#montana-winter-travel

#montana-winter-travel

Groupthink is real. It can create a false sense of security and reinforce narrow thinking. Don't be afraid to speak up or challenge decisions-being a contrarian can add valuable perspective.

The Million Dollar Highway is a narrow, two-lane road that runs above a deep gorge, with sheer rock walls on one side and an unguarded drop on the other. Drivers experience awe-inspiring views of 14,000-foot peaks as they navigate this perilous route.

"As we wrap up the season, I want to thank our loyal guests who showed up smiling day in and day out to support their local hill. I also want to thank our dedicated staff whose immense efforts and pride in their work kept Eldora running all season long. We hope everyone comes to celebrate the season with us this weekend." - Andrew Gast, Eldora's president and general manager.

Owl's Head has officially joined the Indy Pass, a fantastic news for Townships locals and travelers alike. It remains fiercely independent since Fred Korman opened it in 1965 with just three lifts.

Just 10 miles south of Yellowstone, this incredible national park is home to beautiful sights, breathtaking nature, and some great hotels and vacation rentals to boot. As a local, I've visited Grand Teton National Park countless times, and I've spent just as many nights camping in a tent in the park as I have in one of the wonderful accommodations nearby.

"Last season's pass was publicly on sale for around 30 days in total. This spring, we are down to a single day. There's a rising demand for affordable, independent, and authentic ski experiences."

Both avid and casual skiers know that winter requires preparation. If you want to ski as many days as possible, you must have a game plan. After all, skiing is an expensive sport, so budget is typically one of the top considerations. But before you book flights, hotels, and lift tickets, or decide if you want to invest in an Epic Pass or Ikon Pass, you'll need to identify which ski resorts you want to explore over the course of a few months.

Larch House serves as both a launch pad into the beautiful, big-sky landscape of Whitefish, Montana, and a place of refuge after time spent in that wild landscape,

Rendezvous Bowl was icy and windswept in its uppers but softer and more forgiving halfway down. I popped out of bounds, did a couple of hikes, and clicked my skis on in a face-gouging wind. When I got to my drop-in, there were a few inches of snow and a foot of wind.

Mt. Baker is the PNW's snow vacuum. It's close enough to the Pacific to get storm after storm, and the North Cascades do what they do best: force moist air straight up, wring it out, and bury everything in sight. Maritime storms roll in wet and heavy, then pile up fast when they hit terrain.

Nestled in the Appalachian foothills near Mentone, Cloudmont Ski & Golf Resort is the southernmost ski area in the eastern United States. With a vertical drop of just 150 feet and two rope tows, Cloudmont runs on snowmaking and sheer stubbornness, opening for a few precious weeks or days each winter.

After a lean start to this season, the Montana clouds finally opened up, dropping 11 inches of snow over the last 3 days at Big Sky Resort. This snowfall, mixed with some high alpine wind, left the slopes immaculate for the Bluebird day this past Sunday. While coverage on certain portions of the mountain remained spotty, if you know where to look, some fresh untracked snow was your reward.

In ice climbing, you want to try to have a solid base with your footing and to get the ice axes over the tops of each other to have the most leverage. We worked on these skills from the comfort of top roping, which entails having a fixed anchor you can rappel down from. This gives the feeling like you are in a climbing gym and greatly reduces the risks.