Close to Heaven, Down to Earth

Yet another amazing day at Red Lodge Mountain! An unexpected storm blew in & dumped 24" inches of POW. The skiing was fantastic; the snow was super light & over knee deep, (least for me it was, I'm 5"6).  Skiing in general, has been amazing this season. Red Lodge has the largest capacity snowmaking system in the Northern Rockies! Full coverage on 31% of trails. This season the snowmakers have had an easy job - because the mountain has had greater-then-average snowfall!

I was talking with another local ski bum, & he said that Red Lodge hasn't had this much snow, since 1977. (I'm not positive if thats true, just thought it was interesting.) Red Lodge usually sees their best snow late in March, when the spring storms come through, but this season has been different - already have over 191" inches (that's over 15 feet of snow)! The average snowfall for Red Lodge is 250", but the mountain hasn't been up to its average in a number of years. 

24" fresh (& falling) pow! 

Everything was perfectly blanketed in the white stuff. It was so quite, & cold - 8'F degrees! I'm an experienced skier, & faithfully ski two days a week Nov-April. My legs are really toned, but after two days skiing in deep pow, my legs muscles were pretty tired. I can ski hard all day without falling, but when it comes to powder, I haven't had as much practice. I crashed 3 times, but it was so soft & deep, that it was actually fun falling. hehe.  

Here's a funny quote: "Skiing is the art of catching cold and going broke while rapidly heading nowhere at great personal risk." - Henry Beard 

This always makes me laugh, because that is exactly what skiing is! I dearly love mountains & snow. I love the fellowship aspect of skiing too. Skiing with friends is fun. I love the challenge of skiing. I like doing moguls, catching air, carving edges in groomers, & exploring through trees. It's exhilarating. Skiing is a mode of living in the moment: heart pounding, legs burning, lungs gulping down pine scented air. Flying down the mountain, with a vast expanse of earth stretched out below, you become one with your equipment. Skis are like wings on my feet. It's more then sport, it's a passion. ♦♦ 

Can't wait to see what the remainder of the season brings! Here's to LOTS more snow! Cheers!

-GB

P.S. Here's a National Geographic article featuring the top 10 emerging ski towns. Red Lodge is there.  And you'd better take a look at the Red Lodge Trail Map while your at it - there's a run for you.