Explore Big Sky - December 1 to 14, 2022

Eric Ladd | eric@theoutlawpartners.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Jason Bacaj | jason@theoutlawpartners.com

DIGITAL PRODUCER

Julia Barton | julia@theoutlawpartners.com

STAFF WRITER

Jack Reaney | jack@theoutlawpartners.com

EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

Leslie Kilgore | leslie@theoutlawpartners.com

CREATIVE

LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER

ME Brown | maryelizabeth@theoutlawpartners.com

SALES AND OPERATIONS

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Megan Paulson | megan@theoutlawpartners.com

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Treston Wold | treston@theoutlawpartners.com

VP OF SALES

EJ Daws | ej@theoutlawpartners.com

MEDIA AND EVENTS DIRECTOR

Ersin Ozer | ersin@theoutlawpartners.com

MARKETING MANAGER

Sophia Breyfogle | sophia@theoutlawpartners.com

CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGIST

Mira Brody | mira@theoutlawpartners.com

EVENTS AND MARKETING COORDINATOR

Tucker Harris | tucker@theoutlawpartners.com

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT

Sara Sipe | sara@theoutlawpartners.com

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LEAD

Patrick Mahoney | patrick@theoutlawpartners.com

Molly Absolon, Henry Hall, Gus Hammond, Rachel Hergett, Jenna McCutcheon, Doug McLennan, Shannon Steele, Paul Swenson

ON

TABLE OF CONTENTS

UNFORGETTABLE START TO BIG SKY SKI SEASON

Big Sky Resort opened a day early on Nov. 23, just in time for an 8-to-10inch dump—resort general manager Troy Nedved said that’s ‘icing on the cake’ during one of the snowiest early seasons in Big Sky history. More than 2,000 acres opened on Wednesday, setting a Big Sky record.

POST OFFICE PROGRESS

Nearly two months since Gallatin Partners announced they would terminate their contract with USPS, officials are finally taking steps to understand the unique postal needs of the Big Sky community. Gallatin Partners’ Al Malinowski called the unexpected USPS visit “a positive step” toward a long-term solution.

A THRIFT SHOP FOR BIG SKY

The Yellowstone Club Community Foundation will open “Big Sky Thrift” on Dec. 6, led by a local savant of retail and thrift. Emily Burke, associate director of programs with YCCF, is proud to fill ‘a desperate need’ for affordable retail in Big Sky. All revenue will support local organizations.

ENNIS SCHOOL BOND FAILS AGAIN

The Ennis school bond, proposed to address classroom space and facility shortages in Ennis School District, failed in the general election after it was revised from its original $59 million budget to $45 million. Madison and Gallatin County voters also decided on a golf course district and cannabis restrictions.

10

YEARS OF THE WMPAC

Executive and Artistic Director John Zirkle reflects on the ten-year anniversary of Big Sky’s Warren Miller Performing Arts Center. He says he cannot recall a civilization in history that has thrived without a thriving art scene, and he is proud that WMPAC has created that space for creatives.

EDITORIAL POLICY

EBS welcomes obituaries written by family members or from funeral homes. To place an obituary, please submit 500 words or less to media@theoutlawpartners.com.

The Montana State University rodeo team leads out the Bobcat football team for the 121st Brawl of the Wild. PHOTO BY JASON BACAJ

LOCAL

NEWS IN BRIEF

AFTER PUBLIC OUTCRY, STATE STANDARDS FOR COUNSELORS, LIBRARIANS TO REMAIN

EBS STAFF

The Montana Board of Public Education plans to keep existing ratios between students and librarians, school counselors and superintendents—contrary to the Office of Public Instruction’s recommendation to eliminate the m inimum requirements.

The board also plans to retain ratios between students and principals, which OPI had recommended changing.

This year, the OPI is updating school accreditation standards, and the proposal to eliminate minimum ratios for some positions drew significant opposition from across Montana.

In public comments during the last few months, many people pointed to the mental health crisis in particular as one reason to keep the minimum ratio of one counselor to 400 students.

In March, the Board of Public Education will take formal action on a whole host of proposed revisions to accreditation standards.

FOREST SERVICE TURNS BACK HOLLAND LAKE PROPOSAL, FOR NOW

EBS STAFF

The Flathead National Forest in a Nov. 21 letter rejected a Utah-based developer’s initial plans to expand and upgrade the Holland Lake Lodge in Condon. Swan Valley locals expressed opposition to the proposal, alleging the expansion would negatively impact the community and environment.

The letter to POWDR of Park City, Utah, has not been released to the public as of EBS press day, but issues pointed out by an opposition group, Save Holland Lake, include that the plans would double the size of the lodge, going beyond the 10.53 acres allowed through the Forest Service permit.

In a statement posted to HollandLakeFuture.com, a website set up by the developer, POWDR officials said they had not given up on their plans.

STRANDED SNOWMOBILERS RESCUED SOUTH OF WEST YELLOWSTONE

EBS STAFF

Two snowmobilers who abandoned their snowmobile near Corrette Ridge on the evening of Nov. 28 were found nearly 7 miles southwest of West Yellowstone by local search and rescue teams, according to a Nov. 29 press release from the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.

The pair reportedly deserted their snowmobile after getting it stuck in the snow and attempted to walk back to West Yellowstone. The group had minimal survival gear, according to the press release.

The West Yellowstone Police Department Dispatch Center received a 911 call from the snowmobilers around 8 p.m. on Nov. 28. Volunteers from Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue and Hebgen Basin Fire Department found the stranded riders in good health and the pair was transported back to West Yellowstone.

In the press release, Sheriff Dan Springer emphasized the importance of carrying basic survival gear while on outdoor adventures in the variable winter conditions including a flashlight, fire starter, reliable means of communication, food and water.

MONTANA JUDGE RESTORES MONTANA WOLF HUNTING REGULATIONS

EBS STAFF

A Lewis and Clark County judge on Nov. 29 lifted a temporary restriction that limited state wolf hunting and trapping regulations, citing lack of evidence to suggest that current rules would irreparably harm Montana wolf populations.

District Judge Christopher Abbott’s decision removed a Nov. 16 temporary restraining order on regulations set by the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission in August that allow for the harvest of as many as 456 wolves this year, permitting individuals to harvest up to 20 wolves total by hunting and trapping, and the use of snare traps.

Abbott also dismissed concerns raised by environmental groups about the impact of wolf harvesting just outside of Yellowstone National Park. Nineteen wolves from Yellowstone National Park were killed by hunters and trappers in Montana last winter.

The trapping season opened on Nov. 28, and Abbott’s ruling was e ffective immediately.

MONTANA MAN GETS 3 YEARS

IN PRISON

FOR ROLE IN CAPITOL RIOT

EBS STAFF

HELENA—A Montana man who was among the first people to illegally enter the U.S. Capitol while Congress was certifying the results of the 2020 election has been sentenced to over three years in federal prison.

Joshua Hughes of East Helena was sentenced on Nov. 22 to 38 months in prison for his actions inside the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Hughes, 39, was also ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

Hughes and his brother, Jerod Hughes, 37, pleaded guilty in August to obstruction of an official proceeding.

The brothers climbed into the Capitol through a broken window—Jerod Hughes helped kick open a door—before entering the Senate chamber, charging documents said.

Jerod Hughes is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6, 2023. The brothers are among at least 880 people who were charged with federal crimes relating to the riot.

Annual Business Registration & Renewal

Deadline: Dec. 31st

ALL businesses operating in the District Including, but not limited to:

• lodging & short-term rentals

• artists & market vendors

• restaurants, food trucks, & prvate chefs

• contractors

• non-profits

• businesses based elsewhere entering the District to provide/sell goods & services

ResortTax.MuniRevs.com

All businesses (both tax collectors & non tax collectors) operating in the District are legally required, per Ordinance 98-01, to register each year. Resgistration is FREE. or scan QR code:

Registration is an annual task due December 31st.

If you plan to operate in Big Sky in 2023, please complete the annual registration task by the deadline.

Registration helps identify businesses required to collect Resort Tax. Annual Registrations also collect valuable data to inform funding decisions and support projects important to you and the community.

For more info visit: ResortTax.org/business-resources/ or call: 406.995.3234

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—Lifts didn’t open until 9 a.m., but a few powder hounds were standing in line before dawn. Various sources confirmed that opening day felt just like any other powder day… but in November.

If the tram construction site didn’t need a few more days to transition into ski season, the mountain might have opened a few days earlier than Nov. 23, according to Troy Nedved, general manager of Big Sky Resort. Nevertheless, Nedved said that almost 6 feet of natural snow since Oct. 1 is the highest amount he’s seen across 26 early seasons, combined with twice the typical snowmaking pace. Wednesday morning’s 7 extra inches, he said, is just icing on the cake.

“We took one run, and the stoke is so high,” Nedved told EBS around 10 a.m. “It is so much fun out there, there’s a lot of elbow room—what a fantastic opening. We always have challenges getting open, and this year they are some really good challenges. That’s a really nice change for us.”

Nedved said he would almost call it a perfect storm.

For the past two years, the resort struggled to find enough staff. This season, Nedved said they’ve received more applications than ever, combined with the resort’s highest-ever rate of returning staff.

“We’re in a great position to open, with so much experience on our teams this year. From mountain [operations] to food and beverage, to lodging, we’re really excited. All the things are coming together with a fantastic opener, great conditions, high demand for guests this winter and a strong staff.”

And, of course, the terrain.

“This storm will make [snow safety controls] a bit harder to open terrain, but we’ll take every snowflake,” he said.

Lastly, Nedved said this year’s visitation should be “a little more steady” compared to unexpected

surges in the last few years, lending to “modest growth and a great guest experience.”

Mountain Manager Adam West oversees various departments of mountain operations. He called Wednesday’s opening conditions “all time.”

“You’re making a mistake if you’re not coming out today or tomorrow,” West told EBS. “I’ve been here for eight years, and I have never seen an opening day on this scale. It’s such a huge footprint of terrain—it’s made [opening day] a lot easier and a lot harder at the same time. But seeing all these people out and enjoying the powder, I’ve never seen anything like it at this time of year.”

Despite the early opening, West said mountain operations staff has trained significantly to have the mountain ready—some departments since the beginning of October.

“Lift operations has been spinning chairlifts all week to get ready for the public,” West said. “Our older, more experienced folks are working with our newer folk—that’s how we’re staffed all over the mountain right now.

West said coverage in the bowl is good, and the recent decision to include the Powder Seeker chairlift in Wednesday’s lineup came after the green light from snow safety officials.

“We’re expanding, expanding, expanding, but we need to make sure all of our t’s are crossed and our i’s are dotted,” West said. “Yesterday we felt like we could do that with the Powder Seeker terrain, and here we are.”

Grooming Manager Matt Fregly said his team has been compacting snow since the first storm in October. As it continued to fall into November, they started putting their tillers down and laying

corduroy. Fregly said it’s pretty crazy how muchterrain his team was able to groom in the pre-season.

“It was definitely a challenge but we have a devoted crew of really experienced operators that got out there every day, all hours of the day, getting it ready to go. I felt really confident coming into this morning; we got a lot done, and got a lot done really early this year.”

FUTURE WEDNESDAY OPENINGS

Although Thanksgiving is the traditional opening day, Nedved said that might change seeing this Wednesday’s success. In future years, the resort will consider planning on the day before Thanksgiving.

“[That’s] just to have a more modest opening and spread [guests] out a little bit," he said. "We’re not always going to have 2,000 acres to open with. It’s something we might look at for the future."

Nedved also gave credit to the resort’s new events team, whose breakfast buffet, free swag, beer tasting and live DJ added some life to the base area.

“They are all over it. Their calendar and plans to enliven the guest experience and get the stoke up on all kinds of things is great.”

THE LOW-DOWN

Nedved gave EBS his current sense of the best snow on the mountain. For the benefit of our readers, EBS decided to conceal the name of the trail he named. However, it rhymes with “Tunebright” and can be accessed by the lift which rhymes with “Ballenger.”

“It’s deep, it’s well-covered, and it’s long and steep,” Nedved said, as he grabbed his skis in pursuit of that very location with his family.

Grooming, snowmaking, lift operations, lift maintenance and ski patrol were given credit by resort officials for opening 2,000 acres in November. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

Ski patrol finished roping terrain on Wednesday shortly before the mountain opened.

PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

OPTIMISM FOR THE BIG SKY POST OFFICE

BY JACK REANEY

At the Resort Tax Board meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 9, Al Malinowski of Gallatin Partners told the board that the United States Postal Service continues to misunderstand Big Sky’s postal needs, and that he remains hopeful for further communication from the federal organization.

That afternoon, USPS management personnel arrived in Big Sky to meet with Malinowski without advance notice.

“I can’t speak to why the visit was unannounced, but I took advantage of the opportunity to show them the challenges we face at the Big Sky Post Office due to the lack of adequate resources,” Malinowski wrote to EBS on Nov. 22. He said he assumes the USPS will meet to assess next steps and that he’s optimistic that further discussion will include the possibility of extending the deadline—from Feb. 28, 2023—to operate inside the existing post office, “provided USPS is committed to working on a long-term solution.”

According to Malinowski, a long-term solution should include “strong consideration” of relocating to the building in construction beside Little Coyote Road which has been designed to potentially accommodate a post office.

Malinowski also dismissed rumors that the Little Coyote Road building is officially set to accommodate a relocated post office. No such plans have been confirmed.

In early October, Gallatin Partners announced they would terminate their contract with USPS— the Big Sky Post Office is operated by Gallatin Partners on a contract basis, not by USPS—as a drastic step in the longstanding effort to prove the Big Sky community’s need for a larger space and access to federal resources.

Malinowski said the recent USPS visit represents “a positive step,” but he has not had any follow-up discussion since.

On Monday, Nov. 7, more than one month after the initial announcement in Big Sky, a USPS press release announced that the federal postal agency will suspend its service effective March 1. The release stated, “we are willing to work with local businesses in the area to explore viable options for another [Contract Postal Unit].”

Malinowski spoke about the press release in the Nov. 9 BSRAD meeting. He said the Big Sky community has grown beyond the capacity that can be handled by a CPU and such a contract would create risk without any associated reward. The BSRAD board also pointed out a misleading statement from the release:

“The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations,” the release stated.

Big Sky Resort Tax partially funded the Big Sky Post Office until March of 2022, when USPS fulfilled a $547,000 request for full-funding. In

order to move to a larger space, however, Gallatin Partners would likely require further resort tax assistance.

‘Located at the Big Sky Resort’

On Nov. 7, the original USPS press release referred to the Big Sky Post Office as “the CPU located at the Big Sky Resort.”

On Nov. 8, USPS Strategic Communications Specialist Lecia Hall corrected the press release.

This change followed a phone call with EBS, asking Hall to explain why USPS was referring to the year-round Big Sky community’s post office by the name of a nearby seasonal resort.

Hall said her understanding was that the post office was “located in the Big Sky Resort,” and she apologized for the mistake. The Big Sky Post Office is located roughly 7 miles by road from the resort.

On Nov. 9, Malinowski told the board that “what we are here is not understood.”

After the unexpected meeting with management personnel which followed shortly thereafter, Malinowski believes USPS may have a better understanding.

“I am hopeful that seeing our lack of sufficient space will assist the USPS in concluding that they need to dedicate time to working with us on a longterm solution,” he wrote.

The bottom floor of this building on Little Coyote Road remains available for a post office, although Malinowski told EBS that its planning timeline is limited.

PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—With holiday-budget-friendly timing, the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation will open a thrift store to help fill Big Sky’s void of discount retail.

On Tuesday, Dec. 6, the community is invited to attend a ribbon cutting at Big Sky Thrift, located at 1700 Lone Mountain Trail. The new store will be staffed by volunteers and the YCCF will donate revenue through grants to community-building organizations. The store currently has sufficient inventory and volunteers to open and will begin accepting donations and volunteers on Jan. 2. Volunteers will earn store discounts and will play a key role in the grant-making process.

The old landmark American Bank-turned-YCCF facility will also open the Social Impact Hub, a shared coworking space for small nonprofits in the Gallatin Valley that lack office space, for a subscription fee paid to YCCF. The two services are intentionally combined in the new community-oriented space, but otherwise they are separate entities, according to Emily Burke, YCCF associate director of programs. She spearheaded the thrift shop.

As far as thrifting goes, Burke might be a perfect fit to run the place.

She comes from a life of retail work and enthusiasm for repurposing and thrifting. She told EBS it all started when she dropped out of college at age 19 and moved to Aspen, Colorado.

“I went to the thrift store, and I bought one bowl, one cup, one set of silverware. I had a job, but I didn’t have a place to live,” she recalled.

Burke made a career in the ski industry, “doing every [job] from ski tech to retail buyer,” she said. Before she moved to Big Sky, Burke lived in Aspen for 15 years and spent five as the youngest volunteer at Aspen’s thrift store. That community spirit didn’t elude her long, as she’s now proud to have garbage bags full of gear to give back to the Big Sky community in the coming weeks.

In Big Sky, Burke became the retail purchaser for the Yellowstone Club. There, she noticed a disturbing

trend: members would buy new gear and wished to donate their—relatively—old stuff. But aside from YC employees and friends, Burke couldn’t find a home for many of the goods.

“I saw how many people need stuff here in our little town, and then how much stuff other people have. I thought, ‘We can connect the dots. We can do this better,'" she said. “This started [two years ago] when I went on a ski date with the VP of philanthropy at [YCCF]. I shared my idea on the chairlift, and that’s how this came about.”

After that chairlift ride, Burke said she gave up her “top of the food chain retail buying job” and joined the YCCF to build Big Sky Thrift.

“It will make our town better,” she said. However, while the positive impact of a nonprofit secondhand store may seem obvious, she said people have been questioning her initiative.

“We need this. We desperately need this,” Burke said.

“We want to provide an affordable, accessible and ecofriendly shopping option. We process and sell donated goods, it’s all volunteer-based, and then every dollar that we raise goes back into a grant-pool voted on by the volunteers. It’s cool.”

Big Sky Thrift will focus on “life essentials” including apparel, home goods, toys, books and outdoor gear. The store will not accept donations of large furniture, appliances or construction waste. Burke also emphasized that Big Sky Thrift cannot accept helmets and car seats for legal reasons.

Burke asked that community members wait to donate goods until Jan. 2, allowing time for shoppers to work through overflowing inventory from a couple successful community drives.

“The generosity of donations was off the charts. Overwhelming amounts of stuff—we received everything from bicycles and apparel to books and Christmas decorations. It’s all over the board,” Burke said. “We get things like 50-cent Hanes T-shirts, and we have brand-new Manolo Blahnik hiking boots worth $2,500.”

From a “dollar t-shirt bin” to a kayak priced at “a couple hundred dollars,” Burke said Big Sky thrift will sell something for every price point. She can’t set any sort of concrete price expectations for the shop, but she emphasized that shoppers should expect to pay between 10-20% of the market price; that’s something like a Patagonia jacket for $15, she said.

When ACRE Kitchen closed in Town Center this fall, Burke collected many items that were on track for the dumpster. That includes the paper bags which all goods will be sold in, and Burke is proud to say she won’t purchase any shopping bags, only planning to repurpose others. She also salvaged some of ACRE’s kitchen appliances, now furnishing the kitchen of the adjacent Social Impact Hub.

On Jan. 2, Burke said the shop will begin accepting volunteers for three-hour shifts through the Volunteer Big Sky website. Until then, her team looks to get started as they work out the kinks and sort through overwhelming inventory.

Big Sky Thrift hours of operation for December:

Wednesday 4pm-7pm

Thursday 10am-4pm

Friday 4pm-7pm

Saturday 10am-4pm

*Closed for Christmas Eve 12/24 and

PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

Burke said this Flylow shell will live in the “boutique section,” consisting of mostly items that never had their original tag removed.

PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

STATE OFFICIALS SEEK INFO ON ELK POACHING NEAR BIG SKY

EBS STAFF

Game wardens with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks are looking for information about someone who poached an elk near Big Sky, according to an FWP release.

Someone submitted a tip on the FWP’s violation reporting hotline that an elk was killed on private land on Chief Joseph Trail, in Hunting District 304, without the landowners permission on Nov. 10. Wardens were able to find the remains of the elk near the road. According to the release, the poacher or poachers had left the tenderloins and half of the backstraps on the carcass, which rotted. The elk was a spike bull.

In HD 304, spikes are only allowed to be harvested by youth hunters and disabled adult hunters with a permit to hunt from a vehicle, the release states. The person who reported the poaching described the person who shot the elk as a white man in his 50s of average height with a round face and a short, graying beard. According to the FWP, he was seen with six Hispanic men packing out the elk in white garbage bags. The elk meat was carried off on two Polaris Ranger UTVs, the release states—one black, the other camo. Both had four-door hard cabs.

FWP requests that anyone with information about the case visit myfwp.mt.gov/fwpPub/tipmont to provide details or call the FWP violation reporting hot line at 1-800-TIP-MONT. They may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

A bull elk bugles near Mammoth Hot Springs. PHOTO BY NEAL HERBERT/NPS

ENNIS SCHOOL BOND FAILS AGAIN: MADISON AND GALLATIN COUNTIES ELECTION RECAP

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—Voters in Madison and Gallatin County decided on key issues on Nov. 8, including the second iteration of the Ennis School Bond, cannabis ordinances in West Yellowstone and Manhattan, a tax levy for elderly care and a proposed golf course district in Madison County.

Madison County voters participated at a higher rate, with 71.49% of 7,117 registered voters submitting ballots. Gallatin County’s figure was 58.22%, drawing from the county’s much larger population.

Intended to address overcrowded and outdated school facilities that have faced 29% student body growth in the past decade, the initial version of the Ennis School Bond intended to renovate the Ennis School District’s facilities including a new gym and more classrooms. The bond failed in February 2022, receiving roughly 40% approval from voters.

That version had asked for $59 million funded by a property tax levy, and its failure prompted officials to revise plans, trimming the budget to $45 million.

The revised Ennis School Bond planned to add 74,700 square feet to educational spaces and renovate 18,600 square feet of existing facilities. On the Nov. 8 ballot, the bond failed for the second

time, receiving only 42% of votes from Madison County voters.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed because there’s a need,” said Kyle Stone, chair of the Ennis School Board. “But the taxpayers spoke, and ultimately we need to move forward.”

Stone cited the difficult economy for the electorate’s unwillingness to take on more taxes. He said the community has been great to the Ennis School District and he values their input. He encouraged residents to reach out with feedback to improve the school bond proposal.

In the meantime, the board is going to look for small solutions. The lack of classroom space is a priority and the board will consider temporary modular classrooms. Security issues also might get some attention, according to Stone.

“We try to stay away from the Band-Aid fixes, but I think that’s where we’re headed for now,” he said.

Madison County also voted down the creation of a golf district, which would improve irrigation and replace turf equipment at the Madison County Golf Course. A tax levy would have raised $200,000 to create the distric.

The golf district proposal failed with only 34% of votes.

In Gallatin County, West Yellowstone residents voted in favor of an ordinance to prohibit marijuana businesses, including recreational and medical dispensaries, from operating within town limits. The ordinance will ban any business activity involving the cultivation, transport, testing, manufacturing and sale of cannabis.

The margin was slim, as 53% voted against permitting businesses to operate in West Yellowstone. Four hundred and thirteen votes were cast.

In Manhattan, a similar ordinance also passed with much stronger support. Of the 895 votes cast on the topic, 612 of them—68%—favored the ordinance against marijuana businesses.

Gallatin County voters also supported a rest home mill levy, with 62% of the 51,138 voters in favor of up to nine mills to raise roughly $4 million to fund the operational and capital needs of the Gallatin Rest Home in Bozeman.

The state-licensed Medicare/Medicaid facility operates with 69 beds and a 24-hour nursing staff and faces a state funding gap due to increased operational cost and “inadequate Medicaid rates that are not sufficient to cover the cost of providing care,” according to the Gallatin County website. The county will not levy the mills unless additional funding is needed.

WELL BEYOND

HOMETOWN HEALTHCARE.

From primary care and pharmacy needs to imaging and emergency care, we’re here to help give you comfort and peace of mind. Making sure you feel confident in your health and well-being. Providing care that goes well beyond.

PLANNED WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT IN BIG SKY NOW ACTIVE

EBS STAFF

BIG SKY—Despite the alarming sight of smoke visible from Big Sky’s Town Center, a Nov. 16 Forest Service press release warned that crews will begin to burn debris piles this week and will continue throughout the winter.

According to the release, debris piles are the product of logging done near communities and roads in an effort to lower the dangers posed by wildfires. The burning will likely result in smoke visible in Big Sky and throughout the Gallatin Valley.

“I recognize the concern and sensitivity as it relates to prescribed fire” Corey Lewellen, Bozeman district ranger, stated in the release. “When looking at pile burning and prescribed fire, we factor in the weather conditions, fuel conditions, smoke dispersal and much more striving to do the best job we can to minimize impacts to the community. I greatly appreciate the community’s patience as we work to reduce fuel loading adjacent to the Gallatin Valley.”

The logging was done as part of Bozeman Municipal Watershed Project, a multi-year effort to protect the town’s drinking water supply in the Bozeman and Hyalite creek watersheds.

The Custer Gallatin National Forest section of the U.S. Forest Service encouraged community to monitor for updates via facebook.

Nov. 18's planned debris burn on Jack Creek Road is visible from Big Sky’s Meadow Village. PHOTO BY JOE BORDEN

LAZY J SOUTH LOSES DEQ PERMIT

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—A district court judge this month ordered the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to reassess a water discharge permit for the Lazy J South subdivision’s wastewater treatment facility in Big Sky.

Lazy J South is a commercial and residential development located on U.S. Highway 191, less than half a mile from the Gallatin River.

The case was opened on July 16, 2021, when the Upper Missouri Waterkeeper and Montana Environmental Information Center filed a joint complaint alleging that the permit “is void and illegal because the DEQ did not conduct proper or thorough review of the effect of the wastewater, including nitrogen charges, on state water,” according to the district court ruling. The permit— to discharge from a level two wastewater treatment system—was first issued in 2006 to Bostwick Properties and renewed in 2013 to expire in 2017. Bostwick received a renewed permit with DEQ approval in 2017, and on May 21, 2021, DEQ renewed the permit again and transferred it to Lazy J.

BY JACK REANEY

According to a Nov. 16 press release from the MEIC, permitted sewage discharges have

stated in the release. “The Lazy J South pollution permit is just a single case representative of the larger issue in Montana, where agencies continue to rubber-stamp new development approvals without looking at the combined impacts on our finite and valuable water resources.”

The July complaint alleged that the DEQ skipped the required non-degradation analysis before granting the permit in May, which violated the Montana Water Quality Act. According to the court ruling, the DEQ determined that the water system did not constitute a “new or increased source” thereby exempting it from review required by the Water Quality Act.

Derf Johnson, deputy director of the MEIC, stated that the DEQ has a long history of failing to evaluate the totality of water pollution, avoiding

Lazy J South is a commercial and residential development located on U.S. Highway 191, less than half a mile from the Gallatin River. PHOTO

Making smarter decisions about renewable energy requires knowledge. NorthWestern Energy’s solar projects throughout the state of Montana provide clean energy to the power grid – and they’re shaping the future of renewable energy, too. We’re working with local universities to better understand where solar energy belongs alongside a balanced energy mix. And that research is helping us build a brighter future for the next generation of Montanans.

A NEW ERA: ‘CATS DOMINATE MONTANA, CEMENT STATUS AS STATE’S TOP UNIVERSITY

BY COLTER NUANEZ SKYLINE SPORTS

BOZEMAN—Nov. 19, 2022 was a paramount day in the history of Montana State University football and it played out as millions around the country were able to tune in and witness Bozeman in all its beauty.

ESPN’s flagship college football broadcast, College GameDay, went live before dawn in subzero temperatures on the MSU campus. By mid-morning, the quintessential Bozeman sunshine emerged to display a snow-kissed Gallatin Valley, highlighting it for GameDay’s more than 2 million viewers from coast to coast to see.

Hundreds of fans piled up around the GameDay set on Dyche Field just across West Kagy Boulevard from Bobcat Stadium, bearing clever signs and wearing many layers to brave the frigid temperatures. Producers for the show confirmed that Saturday morning was the coldest in its history.

By mid-afternoon, with the eyes of the nation upon it, the Bobcat football team had affirmed its ascension to the top of the Big Sky Conference and put an exclamation point on the day by humiliating their archrival University of Montana like never before.

Montana State exerted its authority, physically and symbolically, from start to finish during a 55-21 win that marked the second-largest margin for a Bobcat victor during the Big Sky Conference era.

“What a day for Montana State and the football program, and then our fans and then to put that game together,” MSU head coach Brent Vigen said. “I felt like from the start, the look in our eyes, the execution, just from that first drive… we didn’t let up.

“Any time you can put the numbers up we did and to hold them in check, against a good football team, I was proud of our players, excited for our coaches and obviously excited for our fans, all they got to experience today.”

What’s in a brand? Football observers and citizens alike wondered and debated how ESPN and College GameDay would represent Montana. By and large, the presentation of Bozeman, the Gallatin Valley and the fiercest rivalry in the West was served up to newcomers with accuracy, poise and fun.

When CGD host Pat McAfee—the cult hero who swiftly transitioned from NFL punter to magnetic media personality—was the only member on the panel to choose against the host Bobcats, he caused the sizeable crowd on hand to jeer.

Central to the MSU football brand is the running game.

Vigen enforced that aspect of the brand on the game’s first possession. Montana State ran the ball on all six plays of its opening touchdown drive, exerting its authority on head coach Bobby Hauck’s Montana Grizzlies, an outfit that has embraced a villain persona and projects an ‘us against the world’ attitude.

UM’s defense entered the game as the top run-stopping defense in the Big Sky Conference—the premier part of the Grizzly football brand. Yet that unit had no answer for MSU’s diverse, explosive and absurdly productive rushing attack.

Sophomore quarterback Tommy Mellott and these Bobcats rushed for 155 yards on its first two drives, building a 14-7 lead without throwing a pass.

MSU ran the ball 23 times on its first 24 plays of the game and piled up the most rushing yards Montana had given up this season before the second quarter was even half over. The ‘Cats surpassed 200 yards on the ground on its 32nd rush (and 33rd offensive play) while building a 31-7 lead by halftime.

“Their defensive rushing numbers are really good but where they get you is when they get you in passing situations,” Vigen said. “We wanted to stay ahead of the chains as best we could and we felt like we could get on the edges, which we did.”

For years, folks around the Treasure State have mocked the Bobcats as the Grizzlies’ little brother.

MSU did win the national championship in 1984, but the Grizzlies overshadowed that accomplishment by winning every game against the ‘Cats for 16 years in a row, from 1986 until 2002.

On Nov. 19, Montana State seized the moment like never before, running the ball relentlessly down Montana’s throats and physically dominating the Grizzlies. It was a bitter pill to swallow for coach Hauck—who in the early 2000s led Montana to seven straight conference championships and three national title game appearances largely on the strength of the run game.

The Bobcats rushed for 439 yards and scored 41 unanswered points on the way to a resounding, unforgettable victory.

When the final seconds finally ticked off the clock, and the big boys on the Bobcats hoisted the 307-pound Great Divide Trophy, Bobcat fans chanted in glee. The momentum now belongs to Montana State University in every element imaginable.

Sophomore quarterback Tommy Mellott (4) and tight end Treyton Pickering (80) carry the 307-pound Great Divide Trophy into the locker room after trouncing their rival Montana Grizzlies on Nov. 19. PHOTO BY JASON BACAJ

College GameDay’s Lee Corso announced his pick for the game by donning the head gear of Champ, the MSU mascot. PHOTO BY JOSHUA R. GATELEY/ESPN Images

“Maybe we learned some things from last year but I said it at the beginning of the week: the makeup of how we can beat teams is so different than this time last year. So different,” Vigen said. “I think that showed today. We didn’t put up 561 yards of offense last year. We didn’t punt today. We were relentless.”

“Pretty tough to make that look pretty,” Bobby Hauck muttered as he sat at the press conference table within the Bobcat Athletic Complex following his fifth loss in 11 matchups as the head coach of the Griz against the Bobcats.

“They whipped us and whipped us good,” Hauck said. “It felt like the inverse of last year a little bit and not as enjoyable on this side, certainty. They did a good job and we didn’t coach well enough and we didn’t play well enough to get it done today.”

“The plus-one run game, getting an extra guy to the point of attack… we didn’t stop it. We didn’t play well enough, and it just goes back to that.”

Hosting a national television broadcast comes with pressure and a spotlight, even if you’re Ohio State or Alabama. It’s especially tense as the first Big Sky Conference school to host the iconic and ultra-popular pre-game show.

From the moment the show opened with an homage to life in Montana, to Vigen’s sharp, short interview on the College GameDay stage to the final knee, Montana State embraced the opportunity to put its thriving university on the grandest stage.

“Early in the week, we talked to everyone about how ESPN was coming here because of you guys, our players, and they wouldn’t be coming here without our record,” Vigen said. “And ultimately, what goes on is about the fans. We had a couple of guys get interviewed on Tuesday night or whatever. But our guys were absolutely focused on the game.

“We have a group who is completely focused on playing for each other. And we certainly didn’t want this opportunity to slip away.”

The fact that the Bobcats not only washed away the taste of last year’s 29-10 loss to Montana in Missoula but also gave the ‘Cats a slice of the Big Sky title (shared with undefeated Sacramento State) was icing on the cake. And the fact that the dominating win came against a Griz squad picked in the preseason to win the Big Sky… and capped an 8-0 run through the Big Sky… and made Vigen 22-2 against the rest of the FCS…

All of those things muted any feelings of longing for popular former head coach Jeff Choate, the anointed “Griz Slayer.” Choate left MSU to become co-defensive coordinator at Texas in 2021.

Vigen took the reins from Choate and led Montana State to the FCS title game for the first time since 1984. The only blemishes: last year’s rivalry game loss in Missoula and a 38-10 defeat at the hands North Dakota State, the juggernaut of the modern era in the FCS. Beating the Grizzlies has been among—if not THE—

top priorities for Montana State. So much of that stems from how one-sided the rivalry was for nearly a generation. After Saturday’s reckoning, the rivalry record for the last 20 years is an even 10-10 split. The ‘Cats have won five of the last six.

Choate became a deity among Bobcat fans because of his charismatic, intense way of preaching his vision. Then he went out and bludgeoned the Grizzlies four years in a row, no matter the exterior narratives.

That came to a head in 2019, when Montana State rolled to a 48-14 victory behind 368 rushing yards. Then came the pandemic. Then came Choate’s restless nature, resulting in him being a finalist for the Boise State head coaching job and, ultimately, jumping to Texas.

Despite Vigen leading the Bobcats on one of their most successful runs in school history last season, questions lingered. Could the stoic coach from North Dakota beat the Grizzlies? Would his steady demeanor and attention to detail serve MSU well against the rival, the showdown that has had such a weighted priority for MSU for so long?

All those questions were answered Saturday. And it came on a national stage, helping Montana State University launch itself even further into the stratosphere.

“Having the amount of eyes that was on this program, it was awesome to see,” MSU senior captain fullback R.J. Fitzgerald said. “As a football team, we did a great job of taking in that atmosphere of, it’s College GameDay and it’s a special moment to have those guys come to your state and come to this university and this rivalry.

"At the end of the day, this came down to the football between the white lines and we got the job done. Big Sky champs, that’s pretty awesome. Last two years, we’ve finished second and it’s pretty amazing to finally hoist that Big Sky championship trophy.”

Head coach Brent Vigen celebrates a scoring drive with his players. PHOTO BY JASON BACAJ

Highway 191 is experiencing massive growth and needs help. The time has come to build wildlife crossings, modify speed limits and protect migration corridors to create safer passage for wildlife.

If you have a passion for this it’s time to get involved. Groups that could use your support or feedback:

Gallatin County Commission Office

Zach Brown - Zach.brown@gallatin.mt.gov

Montana Department of Transportation Kyle Demars - kdemars@mt.gov

ZY BROWN RANCH RD

Big Sandy

6 SIOUX

Big Sky

BY JULIA BARTON

BIG SKY—It took nearly 10 years from ideation about a theater attached to Lone Peak High School to the doors of the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center opening for the first time on March 12, 2013. Now, the WMPAC is gearing up to celebrate 10 years of supplying Big Sky with a public space for arts, entertainment and culture.

John Zirkle, the WMPAC’s executive and artistic director, joined the project in 2011 and has been with the performing arts center ever since.

“This whole year I’m just doing a lot of reflecting and looking back,” Zirkle said.

The winter season, set to run from Dec. 28 through March 25, will memorialize the 10-year anniversary.

In his reflection, Zirkle recalled one of the WMPAC’s first shows that set the early tone for the auditorium: Big Sky Broadway’s production of “Peter Pan” in the summer of 2013.

“We went really big and I remember sitting at that dress rehearsal—everybody’s crying—and I remember thinking ‘Oh my god, we might not make it,’” he said. “After that crazy dress rehearsal, we put it together, the show came off beautifully, and people loved it. And that early demonstration has really helped me through all of these shows where it feels like we may never make it. We’ve never failed.”

Prior to the WMPAC, there was no space in Big Sky solely dedicated to performing arts, for students or the public. In 2004 when Friends of Big Sky Education was working to get Lone Peak High School in place, a school auditorium was in the initial plans, but the idea was tabled when the economy dipped ahead of the 2008 recession, according to Zirkle.

LPHS opened in 2009 and as the economy began to recover, conversations about a performing arts venue resurfaced.

“The whole idea for the auditorium started to shift into a dual use facility that would be for both the Big Sky

School District and the community,” Zirkle said. “This was a real win-win because we could build something that would be great for the students during the day to build a performing arts program, as well as the community—we’re a small enough community where we could cohabitate successfully.”

Rather than calling it something along the lines of the Lone Peak High School Auditorium, FOBSE and those involved with the project decided to reach out to ski film legend and part-time Big Sky local Warren Miller, asking if the theater could be named after him. Of course, Miller said yes.

“So, we started the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center and that’s really been our mission moving forward, this dual use facility,” Zirkle said. “It’s interesting as I look back these 10 years, we’ve really held true to that mission.”

Since the beginning, WMPAC has hosted a near-even split of professional shows and community performances, according to Zirkle, reflecting Big Sky’s mix of local and tourist populations. As for the community aspect, the performing arts have grown tremendously among locals participating in programs at the WMPAC, including Big Sky Broadway, the Big Sky Community Theater and the school theater program.

Not everyone will enjoy each show the WMPAC has to offer, Zirkle said, but through the diverse array of options, he believes there is at least one show for everyone. By filling in more than one niche, Zirkle hopes the variety helps people in the community have their artistic needs met.

Having a space designated to the arts can be a hard sell to someone that doesn’t go to theater themselves. On the importance of arts in a community, Zirkle looked to history.

“Tell me about a civilization in history that has thrived and did not have a thriving art scene,” Zirkle pondered. “For me, I can’t find historical examples.”

To anyone looking, it’s clear that the WMPAC has begun to build a thriving local arts scene. Each year, the WMPAC brings in an array of diverse professional performers alongside the local programming and offers affordable tickets to see world-class talent. Through this dichotomous structure, paired with the work of other local art organizations, Big Sky boasts a remarkable arts scene and community for creatives in reference to the scale of the town.

Zirkle emphasized the word “community” as a key tenet in the center’s success over the years.

“One thing that I’ve noticed—maybe in the last few years a little more so—is that the WMPAC is more and more rooted in the local community,” he said. “Community is a good thing, we want to make community. It’s always something that we are creating, it’s not something that just happens by chance.”

As the WMPAC moves out of its infancy, Zirkle expressed that the mission is not changing, although the facility’s exterior will be.

He noted that the architectural symbolism that a place like the WMPAC holds for the value of arts in the community is paramount to Big Sky’s positive growth. By the official 10-year anniversary in March, the WMPAC hopes to have a new entrance canopy, a new paint job and updated signage in place to make the arrival to the auditorium “a little stronger,” Zirkle said.

Looking to the future, the WMPAC seems to have no intention of slowing down, and the 11 shows in the upcoming winter season reflect the array of performances that have characterized the last 10 years of arts in Big Sky.

“Warren [Miller] gave us the permission to do things that might not be easy,” Zirkle said. “Warren always said ‘If you don’t do it this year, you’ll be a year older when you do’ and I take that really seriously.”

John Zirkle shakes hands with Warren Miller, the WMPAC’s namesake, on stage at the auditorium. PHOTO BY KENE SPERRY

The WMPAC was built atop the old Ophir School gymnasium in the fall of 2012. At this stage of construction, the old floors still poked through.

PHOTO BY ANNA MIDDLETON

The James Sewell Ballet Company was the first show in the WMPAC’s debut season in 2013. PHOTO BY ANNA MIDDLETON

THURSDAY, DEC. 1

Mosaic Art Class BASE, 10 a.m.

After School ARTventure BASE, 4:30 p.m.

Open Pottery Studio BASE, 6 p.m.

Screening: Thursday Night Football The Independent, 6 p.m.

Live Music: Chandler Huntley Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

Gina Still Smoking, Artist in Residence Fashion Show WMPAC, 7:30 p.m.

AA Meeting Big Sky Chapel, 8 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 2

Story Time for Toddlers BASE, 10:30 a.m.

Date Night for Parents BASE, 6:30 p.m.

Live Music: Marcedes Carroll Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 3

AA Meeting

Big Sky Chapel, 7:30 a.m.

St. Joseph’s Mass Big Sky Chapel, 5 p.m.

Her Gift, Her Creation WMPAC, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Amanda Stewart Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY, DEC. 4

St. Joseph’s Mass Big Sky Chapel, 8 a.m.

All Saints Big Sky Service Big Sky Chapel, 10 a.m.

Big Sky Christian Fellowship Service Big Sky Chapel, 4:30 p.m.

Photos with Santa + Christmas Karaoke The Independent, 5 p.m.

Collage Wreaths Making BASE, 6 p.m.

MONDAY, DEC. 5

Storytime BASE, 10:30 a.m.

Board Game Club BASE, 4:30 p.m.

Screening: Monday Night Football The Independent, 6 p.m.

25th Annual Madrigal Dinner Bucks T-4, 5 p.m.

Service Industry Night Drunken Monk, 5 p.m.

Clay Ornament Crafting BASE, 6 p.m.

Trivia Tips Up, 9 p.m.

TUESDAY, DEC. 6

Toddler Tuesdays BASE, 10 a.m.

Après Special & Live Music Drunken Monk, 5 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7

St. Joseph’s Mass Big Sky Chapel, 12 p.m.

AA Meeting Big Sky Chapel, 12 p.m.

Ladies Night Drunken Monk, 5 p.m.

“Cold” Full Moon Pottery BASE, 6 p.m.

Trivia Night The Independent, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY, DEC. 8

Al-Anon Meeting

Big Sky Chapel, 4 p.m.

Screening: Thursday Night Football The Independent, 6 p.m.

Live Music: Chandler Huntley Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

AA Meeting Big Sky Chapel, 8 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 9

Live Music: Marcedes Carroll Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

25th Annual Big Sky Christmas Stroll Meadow Village, 5:30 p.m.

Pray for Snow Party The Independent, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 10

AA Meeting

Big Sky Chapel, 7:30 a.m.

Bozeman Symphony's Holiday Spectacular Wilson Auditorium, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.

St. Joseph’s Mass Big Sky Chapel, 5 p.m.

25th Annual Big Sky Christmas Stroll Town Center, 3:30 p.m.

LPHS Thespian's "Elf, the Musical" WMPAC, 4 p.m.

Small Works for the Holidays, Art Show and Reception BASE, 5 p.m.

Live Music: The Dead and Down The Independent, 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, DEC. 11

St. Joseph’s Mass Big Sky Chapel, 8 a.m.

All Saints Big Sky Service Big Sky Chapel, 10 a.m.

Montana State University “Big Band Jazz Holidays” Concert Inspiration Hall at M.S.U., 3:30 p.m.

Big Sky Christian Fellowship Service Big Sky Chapel, 4:30 p.m.

LPHS Thespian's "Elf, the Musical" WMPAC, 4 p.m.

Decoupage Picture Frame Making BASE, 6 p.m.

MONDAY, DEC. 12

Story Time for Toddlers BASE, 10:30 a.m.

Board Game Club BASE 4:30 p.m.

Screening: Monday Night Football The Independent, 6 p.m.

Service Industry Night Drunken Monk, 5 p.m. Hand-Crafted Snow Globe Making BASE, 6 p.m.

Trivia Night Tips Up, 9 p.m.

TUESDAY, DEC. 13

Big Sky Collaborative Coat Drive Final Day

Après Special & Live Music Drunken Monk, 5 p.m.

Screening: "Elf" The Independent, 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 14

St. Joseph’s Mass Big Sky Chapel, 12 p.m.

Godly Play: Afterschool Program Big Sky Chapel, 4 p.m.

Ladies Night Drunken Monk, 5 p.m.

The Art of Self Care Workshop, Mindfulness Expressive Art BASE, 6 p.m.

Screening: "The Grinch" The Independent, 8 p.m.

A more detailed version of this calendar is updated weekly on explorebigsky.com

FEATURED EVENT: THE 25TH ANNUAL BIG SKY CHRISTMAS STROLL

The Big Sky Christmas Stroll will kick off Friday, Dec. 9 in Meadow Village with a tree lighting, photos with Santa, illuminated cross-country ski trails and more. The festive celebration continues Saturday, Dec. 10 in Town Center with a party at Beehive Basin at 3:30 p.m. Businesses then open their doors with food and good cheer and the community mingles inside and outdoors throughout the night. Carolers, live music, horse-drawn wagon rides and fireworks are all a part of the fun.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LMLC

‘A FULL HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE’: LONE PEAK THESPIANS BRING “ELF” TO THE STAGE

BY GUS HAMMOND EBS CONTRIBUTOR

As the 25th annual Big Sky Christmas Stroll kicks off this year, the Lone Peak Thespians will present matinees of “Elf the Musical” at the Warren Miller Performing Art Center Saturday, Dec. 10, and Sunday, Dec. 11.

The success of the annual spring musical inspired producer and founder of Big Sky Broadway Barbara Rowley to add one more show to the season.

“We’ve seen the number of kids who want to perform and the audiences who want to see them [increase] dramatically in the last few years,” Rowley said. “Coming off of last year’s three-show run of ‘Oklahoma,’ we started looking for ways to provide opportunities.”

Rowley also stated that the holiday season and a break in the athletic schedule provided the perfect time for an additional performance. Nearly 40 high school students are involved in the show, with 34 performing on stage. The show is a double cast with different leads each night and tickets are already selling rapidly.

“When we realized we could combine our performances on the same days people were out strolling and really give a full holiday experience,

we knew we’d be successful,” Rowley said. “And ‘Elf the Musical’ was the perfect material.”

Alongside Rowley, WMPAC's executive and artistic director John Zirkle had some words on the upcoming Christmas show.

“As the district grows, we thought this is the year to do it,” Zirkle said. “This year—especially as we are all coming back to a sense of normalcy—we thought it would be good to give it a shot, and ‘Elf’ made sense.”

As many know, the main character in Elf is Buddy, the jolliest role in the cast. Buddy is cast by junior

Matthew Jennings and sophomore Henry Flach. All main roles are double-cast due to the extensive number of students who signed up for the play. This will be Jennings’ first major role.

“I’m excited because Buddy is a really fun and energetic role,” Jennings said. “I think the overall production, being a comedy, will be fun and appealing to the community.”

Shows begin at 4 p.m. on both days. General admission tickets are $15 for students and $25 for adults. To purchase tickets to “Elf the Musical,” visit warrenmillerpac.org.

The Lone Peak Thespians rehearse ahead of the Dec. 10 debut of “Elf the Musical.” PHOTO BY JENNA MCCUTCHEON

Actors on stage preparing for the upcoming Christmas show. PHOTO BY JENNA MCCUTCHEON

BUSINESS

BY MIRA BRODY

BIG SKY – For Whitney Montgomery, Big Sky Community Organization’s CEO, all work follows passion. That’s what brought him here to Big Sky in March of 2021 from Asheville, North Carolina, to take the job with BSCO, and what leads him each day when expanding and improving the area’s park and trail network and running the new BASE community center. Although he sings praises about his team, it is also the voice of the community, he asserts, that makes the services the nonprofit organization offers possible, a fact solidified at a recent forum they held.

MAKING

IT IN BIG SKY: BIG SKY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION

“Everyone was thinking about what the community needs, not just what they individually wanted,” said Montgomery of the event. For this edition of Making it in Big Sky, Explore Big Sky sat down with Montgomery to talk about his first two years in the community, and what’s in store for the future.

This series is part of a paid partnership with the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce. The following answers have been edited for brevity.

Explore Big Sky: I’d like to start with a little background information on you, when did you come to Big Sky?

Whitney Montgomery: I moved to Big Sky in March of 2021 and have been here just under two years. I came from Asheville, North Carolina where I was a director of the North Carolina Outward Bound School for 14 years. I was recruited to come work for BSCO in February of 2021, and it happened pretty quickly. I was actually taking a skiing trip in Idaho when the search committee found me. I had a couple of quick Zoom interviews with the search committee and on my way back to North Carolina in early February, I stopped by with my son Harrison. He got to ski that day and we got to meet different board members, went back to North Carolina, and a few weeks later made the decision to head out West.

EBS: Tell me about the history of the Big Sky Community Organization; when did it start? When did you become involved?

WM: BSCO will be entering our 25th year of operation in 2023, we were founded in 1998. It was originally part of Big Sky Owner’s Association. When Crail Ranch came under and the community park happened, the decision was made to [shift] everything from BSOA to what is now BSCO. Over the last 22 years, BSCO oversaw trail expansion and trail maintenance of the park and really became the hub of an organization to promote recreation while building a community in Big Sky. With the decision in 2019 to go full forward with BASE, we

“

The staff that BSCO has is an amazing group. It’s the reason that we come to work every morning— to serve the community, myself included

”

– Whitney Montgomery, CEO, Big Sky Community Organization

created a whole new opportunity for BSCO to serve the community with recreation, but now indoors. When I started in March [2021] we were six employees and today we’re at 27. We see continued ways to serve the community through park improvements, add trail expansions and possibly another indoor facility.

EBS: How has the organization grown to meet a growing community?

WM: One of the other things that BASE has provided for the community is a safe place to hang out. From youth to seasonal workforce, the generation that has retired and are living in Big Sky, and coming out of the pandemic, all of a sudden there’s this great resource of indoor gathering.

EBS: Tell me about the different services offered by BSCO and why those are vital to the Big Sky community.

WM: All of us are attracted to Big Sky for a handful of reasons, recreation being one of those. It’s a town that likes to stay active and have access to the outdoors, in a growing community with growing families and

organized sports programs. We’re really just trying to find ways to serve the community in ways in which they haven’t been, with a real focus on health and wellness.

EBS: What is the best part of working at BSCO? Do you have a favorite memory from your time there or a moment that reminds you of how important BSCO’s work is?

WM: There are a lot of really good memories that have happened in the last 19 or so months. Definitely having BASE open and having the community so engaged in BASE. That’s something I’ll always treasure. The number of community members, whether they are full time residents or seasonal residents, that have reached out to see how they can help and volunteer is really quite remarkable, and the number of friendships I have made. The staff that BSCO has is an amazing group. It’s the reason that we come to work every morning—to serve the community, myself included.

EBS: What is the best business advice you have ever received?

WM: I have always been a person who puts their career as a key point of happiness in pursuit of a well-balanced life. Some of the best advice I’ve had is to take advantage of that passion, make things happen, and bring along everyone in the organization too.

EBS: Is there anything else that you want to tell the Big Sky Community?

WM: I think as BSCO enters its 25th year, it’s a good time for reflection. And also a launch pad for what’s ahead—how can we take this silver anniversary and look forward, to seize opportunities for trail growth, park expansion and park improvements, and serve the health and wellness in our community?

Big Sky Community Organization staff gathers, with Whitney Montgomery third from left, in the new BASE community center. PHOTO BY GABRIELLE GASSER

BY MIRA BRODY SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT

BIG SKY—When the Shedhorn Fire broke out in Big Sky back in September of 2021, it was a small camera at the top of Lone Mountain that first detected the plume of smoke from 13 miles away. The camera was a recently installed Pano AI Wildfire Detection System, a pilot program for the technology, and in a drought-stricken West, it may have saved houses and lives from potential disaster.

Risk Strategies, one of the top 10 privately held insurance brokerage firms in the country who serves the Big Sky community, has embraced this technology as a part of their strategy to mitigate risk for their clients’ homes and businesses. These high-definition cameras are able to detect and triangulate smoke within a 15-mile radius with the support of the T-Mobile 5G network.

“We are proud to share and support the leading edge technology,” says Jeff Kaplan, senior vice president at Risk Strategies. “While ideally we mitigate fire risk before they start, its ability to detect fires early on keeps them manageable, protecting properties and people in the Big Sky area.”

Pano AI uses a 360-degree camera system with 30x tactical zoom to constantly scan for signs of wildfire. Once the AI camera detects smoke, it sends an alert back to a 24/7 Pano AI intelligence center, where experts analyze the data, determine if it’s a fire incident, and notify the local fire department. This allows for early detection and accurate location identification so that resources can be dispatched promptly.

With the help of air crews, 41 firefighters and two 20-person hand crews, the Shedhorn Fire was contained at 74 acres after took two days, and ultimately extinguished. It caused no damage to surrounding homes or structures—a response time and result that many would like to maintain here, including Risk Strategies, which is why they support the efforts of these cameras.

Founded in 1997, Risk Strategies has evolved into a specialty insurance broker with a team of experts across

the country over its 25 years of life. They have ample knowledge in mitigating risk and are proud to apply that expertise to the community here in southwest Montana. From past disasters, their team, including Yale Rosen and Tom Beattie here in Big Sky and Bozeman, know that you can engineer buildings to withstand hurricane winds, floods and most natural disasters. However, just because a structure survives a large wildfire for example, that doesn’t mean it was spared from harm.

“What we learned in the California wildfires was that even if the property as not damaged by fire it was damaged by the ongoing smoke from large, nearby fires,” says Rosen. “The key here is to keep fire and smoke as far away as possible while still doing everything you can to engineer your property against direct fire.”

As part of the Pano AI pilot program, the company has installed more than 20 camera stations across Colorado, California, Oregon and Montana—locations that are determined as high-risk for fire. This October, they expanded their coverage in Big Sky, adding a second camera nestled on Pioneer Mountain, and are considering adding a third station on Cinnamon Ridge in 2023.

The community is no stranger to and has not ignored the threat of wildfire. Alongside forest and fuel management, fire safety education and a dedicated fire department, Big Sky can further benefit from AI technology in catching fires quickly once they break out making us, and our belongings, a little safer in the place we love.

Risk Strategies’ Jeff Kaplan (Right) attends an event presenting Pano AI technology to the public at the Big Sky Fire Department.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RISK STRATEGIES

OPINION

Dear wise badger,

I’m in the business of communicating daily with 125 or so pre-teens and teenagers and 20 or so adults. Every day I feel like a broken record. Even using various communication platforms, I seem to run into the same problem each week. As of late I find my communication to be a one way street as I receive little to no response to those I am attempting to reach. Please assist.

Sincerely, Lost in Translation

Badgers struggle with social situations, so I’m going to do my best here in giving you advice. My first instinct is to bite for attention—sure the bite might work initially, but that creature isn’t going to come back to me for advice. The creature will probably never come back. Or I eat the creature if it does come back… I think humans are the same in some ways. I’ve seen a bunch of smaller humans throwing things and acting wild (and I know wild) when a larger human is trying to stop them by barking orders. A lesson in futility.

Recently, I was eating a magpie in some sagebrush, and I saw a mama bear encouraging her cub to cross a creek. Not a big deal, right? Just cross the creek, cub! But the cub was resisting and woofing back orders at mama bear. I know better than to cross a mama bear but she surprised me and gently nudged the cub toward the water instead of getting angry. I think anger is ineffective when it comes

to getting little humans to do something. I think gentle nudging, perhaps a side conversation about being a good leader in a group setting, might be more effective in getting a small human to do something.

Next time you are in a situation where you feel like a salmon swimming upstream when trying to reach small humans, try a gentle nudge like a low voice while engaging in whatever activity they are trying to complete… even if it is a dumb phone game. Try to gently nudge the small human to be a leader for the room and show the others what you want them to do. Small humans’ brains are rapidly changing and they are breaking away from their parents by replacing them with their buddies, so if a buddy human is talking, they might just listen. If that doesn’t work, then you have my permission to eat them. Might be chewy.

When it comes to the various forms of communication, I, a woodland creature, am lost.

But I do know that if my woodland friends left 100 ermines outside of my sett on my birthday, I wouldn’t have time to eat them all before they spoiled. I think it’s the same with texts and emails now. I heard a human talking about not checking emails or their phone for a day and they came back to hundreds of them! How do those messages not spoil? So maybe leave an ermine AND stop by later to make sure they know that your ermine, the important one, is the one to eat first.

Tired of bad advice from other humans? Woodland creatures have been giving each other unbiased advice for years so we’ve hired a wise local badger to help you navigate life’s toughest trails. Badger will select one or two anonymous questions a week to answer! Check the latest issue to see if badger thinks your question is worth digging into. Digging is what badger’s do best!

Send your questions to badger@theoutlawpartners.com or anonymously at: https://tinyurl.com/3vkrjdau.

May 28 – December 31, 2022

Dear Lost in Translation,

Sponsor: Sheehy Family Foundation

Sponsors: In Memory of Ruth Sommerfeld The Michael G. Nast Foundation

Presenting Sponsor: Stephanie Dickson & Chris McCloud

The Apsáalooke people of the Northern Plains are known for their bravery, artistry, and extravagance Celebrate the prominence of women, daring feats in battle, unparalleled horsemanship, and innovative beadwork. Alongside historical war shields and regalia, contemporary Native American art highlights how this bravery and artistry is alive today

the world to host Apsáalooke Women and Warriors outside of the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois

Women and Warriors was jointly organized by the Field Museum and the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society at the University of Chicago.

Photo

Photo by John Weinstein, Field Museum Ben

OPINION

LET’S TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH GEARING UP FOR WINTER

BY SHANNON STEELE EBS CONTRIBUTOR

“To be ‘well’ is not to live in a state of perpetual safety and calm, but to move fluidly from a state of adversity, risk, adventure, or excitement, back to safety and calm, and out again. Stress is not bad for you; being stuck is bad for you.” — Emily Nagoski, "Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle."

For many in Big Sky, a great start to the winter season means a good snowpack, and the snow gods have certainly delivered this year. The first bouts of snow and bluebird days can bring a sense of possibility and hope for the season to come. Winter and the holidays can make us feel warm and excited, but also a bit messy, sad/lonely, confused, and overwhelmed all at once. Our little resort town of 3,500 people swells to over 15,000, becoming vibrant and bustling. Our to-do lists, pace, and hours on the clock ramp up, and we are called to meet the needs of our customers and community.

While Big Sky ramps up, it is important to remember that our natural instincts are calling us to slow down and move into a state of “wintering.”

Wintering is not about throwing out the to-do lists or cutting back work hours (because sometimes this isn’t possible), but it’s about discovering a sense of calm and rest within yourself. How can we find calm amongst the chaos, as if we are in the eye of the storm?

Oftentimes we compartmentalize stressors in our lives by saying, “Not now. I need to deal with that later.” The thing about chronic, collective, and prolonged stress, however, is that it weighs heavy on our nervous systems and those emotions we are putting in a box, high on a shelf can get ‘stuck.’

Under “normal” conditions, a stressor activates the fight-or-flight response and our survival instincts kick in: heart rate increases, pupils dilate, blood flow moves to your arms and legs, hormones are released, and there’s a burst of adrenaline mobilizing us to fight or flee. Once the threat or stressor has passed, our relaxation response ignites, returning our blood pressure, heart rate, digestive functioning and hormones to normal levels. Running or fighting allows our bodies to discharge the energy and emotion built up from the stressful situation, and our nervous system returns to an even-keel, groovy state.

That nervous system process captures what may happen during a single stressful incident such as

encountering a bear on a trail. However, being human in the modern world means enduring a variety of both small and large stressors throughout any given day. Collectively, we are experiencing chronic and prolonged stress resulting in a wacked out nervous system. Stress that is left unattended can result in feeling hyper-aroused (anxious, unable to relax, restless, emotional, irritable, and angry) or hypo-aroused (depressed, flat, tired/exhausted, and disconnected).

Therefore, while Big Sky ramps up, it is important to remember that our bodies need to slow down and take time to re-set throughout the day, so we can avoid getting ‘stuck’ and return to a calm, baseline state. Otherwise, we run the risk of physical health consequences: headaches, chronic pain, catching a cold, having difficulty sleeping and more. Additionally, prolonged stress has a negative effect on thinking clearly, logically and making good decisions.

Shannon Steele is the behavioral health program officer at the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation, and values a collaborative and community-centered approach to mental/behavioral health and wellness. She has a background in mind-body wellness and community health, and is also a certified yoga instructor and active volunteer. Community, wellness and the outdoors have always been pillars in Shannon’s life.

So what can you do?

Avoid getting stuck: There are simple tools we can use on a daily basis that calm our nervous system and activate the relaxation response including breathing techniques and movements.

Try:

Five Finger Breathing: Extend your left hand out in front of your face, palm facing away from you. Use your right pointer finger to begin drawing a line from the base of your hand and up to the top of the pinky (inhale), down between pinky and ring finger (exhale), up to the top of your middle finger (inhale), down between middle and pointer finger (exhale), up to the top of your pointer finger (inhale), down between pointer and thumb (exhale), up to the top of your thumb (inhale), and exhale as you draw down the thumb side of your wrist and arm.

Vagus Nerve Tapping: Using your first finger and middle finger with both hands, begin tapping sternum just below collarbone. The vagus nerve is a link between our brain, nervous system and other parts of our body including heart, lungs, organs, stomach and intestine. As the brain takes in messages from all parts of the body, it also communicates information out to the body. Tapping the vagus nerve signals the nervous system to relax.

Tip: Take a moment to notice how you feel after engaging in the breathing or vagus nerve tapping exercise for at least one minute.

Allow: Let’s allow ourselves to be as we are and feel whatever we feel in each and every moment. Life is messy and it is a part of being human, so feel all the things without judgement. According to Harvard brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, the cycle of an emotion is 90 seconds. Ninety seconds is all it takes to identify an emotion and allow it to dissipate by simply noticing it.

Tip: When an emotion comes up, pause, notice, label what you are feeling, and watch it go away. Use one of the tools above to bring your nervous system back to a regulated state.

Get outside: There is a link between exposure to nature and reduction in stress. You may feel relief within minutes of being outside. Research has shown exposure results in decreased muscle tension, blood pressure and brain activity, as well as a reduction in the stress hormone (cortisol) and a boost in endorphin and dopamine levels, which promote happiness. A Big Sky community member and Navigator, Andy Nagel says, “Our biggest strength in Big Sky is our easy access to nature, wilderness, mountains, wildlife, and so much more. An incomprehensible rhythm and flow exists here that is irresistible and therapeutic. At the same time, there’s a lot of people here that don’t experience that because the struggle is real. Big Sky is a hard place to live. Experiencing solace in the outdoors on it’s simplest level shouldn’t be a struggle, or hard to achieve. How can we watch out for each other, simply by making sure our friends, peers, and co-workers are experiencing the outdoors in some way, shape or form on a consistent basis?”

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE CIRQUE DE BIG SKY

BY PAUL SWENSON EBS COLUMNIST

What a great beginning to our ski season. There is a deep, early snowpack blanketing our region. It got me thinking about a process that shaped our surroundings and is still active in some high mountain valleys.

Imagine that we could get enough snow this winter that it wouldn’t all melt next summer. For illustrative purposes, let a foot of unmelted snow remain on a snowfield making it through until next winter. Then another epic snowfall the next year, some of which makes it to the following winter. Year after year this happens. After a century of this cycle there is now one hundred feet of accumulated snow; after a millennium, a thousand feet. As the snow piles up, it compresses into ice, and under its own weight, begins to move. A glacier is born. (It is really that simple.)

What kind of conditions would be needed to have that much snow fall every year? The answer to that question is surprising: A warm ocean and a warm atmosphere. If one looks at the Earth’s ancient temperature record from ice core data using oxygen isotope ratios, it is apparent that before each glacial period, the average surface temperature of the Earth rises. This causes an increase in the amount of evaporation from the oceans. The additional water in the atmosphere is carried over the continents ending up as rain or snow.

So what are the signs of glaciation in the Big Sky region? Glaciologists and geomorphologists look for certain landforms created by the extreme erosional power of moving ice. Of course, it is actually not the ice that erodes the landscape, but rather the rocks incorporated into the ice that are dragged along with the underside of the glacier.

Think of this analogy: Try smoothing a rough piece of wood with plain paper by rubbing the surface. It’s difficult until an abrasive is added to it, then you have sandpaper. So a glacier’s ice is like the plain paper; the incorporated rock the sand. So, the glacier becomes the landscape’s sandpaper.

There are many landforms that indicate glacial erosion, but you only need to learn four obvious

ones here: Cirque, Arête, Horn and U-shaped valley. As the accumulated ice starts to move, it erodes a depression on a mountain side. With the feedback loop of more and more accumulation of snow and ice, this depression grows and grows becoming a large semi-circular basin or bowl, in the mountain. This landform is called a cirque, French for a circular or semi-circular amphitheater. Big Sky’s bowl is a cirque (the other definition of cirque is circus, which we can also observe in the bowl daily).

They can be identified by their lobate toes and hummocky topography (throw back!). They are found in all the cirques identified earlier, and also Big Rock Tongue, Chicken-head Bowl, Upper Sunlight, Nebraska, and lower Dakota Bowl.

As one progresses around Lone Mountain, you discover other cirques as well: Stillwater Bowl, Deepwater Bowl and Wyoming Bowl.

The second landform that can be identified on Lone Peak is the Arête. Arête translates as a crest or ridge and is defined to be the rocky ridge between two cirques on a mountain. So for Big Sky it is the ridge skiers hike between the A-Z chutes and the Headwaters chutes. Another good example of an arête is the ridge between Beehive Basin and Middle Basin.

A horn is a sharp peak that is formed by three or more cirques. Therefore, Lone Mountain is classified as a horn, as is Beehive Peak. There are other horns in our region but none as impressive as Pilot Peak located close to Cooke City.

The last landform to be observed is the U-shaped valley. These valleys have steep walls and a relatively flat floor, like a U. Bear Basin, Beehive Basin and Spanish Creek canyon all display these features.

Finally, you should be aware of the active remnants of the last glacial period, the rock glacier. As alpine glaciers retreated 10,000 years ago, they left easily eroded cliff faces around their cirques, causing rock falls and rock avalanches to cover the surface of the remaining small glaciers. This rock acts as an insulating layer and is also incorporated into the ice. This ice-rock core still exists today and continues to move down the glacial valleys and cirques. On Lone Mountain itself there are at least eight different rock glaciers.

As you get out this season, look for the telltale signs of hundreds of feet of ice in the bowl, the glacially carved topography of the Spanish Peaks, and the active rock glaciers still moving down the mountain.

Paul Swenson has been living in and around the Big Sky area since 1966. He is a retired science teacher, fishing guide, Yellowstone guide and naturalist. Also an artist and photographer, Swenson focuses on the intricacies found in nature.

Lone Mountain’s bowl is formed by two coalescing cirques. PHOTO BY PAUL SWENSON

Beehive Basin shows the typical U-shaped features of a glacially carved valley. PHOTO BY PAUL SWENSON

The is an arête between Beehive and Middle basins. PHOTO BY PAUL SWENSON

Pilot Peak is a classic horn just outside of Cooke City. PHOTO BY PAUL SWENSON

BY MOLLY ABSOLON WRITERS ON THE RANGE

When I was working with a Kenyan outdoor instructor in Wyoming’s Wind River Range a couple of decades ago, he surprised me one day by saying, “hiking here feels like a walk in the park.”

With armed guards, he was used to moving through wild places in Africa full of dangerous animals. He said he always felt vigilant on those trips, but in Wyoming’s Winds? We weren’t going to be threatened by anything larger than a GORPseeking squirrel.

But now, grizzlies have returned to the Wind River Range, a 100-mile string of craggy peaks southeast of Yellowstone National Park. The big bears once owned the West, and now they are reclaiming some of their traditional turf.

At their peak, as many as 50,000 grizzly bears roamed the western United States. By the time the Endangered Species Act passed in 1975, however, their numbers had dwindled to less than 1,000 in the Lower 48, and they inhabited a mere 2% of their former range there. Only 220 to 320 grizzlies were believed to live in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem at the time of listing.

Once protected, grizzlies expanded out of the park and are now found throughout the region. For me, that makes a difference. It’s not just that I carry bear spray and store my food in bear-proof containers, or that I make noise when I’m hiking through areas of low visibility. It’s subtle: I’ve become hyper-aware.

Sudden noises make me start. I don’t like to be alone unless I have an unobstructed view of my surroundings. I never wander off in the dark by myself. Yet being in bear country feels invigorating.

“Grizzly bears are what makes a place wild for me,” says Barb Cestero, who directs The Wilderness Society’s Greater Yellowstone and High Divide Landscape Program in Bozeman, Montana. “It’s about being present, in the moment, alive, and aware that you have to avoid surprising a bear and getting into trouble. That’s a lot of words to describe the indescribable.”

Indescribable or not, most people feel a mixture of fear and awe in bear country. Whether you like those feelings depends on your perspective.

As most of us know, development and climate change have squeezed the grizzlies’ habitat. These days, people in the Northern Rockies encounter grizzly bears on backpacking trips but may also run into them in their neighborhoods. The bears are getting into food sources like garbage, livestock, bird feeders, chicken coops, apple trees and beehives.

That means people pay attention when they leave their houses because stumbling outside in darkness can be dangerous — as Tim Henderson learned in 2007.

Henderson lived in a cabin in the western foothills of the Teton Range near Tetonia, Idaho. One evening, after hearing his dog barking, he went outside to check. She barreled toward him with a grizzly bear in pursuit, and the bear turned on Henderson.

“I like to refer to the encounter with the bear as just that, an encounter,” Henderson says. “Unfortunately, what makes splashy headlines is ‘an attack,’” which

hospitalized him with injuries to his head and elsewhere. Yet he says he thinks of himself as the intruder.

“Keeping that in mind lets me enjoy the reason I moved here — for the mountains.” But these days, Henderson carries bear spray even in places where most people think it’s unnecessary.

Encounters between grizzlies and humans usually go badly for the bears. By August, wildlife managers had killed 11 grizzly bears in 2022 because of conflicts with people. Statistics aren’t available for human fatalities from bear attacks for 2022, but 2021 was a particularly deadly year with five deaths. Still, you can’t call that a trend.

Frank van Manen, a research biologist for the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, told Backpacker Magazine that in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, human fatalities from bear attacks are rare. “There was a fatality in 1986,” he said, “Followed by a 25-year period with no fatal incidents, and then several years with multiple incidents.”

As grizzly bear territory merges with human territory, the potential for conflicts will surely increase. Many communities are trying to cope by passing ordinances to help minimize the risk of dangerous encounters.

It’s not easy living with grizzlies. But we can choose whether to embrace the awe and fear that their presence brings, or we can begrudge them. For me, those emotions make me feel more alive.

Molly Absolon is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring conversation about the West. She writes in Idaho.

OPINION

A LA CARTE UNPRETENTIOUS AND APPROACHABLE

BY RACHEL HERGETT EBS CONTRIBUTOR

Rad Foods chef/owner Austin Brown’s main concerns are the food he makes and the people he feeds.

“We’re not focused on the aesthetic,” he said, pointing to a grouping of mismatched art crookedly hanging on the wall, including a mostly nude woman and a smiling Jack Nicholson.

When Brown ran into bureaucratic hurdles trying to hang a sign outside and then in the window of the house on Mendenhall Street in Bozeman that is home to Rad Foods (and Brown, too), he decided he didn’t need a sign. People would find him.

I found Brown on Monday in the yellow house that was once home to a vegetarian Indian restaurant. Brown was splitting giant ribs of local wagyu beef, dry-rubbed and smoked to tender perfection, and chopping hunks from brisket or beef “baby backs” for the Rad Foods pop-up Yellow House Barbecue. The Texas native is not a vegetarian.

“Rad” Foods started as “Researched and Developed” and Brown has credentials to back up the claim. The former chef at the Lotus Pad and Lone Mountain Ranch has classical French training and has honed his craft under five different Michelinstarred chefs. (Though Michelin may be simply a tire company for those uninitiated in the world of fine dining, the stars awarded in the Michelin travel guide are one of the food industry’s top honors.)

Brown’s food is obviously researched and developed. It speaks to the time and care that went into it. But it also speaks to the passion. The chef babies his barbecue overnight in the largest smoker I’ve ever seen. Brown said he was up until 6 a.m. before the pop-up to feed the three-doored beautiful monstrosity housed in a tent out back. The smoker

is roughly the size of a small ship. It can handle 400 pounds of meat at once, Brown said. More, actually. An ample kitchen-island sized fire table is attached if one also needs to flame grill steaks and such. The smoker was custom built by Mill Scale Metal Works in Lockhart, Texas. And it has a name: Billy Joe, in memory of Brown’s grandfather who grew up in Lockhart, where his father (Brown’s great grandfather) was once sheriff.

“Barbecue isn’t born with a soul,” according to the caption of a Yellow House Barbecue Instagram post (the primary place to hear about the pop-ups), “it’s given one by its maker.

You don’t think of Michelin stars and fine dining when you meet Brown. He’s a big affable man who makes you feel like family when you walk into the yellow house. Brown likens the building to his pirate ship, though I told him it wasn’t convincing until there is a flag somewhere.

“We’re like a band of misfits that sometimes does stuff,” he says.

Inside, the pirate crew is encouraged to explore their own interests. On a given week, Yellow House Barbecue may be served alongside doughnuts crafted by chef de cuisine Nicole Smith or cheese steaks, Philly style, from Whiz Wit. Brown has also teamed with other chefs like “Sushi Paul” from Izakaya Three Fish to explore how their styles mesh. Brown’s cooking is self-described as “unpretentious and approachable.”

“We’re trying to find a balance of what we love and what everyone else does,” he said.

Rad Foods has leased and plans to build out a new, larger space in the Bon Ton Flour Mills in Bozeman to increase its offerings. The yellow house, then, would become a place for others to explore their creativity in the kitchen like he did when he bought it seven years ago.

Brown said part of his desire to create community around food and keep it as accessible as possible

(if you know where to look) stems from a random exchange at the Cat’s Paw. A man asked him about his job, Brown explained what a chef does, and the man responded, “that’s great and all, but I’ll never be able to eat your food.”

“That stuck with me,” Brown said.

Rad Foods is at 609 W. Mendenhall St. in Bozeman. For more information, visit www.radfoodsmt.com. Follow @yellowhousebbq on Instagram to learn about the pop-up’s appearances.

Rachel Hergett is a foodie and cook from Montana. She is arts editor emeritus at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and has written for publications such as Food Network Magazine and Montana Quarterly. Rachel is also the host of the Magic Monday Show on KGLT-FM and teaches at Montana State University.

Brown shows off his custom smoker, Billy Joe. PHOTO BY RACHEL HERGETT

Rad Foods chef Austin Brown feeds the people with a barbecue popup. PHOTO BY RACHEL HERGETT

“Katie was absolutely wonderful! She is professional, smart, insightful and easy going in the best way possible. We feel so lucky to have connected with her!”

ILLUSTRATION BY CY WHITLING

BY JACK REANEY

BACK 40

A FUTURE OF MANY HOW SHIFTING FORCES ARE PUSHING MORE SKIERS TO THE BACKCOUNTRY

BY HENRY HALL MOUNTAIN OUTLAW CONTRIBUTOR

A version of this story first ran in the winter 2020/21 edition of the Mountain Outlaw magazine.

When the snow is deep in March, Big Sky Resort is usually packed with locals and tourists from around the globe. Every tram is usually full from open to close while skiers and snowboarders try to shred every last inch of powder on the mountain. Usually.

On March 16, 2020, however, the lifts stood still. Spring breakers were told not to come and the Mountain Village at the base of Big Sky remained silent during normal peak hours.

While the resort’s parking lots were empty after the resort closed on March 15 due to concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus, the Beehive Basin trailhead lot across from the resort was stuffed with Subarus, Sprinter vans and pickups with license plates from all corners of the country. Beehive has some of the most accessible backcountry ski and snowboard terrain in the Gallatin Valley, and is a favorite among backcountry enthusiasts.

Earlier that same month, New York Magazine ran an article: “Everything You Need to Start Splitboarding.” The list: splitboard, bindings, skins, poles, backpack. Conspicuously absent was the safety gear one actually needs to start splitboarding: an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe. And the know-how to use it. The article illustrated one

major beef that backcountry regulars have with some newbies: you don’t know what you don’t know. And that can be deadly.

Ski touring and splitboarding have been gaining in popularity for years due to accessibility and affordability, but 2020 was different. That spring brought with it COVID-19 and nobody could’ve predicted this backcountry onslaught before the pandemic.

Unable to hop on Big Sky’s chairlifts, some newcomers to avalanche-prone areas that aren’t controlled, such as Beehive Basin, prepped with the right gear and learned about avalanche conditions and tendencies before heading out. But others shirked safety for themselves and others. They were uneducated and ill-equipped for backcountry terrain. And it pissed off off-piste skiers and riders who know the rules and follow them.

There is little doubt that backcountry ski areas in the near future will be shared by many. Trailheads will see more traffic, demand for gear will be higher and folks will have greater access to the terrain. But silver linings can exist.

On February 15, 2020, when only 14 cases of COVID-19 had been reported in the U.S., Erik Lambert and Jeff Woodward’s yearslong dream came true when they opened America’s newest ski area, a Kickstarter-backed campaign they started just two weeks before opening day. Located 30 minutes from the small town of Kremmling,

Colorado, Bluebird Backcountry is a ski area like no other.

Lambert learned to ski at age 1 in the mountains of New England and has spent the past decade working in marketing for various outdoor entities. Woodward is a Dartmouth grad who fell in love with backcountry skiing after becoming a ski patroller at Dartmouth Skiway and exploring the backcountry terrain in New Hampshire. The duo had a vision of a resort with no chairlifts, no fixed lodge and no grooming; the first uphill-access-only ski area in the world.

Bluebird, says Woodward, is backcountry area that’s safe for everyone. “An explicit part of our culture is to be as welcoming as we can,” he told Mountain Outlaw in August 2020. “Because of COVID, there are tons of people who want to go backcountry skiing—more than usual—and it’s part of our mission to educate as many of them as we can.”

After a successful two-week trial period in February 2020, Bluebird Backcountry was back in 2021 for a full season with social distancing rules in place and a max of 200 customers a day. Last year, Bluebird became an official AIARE provider—short for American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education—which licenses them to offer courses and certifications in avalanche rescue, as well as Level 1 and 2.

As a precursor to the AIARE licensed courses, Bluebird also offers three levels of lessons that teach

For Explore Big Sky, the Back 40 is a resource: a place where we can delve into subjects and ask experts to share their knowledge. Here, we highlight stories from our flagship sister publication Mountain Outlaw magazine.

Noun: wild or rough terrain adjacent to a developed area Origin: shortened form of “back 40 acres”

Bluebird Backcountry guests earn the goods after touring up Whitley Peak, one of the many pristine mountains on Bluebird’s property. PHOTO BY DOUG MCLENNAN

the ins and outs of backcountry touring and prepare customers for the avalanche courses to follow. And Bluebird has cadre of snow-savvy instructors and guides that will provide beta about terrain and daily avalanche conditions.

“We make sure that everyone we hire is willing to be as welcoming as possible and will answer any question,” Woodward said.

When the coronavirus outbreak put the country into lockdown, the small town of Cooke City, Montana, was isolated from the rest of the state due to the closure of Yellowstone Park’s entrances. The pandemic shut down Beartooth Powder Guides, a Cooke City-based backcountry guide operation, for the season.

“It was a bummer for business and we lost about six weeks of our season, but I got to be on lockdown in Cooke City and pretty much have the place to myself,” said Ben Zavora, who founded and operates Beartooth Powder Guides. “I think Cooke City is going to be busy [in 2021] based on current trajectories of people trying to get out.”

While growing numbers of backcountry skiers and riders can be concerning, Zavora is embracing the heightened level of activity in the area. “There is a lot of space to spread out,” he said. “I think it will be a good opportunity to educate people, and it’s good for the guiding business and the local economy in Cooke City.”

With headquarters in Cooke City and two backcountry huts in the surrounding forests, Zavora and company will be running avalanche education

courses as well as guided hut trips this coming winter. In 2021, classes were limited to groups of friends and families maxed out at six people. They also offered a COVID-19 cancellation policy which allows people to get credit for a future class or trip.

Zavora likes his solitude when he explores the backcountry but sees benefits to the growth.

“Getting people outdoors, taking care of their health, being with friends and not on the internet is going to be good for everyone. It’s also going to give everyone a good perspective of protecting our public lands and how important they are.”

A prerequisite for any avalanche course is to have the right gear. Bruce Edgerly, cofounder and vice president of Backcountry Access, has established his company as one of the top sellers of backcountry equipment in North America. In January 2020, Edgerly announced a new avalanche beacon to the famed BCA Tracker series: the Tracker4.

“What we’ve done is combine the robust design of the Tracker2 with the elegance and sophistication of the Tracker3,” Edgerly said. In the Tracker4, BCA has created one of the most reliable, userfriendly avalanche transceivers in the industry, a redesign of the tried-and-true beacon that guides and ski patrollers have trusted for decades.

Backcountry equipment—beacons, shovels and probes—are critical hardware for skiers and riders heading off-piste, but these are only the first, most basic tools for being safe in the mountains, say industry pros. Knowledge, they say, is power. And power is safety.

Edgerly emphasizes keeping manageable group sizes. Woodward and Zavora say education and finding experienced partners are key. “Take an [avalanche] class, pick your partners carefully and don’t be afraid to question people when it comes to their knowledge in the backcountry,” Zavora says.

Education is the first step to entering the backcountry. Finding elbow room comes next. You just might need to go a bit farther.

“If you like people, it’s not a problem,” says Edgerly. “If you like powder, it’s time to get a snowmobile.”

Woodward echoed the sentiment. “Get a map and go explore. There are miles and miles of terrain and no one is out there.”

Backcountry terrain will inevitably see more and more traffic. For those frustrated about the growth, plenty of untouched terrain exists if you’re willing to find it. For everyone else, look at this as an opportunity to meet new people and to share your knowledge to make this a safe winter.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BEARTOOTH POWDER GUIDES

ART BY Heather Rapp

If the snow forecast has been any indication, this winter will be one of bounty. When Big Sky Resort opened Wednesday, Nov. 23 (one day early) skiers and boarders awoke to 7 inches of fresh powder, and more falling by the minute. That’s a feeling we want to take with us through the rest of the season – the friendly banter on the chairlifts, whoops and hollers as we fly down the hill and the flushed cheeks at apres.

With that spirit, we’d like to present Explore Big Sky’s 2022 holiday Gift and Gear Guide! From skis to yachts, this guide truly has it all. Take a look for yourself and get inspired for the season of gift giving.

VOORMI: Building the next generation of outdoor clothing

Starting from a foundation of the world’s most time-tested natural fibers, Voormi’s proprietary fabric technologies deliver the absolute widest range of comfort and performance out there.

Voormi’s products are designed to elevate the full human powered experience, wherever that road may lead you. Every stitch has a story. Whether it’s the hand-crafted care put in to making each piece of VOORMI clothing, the time spent with their mountain community-based retail folks sharing epic tales of epic places or the unforgettable memories made around the campfire wearing their gear, it’s those deeper connections to people, places and things that truly matter. Most of VOORMI’s gear is hand-crafted right here in the heart of southwest Montana in Bozeman.

This holiday season, shop VOORMI for those you care about: a company who’s quality, technology and mission you can trust on every mountain adventure, summit, or experience.

Jelt Belt’s Mountain Venture Adjustable Stretch Belt was built for the adventurer in your life. With features that meet the needs of any day chasing peaks, whether that be on skis, snowshoes or on foot. Strong, flexible and lightweight, this belt can be worn by men or women with up to a 50-inch waist size, includes a grippy gel that keeps it in place with or without belt loops and is strong enough to carry some of your essential gear, such as bear spray or two-way radios. The waterproof webbing is made from recycled plastic bottles, offering a nod to Mother Nature. This belt was made for adventure.

• Black elastic and buckle with dark taupe mountain design

• Made for men and women

• Minimal, non-metal buckle snaps into place

• Grippy inner gel means it can be worn with or without belt loops

• Elastic material made from recycled plastic bottles

• Waterproof

• One size fits everyone, up to 50 inches

• Belt: Recycled polyester/rubber/nylon

• Belt width: 1.5 inches

• Weight: 3.1 oz.

• Proudly made in Bozeman, Montana and sold online or at Grizzly Outfitters in Big Sky Town Center. jeltbelt.com

Peak Skis is new to the ski game as a brand, but the engineering minds behind the company are some of the most honed in the industry. Founded by U.S. Alpine Olympian Bode Miller and resort mogul Andy Wirth, Peak Skis are a direct to consumer company with a showroom here in Bozeman, Montana. Although the company produces an impressive quiver of skis made for every mountain angle you can dream of, featured in this guide are what they call their “quiver killer,” the Peak 98. Agile on groomers and mind-blowing in powder, these skis include the industry-changing KeyHole Technology –an inflection point at the forefront of the ski –allowing you to channel your inner Super G racer. Need to get a bit more wild? Grab the 98SC, designed specifically for side country endeavors. peakskis.com

Burch Barrel is inspired by long days on the ranch in Big Timber, Montana. From roping, branding and vaccinating young calves, Roby Burch knows the value of resourcefulness and quality, both attributes he and his company apply to their outdoor wood fired grill. This Black Friday, don’t miss out on Burch Barrel’s special bundle – whether for yourself or a deserving loved one for the holidays.

The Burch Barrel is a charcoal or wood fired grill that allows you to better interact with the dynamics of fire for more control. Its versatile design allows you to grill, smoke, bake, or just hang out by a fire. It will quickly become the central hub for any backyard or outdoor gathering. Their innovative features were designed to ensure an entertaining BBQ experience for both the grill enthusiast and friends.

burchbarrel.com

LONE PEAK CANNABIS CO.

Lone Peak Cannabis Co. is your go-to shop place for all cannabis products. Partnering with and selecting only the highest quality sustainably and organically grown businesses and products, LPC has the best variety of options all under one roof. Located in four convenient locations, Big Sky, Bozeman, Ennis and West Yellowstone, you can find the perfect gift wherever you are in the heart of southwest Montana. The Big Sky location now offers delivery too!

Join LPC’s rewards program, LPClub for exclusive offers, deals and stay-up-to-date on the newest products. All of LPC’s products are top-of-the line and joining their rewards program is the perfect gift for yourself or friends and family this holiday season.

Look for all store locations and offerings at lonepeakcannabiscompany.com

BUZZBALLZ: Ready-To-Drink Canned Cocktails

BuzzBallz colorful, single-serve cocktails are the perfect stocking stuffer for those looking to have a festive time this holiday season. Ready-to-drink in a few shakes and a pour, the petite round bottles pack a punch with 15% ABV, BuzzBallz will get you through your holiday to-do list and kick start all the festivities.

Mixed, packaged and distributed entirely in-house in Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas, BuzzBallz are made with real creams, juices and natural flavors to be gluten free, certified kosher and made with 100% recyclable materials in each of their flavor variations. Rejuvenate the holiday spirit

with BuzzBallz exclusive seasonal eggnog flavor–the perfect stocking stuffer!

Take your coffee up a notch with BuzzBallz, the simple two-step Liquor Coffee Recipe:

• Ingredients:

• Black Coffee

• BuzzBallz Cocktails Choc Tease

• Whipped cream (optional)

• Directions:

• Pour Buzzballz Choc Tease cocktail over a mug of hot or iced coffee

• Top with whipped cream, if desired buzzballz.com

The strength of leather and delicacy of a pearl – it’s the perfect holiday gift for your loved one. Design possibilities are endless with Shelly Bermont design, crafted locally in Big Sky, Montana. Each comes in a variety of pearl colors, from natural pinks, gold and your classic whites.

Have a design in mind or need some inspiration? Reach out and Shelly will create something one-of-a-kind for you this holiday season. shellybermont.com

If you’re craving those long days on the mountain this winter, but suffer from that all-to-familiar midday energy slump, DrinkLMNT might be the magic formula you’re missing out on. Our partners at LMNT provide a salty, keto-friendly electrolyte beverage to be paired with all your favorite activities and are excited to announce a new addition to the salty family – the LMNT Chocolate Medley. The LMNT Chocolate Medley includes 3 flavors: Chocolate Caramel, Mint Chocolate and Chocolate Salt, all delicious in hot and cold drinks. Here’s a recipe to get you inspired, and don’t forget to shop now for yourself or a holiday stocking stuffer:

CHOCOLATE SALT SMOOTHIE

1 scoop of your favorite protein powder

1 LMNT Chocolate Salt1 handfuls of spinach

1 banana or avocado

1-2 cups of milk of choice1 tbsp of chia seeds

1 tbsp almond butter

Blend and enjoy!

Hey Bear has something for everyone on your holiday shopping list: whether you’re looking for adventure gear, cozy products to keep you bundled up and toasty this winter or unique stocking stuffers.

Give and give back this holiday season. A portion of each sale is given back to Hey Bear’s nonprofit partner, Vital Ground

Foundation.

Whether you’re looking for stocking stuffers, cozy gifts or adventure gifts, Hey Bear has the PAWfect gift for everyone. heybear.com

Vital Ground supports conservation and protection efforts for grizzly and other wildlife habitats.

ACE HARDWARE: EGO Snow Blower Kit

The snow keeps on coming, and while that’s great for honing your ski legs, it’s not great on your back while you relentlessly shovel that show from your sidewalks and driveways this winter. ACE Hardware in Big Sky has your back … literally. With a lineup of electric snow removal equipment in stock, the EGO Power battery snowblower kit will keep your home clear of ice and snow season after season. Friendly to the environment and running completely off of battery power and the ability to throw snow up to 50 feet, EGO is the #1 rated cordless snow removal brand out there.

All the highlights:

• Includes Power+ SNT2405 24 inch, selfpropelled 2-stage snowblower and 56 V Battery with charger.

• 50-foot throwing distance

• Ability to clear an 18-foot driveway

• Steel Auger

• Control dashboard

• 5-year tool warranty

• 3-year battery charger warranty

acebigskytools.com

The idea to make 406 Agave was born under the Spanish Peaks that sit just north of our home in Big Sky, Montana. The idea was simple: to bring a high-quality agave home to Big Sky Country, one that will complement this wild and beautiful landscape.

406 Agave’s motto, “Drink with your friends. Tequila is for sharing,” makes this agave the perfect addition to any mountain holiday experience: whether you’re huddled around the campfire telling stories, toasting to the perfect bluebird powder day at aprés ski or creating the best cocktail for holiday celebrations.

Each tequila is made at a fourthgeneration distillery in Jalisco, Mexico and 406 Agave is the first American company to partner with this unique distillery.

The Blanco and Reposado are both available now, with Anejo still being aged

to perfection and coming to Big Sky shelves in February 2023.

406 Agave’s new Carhartt merch is now available online! Cozy up in their thermal cuffed chunky knit beanie embroidered with the 406 patch or their stylish logo hoodie complete with a front handwarmer pocket and three-piece hood.

Try their featured cocktail recipe below this holiday season:

"Fall Into You Cocktail"

1.5 oz. 406 Agave Reposado Tequila

1 oz. Apple Cider

1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

.5 oz. Ginger Syrup

.5 oz. Agave Nectar

2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

1 Pinch Cinnamon

Garnish with an apple slice, star anise, thyme sprig and cinnamon sprinkle

406agave.com

YELLOWSTONE FOODS SHOP FULL EBSGUIDE

Montana is all about the adventure. Unfortunately, adventures crash without fuel. That’s why Yellowstone Foods is devoted to making organic, delicious snacks from locally-sourced ingredients so you can keep going when the mountains call. From hearty – try and Last Chance Gulch Miner’s Cookie or Butte Miner’s Coffee Crunch bar – to delectable – grab a Prairie Cookie with hints of lavender –there’s a sweet and a savory for every tastebud. Based in the historic Downtown Butte, Yellowstone Foods is embedded in the gritty Montana culture and pays homage to the area’s history by pairing each snack with a story of how it got its name.

This holiday season, pick up a Baked Good Gift Assortment and make someone’s day a bit tastier. With different sizes to accommodate families large and small, these baskets come with an assortment of each of Yellowstone Foods’ baked cookies and bars, fresh from the oven.

CLOUDVEIL: The Koven Series

The Koven Jacket returns in its reinvented heritage style. The solid color fabric is stealth, while our signature laser-cut venting makes it functional. It's all about the details - we've added bonded adjustable Velcro® tabs on the sleeve hem to adjust to your comfort level and an interior mesh pocket for cold-weather accessories.

Cloudveil was founded in Jackson, Wyoming by two souls drawn to the mountains. Surrounded by peaks, the founders discovered a potent source of inspiration. Without these pinnacles, their concept would seem short on scale and the individual narrative would lose perspective. This powerful motivation – linking their dream with this dramatic Teton setting – made what they envisioned real. This same connection has drawn many to Cloudveil. People believed daily contact made a difference, and a loyal network of shops, friends and advocates gravitated to the movement. A groundswell grew the grassroots effort into a global brand, yet the sincerity of this defining message still strikes a chord.

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE IT ALL –VIKING YACHTS 64 C FROM GALATI YACHT SALES

Chasing billfish in Cabo or relaxing along the Emerald Coast of Florida, the Viking 64C is the perfect gift for the person who has everything. Step up your game and find your on-water adventure with the world-acclaimed 64′ Viking.

For over 25 years, Galati Yacht Sales has represented the Viking Yacht brand, selling hundreds of sportfishing yachts to happy customers throughout the Gulf Coast, Costa Rica and Cabo, and they have recently expanded to the U.S West Coast.

Big Sky resident Jimmy Azzolini is your go-to expert on yacht ownership. Azzolini has been with Galati Yacht Sales for over two decades, helping countless families match the right yacht to their lifestyle.

galatiyachts.com

REGENMARKET: The best food on Earth

Get your friends and family the best food on Earth from RegenMarket. Inspired by the agriculture that is at the heart of the West, RegenMarket is an online, membershipbased market connecting consumers with Montana producers working to grow food with the planet’s future in mind. All products are produced using regenerative agriculture practices, which forms the base of the food chain for humans and land animals, ensuring the highest-level quality nutrients in your food. It’s also the process Patagonia founder and owner Yvon Chouinard believes may just save our planet from the harmful effects of climate change.

Our favorites from RegenMarket:

• Ground Bison $18

• Bison NY Strip $25

• Breakfast Burrito $12

• Boneless Pork Chops - 2 (Pack) $12

• Breakfast Sausage Links $15

• Ground Beef Burger Patties $10

• Beef Sirloin Steak $14

• Beef Top Round Roast - $55

regenmarket.com