Winter 2013-14

A look at an ice-climbing Mecca. Every climbing area has a cardinal moment when someone first turns a corner and recognizes the potential. Of course, pioneers may push deeper into the periphery or bring an emerging vision…

At the crest of Woody Ridge, the wind is howling. It’s the kind of wind that shears through Gore-Tex like muslin and isolates people behind their hoods and goggles. Even if we wanted to talk, our words would be spirited…

An unorthodox powder adventure. The powder in the hood of my jacket is falling down my neck—I need to clear it out, but I just can’t bring myself to stop long enough to do so. The sun is climbing on the horizon and each…

If it's more physical than mental, you're doing it wrong. By the time spring skiing wraps up, my mind’s wires fray and spark like a busted robot; I can no longer tolerate the haunting nightmares of being eviscerated by a…

Finding the Coldsmoke:On January 18, the Emerson Center buzzes with an energy that only winter mountain culture can create. Snowsports enthusiasts from around the Northwest gather for the Coldsmoke Awards, a one-night-only…

We watched the wolves patrol the river outside Bozeman that night a few days after the ice jam gave way. Their moonlit silhouettes shuffled rhythmically against the new-fallen snow. “It’s like a dream,” she said. “Such…

If provisions ran short on the journey west and a feller had to live off the land, chances are a jackrabbit or two eventually ended up in his pot. Widespread and fecund, they were plentiful and not bad eating; it shouldn’t…

Partners in fun.In Bozeman, many of us not only look forward to the arrival of Old Man Winter, we spend months preparing by saving money for passes and gear, mentally planning Ridge runs, scheduling work vacations, taping…

Stealthy, independent, and elusive predators, mountain lions (or cougars) are unique creatures. While highly adaptable to different environments, mountain lions can live just about everywhere in Montana. In 2013, mountain-…

After more than an hour of skiing in the shaded, narrow Spring Creek Canyon, I slid into a patch of sunlight. The snow sparkled with promise of longer days, light reflecting off every crystal. My toes were still frozen and…

Staying in shape through winter.When exercising indoors during the winter, Bozemanites fall into two camps: those cross-training to shred the slopes with more finesse, and those keeping their fitness high to attack their…

It was a clear December afternoon when Linda took Daisy for a walk on a familiar trail. Daisy was sniffing around—off trail but within sight—when she leapt into the air, yelping, thrashing, and biting her front leg. It took…

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is…

“The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.”—Nassim Nicholas TalebYour brain is lazy. Well, biochemically, it’s designed to work efficiently—wired to expend the least amount of energy…

Mastering the action shot. For all you winter photographers, the mountain is your canvas—and when you finally come to a stop and decide to take the shot and capture the experience, here are some things to consider. Pre-…

Tying the ghost prince nymph.I started tying this pattern a few years ago for fishing the Gallatin in winter. When a nymph needs to grow, it has to shed its exoskeleton, and the nymph takes on an opaque, whitish color. As…

Imagine a cross-country skier gliding through the backcountry with only the sound of his skis on the groomed trail—a peaceful afternoon in the winter woods. But building like thunder, the whine of engines gets louder until…

It’s a tale as old as time: the lifelong game of chaos and uncertainty called seasonal work. Since I started mowing lawns as a kid, I’ve worked the seasonal circuit, bouncing from landscaping jobs to waiting tables to trail…

Finding inspiration in unexpected places. Around the holidays at any ski resort, you can bet your can of Montucky that a middle-aged Midwestern man wearing jeans and a Packers sweatshirt is going to come barreling out of…

Once those little white flakes start falling from the sky, dreams of powder turns and face-shots begin as you wait for the little blue light atop the Hotel Baxter to start flashing, announcing fresh snow at Bridger Bowl.…

With bone-jarring hits, lightning-fast skating, and even faster flying pucks, hockey is a game played with the aggression of scrapping pit bulls. Even with helmets and pads, players routinely limp back to their cars after…

Nordic fun for the whole family. We are fortunate to live in an area ripe with opportunities for outdoor winter adventures, and no sport gets you further outdoors in the snow than cross-country skiing. Along with the…

Fatigued muscles from too many turns at Bridger Bowl? Have the doldrums from short cold days? How about relaxing, rejuvenating, and warming in up in one of Montana’s hot springs? Stripping to your shorts or suit can be…

Tips for winter running.  While enjoying the brisk air and snow-covered trails, it’s important to remember that colder temperatures, less daylight, and slick conditions make winter running is a whole different ballgame…

As you cruise through Paradise Valley in winter, the ragged summits of the Absaroka Range hang high in the frosty air. Venture off the highway up the backroads and witness winter ice transforming burbling creeks into hushed…

What happens when you mix a mountain bike, a monster truck, Barry White music, and a box of blush wine? You can find the answer rolling through downtown, at your favorite trailhead, or passing you at a local bike race. Over…

The great debateIt’s the biggest debate around: Big Sky or Bridger Bowl? Does Lone Peak live up to its reputation, and does the mythical Ridge really hold buried treasures and powder turns long after the storm has passed?…

Twelve of us stood huddled by cameras on tripods under the cold sky, lenses aimed into the night. His breath coming out in clouds, our instructor Tom waded through the snow, popping an external flash onto the walls of the…

In your confounded struggle For originality, nights lengthen. Snows flicker… drift… and fall… Heat departs the landscape, after all. Flurries list in; holding, cold. Spines of stone lace the snow. Lonely Peak gone to the…

I stared into my dog’s big, brown eyes. “I’m so sorry,” I said, fighting back tears. And then I threw her off a cliff. Three days earlier, a few friends and I had ventured out on a mid-winter ski trip up Mount Blackmore.…

How to be a dirtbag.  The ski bum culture is on the fringe of acceptable lifestyles: accepted by those in the know and rejected by just about everyone else. Entire lifetimes have been spent figuring out the perfect…

Stay in tune with nature and enjoy the winter months. Feeling a little frumpy since the warm days of summer? Despite your best efforts, has the weight accumulated like snow on tree branches? Depending on how frumpy we are…

Aside from protective gear like helmets and wrist guards, proper strength and conditioning is your number-one tool for staying healthy and safe on the slopes this winter. Here are some exercises to get you ready to shred…

Backcountry skiing is the best way to sample endless untracked powder—but when things get hairy, you can’t look to a ski patroller for help. People get hurt, break equipment, or get hypothermia, and without the right gear,…

Got snot?  If you said no, you’re a liar. Snot—the stuff of mucus and boogers, not the awful California punk band—is a fact of life in the winter. Here in Montana, where the air is colder than a day-old dumpling and drier…

If you like the skiing around Cooke City in the wintertime, you’ll like it even more come spring, when backcountry enthusiasts from around the state converge on Cooke for the Sweet Corn Festival, a fun-filled weekend of…

2013 Ice Fest. With plastic ice, legendary climbers, and unmatched camaraderie, our biggest and best Fest yet has come to a close. Now in its 17th year, the Bozeman Ice Fest brought ice aficionados together from around the…

When the World Fell Away by Liz Williams  How did you feel when the world fell away? As the ground left your feet, did you know to disobey? Did you swim? Did you fight? Did you crawl toward the light? As the mountain…

Hemingway once said, “Anyone can be a fisherman in May.” Fortunately for those of us in the Madison Valley, it’s pretty easy to be a fisherman the other 11 months of the year as well. Yes, even in January. All you need are…

With all the shoes spikes on the market, there’s no need to slip around on the ice and provide all the other ice fisherman with hole-side entertainment. A great choice for ice fishing is the Stabil Icers Maxx, a heavy-duty…

If there’s one thing that will forever remain recession-proof, it’s beer. Montana Beer: A Guide to Breweries in Big Sky Country (American Palate, $20) offers an intoxicating look at the microbrew industry that has bubbled…

Yellowstone Has Teeth (Riverbend Publishing, $15) is a memoir about the lives of the men and women who work in Yellowstone National Park. While the natural beauty of Yellowstone is unparalleled, author Marjane Ambler and…

One Frozen Lake (Minnesota Historical Publishing House, $15) is a children’s book that shows the relationship between grandfather and grandson through their experiences ice fishing. The story illustrates the traditions that…