Elk Mountain with StormCycles crew from Skiing Magazine

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

Greg Fortin

Brody Leven

Brody Leven

Brody and Greg digging in the pit.

Brody and Greg digging in the pit.

TJ David

TJ David

Brody Leven

Brody Leven

TJ David crossing the tracks

TJ David crossing the tracks

Greg Fortin

Greg Fortin

Greg Fortin

Greg Fortin

TJ David

TJ David

TJ David rocking the Texas suitcase
TJ David rocking the Texas suitcase

 

 

Aspen meets Montana with Skiing Magazine

Last month we connected with TJ David and Greg Ernst from Aspen, CO during their visit to Whitefish while on a press trip for Skiing Magazine. The morning fog burned off and it turned out to be a nice day to check out the resort. Enjoy the images.

Photos are all (C) Craig Moore/GlacierWorld.com 2013 All Rights Reserved.

The day started with a wicked sunrise.

Sunrise with the Great Northern Mtn (left(

Sunrise from Whitefish Mountain Resort with the Great Northern Mtn (left)

 

 

Fernie’s legendary (blower) alpine bowls

We got the call from Powder Matt that a storm was hitting Fernie Alpine Resort so we headed north for two days of skiing, shooting and partying. We showed up right in the middle of a 20″ storm followed up with 6″ over night as we rested at the Wolf’s Den in the base village. The Cedar Bowl never opened on Sunday so we got the goods on Monday when the gates dropped. It was a mad dash to the bowls – what seemed like a lot of skiers turned out to just be a few riders taking some choice lines. We farmed out Lizard and Cedar bowl all day. So far over the past couple years I have yet to ski Fernie with less than 6″ of fresh. A few days with 40″+ back in 2012. Again the same thing goes for my images from Fernie – DEEP eye candy… If you like the snow deep then hit up the Powder Highway and it all starts in Fernie! Jason, Kate, Amy and myself had a blast in Fernie!

Amy getting the goods.

Amy getting the goods.

 

 

Grizzly Adams DID have a beard

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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.

 

Inversion day at Big Red Cats – Rossland, BC

Big Red Cats owners Kieren & Paula Gaul in Rossland, BC invited us up to come ski and checkout their operation – WOW! They have a top notch crew, amazing lodging and the most vast cat skiing we have ever skied. They run five cats on 19,300 acres spread across 8 peaks. If you like getting vertical more than sitting in a cat or waiting for transportation this is the place for you. They have every aspect of cat skiing nailed down solid. We never had to wait for a cat or waste time loading/unloading. They have amazing wraps and sandwiches for lunch in the cat.  At the end of the day our cat felt like a group of old friends out for a private ski day. Thanks again Big Red Cats, Mystery Ranch Backpacks, Talus Outdoor and Montana Ski Company for helping make it happen!

Here are some images from the trip on a sick inversion day. We can’t wait to go back and explore more of Big Red Cats’ terrain and Rossland.

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Whitefish Mountain Resort Ranked #11

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.