Fall and Winter in Montana....

Hunting season opened today and there was a wintery chill in the air in the high country. I was not able to get into any elk but had some beautiful views from the high country. I am excited to get out chasing elk in the high country over the next few weeks and it felt good to be in the mountains off trail, tip-toeing along. I am a little slammed with work for the rest of today but hope to have some time for longer hunting trips over the next few weeks.



I have a month or so backlog of photos that I need to get posted up. We had a wintery blast a couple weeks ago, resulting in ice-climbing and some careful skiing. I'll get some of those up sometime soon.

Northern Bridger Range Biking

Hans and I went and did a ride in the
northern Bridger a couple weeks back. It was a lovely tour and made for a great loop. The huckleberries were smelling strongly the whole time and I wished I stopped to sample some along the way.

Lindsay and Martin at the Leadbetter Ranch

Lindsay and Martin's wedding was once of the most excellent weddings I've ever been a part of. The setting was gorgeous and the love at the event was heavy in the air. I am a little late getting these up but had such a great time that I wanted to share these images with others.

Biking in the Snowcrest Range, Montana

What a day yesterday was in the mountains! I've spent the last number of years wandering the Snowcrest range hunting elk during the months of September - November and I've always taken note of the biking potential. Hans and I decided yesterday would be a great day to explore this remote range via mountain bike. It is also one of the areas slated for wilderness designation when the wilderness bill passes meaning that biking will soon be a thing of the past in this range.

We left town around 8am driving through Ennis and Alder before leaving the pavement near the Ruby Reservior. I am always amazed that this range is only a 100 mile drive from Bozeman as it feels like I am in a different world whenever I get up there. We parked at the trailhead for the West Fork of the Ruby and rode a 4x4 road into the range. We dropped into singletrack at beaver creek, avoiding frequent bear scat and cruising through smooth, needle laden singletrack. We eventually curved all the way around mount Carey before we started heading for the high country. The last part of the climb which gained the ridge involved no trail an we were mostly pushing our bikes. Once we gained the ridge, we had a snack and enjoyed some really great alpine single track. This part of the ride snaked around the high country for a number of miles through rock-gardens, grassy meadows and with gorgeous views. I could have spent all day in this beautiful spot, pedaling around and enjoying the views. We soon dropped back down to the notch station and began our 10 miles singtrack decent back to the car. On a few climbs I began to realize how utterly fatigued I was, nearly cramping on a few of the climbs. Hans powered on and we eventually got back to the car after 7 hours. We'd probably spent 5 of those hours riding and had covered nearly 30 miles, 24 of which were singletrack and trail less. This definitely went down as the biggest bike adventure I've done and opens the doors for new backcountry bike trips in the area.

Biking at Leverich y Sypes

Anna and George at the Lazy B

I was thrilled to shoot Anna and George's wedding a couple weekends ago. It was a gorgeous day across the Gallatin Valley with T-Storms rolling in and out during the ceremony. Once we got the the Lazy, more storms were approaching and everything was moved inside the barn to we could eat and keep dry. The Bridger Creek Boys were on site keeping it real and got the barn rocking! Being down stairs, you could see the rafters really flexing as people were dancing above. Thanks to Anna and George and all of the great people who made this event happen!

Biking in upper Bostwick Canyon

Continued Biking....

Another ride up to Garnet mountain yesterday was wonderful. The continuous gradient was not quite as shocking as it was last week. Things got a little cloudy but I was able to fire off a few during a window of sunshine. Saturday I shot a beautiful wedding at the Lazy B, from which I'll be posting images ASAP.

Biking at Garnet Mountain

Anne and I spent the first part of the weekend on an excellent climbing trip to the Boulder Batholith. We camped out near King and Queen rocks and did some climbing at Roof Rock. Roof Rock is an excellent crag and worth the slog if you want to do some classic Montana climbing (sorry not photos).

After a couple days in the Butte area, we returned and I hooked up with PJ and Hans for a ride up Garnet Mountain. Talk about the best ride I've never done! For some reason I'd never ridden there and after yesterday evening, I'll be returning for sure. Perfect gradient which is steep yet rideable the whole way up. On the way down, there are a couple sections where you would definitely not want to fall. The final section is very fast and smooth dirt through the forest. Once again, storms were billowing in all directions but we chose a clear, dry location for Sunday evening's ride.

Morning in the Bangtails

Biking at Porcupine Creek

Hans and I did some biking at Porcupine Creek yesterday evening. There were huge T-storms everywhere and we were taking a risk in heading south of town at 4pm. There was a great little weather window over the Big Sky area once we got down there. We missed the turn to the trail we'd planned on riding and found some awesome horse trails that went up and down through the sage brush hillsides. I'd not ridden hoarse trails like these for a while and had so much fun. It was pretty tricky to stay smack-dab in the middle of the ruts at an excessive rate of speed. There is a lot of potential for different options on these trails as there are spur trails, beat in by horses all over the place.

Lindsay and Martin engagement shoot

I met up with Linsday and Martin the other evening to shoot some engagement shots. We had a great time strolling around the countryside in the evening light and taking pictures. These guys have a great look and I am really excited to shoot their wedding this summer. We spent a very carefree couple hours together by the river and I captured a lot of strong images. Cant wait to shoot you guys' wedding in a few weeks!

Gallatin Valley from Triple Tree

I spent a little while up at the Triple Tree trailhead the other evening. Strong T-Storms had been dancing throughout the valley all day and there was a little sun as the day ended. One of the cells looked like it'd produce some garden-damaging hailstone and I was at the ready all day to race home and shield the tomatoes. Luckily nothing developed quite to that severity and the garden remained at peace. I am keeping my fingers crossed so we don't have a replay of what happened last summer with the baseball size hail that desimated our crops.

Evening Rides. History Rock Trail

Things are really getting pretty throughout the area. The vibrant greens and starkly contrasting snow on the high-peaks couples with the wildflowers for a visually spectacular experience. Best of all, with last weeks occurrence of the summer solstice, its light out 'till well after nine pm. For last night's ride, we did not even leave town 'till after 6pm. I am hoping that if I am super motivated about the greens and other colors of spring, I'll find equal love for the browns and other colors that'll be upon us here in a couple weeks.

Biking Time of Year

Ahhh, mountain biking. Its been a nice transition since I've been home, being able to leave the house around 11am or stay out riding 'till 10pm. A big change from the winter time and very enjoyable after work acitivities. As I am a very neglectful bike mechanic, my steed is running a little squeeky this spring and I need to put some love into all the moving parts. Nonetheless it functions adequatley.

Anyhow, Hans and I rode the Bangtail last weekend and it was very nice. Starting from Stone Creek, the descent into Olson Creek was pretty darn snowy. Looks like it'll melt out before too long and I'd like to take another shot at it when its a little bit drier. Sypes has been providing great after-work terrrain and the light is stellar up there in the evenings. I am going to have to get creative at shooting up there as its one of my favorite local spots and I spend a lot of time up there.

España #2

We continued from Granada to southern Portugal where we spent a good many days on the beaches. The water was crisp but the sun was strong balancing the equation and making for optimal beach conditions. Seafood was tasty and wine continued to provide as it had done in Spain. For one of the days, we were really rebelious and rented a hog, cruising the remote beaches of the Portuguese coast. Just kidding, it was a 50cc moped that sounded like a locust.

A couple days were spent in Lisbon before we made the trek back to Northern Spain. The Basque country of northeastern was incredible! I had such a great time in Donostia and Bilbo! I Donostia (aka San Sebastian) we kicked it on the beach and ate Pintxos (Basque tapas) galore. One of the days which was suppose to be a dedicated beach day ended up being pretty rainy. No problemo, we got on a 1.5hour bus ride to Biarritz, France where we indulged in French baked goods and watched to Shi-Shi residents stroll the streets.

We ended our time in Bilbo (aka Bilbao) where we visited the incredible Guggenheim museum. Some of my favorite work was by chineese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, the mastermind behind the 2008 summer olympics opening cermeony. His work "Head On" was created of many stuffed wolves crashing into a piece of plexiglass and was suppose to symbolize the Berlin Wall and its dual persona of both a physical barrier and a lasting, mental barrier after the wall came down. So very cool!

After Bilbo, it was back to Madrid before catching our flight back to Ireland Green Bozetown. I have so many more photos and these are just a quick sample. More to follow maybe.

España #1

I am a little late on posting these but they are from Anne and I's trip to Spain. We spent two weeks traveling, spending time in southern Spain and Portugal and in the Basque country of the north. It was very relaxing to be doing nothing but vacationing (e.g. sleeping, eating and drinking wine) for two weeks. We started our travels in Madrid, visiting museums and seeing the sights of the city. We saw many works of Picasso and sculptures (like those two fellas) by Juan Muñoz. The road south brought us to Granada and the incredible Alhambra, a palace which formally housed the Moorish rulers of southern Spain. The architecture was supreme and I am enclosing just a taste of some of the detailed intricacies.

Skiing the Y Gulley on Black Mountain

Saturday we had an excellent day high in the Absaroka Mountains, south of Livingston. After three unsuccessful attempts on peak, I was feeling determined to ski the Y-Gulley. Previous attempts had been thwarted by inherent instabilities in the snowpack and a rare April lightning storm. Being mid-May, snowpack had stabalized setting the stage for a perfect day to ski this Montana classic.

We had a good group including Hans Courier, Ryan Minton, Clark Anderson and Tom __________ (sorry didnt catch yer last name). Clark is a visiting coworker from Sonoran Institute and wanted to do some skiing before heading back to Colorado. He could not have picked a better day to come and experience Montana spring skiing!

Forecast called for a high of 70 and we knew we'd want to get a move on and gain elevation early before things warmed too much. From Livingston, we could see our line of descent towering 6000' above. This time of year is such a great time to still be skiing in Montana. On any given day you can ski pow, corn hard pack and dirt making for a variety of stellar skiing conditions. Granted it is hard to stay motivated this late in the season and sometimes putting ski boots on seems a little ridiculous when one could opt for flip flops and shorts.

We left the car around 730 and booted 'till around 9100' feet. From here we continued skinning, gaining the northwest ridge around 11am. We ran into a group of two who'd left a lot earlier than us and were preparing to ski the west branch of the Y Gulley. We watched them drop into excellent wind-buffed powder, dissapearing into the basin below. We continued down the ridge to scope the east branch and assess its conditions.

I approached the cornice entrance on a rope and hopped into the east branch. I bounced around for a bit and inspected the snow. Conditions appeared to be perfect with well bonded, wind buffed snow. I positioned myself at the top and took some shots of Ryan getting first tracks down this lovely line. I descended after him and reached a safe spot, shooting images of the rest of the group as they shredded down the Y. Everyone looked super solid and appeared to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.

After descending to the basin below, we regrouped and put our skins back on for one more climb. This set us up for a few more excellent shots of creamy powder and great corn snow before reaching the dirt/snow margin at 6900'. We put our shoes on and stopped at Pine Creek Falls on the way down, filling water and taking in the views. We were back at the car around 500 and had to boogie as Clark's flight left at 730. A couple of friendly Paradise Valley locals in the parking lot gave us beers and cheetoes, refueling what we'd burned throughout the day.

All in all, another spectacular day of skiing. I felt fortunate to finally get to ski this line after 3 previous attempts. Anne and I leave for Spain and Portugal in a week where we'll spend two weeks traveling, chill'n on the beach, drinking wine, eating and down right vacationing. I'll probably do a little more skiing once I am back but I think I'll be making a transition to summer activities.

Skiing Grey Wolf Peak - Mission Mountains

Last weekend we did a whirlwind trip into the Mission Range for some exciting/interesting skiing. Sam Magro, Ryan Minton and I left BZN bound for Missoula where we would meet up with Jason Leppi and head north into the Mission Range.




We got into Missoula around 7 and met up with Jason downtown. It was tempting to stick around Missoula for the evening as there were tons of people on the streets, live music and a pulsing vibe normally devoid from Bozeman. We resisted the temptation to swill beers in Missoula and headed north to the trail head near Saint Mary's Lake. Warm, comfortable camping weather and plentiful fire wood kept us up later than we should have been.




We drank our coffee the next morning and were headed upwards from the lake by about 7am. This was my first experience in the Missions and I was blown away by the thickness of the forest, choked with cedar and alders. The trail was also an in-your-face experience with few switchbacks and a lot of straight up dirt climbing. After a couple hours, we'd gained over 4K and were looking towards our objective, the West Couloir of Grey Wolf Peak.




We skied some decent corn to the base of the couloir and prepared to ascend. We could see from below that the inside was scarred and looked to be a little variable. Once we got further up the beast, we found horrible snow conditions. It appeared that a south facing bowl routinely had dropped wet slide into the couloir forming runnels and channels that were frozen, hard as ice. We debated turning back at the halfway point as we were pretty sure we'd not feel comfortable skiing portions of the couloir. As climbers, we listened to the sirens and proceeded upwards, cramponing into the ice and enjoying the experience of climbing the couloir. We relaxed on top briefly aware that we'd have to carefully descend the couloir before we could get out of harm's way.




The upper portion of the couloir was a nast breakable crust, interspersed with hard packed ice. I made a few jump turns but did a lot more side slipping between islands of safety. We all regrouped where the couloir pinched and opted to downclimb the runneled, neve ice section. We moved quickly as conditions warmed and snowballs and pebbles began to rain down the couloir. We soon skirted out of the pinch and were able to ski the bottom fan of the couloir. All in all we descended at least 50% of the couloir on skis. Maybe we could have side slipped the middle section but it would have been heinous.




We ate and fueled up in the lake after getting out of harms way. A few good sized rocks began careening down the couloir and we were glad to be safe and sound before things really began to warm up. We prepared for the ski back to the high ridge which would lead us back down to the car and the thick cedar forests.



After reaching the ridge we enjoyed more excellent corn skiing before the snow disappeared and we were forced to walk down the trail. We returned to the car weary after over 8,000 feet of elevation gain. A jump into ice cold Saint Mary's Lake revived my sole and prepared me for the drive back to Bozeman. We got fish tacos in Missoula, cranked the tunes and were back in Bozeman around 11pm. This was a particularly quick and blitzkrieg style trip which left a strong impression on me. The objective hazards of the couloir coupled with the spring melt conditions were pretty serious. I'd like to ski this line under good conditions in the dead of winter next time.

Skiing Gallatin Peak

Yesterday was another one of those incredible spring skiing days. I went into the day expecting to ski some corn and maybe some breakable crust and was rewarded with much better conditions. I even got two faceshots of pure pow which surprised me considering it is almost May. The faceshots may have also come as a result of my D$s, but who can say for sure?

The night before I began scheming our departure at 5am and upon talking with Minton, he encouraged me to push it forward 'til 7am. I was really glad we did as we had time to be well rested and stop for some tasty beverages for the long, one hour drive to the trailhead.

We left the trailhead a little after 8 with Ben leading the way on his vintage, circa-88 Atomic Powder Pluses. What can I say? The dude shreds these things like there is no tomorrow.

We reached the col at the top of the Beehive Basin and prepared to drop into the north headed for Summit Lake and ultimately, Gallatin Peak. The first shot of skiing from the col was incredible pow! A couple face shots and smiles the whole way. We were so stoked upon those conditions, re-applied our skins and carried on towards Gallatin Peak.

We were debating ski down Hellroaring and skiing some shots off the North Wall of Gallatin Peak. Instead, we opted for the Northwest Couloir which was skiable right from the summit of Gallatin. We booted up the couloir from the basin, opting for the firm, icy snow to ascend and taking note of the pillows of pow littering the couloir. We spent some time on the summit taking in the views, scheming future lines and being ecstatic about our position in the Spanish Peaks. The skiing off the summit was not the cleanest but fun nonetheless. Ben and Ryan skied a direct entrance into the NW Couloir while I circled around to shoot their descent.

Once we were in the meat of the couloir, we were all blown away by the quality of conditions. Firm, wind-buffed pow all the way down. The type of snow that allowed for fast skiing and confident turning. We utilized islands of safety on the descent hooping and hollering until we reached the valley floor. A celebration including a couple bro-hugs insued and we relished in the beauty of the descent.

Along the way back to the car we skied a nice south facing slope of spring corn before beginning the climb back to the col that would allow access back to Behive. Skiing back down Beehive truly sucked as their was breakable crust throughout the forest which necessitated careful skiing as to keep knee ligaments intact.

A couple high fives and brewskis at the car topped off another stellar day skiing in SW Montana. I am getting excited for spring and summer but as I look out the window and see the snow fall, my thoughts are still in the high peaks anticipating the next adventure.