Winter 2017-18

How one Bozemaniac stepped outside his comfort zone and found more.  At 2am, I bundled up, loaded up, and followed fellow racer Martijn Boonman out of the minimal warmth of the Rainey Pass cabin into minus-40 temps and 50-…

Winter's standard-bearer.  There’s a tree I watch. It’s an ancient spruce, and it’s been dead for decades, stripped of branches and bleached a rich gray by weather and time. Vibrant streaks of contrasting black and ocher…

Four fanatics who make skiing a top priority.  First chair. Last call. Whiteout. Bluebird. Fall line. Front-side. Backcountry. These are the words that make up the skier’s language, and in Bozeman, many of us are…

A duel for the ages. The Ridge. The Tram. Both icons are so ingrained in southwest Montana ski culture that there is no confusion when their names come up. To answer any question about the conditions thereon with anything…

Winter tips & tricks.  Whether you're a longtime ski-town dirtbag (photo editor), or a wannabe weekend-warrior transplant (senior editor), there are tips and tricks to maximizing winter that only the experienced ski…

Montana’s backcountry is a dreamland for skiers, snowmobilers, and ice-climbers, but sometimes, things go south. Last winter, the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center recorded 32 avalanche incidents, one of which…

Finding a winter break on Quake Lake.  Up early for the 100-mile drive to the “Between the Lakes” section of the Madison River, I sip coffee and look for wildlife. I see more elk than cars and before I know it, I’m at the…

To resist gateway lingo.  Everyone knows how gateway drugs work. Basically, if you smoke even one joint, you’re going to end up shooting meth between your toes while a guy named Sloth picks imaginary spiders off your back…

Approach Distance: 4 milesApproach Gain: 2,940 feetSkiable Vertical: 1,940 feetDuration: 2-4 hoursDistance from Bozeman: 10 minutesAvalanche Hazard*: Moderate to highTraffic: Moderate to heavy Overview Backcountry…

Nailing the powder shot.  Two feet of fresh powder? Check. Bluebird? Check. Directional morning light? Check. A protected slope with good stability and minimal objective hazards? Check. It’s go time. For me, the perfect…

The geology of Lone Peak.  Lone Mountain is the photogenic centerpiece of Big Sky. It is attention-grabbing in all seasons, but especially striking when snow-covered against a bluebird sky. The sharp peak and cone shape…

Tools & tactics for a new off-season hobby.  For some, the thought of taking up fly tying is overwhelming, while others just dive in. One of my pupils was only seven when he first attended my free fly-tying class at…

Mid-mountain, mid-week.  Even with relatively flexible work schedules, few of us are skiing bell to bell on a Tuesday. But that doesn’t mean we can’t maximize our days on the hill. A few hours in the morning or afternoon…

I remember the first sweet Swedish Augerbecause it made perfect, rifle-barrel holesthrough three feet of quartz-hard wintershaving cherry-syrup-snow-cone-saw-dustwith a razor-sharp, three-quarter moonthat looked like a…

What comes down must go up.  When I began snowboarding in the early ’90s, there were no efficient ways for riders to access the backcountry. Regardless, we donned our awkward snowshoes, ate our Wheaties, and ostensibly…

How animals respond to the cold. Intent, staring eyes; ears and tail erect; feet gather under thick gray fur: the predator is ready to pounce. Then, with a slight quiver, feet and legs shift as muscled legs tighten. Timing…

Winter fishing reaches new heights.  For most people, backcountry skiing is adventure enough—the physical challenge, the danger of avalanche, the exposure to the elements. But for a small group of Montana pioneers,…

What to say when the mountains call.  While many people in our country spend these frigid months watching the news or Netflix in Snuggies, most Bozemanites keep warm by skiing or snowboarding Bridger, Big Sky, or the…

Tips from the O/B health experts.  Recovery is an essential aspect of any recreational program. After a 20-year investigation into the preparation, exercise, and recuperation habits of multiple athletes, several highly-…

West Yellowstone outside of the Park.  Visiting West Yellowstone without entering the Park is like visiting the gift shop outside the Sistine Chapel and calling it a day. Indeed, the best part of West Yellowstone is its…

Inspiring a lifelong passion. Sure, the terrain around here is incredible for any snow lover, but the secret to winter stoke for so many Gallatin Valley residents may be an unusual collection of nonprofits that are devoted…

Coffee-rubbed steaks with balsamic-whiskey cream sauce. There’s something very Montana about combining coffee, meat, and whiskey all in one dish. Now that hunting season is over and you’ve got a freezer full of game, thaw…

What to drink this winter.  Like all other seasons, winter is a great time to drink. But unlike spring, summer, and fall, when cold beverages really hit the spot, winter is best for hot booze. Here are some cocktails to…

Winter’s astronomical bucket list. Snowbound Montana offers many antidotes for cabin fever; you just need to bundle up, get out, and do things. One such venue is the winter night sky, where the stars shine bright and hard.…

A mile of Hyalite classics. When local legends Jack Tackle and Alex Lowe were establishing classic climbs in Hyalite 30 years ago, they didn’t feel like most lines on this crag even warranted naming, referring to them as…

Forest plan revision turns two. Two years into a four-year process, the Custer Gallatin National Forest finds itself right in the middle of making the new Forest Plan. Across the Forest, hundreds have attended meetings and…

Awaiting the bounty of midseason. There’s a rhythm to ski season—a drumbeat of snowfall that counts out the winter. And like musicians warming up before a performance, the early season can be dissonant, with mountains and…

This season, there will be an array of infrastructure improvements at Bridger Bowl. The resort moved the location of its retail shop, replaced Virginia City with a newer three-person lift, installed additions across four…

Taking a mini-vacation to Red Lodge.  You wake up and check the snow report. Nothing at Bridger, and Big Sky's reporting a trace, again. It's Thursday morning and you're bored of the same old low-tide skiing without any…

According to two years of research by the Adventure Scientists, Gallatin Valley has a plastic problem. From September 2015 to June 2017, volunteers collected over 700 one-liter water samples from 72 sites throughout the…

In your confounded struggleFor originality, nights lengthen.Snows flicker… drift… and fall…Heat departs the landscape—after all.  Flurries list in; holding—cold.Summer stone laced with snow.Saddle Peak: See, behold,…

Ski-hunting the winter woods. Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods. —Ralph Waldo Emerson Hoarfrost crackles underfoot as one ski, then another, slides across the surface. The thick slab of ice…

Quick, affordable winter activities.Sometimes, life hinders recreation. If you’re short on time and dough, worry not; this is Bozeman, by God; fun things can be found around every corner. Here are a few outdoor activities…

Mapping out your XC itinerary.  Nordic skiing—both classic and skate—is an ideal winter activity to keep you active during Montana’s longest season. The catch is the grooming… classic skiers can get away with ungroomed…

Modern sensibilities collide with tradition. Is Montana still a place for the “enterprising young men” of Jim Bridger’s day, or are activities like trapping doomed, as author Tom Reed asked almost 20 years ago? Half of the…

If you’re interested in fatbiking, check out our in-town options. The Southwest Montana Mountain Bike Association (SWMMBA), an International Mountain Bike Association chapter, is hoping to offer additional groomed…

Winter eye-protection tips. As a young kid in northern Minnesota, where it’s gray nine months of the year, I never quite understood why my mom was always wearing sunglasses. Shades in the summer, of course. However, in the…

Bringing folly back to outdoor recreation.  These days, seriousness abounds. Recreation has taken on a regimentation that confounds us, driven by increased social-media exposure and competitive apps like Strava and Map My…

Settle into your new private oasis. You may have heard of it: south of Bozeman, not far from the idyllic Gallatin River, a small private community nestled in the mountains. It’s a place of privacy, endless recreation,…

Despite the hegemony of modern headlamps, the handheld flashlight is still going strong, and its future seems bright as ever. There’s just something about it: the tactile fit in the hand, the mythic romance of wielding a…

The STIO Skycrest Snap Shirt is a puffy-jacket-style shirt with Thermore Ecodown insulation. It’s made from 100% recycled fabrics, so the green police won’t get snappy with you. The insulation and exterior is poly fiber and…

Addressing the two primary drawbacks of avalanche airbags—weight and cost—Ortovox has produced a winner in the Ascent 30 Avabag. With a much smaller and lighter (removable) airbag system taking up less space in the pack,…

In this crazy, mixed-up world, not all dogs are created equal. If mom and dad left the mutt a little short in the fur department, what better way to show some love to your best friend than a fitted overcoat for those frosty…

They had a good run, those old Life-Link backcountry poles I picked up from the Huffine shop back in 2001. But it was finally time to upgrade, and I chose the Black Diamond Traverse. Boy, what an improvement—they’re…

Whether warming up your gloves on a brisk winter morning, drying out your running shoes after a day on the trails, or just unthawing your ski boots, the gently heated forced air of the DryGuy Force Dry has you covered. The…

Ever ask your significant other to smell your feet after a long day of skiing? Did they do it? Mine neither. But, after wearing Alpacas of Montana Over-the-Calf odor-resistant alpaca fiber socks, I bet they won’t mind as…

For those who don’t hibernate, Orsden’s Lift jacket is a sleek and insulated shell to outfit almost all winter adventures. After seeing the need for affordable ski-wear that didn’t sacrifice technical quality, Sara and…

For the last ten years, I’ve been using Smith goggles. And in that time, the company has introduced dozens of integrated products, meaning the fit of their helmets matches the fit of their goggles. This winter, I wanted to…

Around here, running season never ends—at least not for fanatics, and those of us who want to stave off winter flab. But hikers don’t quit, either, and the trails get hard and slick, making cleats a necessity. Numerous…

You know those jacked-up 4x4 vehicles that get folks in and out of steep, and sometimes treacherous, places?  That’s exactly what I think of when I look at the new Mission boot from Schnee’s. The Mission is a jacked-up…

Wind down with a good book. From the fireplace to first chair, winter days are a glorious mosaic of outdoor intensity and cozy, indoor relaxation. We live for the outdoor part, but every great adventure has a story that…