2012 Montana Conditions, Stoke and Whatev Thread

[peck257]

about a foot dropped and my house on Tuesday. Gonna try and get out this weekend.

I am in charge of our local hills (maverick) little skiers program this year. We are a local non-profit that brings skiing (riding too) to lots of kids for a discount price (5 weeks for 275 inclusive). Last year we had 120 kiddos, which is pretty good for our area. If anyone has any old kids equipment they want to donate I would be more than happy to pay for shipping or come pick it up if its in MT. Also, does anyone have any good contacts at any rental shops who may be looking to upgrade rental equipment and I could get some "new" stuff at a good price?

Thanks!

www.skimaverick.com
www.dillonjaycees.com

[Bunion 2020]

Peck I will make a few inquiries and PM you if I find anything worthwhile.

[peck257]

Peck I will make a few inquiries and PM you if I find anything worthwhile.

Thanks bunion...i appreciate it!

[geffe]

Lost my beacon skinning up Bridger Bowl along the alpine lift on Veteran's Day. Tracker. Feeling pretty stupid, but would be feeling a little less sad if anyone found it! PM me. Thanks!

[Bunion 2020]

A wee bit breezy last night. I will be curious to see what Lone Mountain looks like today.

http://www.mtavalanche.com/weather/stations/summit

[chris.goodhue]

A wee bit breezy last night. I will be curious to see what Lone Mountain looks like today.

http://www.mtavalanche.com/weather/stations/summit

86, that is whippin'

[Norseman]

Whippin for sure.

Been gnarly out here in WA state... Roads washing out, trees falling and killing multiple people, and super high mountain winds.

For like 8 hours straight yesterday the telemetry site atop Mission Ridge recorded gusts over 100mph with averages in the 70s. Top gust was fuckin 137mph.

[WMD]

TR: Solo BC Mission Into Bridger Creek GC Backcountry

I don't usually like to brag about my ski exploits, but yesterday was so epic, and I know a bunch of you guys are just sitting on your asses waiting for motivation to get after it, that I just had to share the stoke of my sick, sick day.

Yesterday I kept looking out the window at all that white goodness out there on Bridger Creek Golf Course, and I couldn't stop dreaming about the white room. I had a ton of work to do, but then remembered that Sir Edmund Hillary didn't let office work keep him from bagging Everest, so I set my skype status to Away and got ready to get after it.


Besides, I have some new kit I need to get dialed in, and a backcountry mission yesterday seemed just the way to do it. The BD Converts, Dynafit Speeds, and La Sportive Spectres were the perfect tools for this light and fast mission. Totally stoked!



Since I was flying solo, and temps were warming rapidly, I was pretty sketched out about the avy danger especially since the Avy Center isn't issuing reports yet. I dug a hasty pit and found a couple inches of cream cheese on top of a firm base, and it appeared the new snow was bonding ok with the old surface. I didn't even bother with any compression or stability tests as that pit told me what I wanted to know.


But, I decided not to take any chances as my kit was new and I was alone. I stuck to pretty low angle slopes but still managed to find some sweet, sweet turns. The white room wasn't open, but the skiing was still pretty epic for early season. I don't have any action shots because when the skiing is this good, who has time to take out the camera? But I did catch a few shots of my tracks. Awesome!


My ultimate objective was up to the high point on the golf course, but route finding was tricky, and there were a series of crevasses or a 'schrund or something that made it pretty sketchy.



In the end I turned back, figuring it was better to stay alive than to bag that peak. Wisdom like this only comes with age, and I felt pretty good about myself even though I failed to reach my objective.

What a day! I'll be basking in the glow of this one for at least a couple more minutes, then I'll start plotting the next mission with the BC kit!

Praise Ullr!

[toast2266]

Heh. That's awesome.

[Bunion 2020]

Great Mission, glad your Kit is now dialed And way to Know Before You Go....

[WMD]

Great Mission, glad your Kit is now dialed And way to Know Before You Go....

The Kit is dialed and ready for more Missions! I was super stressed because the Avy Center isn't issuing reports yet. I felt kinda naked and vulnerable out there.

[Bunion 2020]

I will see Doug and co. on Friday.

I'll pass it along. Maybe submit your Obs. to GNFAC in case some late season duffers wander out for a quick 18 and get buried in the back traps.

[Ted26]

Madmans was deeeep this afternoon

[RockinB]

This might not be the best place to post this, but it's relevant. Went for a hike in the Little Belts today and found some instabilities on NE aspects. I remotely triggered a smallish (8" x 40 ft crown) windslab from close to a hundred feet away. It was in very low consequence terrain but was spooky nonetheless. Keep your wits about you. The same slopes that skied great yesterday were completely wind fucked today.

[Harry]

This might not be the best place to post this, but...

This is the perfect place to post this info. Thanks for posting it up, good reminder for all of us.

[Bobcat Sig]

I see another storm warning on its way in for you fellas. You're welcome.

This was my weekend.



Hard pack, windfuck rain crust. Meh.

[Ted26]

[BFD]

was wondering if there is any kind of memorial to Dave Stutzman at Big Sky?

[Bunion 2020]

If you ski Snakepit and follow the ridge line along the west end down to where he was caught there is a nice plaque on a tree as a memorial.

Also Liberty Bowl was know as Stutzmans Bowl for a long time until Marketing in their infinite wisdom re-named it Liberty Bowl. Most long time locals still call it Stutzmans. There is also a big rock in The Bowl known as Stutzmans rock. The Ski Patrol locker room has a plaque and one of his old skis on the wall.

His death and a post control slide that year (82/83) that injured a guest were the triggers that caused big leaps in how Big Sky dealt with A/C hazards.

In the run out of Stutzmans Bowl once you get to tree line if you enter the trees there is another plaque dedicated to Erika Pankow (killed in an explosives accident while performing A/C) along with a gladed area named after her.

Her death also caused huge changes in the Snow Safety program at Big Sky as well as in the entire industry. Next year will be 20 years since that happened.

Too bad that is often what it takes.

[peck257]

I wasn't aware of these but will definitely take a look this season. Thanks for sharing!

If you ski Snakepit and follow the ridge line along the west end down to where he was caught there is a nice plaque on a tree as a memorial.

Also Liberty Bowl was know as Stutzmans Bowl for a long time until Marketing in their infinite wisdom re-named it Liberty Bowl. Most long time locals still call it Stutzmans. There is also a big rock in The Bowl known as Stutzmans rock. The Ski Patrol locker room has a plaque and one of his old skis on the wall.

His death and a post control slide that year (82/83) that injured a guest were the triggers that caused big leaps in how Big Sky dealt with A/C hazards.

In the run out of Stutzmans Bowl once you get to tree line if you enter the trees there is another plaque dedicated to Erika Pankow (killed in an explosives accident while performing A/C) along with a gladed area named after her.

Her death also caused huge changes in the Snow Safety program at Big Sky as well as in the entire industry. Next year will be 20 years since that happened.

Too bad that is often what it takes.

[Scrubadub]

I see another storm warning on its way in for you fellas. You're welcome.

This was my weekend.



Hard pack, windfuck rain crust. Meh.

Looks Sick! at least puppers prob had some fun...

[bushman]

Bumping this up cause the lifts at BS start spining in two days. See ya dirtbags next week, WOOT.

[Lexi-Bell]

Wow thanks for the in-depth history report Bunion, I find that type of info super interesting, despite the sad/morbid slant.

See you fools @ freak-week!!!
#bbinvadesbigsky

[Harry]

#bbinvadesbigsky

[Lexi-Bell]

Ha! No one cares I've been skiing Big Sky longer than you and I don't give a fuck if you care or not!! I will shred yer powz!!