Winter 2008-09

In 1982, Alan Kesselheim moved to Bozeman and began his writing career. He was done with his job as an outdoor education director in Wisconsin and wanted to come West to the state his dad was born and raised in, and the…

Greg Keeler is a sensible and serious poet who also happens to be laugh-out-loud funny,” says Tim Cahill, an author and friend of Keeler’s. According to Dave Quammen, another friend, “Greg has written lunatic masterpieces.…

One last clunking pull on the starter cord makes it clear that the sled won’t be ferrying us home. It’s nearly dark, we’re eight miles (and one Continental Divide crossing) from the car, and our packs are already feeling…

Author of eight travel books and over 300 articles, Tim Cahill has earned his reputation as America’s best-loved adventure journalist. He has held us captive with dangerous exploits and made us laugh with his sly, self-…

At our home mountain in southern Montana, even on the cloudiest day, we always knew our way. But on that morning at Fernie Alpine Resort, I felt a little shaky. The clouds hooded the lift towers. From the chair, we could…

A sociological examination of behavior in the queue. Sigmund Freud should have studied the ski area lift line. If he had, rather than screwing around with silly Oedipus theories and catering to his clear obsession with…

Keeping your pooch safe come winter.Do you ever wonder, “What temperature is too cold for my dog to be outside?” The answer varies depending on several factors. A lot has been written about gear, workouts, and calories, and…

Spending her childhood summers in the cabin her grandparents built on Hebgen Lake in 1932, Lynda "Lyndy" Caine developed a deep, abiding love for Montana. The summers were a chance to experience an entirely different way of…

When the temp hits zero or below, as it frequently does at Bridger Bowl, sweat tends to freeze before it hits the ground, sometimes accumulating on the hair of the head or face creating an icy cocoon-like helmet about the…

After traveling in different directions for 15 years, Jo and I reconnect in the spring of 2007. We burn up the summer and fall hiking and biking and skiing together throughout December. When she suggests a trip to Trail…

The economic crisis, shorter days, and the stress of the holidays can be enough to trigger depression for many people. Regular exercise in the beautiful surroundings of southwest Montana offers a great way to battle the…

The Greater Yellowstone region is chock-full of cross-country ski trails. Whether you want to ski with your pup, watch wildlife, or spend a night in a yurt, we’ve picked out some of the best trails in the area.Trail 1:…

What do yoga and skiing have in common? The need for balance, flexibility, and focus. Yoga helps cultivate these qualities, so it follows that practicing yoga can improve ski technique. Think of yoga as injury insurance and…

Think twice before suing the ski hill. In 1929, the New York Court of Appeals issued an opinion rejecting a personal injury claim brought by a plaintiff injured in a fall on “the Flopper,” a Coney Island amusement park…

With gas prices jumping up and down, we figured we'd better check in with our old pal Scott Brown, owner of Desert Rose Biodiesel in Bozeman, and see if he's rich enough yet to buy us whatever we want at the gear shop.Scott…

Bozeman's Stan Osolinski (aka “The Lens of Oz”) has learned a few things about nature photography after 40 years of capturing images in the field. Take, for instance, a possible shot of a bird in a tree. When he frames that…

INGREDIENTS Olive zonker strips (bunny) Olive leech yarn Olive polar chenille TMC 9395 size-4 streamer hook Gamakatsu Octopus, size 2 (#02409) 1/30 oz. dumbbell eyes Flyline backing (25 lb.) Sili Legs, clear/pearl-silver…

Life would be a bummer without trees. They provide shade, water storage, wildlife habitat, food, wood, soil protection, and innumerable other benefits. But do you even know what type of tree you are sitting under? Is that…

Three local athletes going for gold.A hawk makes loops above the cottonwoods at the back of the pasture, surveying the unusual scene below: three figures on horseback, one with a pair of skis on his shoulder. Another horse…

In this economy, finding the money to take a vacation can be difficult. So we've found a couple of ways for you to have your cake and eat it too.Cheap Trip #1: Beaver Creek CabinSpending the night at a Forest Service cabin…

Hypothermia, Frostbite and Other Cold Injuries: Prevention, Survival, Rescue, and Treatment (Second Edition) by Gordon G. Giesbrecht, Ph.D., and James A. Wilkerson, M.D. excerpt pages 125-126 The backcountry in winter is a…

How to face the winter running season. When I moved to Bozeman five or so years ago, the thought of donning running tights had never crossed my young impressionable mind. During my sophomore year I transferred from a small…

Imagine being whisked down your favorite trail by your faithful companion, exploring new terrain in the backcountry, and getting exercise all at once. Dog-joring, like ski-joring, is one of the fastest-growing winter sports…

You finish a hike and notice your dog’s face is swelling like a basketball. You’re backcountry skiing and your friend’s ski slices your dog’s leg open. You see your cat holding up one leg when he comes in.Chances are good…

Let's face it, winter blows. Every year, around October, maybe late September, the same things happen. I wake up in the dark, wondering if perhaps I accidentally awoke at 3am instead of 7am. I have to wear a jacket,…

Think meth and the outdoors are unrelated? According to the Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks; various game wardens; and several forest-service professionals, significantly less meth lab debris has been found in…

Over 8,000 vehicles travel Interstate 90 between Bozeman and Livingston each day, posing a significant threat to wildlife. According to the Bozeman-based Craighead Environmental Research Institute, vehicles kill over 180…

Your backcountry ski season just got better. Alpine Skiing Gets the Boot During the past several years, there has been a big push to deliver alpine ski-boot performance in backcountry boots. To accomplish this, bootmakers…