It may have taken its sweet time getting here, but Winter '10/11 has been large and in charge for the last two months (I know, I know, technically the season is only about a month old, but c'mon now), and I'm pretty sure that ski days amassed in December alone surpassed my total from last year! Western Montana in general, and the northern end of the Bitterroots in particular, has enjoyed healthily above-average snowfall, and it's been an absolute pleasure to get out there and roll around a bit in the white stuff. Got a bunch of on-area days, mainly at Lookout Pass, but also at Big Mountain (I guess it's called Whitefish Resort or something now) and a pretty sweet little area north of Choteau called Teton Pass. Ridin' chairs is usually incapable of delivering sustained, real-deal powder skiing (that's what the backcountry is for), but this year, I've had some times...
The backcountry, though, is what it's all about. Always has been, always will be, and this year has been (fantastically) no exception. Slappin' on the skins and sweating your way up the damn mountain is the only honest way to guarantee deep, untracked turns (yes, I consider helicopters and snow-machines dishonest). There's just nothing quite like hauling yourself up to the top of something big, and then looking over your ski-tips at a steep, blank canvas of snow. Dropping in, trying madly to get in front of the hilariously excited dogs...nothing better.
So I've been skiing a bunch, but need to get back into the music-playing end of things again. The dust on my strings is starting to rival the depth of our snowpack, and that ain't right. Wintergrass is less than a month away, and I'm gonna look like a damn fool in the pickin' circles unless I can log some string time between now and then. Skiing, pickin', hangin' out with the muttski...not enough hours in the day.
