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March, 2024

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Post Season shreddages

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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
I figured I'd make a thread to get some discussion going about whats going on after things start to close down.

Sunshine and lots of other areas in Alberta and British Columbia are open well into May. Banff is 6 hours by car from Great Falls... not sure how that relates to the rest of the state.

Anyone know whats going on at BEARTOOTH this year?? How is the snowpack??

Can anyone report on the snow in the Kalispell area like GNP or Jewel Basin? I didnt make it to either of those last year but has in the past. Super fun places both.

I'm planning a few trips on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountain Front. One to Hour Lake and one possibly on the Rocky Mountain.

I know a few people planning trips to the Big Belt Mountains (probably Mt Edith or the Twin Sisters) and also some area in the Crazy Mountains out of Harlowtown... I think both would be fun, there is good snow in both places. I have also heard that the Big Snowys have good snow this year, the south face looked super sick. I saw it driving north out of billings yesterday. The Big Snowys are also pretty much in the middle of no where though.

I'll be shredding around a bit in the little belts, there is still lots of snow and lots of fun stuff if you get creative.


Anyway, picture stoke!

Sunshine AB, super fun mountain:
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Showdown right around June 15, 2008
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The very next weekend at Jewel Basin:
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Last May in the Little Belts
[imghttp://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs158.snc1/5889_101099777457_777142457_2030649_7422696_n.jpg[/img]
Last June in the Beartooths:
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Hour Lake last July:
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Damn Im getting stoked, spring hike skiing is my favorite time of the season!
Apr 7 2010 1:15AM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
Oh and here is a cool map I found

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CLick it
Apr 7 2010 1:17AM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
One more picture I found, aerial view of the Big Snowys
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Apr 7 2010 1:28AM
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Rez4frederick
Posts: 4740 - Karma: 40
what the hell? where is that at? That is the coolest natural feature ever
Apr 7 2010 2:30PM
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shredstar
Posts: 232 - Karma: 16
those pictures are awesome, this will be my first spring/summer in montana. where is hour lake? that place looks so fun
Apr 7 2010 3:40PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
No idea, I've only ever gone in from the Crystal Lake Road on the north end. I know there is no snow in the valley/prairie and low on the mountains looked sparse, I would imagine by May it should be good but I cant say for sure.


The Hour Lake trailhead is about 30 minutes west of Choteau which is about 45-60 min from Great Falls. I'm not even sure if you can drive to the trail now. Once it opens up you have to hike a few miles to the lake but if you go early enough in the spring people tell me that they ski all the way out.
Another pic, there is also supposed to be good fishing too. I've never really tried it though, caught a sculpin last year thats it
[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs158.snc1/5889_106806767457_777142457_2117373_3654838_n.jpg/img]
Apr 7 2010 7:35PM
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CallMeAl
Posts: 609 - Karma: 89
I'm also eager to hear what the deal is going to be at Beartooth this summer....anyone have any updates?

Apr 19 2010 12:20PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
On Friday, I heard a rumor that the ski area does not plan on opening this year. Can anyone confirm or deconfirm this?
Apr 19 2010 5:50PM
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Stan_Darsh
Posts: 3057 - Karma: 185
i can't exactly confirm it, but i've heard that from multiple people as well... not stoked on that
Apr 19 2010 6:46PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
Time to do some major sacrificing to the snow gods and get an epic late april/early may dump like last year.
Apr 19 2010 7:05PM
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vinnyvan
Posts: 132 - Karma: 24
ya thats what i also have been hearing, but i recently saw an update from them (redlodge international ski camp) that the beartooths dont plan on opening due to the lack of snow which is a real bummer.. but anything can happen.. well atleast we can hope! maybe a few dumps, and they might. we can always keep our hopes up!
Apr 19 2010 10:35PM
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evtic
Posts: 1713 - Karma: 16

BUMMER!

Email from Joe Maxwell:

"To all concerned we regret to inform you that due to lack of snow pack we
are unable to operate this coming season.We hope this news enable you to
find other training opportunities this season.Hope for more snow next
Season."

Apr 21 2010 11:14AM
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bibs_skibum
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 449
NOOOO! Thats a drag for sure. Last year was so much fun
Apr 22 2010 2:16PM
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CallMeAl
Posts: 609 - Karma: 89
Bummer on the Beartooth situation...if anybody is down to do some shredding in the Bozeman area...whether it be serious touring or just building a booter and raging...send me a PM!
Apr 23 2010 9:33PM
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
anyone know how much snow is still left up at bridger? im contemplating a hike this weekend just to get in a few last turns before i go home next week
Apr 27 2010 1:23PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR HEAVY SNOW WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM THURSDAY TO 6 AM MDT FRIDAY. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ELEVATIONS BELOW 5000 FEET HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED. THIS WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ELEVATIONS BELOW 5000 FEET FOR SNOW IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM THURSDAY TO 6 AM MDT FRIDAY.

* TIMING AND MAIN IMPACT: SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT... WITH A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IN THE PLAINS AND VALLEYS. BY THURSDAY MORNING... EXPECT MAINLY ALL SNOW AT LOWER ELEVATIONS.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 15 TO 25 INCHES ARE EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS... WITH 2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE AT LOWER ELEVATIONS. WITH A WARM GROUND... SNOW WILL MELT ON CONTACT AT TIMES AT LOWER ELEVATIONS...

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE: GREAT FALLS... HELENA AND LEWISTOWN.




What are the chances of a Great Divide re-opening?
Apr 28 2010 7:00PM
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bibs_skibum
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 449
kip! keep me posted on anything that happens from that storm if you do any skiing. I'd love to join
Apr 28 2010 8:48PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
You really need to check out these pictures. Nick Boucher and someone took the headquarters pass trail and got some sweet turns in. You know the road out of Choteau two weeks ago where we thought about going with Azz but instead went south to Gibson and Benchmark and got stuck. Well they went north and there is still lots of accessible snow. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5217922&id=710983351#!/album.php?aid=208633&id=710983351
Apr 28 2010 9:02PM
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Mt_P0wDerJuNkIe
Posts: 1506 - Karma: 58
Next week I will return to the great state of MT. Got some things on the agenda pretty stoked.
First up is the usual Trapper peak. Usually hit this spot up a couple times a year.
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Next is a trek ive never done before. This is canyon creek. This peak is visible from downtown hamilton. cant wait to get up on it.
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And finally there is the sugar loaf chute. Been looking at this for years. Hopefully this will be the spring i get to go. Its around 3000 vertical feet. The chute it self is some where around 1000 feet long

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Apr 29 2010 8:22PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
What a ridiculous storm! At 430 this morning when I was driving home we were plowing through drifts as big as my friend's Subaru. Last night there was a car in the ditch, now you can't even see it. Showdown got pounded so hard, I was just looking at some snotels and there was snow at a rate of 2-3 inches per hour. One of the sites got like 30" of snow... 2 of Showdown's webcams are so snowy you cant even see the mountain. Crazy.
Apr 30 2010 8:25AM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24704 - Karma: 29,687
What the hell? It looks like a massive crater! but it's like a crazy, round, glacial valley? wtf i want to go there...
May 6 2010 5:59AM
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PhilboydStudge
Posts: 3431 - Karma: 206
That's crazy, Helena barely got hit.
May 6 2010 6:58PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
^
My guess would be a crater, I've hiked around up there and there are small craters everywhere. I doubt its glacial because its an island range, prairie on all sides.

Jake, ya it was a wild storm, there is still snow drifts off some of the roads. It pushed Showdown's total snowfall up to a record season.
May 7 2010 1:06AM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
I went skiing on Monday after work, got to Neihart around 430 started skiing around 6, got back to the road around 9.

You know your in Neihart Montana when...
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[img]http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs560.snc3/30594_397586912457_777142457_4063454_1394102_n.jpg[/img

Our plan was to ski some lines off the highway, super fun short wooded runs. About 200 vertical feet of glades, pillows, and cliffs, we have a pretty good bootpack set but we got sidetracked in this meadow and decided to build a little jump.
Firsties:
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Pat being steezy
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I graduated college last week, I decided to skip the graduation ceremony to go skiing. My mom told me she wanted a picture in my cap and gown so I got some on Monday night
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We finally pressed on to ski our line, it was steep, tight, and getting dark. The snow was also phenomenal. Creamy spring corn with about 3" new on top.
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Snow bank on King's Hill Pass, right by Showdown. That is all snow piled up. The cut in the bank was about as high as the top of my pickup, so ya, thats a lot of snow.
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May 13 2010 1:23AM
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Stan_Darsh
Posts: 3057 - Karma: 185
so alex and I went up to bear canyon the other day (may 9th) just for the hell of it and because we were bored.. was a little skeptical on the snow situation, but we set up the rail and there was a strip with plenty of snow in that one area. turned out to be real fun just messin around and putting the skis back on...


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May 13 2010 1:39PM
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Mt_P0wDerJuNkIe
Posts: 1506 - Karma: 58
Went up to Losttrail yesterday. skied A chute a couple of times.
May 13 2010 8:33PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
That looked like so much fun! Is that inbounds?
May 14 2010 12:08PM
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bibs_skibum
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 449
that looked like SO MUCH FUN!
May 14 2010 2:29PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
Lets shred this weekend BRAH!!


I wont have time this weekend, but would anyone be interested in a trip to the Crazy Mountains in the near future?
May 14 2010 2:53PM
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Mt_P0wDerJuNkIe
Posts: 1506 - Karma: 58
Yep sure is about a 15 minute hike from the parking lot.
May 14 2010 11:51PM
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Mt_P0wDerJuNkIe
Posts: 1506 - Karma: 58
yes i want to ski that huge bowl in the crazys!!!
May 15 2010 12:16AM
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Mt_P0wDerJuNkIe
Posts: 1506 - Karma: 58
ah fuck never mind thats in the big snowys
May 15 2010 12:17AM
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Mt_P0wDerJuNkIe
Posts: 1506 - Karma: 58

Made it up to Trapper Peak yesterday. Skied down from the summit into the gem lake area and into some open bowls in about a foot of fresh powder.

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Skinning up from Gem lake

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Aproaching the summit!

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Took a break on the ridge line. South east summit in the background

May 24 2010 7:58PM
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Mt_P0wDerJuNkIe
Posts: 1506 - Karma: 58

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Byron on the summit looking west

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looking north off the summit.

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Me on the summit with the east drainage below me

May 24 2010 8:04PM
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CallMeAl
Posts: 609 - Karma: 89
^Hell yeah, looks like a sick trip.
May 25 2010 8:38PM
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CallMeAl
Posts: 609 - Karma: 89
I heard Beartooth is skiing pretty good, anyone head over for opening weekend?
Jun 1 2010 8:28PM
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ajax
Posts: 2850 - Karma: 1,236
I made a fun trip up Red Mountain north of Whitefish. It's not very long, but it was pretty sweet aside from the rain.

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Hiking/skinning up.

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Don't know why this picture was taken, but it's the best one that shows the mountain. We skied through the tries down the far right ridge.

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Summit pose.

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Skiing down.

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Hike out.

Photo cred to Erik Anderson.

This was a pretty fun day for sure. Lots of snow still up there, but I probably won't get a chance to go back for a while.

Jun 10 2010 5:04PM
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Mt_P0wDerJuNkIe
Posts: 1506 - Karma: 58
well no more skiing for me. Broke my collar bone saturday.
Jun 14 2010 10:13PM
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
what is this, the year of the collarbone in montana?
Jun 17 2010 12:46AM
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shredstar
Posts: 232 - Karma: 16
went to logan's pass in glacier yesterday and had so much fun, soo much snow
Jun 25 2010 1:17PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
Is the road finally open?
Jun 25 2010 1:27PM
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Stan_Darsh
Posts: 3057 - Karma: 185
yep.
Jun 25 2010 6:23PM
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bibs_skibum
Posts: 4462 - Karma: 449
i think it all started last year at the end of the season with my AC separation. Sorry fellas
Jun 25 2010 8:32PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
Might be going to Glacier on the 5th or 6th for one last shred before I move. Anyone been to Logan Pass recently?
Jul 2 2010 9:10PM
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shredstar
Posts: 232 - Karma: 16
Might have got some snow up there last night, it was really cold when I woke up and there was new snow on the mountain peaks near my work. I'll be going up there on the next nice day that I'm not working, I'll let you know how it is
Jul 3 2010 7:58PM
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2L208
Posts: 1075 - Karma: 308
the Lemhi's "2L" are so sweet this summer, hit a gnarly z line last weekend, still plenty to shred
Jul 13 2010 5:43PM
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king.tubby
Posts: 2865 - Karma: 122
huh?
Jul 15 2010 1:08PM
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Stan_Darsh
Posts: 3057 - Karma: 185
anyone hit up glacier or the jewel recently? how much snow is left up there?
Jul 15 2010 2:13PM
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2L208
Posts: 1075 - Karma: 308
the lemhi mountain range in southeast idaho had 110% snow pack this winter, still has snow on them still ride able, last weekend rode a gnarly z shoot
Jul 15 2010 3:02PM
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king.tubby
Posts: 2865 - Karma: 122
gotcha.  sweet!
Jul 15 2010 3:44PM
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