2012 Montana Conditions, Stoke and Whatev Thread

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

or go jackson - willow cr.

I was thinking of doing that on the return part of the loop actually.

[Hodgge]

The train tracks really aren't bad. There's actually kind of a dirt road next to the tracks for about half the way.

[NWFlow]

I was thinking of doing that on the return part of the loop actually.

That'll be sweet. I've never actually fully connected it and don't live in the area anymore, so would be stoked to hear how it is.

[Harry]

Met up with fellow maggot Yeahman in Minnesota this morning. His Dad and my GF are neighbors on the same lake.


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[SUPERIOR]

Man, I have got to add a small amount of bitching here... it seems like Bozeman has been unusually affected by a plague sweeping the mountain towns throughout the West.

It’s certainly a pandemic, and connected to coronavirus, but perhaps even worse.

According to my “Tinder Research” (which also includes other scientific fuck apps), a massive migration of wealthy poseurs from the coasts is ramping up.

I know what you’re thinking: “But, Superior, aren’t you and half the peeps on this board from somewhere else?” And the answer is yes, of course.

But, the difference is that I can’t simply buy my way out of a pandemic and take some cake-eating finance job on the road to Bozeman because “I want to live the mountain life.”

Fuck that. I’ve been working for a solid 10 years to figure out how to get out west, establish a working lifestyle where I have skiing and mountain biking opportunities, and try to fit into a community.

So, the question becomes: how do we react to this new reality?

Welcome all the new Sprinter vans with open arms? Show them all your favorite fishing and skiing spots?

How about this: my landlord is jacking up my rent, and says there’s a line of people that call every day, wanting to put money down on his apartments site-unseen.

It’s an age old problem that goes back far beyond my days as a ski bum.

I guess I could just move to Butte.

[Bunion 2020]

I guess I could just move to Butte.

Butte is looking better and better. The traffic today into town and back out was insane 3-5 pm.

Had to drive a load of erosion blankets to the Really big this am, left at 6:45. Got in the train at Blackwood and was in it until MLB. Got to see some awesome rage passes to nowhere made by 6P and 6T plates.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

That'll be sweet. I've never actually fully connected it and don't live in the area anymore, so would be stoked to hear how it is.

Chestnut > Trail Creek > PV > Livingston > Willow > Jackson > Chestnut today. Gorgeous AF. 700x38c slicks = pretty spicy on parts of Willow past the ranch all the way through Jackson. Road is in really great shape though. If you get rained on though.....that would be pretty fucked up.

Butte is looking better and better. The traffic today into town and back out was insane 3-5 pm.

Had to drive a load of erosion blankets to the Really big this am, left at 6:45. Got in the train at Blackwood and was in it until MLB. Got to see some awesome rage passes to nowhere made by 6P and 6T plates.

Unless I find a crater in the ground cheap enough in Three Forks I will probably be in Butte in the next few months. If I am doing lots of highway miles I'd like to do them out that way.

[usdatele]

I guess I could just move to Butte.[/QUOTE]

Butte, bozeman, wilsall, anaconda, sula, pburg..... were lucky enough to be able to weigh these decisions and thier affect on our lifestyles. Theres sick skiing and biking pretty much everywhere, the hordes will come eventually no matter where u are. It's probably best to hold a solid state of who gives a fuck, and keep keeping it cool. We are the ones who make these communities, and those moving in and pricing you out might be douches, but then again, maybe not. Stay positive, friendly, and open; and maybe our slice of pie will stay sweet for just a few more years..... and dont shake anyone's hand. Right now...
Remember when there weren't any women?


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[Bunion 2020]

[SUPERIOR]

Remember when there weren't any women?

I knew I could count on some positive spin from the elusive USDATELE!

[Hodgge]

Having to channel my state of who gives a fuck more and more lately, but it does work.

[Bunion 2020]

#1. Do not watch the National News.

[Hodgge]

#1. Do not watch the National News.

Every time I watch the news I seriously consider moving to Canada.

[Lomax]

I went camping over near the Marlboro ranch last wknd. Love that area. I went for a hike up Rock Creek to Smeller Lake. Beautiful spot! I decided I need to go back to Rock Lake and shred some of those lines. Maybe go stay out there for a couple days next spring. I think the best way would be to hire an outfitter to load up my gear on horseback and drop me off out there for a couple days.

anyone been up and skied at ROCK Lake in those Crazy Mtns?

[kathleenturneroverdrive]

So, the question becomes: how do we react to this new reality?

Welcome all the new Sprinter vans with open arms? Show them all your favorite fishing and skiing spots?

For me, it's a firm yes to the above. I'm being pushed and pushing for more diversity/inclusion in my professional life as a reaction to recent events, and I think for this to have meaning it has to apply to my personal/recreational activities too. Not saying I'm going to print guidebooks, but at the absolute bare minimum I'm sharing info when it makes sense in order to eliminate any whiff of the "secret spots" attitude, I'm friendly as fuck when I run into people outdoors, and I'm refusing to ever complain about crowds in our local hills. Which is all pretty much summed up as "don't be a dick".

That said I'm only applying that thinking to skiing and biking since that's all I do. I have no idea how to apply sharing info to finite and sensitive resources like fishing.

Also - on the housing front - the situation is FUBAR. But I don't see things going down drastically. I don't know your personal situation, but if there's any way you can beg, borrow, steal, or take advantage of every government program available I would do it to buy a place (even if that means a move to Belgrad/4 Corners/Livingston). Someone gave me that advice about Jackson Hole when I moved there in '07 and I got kind of close to piecing together a down payment on a place when the market went south. I bailed on it though. Still regretting that move.

[Bunion 2020]

even if that means a move to Belgrad/4 Corners/Livingston

2 things for a reality check.

1. I live in 4 corners by choice. Gentrification is on its way as well and eventual absorption by the city. We will be annexed within 10 years.

2. My dump of an 1100 sq ft manufactured house would appraise at close to 400K, mainly because of the lot .97 acre with elk grove slough in the back of the lot and the views, Bridgers, Blackmore and Wheeler.

You are 100% spot on.

When I lived in Park City I was too poor to buy and got priced/driven out. When I lived in Big Sky I managed to buy a Hill studio, that appreciation of equity allowed the move to town.

I don't see any signs of a slow down here, for better or worse.

As for the be a local dick or be a friendly person, I will opt for the latter as well, fuck the bitter dead enders.

[kathleenturneroverdrive]

Good point. The advice is probably not to move to "Belgrade/4 Corners/Livingston" but instead buy literally anything you can afford (even if it's tiny) because in a few years the appreciation will make it worth it. Which is, admittedly an insensitive thing to say when we're talking about someone having to find thousands of dollars for a down payment. But short of a massive local investment in affordable housing, or capitalism dying off I think it's all you've got right now

[Lexi-Bell]

I went for a bike ride at a popular trailhead South of town a few nights ago and half of the license plates were from out of state. A couple friends in Real Estate have stories of out of state buyers offering full cash offers in Gallatin County on properties sight unseen, and in some cases getting into bidding wars. The influx is hudge.

I never suspected when I moved here in 1999 Bozeman would turn into a place where teachers, cops, nurses, and blue collar employees like me would get priced out of the market. Like Bunion I got in early enough to be able to afford a place, just very fortunate with timing. It is a bummer housing prices are out of reach for so many.

Having said that, of my close circle of friends I can only think of a handfull who are native to Montana and a couple native to Gallatin Valley. It is difficult to fault folks for moving here for the exact same reasons we all did. Some folks brought their overly-aggressive driving habits and high-paying tele-commute jobs with them, but I'm gonna try and give them the benefit of the doubt.

*The last guy in always wants to build the biggest fence*

Oh Joe BTW good to see you posting, awful sorry to hear about your mom, she meant a lot to the BB community.

[RTR]

...I decided I need to go back to Rock Lake and shred some of those lines. Maybe go stay out there for a couple days next spring. I think the best way would be to hire an outfitter to load up my gear on horseback and drop me off out there for a couple days.

anyone been up and skied at ROCK Lake in those Crazy Mtns?

I've checked it out, too. We got up there with dirt bikes (not quite all the way as it gets pretty Western towards the top). Unfortunately, we didn't have chainsaws with us. Next time I go, I'll have one with me. I've dirt biked with a bow, with a rifle... but never with a pair of skis on my back. Be sure to return and report what you ski. Last weekend, I saw a couple coming down from Pine Creek and I think I saw their lines coming down the north couloir of Black Mountain.

2 things for a reality check.

1. I live in 4 corners by choice. Gentrification is on its way as well and eventual absorption by the city. We will be annexed within 10 years.

2. My dump of an 1100 sq ft manufactured house would appraise at close to 400K, mainly because of the lot .97 acre with elk grove slough in the back of the lot and the views, Bridgers, Blackmore and Wheeler.

#3. Incredible neighbors. :fingermustache:

...short of a massive local investment in affordable housing, or capitalism dying off I think it's all you've got right now

I currently working with four developers doing their damnedest to provide affordable housing in Bozeman, within biking distance of downtown. They all understand there's a market for it, so it's not pure altruism. Additional tax incentive will be available to help subsidize it once the Census officially says we're 50k in population. I think one of the developers has a fighting chance--but they'll be affordable, for-rent product... not for-sale. While "affordable," is subjective, the more nuanced issue is what I've been referring to as "attainable" housing. The aforementioned affordable, for-rent product will be absorbed into the market faster than you can say, "I skied a triple-black diamond yesterday." Hence the attainability issue.

[NWFlow]

Chestnut > Trail Creek > PV > Livingston > Willow > Jackson > Chestnut today. Gorgeous AF. 700x38c slicks = pretty spicy on parts of Willow past the ranch all the way through Jackson. Road is in really great shape though. If you get rained on though.....that would be pretty fucked up.

That's a big loop, strong work. We used to get so apocalyptically stuck up willow in high school, that road gets gnarly quick if it even gets cloudy.

[muted]

Hmmmm, I thought it was kinda crowded in the late 90s, here's a frame grab from a powder day from '97-ish:



Everything you guys are saying I said in 2005, was I that jaded?

[Hodgge]

Even though house prices are stupid and traffic is a pain, 90% of the people moving here have little effect on the quality of outdoor recreation, at least for the caliber of people posting on this board.

Yeah, BB on a big powder day is ridiculous, the M or triple tree are packed unless you get there super early, Lick Creek gets tracked out quicker than ever, etc. The recreational low hanging fruit gets picked off faster every day, but get a little off the beaten path and it's still untouched.

I did a long trail link-up in Hyalite this past weekend, and saw no one outside of 2 miles from the trail heads.

[S_jenks]

Butte is looking better and better. The traffic today into town and back out was insane 3-5 pm.

Had to drive a load of erosion blankets to the Really big this am, left at 6:45. Got in the train at Blackwood and was in it until MLB. Got to see some awesome rage passes to nowhere made by 6P and 6T plates.

Yooo plus Butte has the Front St Market. That Italian grocery has some serious selection for small-town Montana. Plus, they got that Gorgonzola dip and Five Amigos salsa that absolutely slaps.

Their operating hours are odd, but it's always worth the stop if your passing through.

[S_jenks]

I went camping over near the Marlboro ranch last wknd. Love that area. I went for a hike up Rock Creek to Smeller Lake. Beautiful spot! I decided I need to go back to Rock Lake and shred some of those lines. Maybe go stay out there for a couple days next spring. I think the best way would be to hire an outfitter to load up my gear on horseback and drop me off out there for a couple days.

anyone been up and skied at ROCK Lake in those Crazy Mtns?

Been to rock lake before in the summer. Beautiful basin and lake, but because of the checkerboard map I think it might also be dammed. Part of it definitely is on privately owned land.

Would be cool to ski, but you'd probably be best accessing from the cottonwood lake trail. All above timberline too.

[Bronco]

You guys should come to the Seattle area to recreate on a weekend. You won't feel so bad when you get back to the Bozone.