The Season

   The memorial weekend storm rolled in on Thursday, dropping snow for 3 days all the way down to town level.  This marks Montana's usual last hurrah, and every year around this time I look back to our November turns and realize how long the winter here truly is.  This reflection brings a few things into perspective.
   Bozeman outdoor folk live for seasons, understandably, as they are quite distinct here.  A "good" season or a "bad" season can completely change the outlook of the outdoor community; not just in their respective sports but in life.  The attitude of everyone (myself included) fluctuates depending on snowfall, river flows, summer temps, and rainfall.  We let this bleed into our perspective on vocations, relationships, ambitions, and general happiness.  But the simple fact is that in sport as in life, there are "good" seasons and "bad" seasons, but the constant is that there is always a season.  In the end there is still time every year when we get to do what we really love.
   I could say that completely outside of skiing, I had a "bad" winter.  Post-graduate struggles, friends moving away, family members passing away.  But it was still a season, and out of it grew reconnection with family, new career steps, new ambitions and directions, and a fresh start.

  Kevin Dean and I headed out for a day of skiing today.  I think it will be my last of the season. When i kick the mind into rewind and replay my days in the mountains, I think I can call it a "good" season.

'aint shabby for May 27th

Kevin's suckin a few O2's but still smiling

Threading the Needle - Koch Peak

    Greg, DB, Ennis and I found yet another hidden blessing of the thin snow year last weekend.  The road up the Taylor's Fork was easily passable by early May,  allowing for an approach and ascent of Koch Peak in better conditions (including some new snowfall).  After a rough morning for yours truly (sleeping through my alarm, then finding dead batteries in the beacon at the trailhead) we eventually got on our way up the heinous approach, made worse by our uncertain wandering in the trees.  The cirque is truly amazing up there,  a natural shooting gallery of couloirs, faces, and even tectonic formed ramps to ski.  With weather holding off the heat of the sun, we were able to catch the summit just before our turn around time.  I missed any good shots on the way down due to thickening weather and timeline, but was able to shoot some in the cirque on the way up.  We capped the day with more wallowing down a narrow creek bed to return to the Taylors Fork Trail.
   Line possibility was endless in this zone, I will definitely be returning, just as soon as I figure out a less painful approach.

 the SE face of Koch

 approaching the saddle

 Chris and DB on top with the grand view (DB just turned 60, still kickin ass and takin names)

wallowingpresent participle of wal·low (Verb)     1.  This creek drainage

My Birthday Came Early - Couloir Season

     Historically speaking, March is the snowiest month in southwest Montana.  It always seems In bad snow years just about the time in February when everyone in Bozeman starts whining about the lack of storms March slams the state like a caffeinated I-90 trucker late to Minnesota.  This year was not one of those years.  March instead produced California fever, when every northerner hits the barbeque and shorts at the first consistently sunny week, declaring that "summer" has arrived.  But for the skier underneath what seems to be a depressing anomaly comes a blessing.  After temps in the mountains climbed well above 50's for over half of March and April, the snowpack has turned into a big stable block, and just in time for some cold temps and snow brought by the convergence of the southern and northern jetstreams.

     It's a couloir skiers wet dream.  18"-24" of dry powder over a solid isothermal snowpack, and last weekend it delivered.  Pow snow on big lines so stable i could have dropped them in my Subaru.  Kevin, Colin and I headed out to Middle Basin and skied two great couloirs.  The only catch 22 of the good snow is its ability to hide those sharp Madison range Rocks.  In the first couloir Kevin took a tumble with a Chuck Norris recovery right back to his feet, which i then followed with a teeter totter rollover off my first turn above the choke.  Alas, we had a rad day and despite the smaller snowpack, i think we will have a great couloir season.

 

Crossing the bottom of Middle Basin

Kevin Rapping in

 Ripping, pre-Chuck Norris moves

 Colin gettin some April 29 pow

Second Couloir

 Upper Middle Basin

 Future Lines:  In a better snow year we will go for a ski decent of the twin peaks formation

Future Lines: Fan mountain, prominent couloir off the lookers right of the main summit. Notice the crown lines from March/April avy cycles