anglers do not know, as they look out their front windows on a Sunday afternoon at steadily falling snowflakes, is that eight- to 18-inch…