One of our images was picked up by Mystery Ranch Backpacks of Bozeman, MT for an ad in the regional magazine Bomb Snow spring 2010 issue. The photo was taken at Whitefish Mountain Resort. These packs are top quality handmade in Bozeman. Designed by Dana Gleason who started Dana Design.
All inversions should end in POWDER DAYS. Looking back at the images from the holiday week its hard to ask for more than inversions followed up by powder days at Whitefish Mountain Resort . Enjoy the images.
Rob loving life in the fresh powder.
Rob popping off the ridge.
Dave presents MONTANA!
Amy and Dave at the Summit House.
Kyle shredding the ant hill at sunrise.
Summit view looking towards Glacier National Park.
Kyle picking his line down North Bowl.
Kyle running the cornice at Elephants Graveyard.
Inversion trees.
Dave testing the snow in the early A.M. soon it will be bright!
Dan getting a taste of the backside early A.M.
Trevor finding his line in the early A.M.
Finally getting bright about the time Trevor found this line in Evans.
Well it’s May now and most people are mowing the yard and planting gardens. But I’m still going for my endless winter adventures of skiing year round. I’m on month 18 in a row now and its snowing today. I do plan to get back out a few more times in May.
Below are some images from a recent trip on the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. The road is closed at Lake McDonald Lodge so T.J. and I biked up to just below the loop and headed up a run out path for some turns.
TJ biking towards the Garden Wall.
TJ riding between a massive avalanche debris path that took out tons of new trees.
The path came across two sections of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, this being the lower section.
It must have taken crews days to clean up this debris and snow from the road following this 100 year avalanche cycle. Must have been a HUGE slide.
TJ booting it up where we plan to ski.
TJ is always looking for a jib or feature to bounce off. Here he throws a grab in for good measure.
Conor asked if I wanted to come on a yurt trip with him and his Jackson Hole crew. Oh ya! I was eager to hit the trail for this April late season trip. A trip full of fresh snow, steep lines and even a backcountry rescue. Below are some images from trip.
The Jackson and Whitefish crew hanging out on the porch.
Evan and Kaci inside the main yurt.
Drying skins, boots and melting snow.
Dan reading up on the area near the Williams Peak Yurt.
Main yurt at night with heavy headlamp traffic.
Yurts with stars and only one headlamp trailing to the sauna.
Dan skinning up to the basin to play for the day.
Sam and Dan heading off to the chute Jesus Christ near Thompson Peak.
Sam and Dan in the basin.
Evan and Trevor putting skins back on to go higher.
Aric going to see if he can join Dan and Sam as they start there boot pack up J.C.
Sam and Dan booting up J.C.
Sam on top and Dan just below the top of J.C.
Sam heads down J.C. first.
Sam in J.C. with Dan looking down.
Sam opening it up below J.C. with the shadows of Thompson Peak.
Sam freeing it in the bowl.
Sam heading to another gully below J.C.
He is one tall tele skier!
Dan bombing it past his boot pack up J.C.
Dan ripping a turn below J.C. with Thompson Peak shadows.
Dan looking back at J.C. chute that he just skied.
Sun dog over Thompson Peak.
Dislocated hip at 4:00 with approx. 10 miles to the cars, plus another 60 miles to the hospital.
Thankfully we all came together at the same place and had two wilderness first responders in the crew.
It was slow going for the 8 hour backcountry rescue. Everyone pitched in and helped out our friend.
While at Big Sky I got to spend a night shooting with Kevin and his crew at Montana Backcountry Adventures yurt in Big Sky, Montana.
Loading up the cats at the Big Sky village.
About to head out to the yurt from the village area.
Lone Peak with the two MBA snow cats.
Kevin driving clients to the yurt.
Clients eating dinner inside the MBA Yurt at Big Sky.
The yurt and cats under the stars.
I got an email from Greg Fortin owner of Glacier Adventure Guides asking if I wanted to go explore the Firebrand Pass area on the east side of Glacier National Park. I was eager to see this side of the park in winter and with a clear weather window. We planned to leave first thing Monday morning in the -22 F weather. Sure it was cold but it was worth it for the bluebird day. We parked along highway 2 on Marias Pass skinned in a couple miles on flat before climbing up. We were able to ski a few pitches and explored this cool area. Now I want to go back and do an over night trip to ski some other aspects. Good times.
Greg skinning through the flat area at sunrise.
Greg cursing up and away.
The basin we were playing around in, pretty cool area.
Greg passing some twisted trees. The grain twist from the wind.
Self portrait by Craig.
Greg digging a snow pit.
Greg going up.
Greg skinning up.
Greg passing through a wind effected area.
Greg making a nice turn on the first aspect we skied.
Greg freeing it down the pitch with a nice background.
Greg scouting his next line.
Up, up and away Greg goes.
Greg starting off with some nice side light.
Greg freeing it.
Get after it Greg.
Away he goes.
Greg and I made it this far back to check out the area. Next time maybe ski that couloir….?
Greg looking across the basin at the other aspects.
Some good lines to be had back here.
Greg looking around.
Greg coming out of the bottom of the basin after we dropped down the pitch in the back left of this frame.
