Last Friday when people were sunbathing in Caras Park and wearing tank tops and flip flops, enjoying the unusually warm spring weather, I was not. When people in coffee shops were talking about fishing or hiking or getting on the river, I wanted to plug my ears.
That’s because I was praying for snow, and Mother Nature answered my prayers yesterday! You see, I’m still in ski mode. And I won’t apologize. After all, it’s still the beginning of March. Let it snow. That’s not too much to ask.
The first spring-like day is always tricky. Don’t get me wrong. I love the Garden City in spring. I love running outdoors. And the first real warm day gets everyone in spring mode. But I’m not done with winter. And winter is, apparently, not done with us. If only I could’ve skipped work to head to the mountain today. From reports from friends who took off for the hills, skiing at the top of Snowbowl was great. Eight inches in 24 hours for those who hadn’t heard. Discovery Ski Area at Georgetown Lake also received 8 inches. But the dump of all daddy dumps was at Lost Trail. A foot people. A good 12 inches is what the ski area reported.
…that’s why I’m the videographer. I finally got around to making a little ski flick from the photos and poorly-shot video clips I took during girls ski weekend in Bozeman a week ago.
I shot the video using one of those flip video camcorders, which are really neat and easy to use, but apparently really hard to hold still when you’re at 8,000 feet, panting from hiking and lagging behind your group. I’m new to this whole video thing, but a girl’s gotta start somewhere! Sorry ahead of time if the shaky video makes anyone nauseous. I’d hate to be responsible for anyone losing their lunch.
Also, don’t forget to check out Thursday’s Missoulian. I’ll be telling the tale of this delightful weekend outing and more about the culture and history of skiing the Bridger Bowl ridge in this week’s Outdoors section!
Larry Bruce, left, and his wife, Molly Bruce, begin skinning up the Toni Matt groomed run at Whitefish Mountain Resort. The Bruces said that although they don't mind the new regulations, they would like to see some continued accommodations for skinning up Big Mountain. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
I think my friend Dan Testa is the new ski beat writer for the Beacon — Lucky dawg! This time, he writes about an interesting conundrum going on in Whitefish, where the ski resort is implementing restrictions on when and where snowshoers, hikers and skiers can ascend the resort’s mountain slopes. Locals like to “skin,” hike and walk up Whitefish Mountain Resort for exercise and mental health, but skiers and snowboarders have gotten too close to the grooming machine, which legitimately worries resort officials. At the same time, the resort sits on public land within the Flathead National Forest. The resort is taking public comment through April 4.
Comments on the new policy can be mailed to: Whitefish Mountain Resort c/o Uphill Traffic Policy P.O. Box 1400 Whitefish MT 59937
This weekend, I was caught carrying my ski tips behind my head. It caused immediate laughter and friendly heckling as if I had broken a major cardinal rule — and, unbeknown to me, I apparently had.
How to carry your skis is what you learn right before the “pizza” or snow plow, they said. It just makes sense to hold the widest part of your ski down – goes along with that whole gravity thing, they said. Plus the bindings aren’t ramming into your chin.
Well, no one sent me the memo. And to be honest I had never given it much thought. I just sling ‘em over my shoulder and go.
In hindsight, I do look like a junk show when I carry skis. I sometimes feel like a 5-year-old carrying their skis in an “X” hugged tight to their little chests, except the skis are over my shoulder. My sticks never stay together. I just never cared. Now, I realize, it’s because there’s a right and wrong way to carry your skis.
Of course, this weekend, I had to save face. Out of spite, I carried my skis with the tips up.
When back at work, to make sure they weren’t pulling my leg, I Googled “how to carry skis.” There are 850,000 results. Tips on how to carry your skis from your car, into the backcountry and even on a bicycle. Who would’ve thought!?
My ski buddies made good points this weekend. It never really occurred to me before, but I suppose when they’re not looking, I may just carry my ski tips down.
Looking south from the top of the Bridger Mountain range, our crew took The Schlasman chairlift to just below the ridge line and then hiked to find the perfect route down. Photo by Chelsi Moy
It’s a sacred past time for some skiers, especially those who live in Bozeman: hiking the ridge of the Bridger Mountain range. Having skied in Montana for 22 years and even attended a year of college at Montana State University, I’m almost embarrassed to admit I had never skied the ridge at Bridger until this weekend.
The views from the top were more spectacular than the snow conditions, but who cares when you’re with great company and there’s only blue sky and sunshine for miles. It was girls ski weekend in Bozeman, and I was with four of the raddest female rippers I’ve ever had the privilege to ski with. Fearless, flawless and fun.
The weekend started out with an early morning phone call from my parents as we were climbing the road towards Big Sky. They are in Hawaii vacationing.
“We’re evacuating,” my dad said.
“Why?” I replied.
I jumped in a car after work on Friday and didn’t look back — not even to catch news of a massive earthquake in Chile that sent tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean. It was girls ski weekend, a much anticipated event. I was focused on shredding and praying for snow. So, to learn my parents were at high ground and there was no chance of them being swept away by a enormous wave, I said what any inlander would say: ”Try to take pictures.”
We hit up Moonlight Basin on Saturday and Bridger on Sunday, doing a little hiking at both ski areas. Before The Schlasman chairlift opened last year at Bridger, locals estimated it took 3 or more hours of skinning to access the terrain that’s now available by a 10 minute chairlift ride. The downfall, of course, is more people have access to this dynamite terrain, they say. We took the chairlift and then hiked along the top. Majestic views from all sides. The chute we took was known as “easy,” which put this first timer at ease. Not much time to gaze at the horizon. A patroller was sweeping the ridge and waiting for our group to get skiing. It was narrow and rocky in some spots, but chalky light snow in others. It was hard not to think how awesome it would be with a foot of new snow — gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. But then again, it was pretty rad anyway.
Kelsey Schmid-Sommer cheers on fellow telemark skiers as they complete the final practice race of the day at Whitefish Mountain Resort. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
Here’s a story by Flathead Beacon’s Dan Testa about a Whitefish woman preparing to defend her title at the U.S. national telemark ski racing championships, which will be held at Whitefish Mountain Resort in mid March.
From the story, it sounds as though Testa took his skis as well as his notebook and had heck of a time keeping up with Kelsey.
I pulled this off the Bowl’s Web site. I haven’t been around long enough to know whether this is normal or if it’s early for Snowbowl to start closing on weekdays.
Can anyone offer some insight? Calling all Bowl junkies to weigh in…
I’m kinda bummed I’m going to miss the Snowbowl Cup Gelande Championships this year. There’s something about kickin’ it on the deck of Snowbowl’s bar with a Bloody Mary and slice of pizza, watching men in tight suits do things that would make me pee my pants, to really top off the ski season. The two-day event attracts a fairly large crowd, especially when the sun is out.
For those that don’t know, Gelande is ski jumping using alpine gear. They use a natural ramp just below the Grizzly chairlift, flying amazing distances through the air.
It’s this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, at Snowbowl. Here’s a photo taken by Arthur Mouratidis of the 2008 event. Check it out. You won’t be disappointed.
Professional class Gelande jumper Erik Wilson soars through the air during the preliminary seeding round of competition on Saturday at Montana Snowbowl. Arthur Mouratidis/Missoulian
Here’s a sneak peak at this week’s Missoulian Outdoors feature about seven strangers who spent four days yurt skiing in the mountains near Yellowstone, and who bonded through a shared love of tearin’ it up on skis. Check out Thursday’s Missoulian for the story and photos that accompany this video, produced by the Helena Independent Record’s Eliza Wiley.
I’m baaaaaack! I took a week hiatus to ride some waves in Hawaii, but am ready to get back on the snow. I heard from friends and colleagues that I didn’t miss any big snow dumps last week (Phew!). I was actually pretty nervous about that. With my luck, I expected snow of epic proportions. But now that I’m back, let the white stuff fly! Girls ski weekend commences in Bozeman on Friday evening, so I’m praying for some major pow….more on that later.
First, If you’ve never been to Wisdom, this is a great excuse to go. I love the Big Hole. It’s arguably one of the prettiest places in this great state. And Wisdom is a flashback to the past.
Second, how great is skijoring?! The 3rd annual event is a two-day competition. Race is at noon each day and registration begins at 9:30 a.m. For those unfamiliar with the sport, I’ve included a YouTube video from last year’s race in Wisdom. Giddyup!!!
Snow reports provided by OnTheSnow. The snow report widget is most likely not displaying because you have JavaScript disabled. To see the Ski Reports for every ski area in the world visit OnTheSnow or click on these popular regions:
This weekend, I was caught carrying my ski tips behind my head. It caused immediate laughter and friendly heckling as if I had broken a major cardinal rule — and, unbeknown to me, I apparently had.
Recent Comments