2012 Montana Conditions, Stoke and Whatev Thread

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

A bear's nose is about the most sensitive sniffer any critter has, and bear spray in the face has got to be like an atomic bomb going off inside their head.

If I needed to carry a gun around coastal browns it would be a 12 ga with slugs, but with a pistol there's too many variables as opposed to setting off a fog bank of pepper spray.

I wish all the bears were as well trained as park bears, all it takes is the sound of a shotgun racking a round and they take off with afterburners lit. Beanbags must hurt like hell.

[Trackhead]

Lived coastal AK for 7 years, interacted closely with coastal browns frequently when fishing. In those scenarios, was never a big deal, they'd steal your fish on the stringer if you were a dumbass. Never saw someone discharge a firearm but bear spray was used as the season wore on and the bears became more persistent in stealing fish.

Deer hunting was a different story. Hiking a carcass out on your back near dark on Admiralty or Chichagof Island was always somewhat nerve wracking. Or being face down in a gut pile alone, in bear country. I carried a 10mm when deer hunting but had no illusions about it's efficacy against a large coastal brown bear. Had a few friends get charged, one killed a coastal brown with a .40 with five shots as it ran him over on a charge. Lucky I guess.

Most reports in AK of people shooting bears end up squeezing off a few rounds and usually end up on their back as they stumble backwards. Some shoot themselves in the foot as they fall over. Most don't have time to shoot, or shoot effectively. Most can't shoot well anyway, let alone when a beast is charging them.

I'm more weary of these starving skinny ass nut eating no food access lower 48 browns than the AK browns. Bears down here have it rough.

My personal closest experience with coastal brown...just a sow trying to navigate to a better fishing spot.

[Shredeagle]

Question for the NW MT Mags:

I have a friend coming to town for a weekend of mountain biking and it is looking pretty wet/snowy down this way. Weather looks better up your way. I'm trying to figure out some fun rides and haven't ridden up around Kalispell much. I was thinking of the following possibilities: Beardance, Wire Trail, Strawberry Lake, Laughing Water, Six Mile Peak Trail. Any of those better than others if it is wet out? Any rides we should do instead? Thanks for any tips!

[byates1]

xc ski up the Beartooth highway later this week?

[swimmy]

Cool photo Track

Got out yesterday to enjoy just a little more of this weather. Looks like things are about to turn.

[Trackhead]

xc ski up the Beartooth highway later this week?

20 yrs ago I'd say yes, old me says I'll chill for another couple months.

[Shredeagle]

Ha. Old me also out on September XC skiing.

[nest]

Question for the NW MT Mags:

I have a friend coming to town for a weekend of mountain biking and it is looking pretty wet/snowy down this way. Weather looks better up your way. I'm trying to figure out some fun rides and haven't ridden up around Kalispell much. I was thinking of the following possibilities: Beardance, Wire Trail, Strawberry Lake, Laughing Water, Six Mile Peak Trail. Any of those better than others if it is wet out? Any rides we should do instead? Thanks for any tips!

Resign yourself to the Batholith

[byates1]

20 yrs ago I'd say yes, old me says I'll chill for another couple months.

Pretty much same, although I can take Sunday off.

Never skied in September.

[toast2266]

Question for the NW MT Mags:

I have a friend coming to town for a weekend of mountain biking and it is looking pretty wet/snowy down this way. Weather looks better up your way. I'm trying to figure out some fun rides and haven't ridden up around Kalispell much. I was thinking of the following possibilities: Beardance, Wire Trail, Strawberry Lake, Laughing Water, Six Mile Peak Trail. Any of those better than others if it is wet out? Any rides we should do instead? Thanks for any tips!

Beardance is the most straightforward of those. You can go up and back, or up, then turn on to Phillips (which will likely involve some pushing), then up / south on the road, then down beardance.

Wire is usually a descent (accessed from napa point -> alpine 7 -> Wire). That's a good high country ride that's a fair amount of work, but it requires a fairly lengthy shuttle. Not sure on current trail conditions.

Six mile is usually used as a climb. You can go up that, south on alpine 7, then down hall lake - hall got brushed recently, so it should be in decent shape (I think the top bit maybe didn't get brushed thoug - sounds like brushing is from the lake down).

Strawberry is fine as an out and back. There's a lake at the top. Probably will have a fair number of hikers.

I've never gone up Laughing water - only used it as a descent. It's shuttle-able if you're into that kind of thing. If you're heading up to the north end of the valley, I'd be more inclined to go up therriault pass, north on highline, down Sinclair. That's all in the ten lakes area. It's on trailforks and pretty easy to navigate.

[Shredeagle]

Thanks Toast - there should really just be an Ask Toast thread to streamline things around here. It's probably just two of us in one car so I was trying to figure out some rides with big descents we could do without shuttling.

Nest - you know I want to ride the batholith. Just trying to have a contingency plan in case of rain/snow since it's a pretty long flight for 2.5 days of riding. Hopefully we can finally turn you into a real Buttician on Sunday!

[SUPERIOR]

Buttician is some sort of ass specialist?

[east or bust]

Buttician is some sort of ass specialist?

only if they have this plate

[Shredeagle]

LOL. Guys mountain bike weekend definitely gets a little weird!! You never know what's gonna happen when you give Low Test Nest some Imperial IPAs....

Perhaps the better spelling would have been Butte-tician?

[SUPERIOR]

I am officially voting that Nest changes his TGR handle to Assman with the license plate avatar


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[toast2266]

It's probably just two of us in one car so I was trying to figure out some rides with big descents we could do without shuttling.

Right on. In that case, a couple options:

Easiest option for big climb -> big descent is to ride up the reservoir trail just north of Whitefish to the ski resort, then continue up the summit trail to the top. Resort is closed for the season, so descend whatever back to town. Trailforks is a decent guide through there. These trails will be the most groomed / least backcountry, for better or worse. Gets you a 4k+ descent (and climb). If you can hitchhike up to the resort, you can cut the climb down to 2k (up the summit trail)

The six mile to hall option mentioned above ought to be a pretty good one in the swan area / south end of the valley. And the terriault -> highline -> Sinclair up in ten lakes is great. For backcountry rides, that one's pretty reliably awesome.

If you don't mind a bunch of hike-a-bike, up the frontside of Columbia and down the backside is rad. That's just SE from Columbia falls and is on trailforks. Those trails stay in pretty good shape. But the upper half of the frontside is steep and rocky - the upper 2k is a hike for most mortals. But then you get a 4k descent down the backside.

[Shredeagle]

Sweet. Thanks for taking the time to do that. Trying to ride up hike a bikes ( and failing) to big descents is kinda our thing so that gives us a bunch of good options if we get snowed out down here. Appreciate the help. Stoked for a boys weekend of shredding.


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[0g]

Pretty sure nest has never had a Wop Chop

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[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Show me on the doll where Nest absolutely wrecked you on the uphill...

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[byates1]

Snow in the hills! Totals? Fkin rained hard for 2 days straight gotta be 6/12" somewhere?

[teleturner207]

hyalite got snow

[byates1]

Did the ceremonial "throw the xc sticks in the rig and drive up.alas, just the tops got the dust. Soon enough..

[beer30]

The tourists buy it, never open or use it, it gets taken at the airport and goes to the pawn shop.

I generally use it to spray the homeless and hippies. Works great.

I used to make 3 to 4 hundred a summer selling the TSA confiscated to tourists in JH. Unbelievable how much was left behind

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Appreciate the hustle, but you can make way more than that selling used dildos in pawnshops.

[byates1]

^ got lots of experience w that huh?