Got a call from TJ David & Brody Leven with Skiing Magazine saying they were going to be in Northwest Montana’s Glacier Country and wanted to ski some backcountry. So we connected with our local friend Greg Fortin with Glacier Adventure Guides for a day of skiing in Glacier National Park. Below are some of my images from that day, we had wind gust over 50 mph knocking us over as we skinned and some dramatic clouds over head.
Greg Fortin
Brody Leven
Brody and Greg digging in the pit.
TJ David
Brody Leven
TJ David crossing the tracks
Greg Fortin
Greg Fortin
TJ David
- TJ David rocking the Texas suitcase
Rusty Cash at Big Mountain did have an ice beard! Photo (C) Craig Moore/GlacierWorld.com All Rights Reserved
While not every man has what it takes to grow facial hair, it is certainly a rite of passage for many men; especially those who choose to live in the mountains — or mountain towns for that matter. Whether it be a wispy [read: Pornstarlike] mustache that is only visible from the side or a full fledged knee length beard a la ZZ Top there is no shortage of options when it comes to facial hair. The choices are myriad and limited most often only by one’s creativity and patience (or the patience of the wife, girlfriend, or current significant other). The Balbo or the Old Dutch? The Goatee or the Shortbox? The classic but timely French Fork or the rap industry standard Chinstrap? Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beardholder it would seem. Originally it is thought that beards were grown to protect men’s faces from the elements or as a status of age and respect amongst the clan; however, in modern times the beard has perhaps become a symbol more of ones counter cultural nature. In the world of ski culture the beard has a dual role, one of pragmatism and exhibition. Yes, we’re talking about the beloved Snow Beard aka The Jack Frost. The Snow Beard takes time to cultivate and only under the right conditions does it truly thrive. Many men have tried and even more have failed. Perhaps you are one of the select few to know the frosty delights of the JF and if so we implore you to soldier forward for you are in an elite class of quasi legendary individuals. May Ullr continue to bless you….godspeed.
Ski Magazine released their annual resort ranking guide this fall and while some of the top 10 resorts were no surprise the 11th place finisher was our own Whitefish Mountain Resort aka Big Mountain. The resort’s previous highest ranking was No. 18 in 2000 and was ranked No. 22 last season. Ski Magazine uses a reader survey poll to calculate the results and while we’re not exactly sure if there were any hanging chads or double clicks during this uber-scientific research what we do know is that Big Mountain has a history of good snow, cool locals, cheap deals, and stiff drinks. Perhaps a combination worthy of a top ten ranking? But then we wouldn’t really want too many tourists flooding our home hill now would we? In the end really, any resort ranking by a major ski company (that may or may not own a number of resorts in the top 10) is just a number. We prefer to think of the #11 the same way that Nigel from Spinal Tap did…we just go one higher than 10.
