Carbon Splinters: My Birthday Came Early

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.