Lift Lines
by Megan Ault
Winter kiting on the fly. I enjoy flying a kite on a breezy day, and I look forward to skiing every winter. But I must confess, I have never wanted to do both at the same time. I'm one of those skiers you're just as…
Activities: Backcountry Skiing
A Powder-Skiing Gold Mine
by Leigh Ripley
Aka, the Beartooths.Cooke City is nestled near the northeast corner of Yellowstone National Park and isolated from eastern access much of the year by the rugged Beartooth Mountains. A virtual dead end in winter months,…
by David Galliard
Bozeman's backyard beast, the lynx.Very few of us have ever seen a lynx in the wild. To do so you must be doubly lucky, because the lynx is both shy and rare. Like the mountain lion and bobcat, the lynx is silent and…
Trailside Geology - Bridger Bowl
by Michele Corriel
When buying ski passes, or heading up Slushman's with protein bars and avalanche beacons, we don't normally think about the mountains themselves—our minds are on deep powder and first tracks. But just for a moment, forget…
Winter Mountain Safety
by Dean Center
I had the dream again. The one where my friends and I end up stranded on a remote mountain during an eight-foot snowstorm. Unintentional "Survivor" with wet socks and no voting. I, as the hero (it's MY dream), am a cross…
by Chrysti Smith
Many Montana creatures pass the winter in a state of near or total hibernation. In protected burrows, animals such as squirrels, snakes, turtles, and bears enter a sleep-like dormancy for months at a time. The mammals live…
Culture: Season Opener
Season Opener: Taking It to the Next Level
Yellowstone's Natural Events
by Becky Henning
This fall, as visitors from around the world stopped to gawk at bison and ooh & ahh at Old Faithful, scientists scrambled to record some "unusual" geothermal events. Steamboat Geyser in the Norris area erupted for the…
Freida Johnson is proof that it's never too late to learn something new and even excel at it. She began Nordic skiing in her late thirties alongside her teenage son Greg (who went on to race for MSU, then coached the MSU…
Training: Astronomy
The Celestial Ski Course
by Jim Manning
Winter's bracing air and muffling blanket of snow may send the grizzly into its seasonal coma, but for outdoors lovers, it simply means a change of gear. It's the same for the sky, which this season trots out a set of…
Dave's Emerger
by Jeff Hostetler
An emergence took place here in Bozeman that shoved some classic fly patterns to the back slots of many local fishermen's fly boxes. Their Brassies, Sawyer Nymphs, and Peacock Nymphs have had to move over for the Dave's…
by Mike Garcia
I have been selling sleeping bags for over 20 years. That makes for a lot of stories about cold feet and sleepless nights trying to stay warm in under-built bags. Enter Western Mountaineering (WM) from San Jose, California…
Life-Link International
by Drew Reddinger
Safety resources for the backcountry. If you're like me, riding fresh powder is one of the greatest feelings of all—the type of addictive pleasure that influences life decisions. It's that addiction that brings us away…
Bridger Bowl's Out-of-Bounds
by Shannon Kelley
It's the ever-looming question: When will Bridger Bowl allow access to the backcountry from its north and south boundaries? Bridger Bowl and the Forest Service have been in discussion over this for many years and there are…
Training: Tips & Tricks
Common Winter Forest Tracks
by Ken Sinay
There's a distinct sense of adventure in following animal tracks in the snow, and winter is probably the best time for developing your tracking skills. As soon as the ground is covered in a continuous blanket of snow, don…
Activities: Miscellaneous
Diving feet-first into the world of snowshoeing.From the first snowfall in late September to the lingering remnants in early May, buck up buttercup, winter's here! I'm a summer person, and besides disliking the cold, I used…
Culture: Books
Book: Call of the Wild
In the staid, contemplative world of fine art, humor isn't just out of place—it's a social crime of the highest order. After all, we are told, the purpose of art is to transcend the ephemeral, to create a portal through…
M Trail
Ousel Falls Park Trail
Lava Lake Trail
Places: Mountains
How the Crazies Got Their Name
Palisade Falls Trail
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