Missoula vs Bozeman for backcountry skiing?

[sharkk]

Which is better? I'm moving from Golden CO, for comparison. Love spring and summer skiing, and big objectives.

[RTR]

Bozeman.

[S_jenks]

Neither. No good bc touring in MT, so I'd recommend staying away.

I hear Colorado is the place to be for touring.

[schwerty]

I lived in Missoula for 9 years. Found touring to be excellent if you have a sled. Much more difficult if you don’t. Still plenty of access though. Plenty of great ranges to explore outside of what you can see from town.

[Bunion 2020]

I lived in Missoula for 9 years. Found touring to be excellent if you have a sled. Much more difficult if you don’t. Still plenty of access though. Plenty of great ranges to explore outside of what you can see from town.

Not much different from Bozeman except for some dubious sidecountry to be found from the lifts of 2 well known ski areas.

Access is still a bit of a slog.

[toast2266]

Access is still a bit of a slog.

That applies to much of Montana, no? Just not that many plowed roads that go high.

[East2West]

That applies to much of Montana, no? Just not that many plowed roads that go high.

Speaking of plowed roads that go high. The wife and I swung over to Red Lodge / Beartooth over the weekend to catch some views before they shut it down for the winter. Ended pulling a skier back up that dropped in at beartooth basin. Said the first 10 turns were great but found out quickly the rest was rock hard. At that point he couldn’t get back up and didn’t want to try going down. Three tow straps from truck tied end to end was enough to reach him. Pulled him back out with the help of two strangers.

[lifelinksplit]

Speaking of plowed roads that go high. The wife and I swung over to Red Lodge / Beartooth over the weekend to catch some views before they shut it down for the winter. Ended pulling a skier back up that dropped in at beartooth basin. Said the first 10 turns were great but found out quickly the rest was rock hard. At that point he couldn’t get back up and didn’t want to try going down. Three tow straps from truck tied end to end was enough to reach him. Pulled him back out with the help of two strangers.

I've seen people get into some interesting situations there but that's a new recovery method for me..

[cloud cult]

Which is better? I'm moving from Golden CO, for comparison. Love spring and summer skiing, and big objectives.

Both are better. Bozeman has higher trailheads and easier to access major peaks. Missoula has more options to choose from and better snow.

https://www.amazon.com/Southwest-Mon...jeff+schmerker

https://www.amazon.com/Western-Monta...jeff+schmerker

[easyrdr]

Either one is better then Golden, CO.

[Leshphilling77]

missoula has some decent options but its nice to have a snowbowl pass for access in my opinion. not completely necessary tho i suppose.

[anotherVTskibum]

Speaking of plowed roads that go high. The wife and I swung over to Red Lodge / Beartooth over the weekend to catch some views before they shut it down for the winter. Ended pulling a skier back up that dropped in at beartooth basin. Said the first 10 turns were great but found out quickly the rest was rock hard. At that point he couldn’t get back up and didn’t want to try going down. Three tow straps from truck tied end to end was enough to reach him. Pulled him back out with the help of two strangers.

Unless those ten turns were PSIA hop turns, he should have been done with the steep stuff by then. Walking back up the scree to looker's left is a pain but not scary like trying to boot ice without the right gear.

Especially this time of year, aspect has a huge impact... I've had some interesting booting out of a few of those lines, even with an axe handy.

To the original question, I'd just say that regardless of where in Montana you land, you want access to a sled if at all possible. It's better if it's your buddy's sled, but having your own will work if need be, it's just way more expensive.

[sharkk]

What do you think about buying a beater sled? What is just good enough? Are you driving through deep snow en route?

[Bunion 2020]

^^^ There is a reason most "beater sleds" are for sale.

Has something to do with breaking down 5-10 miles from the road and either skiing out and back in with parts or abandoning the sled or getting your buddy with the nice sled to rail his towing you out.

If you can invest say $ 2500.00 in a sled that is a $ 2500.00 item you may end up leaving to the whims of fate.

I have found that beater sleds are not worth the heartache and worry. Results may vary.