Explore Big Sky - December 28 to January 11, 2023

PUBLISHER

Eric Ladd | eric@theoutlawpartners.com

EDITORIAL

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

Rich Addicks, Mary Armstrong, Badger, Zach Brown, Jessianne Castle, Jacob Frank, Gabrielle Gasser, Rachel Hergett, Madison Perrins, Holly Pippel, Michael Poland, Shannon Steele, Ryan Strother, Paul Swenson, Cy Whitling, Dave Zinn

OPENING SHOT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

RECORD COLD SWEEPS ACROSS MONTANA

Big Sky avoided the worst of it, as Bozeman’s airport saw temperatures as low as minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit on Dec. 22. When an arctic blast sent temperatures well below zero for more than 48 hours, Big Sky’s low of minus 32 didn’t feel much warmer. Surprisingly, the temperature rose by 59 degrees in 42 hours for a balmy Christmas.

ELK CROSSING: A ‘POPULATION WIDE PERSPECTIVE’

In part two of a three-part series about the rising incidences of vehicle collisions with elk, EBS contributor Ryan Strother spoke with Julie Cunningham, wildlife biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. As EBS reports on a solution for human and animal safety, Cunningham describes the complications of human development and hunting restrictions in Gallatin Gateway.

GRIZZLY OUTFITTERS SELLS TO CHRISTY SPORTS

On Dec. 14, Colorado-based retailer Christy Sports acquired Grizzly Outfitters, a Big Sky staple since 1994. Christy Sports executives visited Big Sky to begin onboarding their staff—they plan to keep the entire Grizzly team—and sat down with EBS to discuss their vision for the future of a community favorite.

BIG SKY’S WORLD-CLASS SNOWBOARD BROTHERS

As 18-year-old Isaac Singer prepares to compete in Austria in January for his second consecutive go at a world championship, his younger brother Elijah is entering eligibility for that same age group. Both Singer brothers have been ranked in the top five nationally on multiple occasions in the International Free Skiers Association. On Jan. 6, they’ll square off against each other in Whitefish for the first time ever.

Livingston-based photographer Tom Murphy captured a striking image of a bison in Yellowstone National Park during the recent historic cold snap that saw temperatures in Montana drop as low as minus 74 degrees with windchill. You can see more of his work at tmurphywild.com. PHOTO BY TOM MURPHY

EDITORIAL POLICIES

EDITORIAL POLICY

Outlaw Partners, LLC is the sole owner of

Explore Big Sky. EBS reserves the right to edit all submitted material. Printed material reflects the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the opinion of Outlaw Partners or its editors. EBS will not publish anything discriminatory or in bad taste.

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.

PLUS: SPECIAL SECTION: TOP STORIES OF 2022 With 2023 at the doorstep, Explore Big Sky recounted its most popular stories and highlighted some of the biggest local news of 2022.

OUTLAW

SCAN

Testing the “mpemba effect”: Michael Reubusch, videographer and photographer for Outlaw Partners, was one of many Montanans to throw a mug of boiling water into the frigid air during the historic cold on Dec. 23. The result: dramatic, instantaneous freezing as the evaporated water is exposed to air nearly 250 degrees colder. PHOTO BY MICHAEL REUBUSCH

LOCAL

NEWS IN BRIEF

CONOCO FUEL PUMPS REOPEN WITH DIESEL AND HIGH-TECH SCREENS

EBS STAFF

BIG SKY—After closing its fuel pumps for renovation in mid-October, the Big Sky Conoco station reopened in late December.

According to Conoco Manager Michelle Denning, all pumps now offer diesel and feature a touch screen interface compatible with Apple Pay in addition to credit and debit cards. The new display is the first of its kind in the state of Montana, according to Denning. The station also added red dyed diesel and installed larger fuel tanks underground to increase capacity from its previous standard of requiring daily fuel delivery.

The project began in mid-October and was estimated to take 4-5 weeks. Although the renovation took slightly longer than expected, Denning said the final stage wrapped up ahead of schedule.

ICY ROADS CAUSE DOZENS OF ACCIDENTS, SNARL TRAFFIC

EBS STAFF

BIG SKY—On the evening of Dec. 27, standstill traffic and countless accidents occurred on Montana Highway 64. Drivers reported numerous vehicles abandoned on the side of the road.

Temperatures around Big Sky that day stayed above freezing until sunset, when rain turned to sleet, freezing surface water on roads and creating hazardous driving conditions during one of the busiest times of the year. The following reports are quoted from community posts on the public Gallatin Canyon Road Conditions Facebook page, edited for clarity:

(6:47 p.m.) “Road from town center up to the resort is a mess. Lone Mountain Ranch to Northfork and the hill by Antler Ridge are the worst... Police on scene above Lone Mountain Ranch.”

(8:06 p.m.) “30+ cars in the ditch including a [Montana Department of Transportation] plow blocking one lane… Only handful of tow trucks en route.”  (9:50 p.m.) “Have not moved one inch uphill for an hour [plus].”

RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES AT BOZEMAN AIRPORT, BIG SKY SEES 73-DEGREE TEMPERATURE SWING

EBS STAFF

In Bozeman, a new Dec. 22 record low was set at minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit at the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport at 8:56 a.m., just a single degree above the airport’s all-time low.

Bozeman’s daytime high was minus 25 degrees, according to National Weather Service data. Bridger Bowl and the Crosscut Mountain Center did not open due to safety concerns. Bozeman saw a 90-degree temperature swing over the weekend, as the airport measured a high of 45 degrees on Christmas morning.

Perhaps Montana’s lowest temperature during the Arctic blast came from Elk Park, north of Butte on Interstate 15, which reported minus 50 with minus 74 windchill.

Dec. 22 SNOTEL data shows Lone Mountain’s early morning low of minus 32 degrees. In the next 42 hours, the temperature rose by 59 degrees to 27 above zero. On Dec. 26, Lone Mountain saw a high of 41 degrees.

HISTORIC IZAAK WALTON INN SOLD

EBS STAFF

ESSEX—The Izaak Walton Inn, a beloved old lodge and resort on the southern edge of Glacier National Park, has been sold to a Washingtonbased hospitality company.

The new owner, LOGE Camps, has properties in Washington, Oregon and California. Slate Olson, head of marketing for the company, added in an interview on Thursday that the company is especially attracted to properties adjacent to havens for outdoor recreation.

The property had been listed for sale at $17.9 million. The Daily Inter Lake reported that it sold for $13.5 million.

GIANFORTE

BANS TIKTOK ON STATE DEVICES CITING DATA SECURITY

CONCERNS

EBS STAFF

Gov. Greg Gianforte banned the app TikTok from being used on state devices, on state Wi-Fi or for government business in the state, according to a recent memo. Montana joined at least 13 other states in banning the video-sharing social media platform from government devices.

Gianforte cited security concerns around the app’s data collection by Chinabased parent company ByteDance in a memo.

This decision also follows a unanimous vote in the U.S. Senate to ban the app from being downloaded by federal employees on their work phones.

A Spokesperson for Gianforte, Brooke Stroyke, pointed to bipartisan calls for an investigation into the app as further rationale for the ban. The ban also includes any third-party firms conducting business for or on behalf of the state.

Olson said the company looks forward to getting to know the Essex community and partnering with it. He noted that the company donates 1% of top line revenue to local nonprofits that promote outdoor recreation.  “We want to be seen as [an organization] that contributes to the community,” he said.

Annual

Deadline: Dec. 31st

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

• lodging & short-term rentals

• artists & market vendors

• restaurants, food trucks, & private 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. Registration 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

Administered by the Big Sky Resort Area District, Resort Tax is a 4% tax on luxury goods & services. OUR VISION: “Big Sky is BETTER TOGETHER as a result of wise investments, an engaged community, and the pursuit of excellence.”

Info@ResortTax.org | ResortTax.org | 406.995.3234 |

LETTER

FROM

LOCAL

THE PUBLISHER

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF BIG SKY

BY ERIC LADD

I came to Big Sky in 1999 via my good friend Warren Miller. While working in Colorado, Warren enticed me to fly to Bozeman where he and his dog Bueller met me at the small regional airport. After navigating dirt roads to what is now the Yellowstone Club followed by a day of skiing with YC founder Tim Blixseth, Stein Eriksen and Warren, I came to grasp the vision of building the new ski club and the vast potential of the Big Sky area. Warren convinced me to move to Montana when he said, “Eric, never again in your life are you going to see and be part of a ski town being built from ground up.” We couldn’t have imagined the breakneck speed and impact of the billions of dollars spent in development over the past 23 years. Big Sky has become a household name, a plot contributor of the show “Yellowstone” and regularly featured in national news and notable publications.

Having visited almost every notable ski town in the world during his over 50-year career making ski films, Warren understood the importance of thriving local business owners, a well-crafted story and development plans that care for the natural surroundings. Watch any one of his 750 films and you will see Warren use the art of storytelling to celebrate the heartbeat of a town and the people who call it home.

The start of a new calendar year is a good time to reflect and to get involved in helping build a strong community. What kind of town do we want to build? What are we going to be known for? What legacy will we create for future generations? Many readers may not realize that Big Sky does not have

an organized government, but rather we are governed by two different counties with arms-length involvement.

The gap of leadership is left to be filled by nonprofit boards, volunteers and organized efforts to address citizen concerns. We have some big accomplishments to celebrate as a community—including the amazing facilities like BASE, Lone Peak High School and the hospital—but much more is needed.

In the past 20 years Big Sky has done an amazing job of building ski resorts, homes and hotels making up one of the largest real estate booms in modern day history. But the time has come to focus the next 20 years on building a sustainable community. A community that takes care of our own, houses and cares for the hard-working staff who run our businesses, as well as puts nature, open lands and its animal inhabitants as a priority, makes clean water mandatory and builds sustainable infrastructure to handle growth. Sustainable growth and conservation can coexist and Big Sky should be a model for achieving it. Some of the most brilliant business minds in the world now call Big Sky home, it seems fitting to capture this invested knowledge and harness it towards sustainable development of our region.

This past week Outlaw Partners (EBS’s parent company) hosted the “Best of Big Sky” awards which celebrated 45 hardworking, deserving businesses, charities and locals who extend extra effort in making Big Sky a special place to live. This celebration was a great example of celebrating the good within our community and the positive outcomes from working together and supporting each other. (a list of the winners can be found on the EBS website).

Help build a community you’re proud to live in. Get involved and make an impact:

1. Volunteer or donate to the local nonprofits.

2. Get involved in the local events, town hall meetings and submit your opinions or concerns to media@ theoutlawpartners.com.

3. Support local events, shop local and lend a hand at community events.

Warren was right. Never again in my life will I have the opportunity to see a town like Big Sky get built. But what Warren didn’t tell me was the weight and importance of my actions within this growth curve.

I urge us all to make the turning of a calendar year a start line to shift our focus to building community. I’m committing the resources of my company to make the legacy of the Big Sky community one we can be proud of 20 years from now, and I urge you to do the same. Your voice matters, your opinions matter, your ideas and actions matter. The time has come to use them.

After all, as Warren Miller was famously quoted thousands of times, “If you don’t do it this year, you’ll be one year older when you do.”

Eric Ladd Chairman and Publisher Outlaw Partners

Grateful,

Warren Miller (in red) shares his tales and perspectives with a few of the original staff members, including Eric Ladd, on the famous “Ching Forest” ski run at the Yellowstone Club. PHOTO BY TRAVIS ANDERSEN

ELK CROSSING: A ‘POPULATION-WIDE PERSPECTIVE’

Editor's note: This is the second of a three-part series looking into why elk and vehicles are colliding at unprecedented rates on the highway between Gallatin Gateway and Gallatin Canyon. This piece dives into the state's management policies and priorities. The final installment will look at management successes and ways people and wildlife can peacefully coexist.

BY RYAN STROTHER EBS CONTRIBUTOR

An uptick in the elk population, land development, and increasing traffic between Bozeman and Big Sky have led to increased collisions with wildlife along U.S. Highway 191. Experts say hunting access and the complexities of a solution like a wildlife overpass are major obstacles to permanently improving human-wildlife interactions in the Gallatin Valley.

Julie Cunningham is a wildlife biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks who manages ungulates in eight hunting districts around Bozeman. In January 2022, she counted 714 elk in Hunting Districts 301 & 309—an area covering most of Bozeman and the southeastern Gallatin Valley—a number well above the FWP’s objective herd size of 500 and the target range of 400-600 elk.

According to Cunningham, one of the major challenges with managing elk in the Gallatin Valley is how difficult it is to hunt in HD 309. While HD 301 is 87% public land and access is easy, elk tend to congregate north in HD 309 where irrigated agricultural lands provide good forage and security.

The city of Bozeman and the southern stretches of the Gallatin Valley lie in Hunting District 309, which is 95% privately owned land. Despite liberal hunting regulations, difficult land access and restriction of high-powered rifles in most of the district pose a significant challenge for hunters targeting elk.

“We’ve tried to make the regulations as liberal as possible, but one of the challenges [for hunters] is … how do you find the access? If a landowner is uncomfortable with hunting for whatever reason, then they deny the access and we can’t get the elk harvested. So that’s a challenge in the district,” Cunningham said.

Development is influencing elk behavior

Land development in the valley has also changed elk behavior. Subdivision has led to the loss of elk habitat in the eastern part of Gallatin Valley. The elk, Cunningham says, used to winter over by Bear Canyon more than they do now. Instead, the elk have congregated in the Gateway area where they’re using habitat on both sides of Highway 191. Increasing traffic between Bozeman and Big Sky has led to a high number of collisions between vehicles and wildlife, and public calls for a wildlife overpass, speed reduction, signage and other efforts to mitigate collisions.

Much like the complexities of managing population numbers, public calls for solutions to reduce elk collisions like speed limit reductions and wildlife overpasses are not as simple as they seem, Cunningham says.

Cunningham suggests a speed reduction on 191 might not automatically boost safety. Though lower speeds could reduce animal collisions, it could also increase collision risk between cars. Even with a lower speed limit, some portion of drivers will feel they are safe to drive the highway’s designed speed of 70 mph, leading to unsafe passing practices by speeders overtaking drivers obeying the limit.

“That speed differential will cause greater human safety risk and property damage risks than leaving it at 70 and allowing the wildlife collisions,” Cunningham said.

What about an overpass?

Experts say the expense and permanence of such a solution can only be justified if there are assurances that the land currently used by elk and other wildlife will remain accessible for the typical 75year lifespan of an overpass.

Elizabeth Fairbank is a road ecologist for the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. The CLLC has partnered with the Western Transportation Institute on an assessment of Highway 191 between Four Corners and West Yellowstone, with results to be released in early 2023. While findings from that study are still in the works, Fairbank says conservation easements on private land are crucial for planning something like a wildlife crossing.

“In order to be able to make those kinds of major investments [like a wildlife overpass], you have to have either public land on either side of the road

or you have to have land that has some kind of durable conservation agreement. Typically, that’s a conservation easement,” Fairbank said.

The 2021 Gallatin County Growth Policy designates an area in the southern portion of the Gallatin Valley as a winter forage area for elk and a high-value area for wildlife. The county may consider potential for habitat fragmentation and barriers to wildlife movement among other factors when evaluating a proposed subdivision’s impacts on habitat. Still, agencies responsible for funding and building a permanent structure like an overpass may need more assurances that a bridge will connect wildlife habitat for years to come.

“The rate of development in Gallatin County is so extreme that unless there’s guaranteed protection of the land on either side of that overpass, what we could end up with is a really nice pedestrian crossing between two condominiums in five years or 10 years,” Cunningham said.

The timeline for a wildlife overpass or other permanent structure might be a long way off, but there are mitigations in the meantime that may help. Cunningham encourages landowners to allow hunters access to their land.

“We have many non-resident landowners who enjoy having land in Montana for a variety of values who maybe didn’t grow up with hunting,” she said. “Maybe they don’t understand it… I wish I could outreach to these folks to talk about the importance of hunting because it does everything.”

Managed hunting, she says, helps control the population, reduce disease risk, and reduce conflict between humans and wildlife. Hunting may also prevent the elk population from becoming urbanized, like they are in Mammoth Hot Springs and parts of the Paradise Valley.

And what would Cunningham say to folks who might romanticize an urbanized elk population in the Gallatin Valley?

“At first it is a novelty, and it is beautiful, and they love it, but then they have a hard time growing their roses or their shrubs or a habituated elk attacks their dog. I encourage folks to not lose their compassion for individual animals, but to start to consider things in a more populationwide perspective.”

Elk travel across a road near Gallatin Gateway. PHOTO BY HOLLY PIPPEL

A truck damaged after colliding with an elk on U.S. Highway 191.

PHOTO BY HOLLY PIPPEL

CHRISTY SPORTS BUYS GRIZZLY OUTFITTERS, CONTINUES TO EXPAND INTO MONTANA

One year after purchasing Lone Mountain Sports, Christy Sports finalized their acquisition of Grizzly Outfitters on Dec. 14.

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—Christy Sports announced Thursday that it has purchased longtime Big Sky business Grizzly Outfitters.

The acquisition comes nearly one full year after the Colorado-based company acquired Lone Mountain Sports, in December 2021.

Christy Sports is a winter and outdoor retail and rental operator with 64 locations across five Western states. Officials with the company say they aim to continue Grizzly Outfitters’ high-level service and will retain the entire Grizzly team.

With ownership of Grizzly Outfitters and Lone Mountain Sports, it gives Christy customers the ability to coordinate rental options between the mountain and the meadow areas. The ownership changes are effective immediately, Christy officials told EBS.

A release from Christy stated, “this new location is another great example of strategic expansion to provide guests the best and most convenient omnichannel network to serve their needs and maximize their outdoor experiences in the Rockies and beyond.”

With last year’s acquisition of Lone Mountain Sports, Gary Montes de Oca, vice president of business development at Christy Sports called it “a perfect match and the right strategic entry point” into Montana, their fifth state.

De Oca now serves as chief development and strategy officer, and stated in the release, “we are excited to continue our strategic growth into Montana and offer new and current guests the opportunity to experience the world-class service Grizzly Outfitters is known for in combination with the Christy Sports Difference provided at all of our locations.”

Both co-founders and co-owners of Grizzly Outfitters since 1994, Andrew Schreiner and Ken Lancey spoke in separate interviews with Explore Big Sky.

Schreiner said they plan to remain involved when needed, but will gradually move away from the operational responsibilities they’ve been accustomed to. Neither spoke to the details of the transaction, but both expressed their confidence in the future of their shop.

Lancey and Christy Sports Chief Operating Officer Dan Fox sat down with Explore Big Sky to discuss the keys of this transaction and next steps. In April 2022, Fox said he approached Grizzly’s co-owners Ken Lancey and Andrew Schreiner to indicate early interest should they consider putting their nearly 30-year passion project up for sale.

“We wanted to not have [just] one store in Montana,” Fox said. “The very best ski shop in the meadow is Grizzly.”

Lancey and Schreiner began talking with Scott and Carey Foster, who sold Lone Mountain Sports to Christy. Pointing to the fact that they still work at their shop, Lancey said the Fosters reported a positive experience.

“We assessed that we share the same ideas of how to run a business [with Christy Sports], so we weren’t handing our legacy over to an unknown. We checked those boxes,” Lancey said, later adding that this is not Christy’s first rodeo.

“Right away with Ken and Andrew, what made [Grizzly] attractive was not just the zip code and the building, but the staff,” Fox said. “Tenure, commitment to service, the things that are really special about a high-end ski facility and bike shop: they care about it. We at Christy Sports consider ourselves to be more of a service company than a retailer. And that’s what we saw from [Grizzly].”

Fox emphasized that Christy Sports has “no desire to make staff changes,” and recognizes the passion and family of the Grizzly staff.

In a separate interview with EBS, Grizzly Outfitters co-owner Andrew Schreiner and Christy Sports CEO Matt Gold added their perspectives.

Gold called Big Sky “an amazing market and an amazing community,” adding that Christy is an important player here.

“We’re wildly excited about it, but we also need to be thoughtful about what [Christy’s] network can look like,” Gold said.

Schreiner emphasized his gratitude for his team’s leadership as it transitions into new ownership. He called General Manager Addison Berry the quarterback of Grizzly Outfitters.

“Without Addison Berry, none of this would have been possible,” Schreiner said. “There have been ups and downs, and lots of tears and hesitation. Going forward with the leadership we have in place, I feel confident we will absolutely provide Big Sky something they’ve never had before and everyone has asked for: [the] mountain and meadow connected by one operation.”

As far as notifying the majority of the Grizzly Outfitters staff about the deal, Lancey said they are “pretty green” in the process—he and Schreiner addressed the staff on Wednesday, Dec. 14—and many of the Grizzly staff didn’t take the news with a smile.

“It eventually gets to acceptance,” Fox said with regards to employee morale in these types of acquisitions.

Fox is confident that they’ll keep Grizzly’s employees, because Christy’s main goal for the team is to continue doing exactly what they’ve been doing; just before the shop’s busiest time of year, Lancey and Fox agreed that mid-December would not be an appropriate time to roll out any new systems. Virtually all existing operations, including the storefront name “Grizzly Outfitters,” will not be changed before the snow melts.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Lancey added.

As for the shop’s name, Fox explained that Christy will analyze the market and brand to determine whether Grizzly Outfitters stays “Grizzly.” Some of Christy’s past deals—including Bootdoctors in Telluride and Taos (acquired in 2016), and Sturtevant’s in Washington (2015)—have involved brands deemed strong enough to keep their shop’s name.

Lancey said he sees the local and regional merits of the Grizzly brand, but also trusts Christy to do what’s right for their company.

“That’s the most important thing. If it’s the right thing for them to do, that’s their decision,” Lancey said.

Gold said Christy’s current mission in Big Sky is to get to know the people and Grizzly Outfitters staff. On Thursday, Christy Sports executives visited Grizzly Outfitters to begin onboarding their staff. The group included the company’s CEO, COO, chief development and strategy officer and Chief Financial Officer Lindsay Goszulak.

“It’s all about communication,” Gold said.

Left to right: Andrew and Suzanne Schreiner, Tallie and Ken Lancey. Grizzly Outfitters was founded in 1994 by Ken and Andrew, and remained under the same ownership for 28 years. PHOTO COURTESY OF TALLIE LANCEY

HOUSING PROGRAM

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—Beth and Jeremy Marlington met in 2009, in what they call a ski school romance. Thanks to “heroes in the community” from the Big Sky Community Housing Trust, their dream of living permanently in Big Sky came true on Nov. 10.

Jeremy Martin moved to Big Sky in 2007 to work as a ski school instructor. He lived in the Whitewater Inn employee housing.

“I only planned to be here for a year or two, but the years kept rolling by,” Jeremy said. The same was true for Beth Billington, who arrived in 2009 and met Jeremy through their work at the resort. Jeremy said they fell in love pretty quick. When they married in 2019, they combined last names into Marlington.

In their 12 years spent as year-round Big Sky community members, Beth said they’ve hopped around between houses, condos and apartments. Usually when a friend mentions where they live, Beth responds, ‘oh yeah, we used to live there.’

They’ve have been kicked out of apartments when landlords decided to pursue profitable short-term rentals, but they still say they’ve been lucky and landed on their feet. Many of their friends, on the other hand, have grown tired of renting in Big Sky and moved away.

‘Rapidly running out of room’

Loving their careers and the local community, the Marlingtons have always wanted to buy a home in Big Sky.

“We’ve been kicking ourselves for not buying a place when we moved here in 2009-10,” Beth said. “But we couldn’t afford it then, and it’s gotten more and more expensive ever since; it’s felt out of reach.”

Jeremy has worked for ski school, snowmaking and now ski patrol, and spends summers maintaining trails as field supervisor for a saw crew.

“I’m very blessed in that regard, to get full-time year-round at the resort,” Jeremy said. “I worked very hard for it. I love Lone Mountain, it’s kind of like a cathedral to me. I want it to be the best it can be.”

Beth did ski school and ski patrol before she became a Spanish teacher in the Big Sky School District and high school study abroad instructor. For the last few years, as assistant head of schools with Big Sky’s Discovery Academy, she’s been fortunate to still teach some Spanish.

“Everything kept getting better in town, including wages and stuff, but the housing market always felt out of reach,” Jeremy added. “We were living in a one-bedroom apartment and leasing, which was fine. But then we decided to have a baby, and when the baby came, we realized our apartment was way too little.”

Baby Silas will celebrate his first birthday in March. He was rather vocal during a phone interview with EBS.

Beth said that in March 2022, “we were rapidly running out of room for all the items this baby requires. We either needed to figure out where to buy [a home] in Big Sky, or we needed to figure out where we were moving to.”

Then, after a few months of frustrating house hunting they heard about the ‘Good Deeds’ program from a couple friends.

“Like, what do you mean they’ll just give us money?” Beth asked. “That sounds crazy!”

‘A chance for long-term locals to get a foot in the door’

Those same friends recommended Tallie Lancey, a local realtor and community organization leader, to help them find a home.

“She made everything possible, really, as far as finding places and making sure we were on it with making an offer. We were totally clueless on how to buy a house,” Jeremy said.

Beth added, “she helped us make it happen in a reasonable way.”

They bought a Madison Court condominium in West Fork, and agreed to place a deed restriction on their home in exchange for a lump sum of cash from the Good Deeds program.

Jeremy’s comforted that if they ever decide to sell, someone in a similar situation will have the chance to buy their place. He said they’re trying to help the housing crisis any way they can.

“And it won’t get snatched up by someone just trying to ‘Airbnb' it or something,” he said.

For locals in a similar situation—needing to either buy or move away—Jeremy emphasized, “don’t give up hope. There’s still hope.”

He said the first step is a good realtor and the second step is to exercise any option possible, including Good Deeds.

Beth and Jeremy Marlington pose on the front porch of their Big Sky home with their baby, Silas. They say Good Deeds helped make a dream come true. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

“There’s a chance for long-term locals to get a foot in the door,” Jeremy said.

“Big Sky is not short on resources,” Beth said. “But it’s the distribution [of those resources] that’s not always perfect.”

Beth pointed out that the BSCHT is putting “a pretty good effort” to keep locals around by distributing their budget across a multitude of housing tools including Good Deeds.

“We are so happy to advocate for the program and chat with anybody who’s considering [Good Deeds],” Beth said. “It’s really been life-changing for us.”

“The people at the housing trust are so amazing,” Jeremy said. “They’re absolute heroes in the community, and they deserve to be recognized. They are the bomb.

“I hope money rains down onto the housing trust to get more people involved,” Jeremy added, with regards to the housing trust’s fundraising efforts to replenish their fully-spent budget after its successful pilot year. The housing trust has applied for support from Elevate Big Sky, a philanthropic fund that leverages community foundations and resort tax.

A ‘win-win’ for local businesses

Kristin Kern, owner of the Hungry Moose Market and Deli, sees the importance of supporting Big Sky’s local workers. That’s why she placed a deed restriction on a condo she was already looking to

buy for her employees, using the company budget. She said BSCHT made the paperwork part simple. She asked for the maximum cash reimbursement, around 20%, and received roughly $50,000 by check when she closed on the property.

“It’s a one-bedroom apartment, and currently rented to a Hungry Moose employee at the mountain. It’s a perfect place for them to start a life in Big Sky,” she said.

“I think any subsidies in a community will help worker populations succeed so the businesses can succeed. We can’t run without workers. They have to want to come here and stay here, and we have to be able to launch them.”

Kern’s spirit is evident; since taking ownership of the Hungry Moose with her husband in 2019, the company has purchased nine condos and houses up to 50% of its employees. She says the Hungry Moose staffs 60-70 workers during busy seasons.

“I wish [Good Deeds] was retroactive,” Kern said. “I would [deed restrict] all of my nine condos.”

Speaking to Kern’s wish, BSCHT executive director Dave O’Connor responded that Good Deeds actually is retroactive. Of the seven properties deed restricted in the first year, about half applied to existing properties without requiring any sale. The eligible owner simply received a cash reward in exchange for placing a deed restriction, and nothing else changed.

With the cash Kern earned for placing a deed restriction on the condo, she said she’s going to

reinvest and buy another unit for Hungry Moose employees or renovate the units she already owns. She called it a ‘win-win’ for her business.

Kern says O’Connor and BSCHT Program Manager Becky Brockie “are just the smartest people in Big Sky right now. They came up with a brilliant idea... Now the word just needs to get out.”

Like the Marlingtons, Kern learned about Good Deeds through her realtor as she searched to buy another employee housing unit.

O’Connor said that when showing applicable properties, realtors might suggest Good Deeds to help the buyer with their down payment, ultimately enabling the transaction.

“It doesn’t affect commission; the sale price doesn’t change,” he said. “Good Deeds brings money to the table as if it were a down payment assistance plan. I don’t think there is a downside [for realtors].”

Kern said that a deed reserved in perpetuity for local workers can’t be a bad thing for Big Sky.

“I think anybody in this community who wants to do something really good should consider giving somebody the security of housing,” she said. “I understand people wanting to make money off their investments; that’s one of the reasons they bought a vacation home in a resort town. But they might get to a point where they’re moved to do something good for the overall benefit of the community.”

BY JULIA BARTON

BOZEMAN—There is a common assumption that domestic violence increases during the holidays due to factors such as increased family time, financial stress and outside expectations, however, local and national data show a decrease in calls to domestic violence hotlines.

While that data may suggest a dip in violence, experts from Haven, a Bozeman-based nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking and stalking, confirm that abuse certainly continues through the holidays and are committed to providing help to those in need, no matter the day.

In 2019, the National Domestic Violence Hotline received an average of 870 calls daily, yet saw just 467 on Thanksgiving, 502 on Christmas and 696 on New Year’s Eve. According to Beth Kampschror, Haven’s director of communications, local numbers follow the same trend.

“Domestic violence usually [happens] behind closed doors and in the privacy of someone’s home, the privacy of their relationship,” Robinson said. “It’s not something that always happens in front of others. So if there are other family members around, [abuse] might not be going on, specifically on those days when people are gathering together for the holiday.”

Although calls are down, there are strenuous holidayrelated factors that can exacerbate domestic violence at home, Robinson explained.

“Holidays can be quite expensive and it can be a stressful time,” Robinson said. “It’s important that people recognize that the holidays or stress or financial stress or substance use are not the causes of domestic violence, but that those things can definitely cause an escalation and increase the level of violence that’s being experienced.”

Robinson emphasized that Haven’s call service is available for people in Gallatin County on all days, including holidays. First-time callers will be asked to provide some of their personal information and be walked through Haven’s confidentiality policy. After the basics are covered, Haven works with the caller to determine what resources they may need and how to access them.

“It varies based on every survivor that we talk with,” Robinson explained. “We explore safety planning with them to really identify what their primary goals are for the phone call and then offer whatever support it is they’re looking for.”

Support can range from providing information about domestic violence, validation of their experiences and active listening to helping provide a survivor with shelter

when needed. Haven also has access to translators to ensure non-English speaking callers can use their services.

Haven’s current shelter capacity is 10 and their facility is often unable to accept new survivors, although they can help find shelter in other areas for people in need. According to Kampschror, Haven served 12% more survivors this year than last, a disproportionate increase compared to the roughly 3% growth rate of the county.

Robinson hypothesized that less stigma around abuse and more awareness of the services offered by the nonprofit have contributed to the increase. To help improve their resources, Haven is currently working on a new building that will increase its shelter capacity to 40 and is set to begin a phased opening in the spring of 2023.

“We want everyone to know that they’re not alone, and that help is available via our 24-hour support line,” Kampschror wrote in an email to EBS.

Haven’s 24-hour domestic violence hotline is: 406-5864111

The 24-hour National Domestic Violence Hotline is: 800-799-7233

For more information about the support services offered by Haven, refer to its website.

THUNDERWOLF

BY JACK REANEY

The Thunderwolf chairlift opened for the winter season on Dec. 24.

BIG SKY—As of Dec. 23, the only Big Sky Resort chairlift yet to open besides the classic Headwaters double, many locals have gathered that the 30-yearold Thunderwolf lift was undergoing some sort of maintenance.

According to resort officials, the high-speed quad has been undergoing a “significant upgrade and modernization” which began in March 2022. Both hardware and software have been under reconstruction in order to increase reliability and decrease downtime due to outdated components and technology. The lift will open as soon as all testing is complete.

“Because of the major rebuild, Thunderwolf has undergone rigorous testing before reopening to the public, including a load and brake test, which the lift recently passed,” resort officials say. “The team is currently testing and tuning software with the intention of opening the lift to the public as soon as possible.”

The lift was constructed by Doppelmayr in 1993, then Big Sky Resort’s second high-speed lift

following the now-retired Ramcharger quad and preceding the now-retired Swift Current quad.

Even with Thunderwolf closed, skiers had access to the terrain on the Thunderwolf side of Andesite Mountain. EBS field reports indicate above average access to untracked snow, but the descent comes at a price: A ride up the Lone Moose Triple and a transfer to the Southern Comfort quad were necessary to return to the top of Andesite.

Tech Specs

According to mechanically adept resort officials, specific upgrades include replacing high voltage motor controls for the main motor drive, spacing

motor and hydraulic tension unit; replacing low voltage controls in drive and return terminals to improve main motor control, auxiliary drive control, hydraulic brake unit controls, anti-collision, spacing control, tension monitoring, rope position monitoring, brittle bar monitoring and emergency shutdown system; upgrading to a cycle spacer system, adding a fiber line and adding rope position detection system to significantly reduce the risk of deropement.

In other words, the new parts should make Thunderwolf safer and more reliable for the winter season of 2022-23.

The Thunderwolf chairlift serves a significant share of Big Sky’s blue and black terrain. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—On Dec. 17 both the Lone Peak High School varsity basketball teams showed strengths as they each defeated White Sulphur Springs High School by margins of at least 20 points.

The girls played first, and head coach Loren Bough said the Big Horns controlled the boards and forced turnovers to earn their first conference win. Allowing the Hornets only five offensive rebounds, Bough said the girls’ ability to keep possession helped the Big Horns overcome a low shooting percentage and earn a 57-36 win.

“That’s the kind of full team effort we look for,” Bough said. “Our offense also gave us over 30 three-point looks. We are strong outside the arc.”

Bough said the Big Horns need to protect the ball better, reduce turnovers and continue to improve rebounding. On offense, he hopes to see a 3-to-1 ratio of assists to turnovers moving forward.

The Big Horns will resume conference play with away games on Jan. 6 against Lima and Jan. 7 against Ennis (5-1), a conference rival near the top of the league.

“Our focus for that weekend will be on Ennis,” said Bough. “Ennis is one of the teams looking to advance to divisionals and that’s a very important game for us. They are aggressive, known for switching up defense multiple times per game, so we have to be ready to react on the fly.”

The girls will play their next home game on Friday, Jan 13. against West Yellowstone.

‘Best start in program history’

The boys teak took the floor around 7 p.m. and wasted little time getting into a rhythm.

Heading into the second quarter, the Big Horns held a 30-4 lead. After poor shooting led to their first loss against divisional contender Harrison High School on Dec. 13, nine different players scored in the Big Horns’ big win in front of a home crowd on Saturday night, beating the Hornets 61-19.

The Big Horn boys entered the holiday break with a 4-1 record and a 309-178 scoring differential—head coach Al Malinowski said this is the best start in program history.

“The boys deserve credit for the start, due to their hard work and unselfish play,” Malinowski wrote to EBS. “We are proud of the start, but we also know that we have room for much improvement. As we continue to learn to trust each other and are willing to turn down good shots for great shots, we can become a stronger team. We are still experimenting with different combinations on the floor, and the players are learning what role they can play to help the team be successful.”

The boys team will also travel to Lima on Jan. 6.

Junior Vera Grabow fights for possession in the paint. PHOTO BY RICH ADDICKS

LOCAL

BIG SKY’S WORLD-CLASS SNOWBOARD BROTHERS

ISAAC SINGER PLANS TO GO EVEN BIGGER THAN HE DID IN LAST YEAR’S WORLD COMPETITION IN AUSTRIA; NOW ELIGIBLE, ELIJAH HOPES TO QUALIFY FOR 2024

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—It’s a big deal for any athlete to rank among the top five in the country. As members of the Big Sky Ski Education Foundation’s Freeride Team, the Singer brothers are making it look normal.

Isaac Singer and his younger brother Elijah grew up trying to best each other on the slopes of Big Sky. Three years apart, they have always competed in different divisions. Finally old enough to compete in the Junior division of the International Free Skiers Association, 15-year-old Elijah hopes to prove his worth this winter and qualify for the Freeride Junior World Championships in Austria. For the past two winters, 18-year-old Isaac has done exactly that; in January 2023, he’ll travel to Austria for his second consecutive go at an IFSA world championship.

In a phone interview with EBS, Isaac said he’s been dressing in full snow gear and running sprints in his backyard to build stamina for this upcoming second attempt. Last January, he placed sixth in the world, but he knows he could have done better.

“[I was] definitely nervous,” Isaac recalled. “The run is a lot longer; it’s 2,000 vertical feet that you’re dropping in one run. By the time I got to the second half I was winded.”

In Europe, Isaac explained, he doesn’t get to practice on the competition terrain. He just gets one run, one shot to rank atop the world.

Isaac and Elijah’s mother, Jill Singer, said that last year, Isaac entered the world competition confident he could win. He had been studying the venue, Ski Resort Kappl, from home and had an ambitious line in mind based on the winning line from the adult competition.

“I ended up choosing the line I didn’t really want to do because I thought it was safer,” Isaac said. “[This year] I want to do the ‘A’ line that I was thinking of last year.” BSSEF head snowboard coach Drew DeWolf said Isaac is going all in this year, possibly sending a 360 and some big grabs on 20- to 30-foot cliffs.

“There were a lot of moving pieces to line selection last year,” said DeWolf, who will join the Singer family in Austria again this year. “He was unable to hit some of the features he wanted to hit… Variable snow conditions, bulletproof ice, and 3-4 inches of sunbaked snow.”

To earn a second consecutive invitation to represent the United States in “worlds,” Isaac needed to be nationally

ranked in the top five last winter. He ranked third. DeWolf said it’s a big deal to qualify twice.

“It’s really hard to do,” DeWolf said. The only other snowboarder from Big Sky to qualify back-to-back was Holden Samuels, now a pro snowboarder on the Freeride World Tour who improved from seventh to second place between the 2017 and 2018 IFSA Junior World Championships.

Isaac’s coach for six years, DeWolf described him as a progressive big mountain rider.

“He can ride park but it’s not necessarily his focus. He likes cliffs, he likes wind lips, he likes to backflip big features. He backflipped ‘big rock’ last week—probably a 30-foot backflip. He’s got an aggressive riding style. Not so flowy but driven, trying to go as fast and big as possible.”

On Isaac’s upbringing in Big Sky, DeWolf said, “you can just tell that he’s been in technical terrain for most of his riding career. This mountain develops skiers and riders that are able to ski in technical, steep terrain responsibly.” DeWolf still coaches Isaac privately once or twice per week, to keep his technique and control sharp with big competitions ahead.

After competing in worlds from Jan. 23-26, Isaac is planning to enter the adult circuit and move on from juniors. His goal for this season is to familiarize himself with competition against adults.

DeWolf said it’s great to see driven athletes like Isaac take snowboarding into the adult years.

“He’s a very fit kid, minds his Ps and Qs and stays out of trouble, and gets the job done,” DeWolf said.

Isaac plans to enter IFSA qualifier competitions including Kicking Horse, BC on Feb. 13, Crested Butte on Feb. 28, Crystal Mountain on March 7, Grand Targhee on March 9, and Snowbird on March 30. If he earns enough points across those events, Isaac could qualify for the Freeride World Tour.

“That’s everyone’s dream,” Jill said. “He doesn’t feel like he’s too far off.”

“I’m super excited,” Isaac said. “I guess I’d say, it’s something I’ve been working toward for a really, really long time… I’ve been training to get into this circuit since I was 11 years old, so I’m excited to take the first step.”

He graduated from high school this past spring, and he’s been working to earn his personal training certificate—a career he said will be helpful with snowboarding. He works for a painting company two days a week, and having aged-out of the BSSEF program, he rides the other four or five days with groups of friends and locals. Isaac said he’s working to secure some sponsorships, but he couldn’t share any more information yet.

Elijah a ‘typical 15-year-old kid’ Coach DeWolf said that Elijah Singer is motivated by his love for the sport.

“He’s your typical 15-year-old kid,” DeWolf said of the prequalified national athlete who won a freeride competition at Palisades Tahoe in February 2022. “He’s a good kid for sure.”

DeWolf said that unlike Isaac’s calculated, focus driven style, Elijah is more into freestyle with flowy lines and tricks on urban features. The younger kids at BSSEF look up to Elijah, DeWolf said.

He’s entering his first winter in which his points will count toward a junior national ranking. If he winds up

in the top five this season, he’ll punch his own ticket to Austria for early 2024.

“[Isaac and Elijah] are pretty neck and neck in terms of skill, and they push each other a lot,” Jill said. She explained that Elijah doesn’t want too much pressure on him. Both he and Isaac have always been nationally ranked near the top for the last few years.

“My main goal is to qualify for worlds,” Elijah said, expecting to compete against roughly the same crop of young athletes amongst whom he’s ranked in the top five for the last few years. “That would have been enough to get to worlds.”

He added that the junior division will open up more challenging terrain on bigger venues.

“I’ve kind of wished I could compete in [juniors] for the past couple years, but that’s not how it works,” Elijah said.

Singer vs. Singer

On Jan. 6 in Whitefish, the Singer brothers will open their 2023 season by competing against each other in a fleeting age-group overlap before Isaac moves on to adult freeride competition.

The Whitefish comp will be the one of the earliestseason events they’ve ever signed up for.

“We’ve been competing in freeride for five or six years now, and never got to compete together,” Isaac said. “So we are pretty excited. In a competitive setting, I think it will make us both go bigger. It’s all fun and games though, we’ve both been pushing ourselves.”

Elijah agreed, adding that it should be a small event with familiar competition from Montana.

“They’ve never held a freeride event in Whitefish,” he said. “I’m really excited for that competition because I love the Whitefish mountain.”

DeWolf said that as a coach, it’s a full circle accomplishment to watch the Singers compete against each other.

“They started as 10-year-old kids, and it’s been amazing to watch them progress to absolutely ripping it,” DeWolf said. “It’s a testament to what a team culture can do, having positive influences in their life. It really shines through with those two, and it’s been a pleasure to coach them.”

Left to right: Elijah, Isaac and Ethan Singer at Mt. Baker in 2021. Young Ethan is a skier, for now. PHOTO COURTESY OF JILL SINGER

Left to right: DeWolf, Isaac and Elijah scope competition lines in Kappl, Austria before last year’s Junior Freeride World Championships. PHOTO COURTESY OF DREW DEWOLF

LANGE LEADING BIG SKY’S NORDIC BOOM

A

FORMER

BY JACK REANEY

NCAA

CHAMPION

AND RETIRED PRO, SOURCE SAYS LEAH LANGE IS “LIGHTING A FIRE OF STOKE” FOR THE YOUNG ATHLETES OF BIG SKY

BSSEF and said the assistant Nordic director was an opportunity that “just feels right.

Even for former pro Leah Lange, it’s all fun and games.

The Park City product won three NCAA championships at the University of Utah before spending two years as a member of the Bridger Ski Foundation Pro Team in Bozeman. However, looking to explore interests like running and traveling, Lange stepped back from competition and in November 2021 and became director of the Big Sky Ski Education Foundation’s Nordic skiing program. Now entering her second season as the leader of a rapidly growing program that might send multiple skiers to junior nationals, she hopes not to put too much pressure on them. She says her biggest goal is to spread the joy of Nordic skiing and keep kids engaged.

“Big Sky was looking for a director for their program. I got thrown in pretty fast [last] November. I only planned on coaching for one year, but the kids were so fun and the families were amazing. So here we are,” said Lange, whose only prior experience with kids was a considerable amount of babysitting.

She expected to focus on the older, more competitive skiers when she took the job, but found she loves working with the younger kids.

Lange emphasized that cross-country skiing is a social sport, where athletes improve while hanging out with friends. Especially with the youngest kids, she loves to play games or build a jump during practice. She even recalls spending a team practice frog hunting.

She’ll often combine the younger kids in the “devo” (development) program with the older, more serious “comp” (competition) program. That way, the young kids can see how strong they could be in a couple years. Of course, these joint practices aren’t full of intimidating interval workouts.

“We play games,” Lange said.

The blossoming program is more popular with girls, who comprise roughly 60% of 11-to-14-year-olds. Lange said there’s only one boy in the youngest group, but she believes that kids just do what their friends do and noted that there’s a big group of boys between seventh and eighth grade.

Aside from Lange’s biggest goal for the 2022-23 season of keeping the kids engaged, she said BSSEF has a pretty good comp team.

“Learning how to have fun at a young age will help so much with burnout,” Fake said. “They can choose how they want Nordic skiing to be in their life.”

Plus, this coaching opportunity has allowed Fake to balance skiing in her own life. She’ll ski with coaches before most practices or sometimes afterwards in the moonlight, “and then we go home happy, stoked and tired,” she said. “We have a cool group of people that are stoked to be outside with kids.”

As for Lange, Fake offered nothing but praise.

“Oh my gosh. She has, like, lit a fire of stoke under every board member, athlete and family in the program,” Fake said. “She gets the kids amped, makes it fun and sees the potential in all the kids from club to devo to comp. She’s really the driving force that’s bringing this thing to life.”

Entering his 21st season with BSSEF, Ueland acknowledged past leaders of the Nordic program. He credits Denise Wade, former Nordic and Trails Director at Lone Mountain Ranch, and Tom Owen, owner of Gallatin Alpine Sports for volunteering their time to keep the small program going.

But now, Ueland said Fake and Lange have the network and experience to make a huge impact and build a strong program.

Fake added, “it’s pretty badass that it’s two retired collegiate women coaching this group. I think it’s pretty powerful.”

Last February, she realized that 75% of the entire fifth grade was involved in the Nordic program. This year, she’s almost overwhelmed by how many kids are interested. She recently had to cap the program because it was getting too full.

“To have so many kids this young is so encouraging,” Lange said.

This year’s program has 70 kids, and there’s only one 15-year-old. She said the competitive side of Nordic skiing can be intimidating for older athletes.

“I just want to foster a love for the sport.”

Lange said that when she started, Big Sky was a community interested in cross-country skiing, but lacked influence and direction. She “made up all the rules” with help from some parents and BSSEF, which she credits for being highly supportive; she’s managed to get skiers to try Nordic without giving up their downhill pursuits, as well as allowing extra-committed kids to combine alpine racing and freestyle on top of Nordic.

BSSEF program director Jeremy Ueland believes in supporting athletes involved with multiple sports, both inside BSSEF and elsewhere in the warmer months. “It’s a huge thing for those kids doing both [Nordic and alpine or freeride] programs—it’s a huge commitment from those kids and [their families,] but we support our kids. We want multi-sport athletes; baseball, soccer, football, track, whatever it is… that makes a really strong athlete,” he said.

The Nordic program is mostly active midweek, freeing up weekends for downhill snowsports. Ueland also believes that kids won’t stick with any winter program unless they’re having fun.

“It’s great that [Leah] came on and already had that mindset as well,” Ueland said.

“I went them all to have fun, but they’re also such good skiers and I think we are going to compete well,” Lange said. “I hope some will qualify for junior nationals in Fairbanks, Alaska. We have a lot more who would qualify but they aren’t old enough [for the U16 division].

“I hope we can keep the pressure off them enough [so] they can keep enjoying it,” Lange added. “At the end of the day, they’re 11-to-14 [years old], this should be fun.”

A coaching culture

The Nordic program has struggled to find coaches in the past.

Last year, Lange recruited help from her network in Bozeman—in fact, “bribed” and “begged” with some success. Lange joked that they had a top-caliber staff of skiers, yet they spent much of the season playing games with elementary school kids.

“This year, I am so excited because I have hired 17 coaches for the winter,” she said, adding that many are working part-time. “The numbers will work. We’ll have enough coaches for kids, which is a huge deal to keep it fun.”

Another program leader is Anna Fake. Now the Nordic program’s assistant director, she came from Telluride, Colorado to race at Montana State University where she earned All-American honors in 2018.

Last year, Lange convinced Fake to coach one day per week. After spending time away from Nordic action due to burnout from NCAA competition, Fake said she started getting back into it last winter. She was “thrill seeking in the Nordic skiing world after work hours” until she started helping Lange with BSSEF.

“Once I went to a couple practices I was hooked. We work really well as a team,” Fake said. With a college degree in elementary education, she always hoped to get into outdoor teaching and coaching.

In order to work at the Montana Outdoor Science School in Bozeman this past summer, Fake left her job as a residential experience coordinator with the Yellowstone Club. She now works full-time during the winter with

Vikings and Masters BSSEF is hoping to spread the sport to entire families as local kids give it a go.

With their new “Masters” program, skiers of all ages can participate once per week for six weeks, beginning Jan. 26. Lange and Fake will teach beginners, guide intermediates and provide high-level training plans for competitive skiers.

“It’s such a great sport for adults,” said Lange, who believes that more parents in Big Sky should know how to cross-country ski. “I just sent out an email and got so many responses.”

Another growing event in the community, Viking Races are a BSSEF series which offer events open to the public. The weeknight events will take place at the golf course at 4 p.m. on Jan. 17 (classic skiing), Jan. 31. (skate), and a pink-themed Feb. 14 (classic).

Lange said the Viking Series gets young kids excited about racing in a fun, low-pressure environment.

“We get kids who totally come out of their shell and realize how good they are at it,” she said. “It shows the whole community what a wholesome sport [Nordic skiing] is, and how each individual can grow. That’s the goal this winter; get everyone excited for Viking races. I want to see more of the community involved.”

Lange expects March 16 to showcase the most popular community race: the Viking Relay.

Lola Morris and Maeve Mcrae after taking first and second place at the 2022 West Yellowstone Junior National Qualifier. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEAH LANGE

Lange (third from left) poses with the comp team at the 2022 Junior National Qualifiers in Sun Valley. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEAH LANGE

The BSSEF Viking Series will return to Big Sky with races open to the community and showcasing BSSEF athletes. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEAH LANGE

BIG

BY JULIA BARTON

BIG SKY—I’ve driven state Highway 64 up to Big Sky Resort to ski countless times since growing up in Big Sky, but prior to Dec. 23, 2022, I’d never been driving up to start my ski day after the sun had already set.

I carried my gear into the nearly-empty Snowcrest Lodge around 5:45 p.m. and met up with my coworkers Jack Reaney and Leslie Kilgore. Big Sky Resort organized for some of the Explore Big Sky staff to try out night skiing, an offering that has recently returned to the ski school after a two-year hiatus. Our guide, Tim McGill, secured headlamps onto our helmets and walked us through how the evening would go.

McGill spent the daylight hours ski instructing, took a little break after closing, and then guided our two-hour adventure. He just loves skiing, he said, and night skiing is an entirely different experience than the typical day at the resort.

“My favorite part of it is that the whole experience is just so different than what we would normally do during the day,” McGill said. “It’s very independent. You’re relying on your own senses in order to get down the hill. It’s just a very freeing experience.”

McGill began instructing at Big Sky in 1990—the same time as my dad, coincidentally—and has been

instructing on and off here for more than 30 years. With that, I knew we were in safe hands.

From the moment we sat down on the Ramcharger 8 lift and left the lights of the Base Area, I understood what McGill meant by relying on our own senses. The lift plunged us into the dark night sky. With our headlamps turned off, all that was visible for most of the ride was the amorphous shapes of trees against the pale snow.

There are four runs open off of Andesite for this nighttime adventure: Safari, Hangmans, Ambush and Silver Knife, two of which get a fresh grooming each evening.

A light snow was falling and as I gained speed on our first run down Safari and snowflakes sped by in streaks of white light, illuminated by my headlamp. We shouted at each other as we made our first turns—things like “This is awesome” and “Woohoo!” It took that first lap to gain confidence in the darkness, but I’m pretty sure I smiled the whole way down.

From the run, lights from the Base Area and nearby homes glowed yellow below. With Christmas just two days away, I felt like the Grinch looking down on Whoville. After his heart had grown, that is.

The headlamps aren’t like the ones you probably take camping, they shed a large oval of light

covering about 20 feet ahead of us. Given the nature of the excursion, there are far fewer obstacles to look out for than skiing during the day. Namely, very few other skiers. We were one of two groups out for the evening, and we never ended up on the same run at the same time. With Big Sky’s growing popularity, it was something I hadn’t experienced since I was a child. We got to leave fresh tracks on crisp corduroy on each lap.

It doesn’t take an expert skier to enjoy night skiing, according to McGill.

“You need to be able to make parallel turns on a steeper blue run, but our runs are groomed at night for this specific purpose, so it’s quite simple,” he explained.

McGill spotted some movement in the dark on our next ride up the chairlift and quickly turned on his light, revealing a small orange fox darting across the snow below us. A few chairs later, we spotted another fox right at the top of Ramcharger. With all of Big Sky’s modern amenities, it can often be easy to forget how wild the landscape in southwest Montana can be. Seeing wildlife juxtaposed against the lights of the resort is a good reminder.

We skied from about 6-8 p.m., including a brief pitstop at the new-this-year Enchanted Forest at the top of Andesite to check out a path through the woods that was clad in colorful string lights. I’ve skied at Big Sky Resort for nearly 20 years, and it was a ski day (or should I say ski night) I won’t soon forget.

Big Sky Resort offers night skiing WednesdaySaturday from 6-8 p.m. through Feb. 18. Starting Feb. 19, the hours will be pushed back from 7-9 p.m. A private session with one guide accommodates up to seven people, that way the entire group can ride the Ramcharger 8 lift together.

For more information about night skiing, head to Big Sky Resort’s website.

Big Sky Resort offered this experience free of charge to EBS. This story, however, was not paid for by the resort and is the author’s honest opinion.

Tim McGill has been ski instructing at Big Sky Resort intermittently since 1990 and as of Dec. 23 had yet to miss a ski day this season since the resort’s opening.

PHOTO BY JULIA BARTON

A fox hung around the top of the Ramcharger 8 lift, curious about the people invading his nighttime patrol of resort trash cans.

PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

THURSDAY, DEC. 29

Snowman Building Contest

Montage Big Sky 2:30 p.m.

Chocolate and Pinot Noir pairing Montage Big Sky, 4 p.m.

Live Music

Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Drew Cooper Tips Up, 9:45 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC. 30

Storytime

Big Sky Community Library, 10 a.m.

Montana Territory Hat Co. Trunk Show Montage Big Sky, 2pm

Live Music: Jim Salestrom The Independent, 6 p.m.

Screening: “Frozen” Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

Live Music

Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

Live Music: Sausalito Ferry Tips Up, 9:45 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 31

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

New Year’s Eve Après Big Sky Resort, 6 p.m.

New Year’s Eve Celebration Montage Big Sky, 7 p.m.

New Year’s Eve Party The Independent, 8 p.m.

New Year’s Eve Fireworks Big Sky Resort, 9 p.m.

Live Music: DJ Moe Jazz Tips Up, 10 p.m.

SUNDAY, JAN.

1

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

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

Pajamas and Pancakes Brunch Montage Big Sky, 10 a.m.

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

MONDAY, JAN. 2

Trivia Tips Up, 9 p.m.

TUESDAY, JAN. 3

Korshak Collection Exhibit Opening Night Bozeman Art Museum, 5 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4

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

Learn to Skate (Ages 4-5) Marty Pavelich Ice Rink, 5:30 p.m.

Learn to Skate (Ages 6-8) Marty Pavelich Ice Rink, 6:15 p.m.

Trivia The Independent, 7 p.m.

Live Music: The Damn Duo Tips Up, 9:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, JAN. 5

Community Acupuncture Santosha Wellness Center, 11 a.m.

Avalanche Awareness with the Friends of the GNFAC BASE, 6:30 p.m.

Drop-In Hockey

Marty Pavelich Ice Rink, 8 p.m.

Live Music: Cole Thorne Band Tips Up, 9:45 p.m.

FRIDAY, JAN. 6

BSCO Social Cross-Country Ski BASE, 10 a.m.

Live Music: Aaron Young Tips Up, 9:45 p.m.

SATURDAY, JAN. 7

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

Comedy Performance: Chad Daniels WMPAC, 7 p.m.

Live Music: DJ Swamp Moose Tips Up, 10 p.m.

media@theoutlapartners.com

SUNDAY, JAN. 8

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

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

Open Pottery Studio BASE, 4 p.m.

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

MONDAY, JAN. 9

2023 Rut Registration Party Vista Hall at Big Sky Resort, 4 p.m.

All Levels Pottery BASE, 6 p.m.

Trivia Tips Up, 9 p.m.

TUESDAY, JAN. 10

Big Sky Chamber of Commerce Board Meeting Big Sky Chamber of Commerce, 8:30 a.m.

All Levels Pottery BASE, 1 p.m.

Community Art Class: Self Care BASE, 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 11

Big Sky Resort Area District Board Meeting Big Sky Resort Area District, 9 a.m.

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

Live Music: Mathias Tips Up, 9:30 p.m.

FEATURED EVENT: BSCO’S GLIDE BIG SKY Jan. 6 will kick-off a series of free, social cross-country ski excursions around Big Sky’s Nordic trail network with the Big Sky Community Organization. The group ski events will happen each Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and invite cross-country skiers of any skill level to explore different sections of trail together.

For more information about the schedule, check out bit.ly/bsco-xc

CLASSIFIEDS

AUDIT PUBLICATION STATEMENT

An audit of the affairs of Big Sky Fire Department has been conducted by Rosie Barndt CPA, P.C. The audit covered the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022.

Section 2-7-521, MCA, requires the publication concerning the audit report include a statement that the audit report is on file in its entirety and open to public inspection. This report is available to the public at 650 Rainbow Trout Run, Big Sky, MT 59716 or at www.bigskyfire.org (Home Page/ About Us/BSFD Master Plan, Annual Reports, and ISO Public Protection Classification/2022 Audited Annual Financial Report). Big Sky Fire Department will send a copy of the audit report to any interested person upon request.

Sincerely, Big Sky Fire Department

BUSINESS

MAKING IT IN BIG SKY: BIG SKY VACATION RENTALS

BY MIRA BRODY

BIG SKY—Big Sky Vacation Rentals has been representing some of the best rental properties in the Big Sky area for a decade, making vacations to the area top-notch. Locally owned and operated, the staff of BSVR understands what people love most about Big Sky and strive to offer that experience to each of their guests.

Explore Big Sky talked to Meghan Maus, guest and owner services manager of BSVR about her skilled team and lineup of exceptional properties. Whether you’re looking for the best ski-in, ski-out cabin on the mountain this winter or a view-filled summer getaway for later this year, BSVR has everything in their arsenal to make your Big Sky vacation a memorable one.

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?

Meghan Maus: I have called Montana home my entire life and have been in Big Sky since 2007. I have enjoyed working in the guest service industry for over 22 years and love being able to have the attention to detail that assures each visitor a dream vacation to make lasting memories they will cherish for years. I value the family feel of our local team spirited company which gives me ample time to find a balance between family and work. As the mother of three busy boys, it doesn’t seem to affect my energy and desire to make each owner and guest feel important and pampered.

I enjoy spending time with my boys and husband, Patrick. Whether we are camping, bike riding, skiing down a slope or playing at the lake we love to take advantage of the scenic open spaces and recreational opportunities in the Big Sky country.

EBS: Tell me about the history of Big Sky Vacation Rentals, when did it first open? How/when did you become involved?

MM: Big Sky Vacation Rentals started 10 years ago as a small vacation rental company managing just a few properties. What started as a small operation to manage a few homes for acquaintances

“

[We] remember that each vacation

host is a once in a lifetime trip

we need to do everything we can to make their stay perfect.

”

–Meghan Maus, guest and owner services manager, BSVR

soon started to grow based on our reputation as a property manager that cared deeply, not just about the guest experience but maintaining the homes like they were our own. It’s the worst feeling ever as a property owner to show up at your home for your vacation and having the vacation turn into a work trip because you must spend the whole time getting your amazing Big Sky home back to a condition where you feel comfortable in it. Through this understanding of the guest and owner experience we have been able to grow to 125 properties and set the gold standard for vacation rentals in Big Sky.

EBS: What are all the services that BSVR offers clients?

MM: We offer property management to homeowners and vacation rentals to guests looking to come to Big Sky.

EBS: What changes has the rental market seen in the years that BSVR has been open? What has not changed?

MM: The number of people comfortable with renting vacation rental homes has exploded. What once was a niche industry now is a mainstream accommodation option rivaling hotels.

EBS: How big is your team?

MM: We have a team of about 30 full-time employees. Ranging from our sales team, our maintenance team, and our property managers.

EBS: What is the best part of working at BSVR?

MM: After nine years at Big Sky Vacation Rentals, it truly is a family. Not just with co-workers but with the owners of our properties that I have gotten to know so well.

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

MM: Remember that each vacation we host is a once in a lifetime trip and we need to do everything we can to make their stay perfect.

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

MM: Big Sky is growing, and it is tough sometimes, but we can all get through it together!

Meghan Maus, guest and owner services manager of Big Sky Vacation Rentals and husband, Patrick. PHOTO COURTESY OF MEGHAN MAUS

we

and

BITTERROOT CAPITAL ADVISORS, LLC

BY MIRA BRODY

BOZEMAN—From the second floor of the Cooper Block building in downtown Bozeman, you can hear the sound of midday traffic on Main Street from the office of Bitterroot Capital Advisors. Built in 1872, it’s the oldest surviving business building in Bozeman and was designed by Fred F. Willson, the local architect who designed much of the town’s skyline.

BCA’s Managing Director Andrew Martzloff bought the building in late 2010. It lived many lives before that, serving as a meat market, society hall for Odd Fellows and Masons as well as the Montana Armory and a drugstore. With a Main Street exterior of brick and mortar, the building received an Art Deco storefront in the late 1930s and much more recently an impressive alley expansion and remodel with large steel beams, expansive glass windows and modern interior upgrades—a stark contrast between historic old Main Street and new reality that lies behind.

The juxtaposition feels fitting to the financial advisory firm that is so rooted in experience, yet today invests clients’ assets across the globe. While

BCA is settled comfortably in Bozeman and has been there for the last 20 years, they serve their multinational clients with an array of services otherwise rarely found outside of larger cities including extensive work with private investments.

“We believe that our Montana location reflects our firm’s values, including our commitment to provide unconditional advice, along with our independence, long-term perspective and the wisdom to focus on what’s truly important,” said Martzloff. “Our ultimate goal is to provide our clients with peaceof-mind. How could a firm be better located to do that?”

BCA was originally founded in San Fransisco in 1997 by Martzloff before he made the decision to move full time to Bozeman. There, he and his young family could enjoy the culture and landscape the area has to offer—and attract clients who appreciate the values and qualities that make the beautiful Big Sky Country so special.

The firm provides highly tailored wealth management services to individuals and their family offices who seek advice from a privately-owned firm free of outside conflicts. By working with

world-class specialized third-party managers, they build global investment portfolios that protect their clients’ hard-earned assets.

Martzloff’s partner Carl Gardiner continued, “A client’s peace-of-mind comes from having an investment advisor who manages risks while being opportunistic and adapts to shifting needs. These may range from changing capital market and tax conditions, an exit from a business, to evolving family and other needs.”

By being selective BCA’s team can nimbly focus on building strong relationships with their limited number of client families.

With full time employees in three states and clients across the U.S. and three other countries, Bitterroot Capital Advisors feels a center of gravity in the Bozeman and Big Sky area. And here they fit in well—surrounded by people with similar values in a building that has witnessed a century and a half of growth, their team is looking forward to the next steps in life’s journey.

To learn more about Bitterroot Capital Advisors, visit bitterrootcapital.com.

Bitterroot Capital Advisors is nestled in the bustling downtown Bozeman, but serves clients across the country.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL RUEBUSH

A wagon train passes through Main Street in downtown Bozeman outside of the Cooper Block building. PHOTO COURTESY OF BITTERROOT CAPITAL ADVISORS

OPINION

BY MARY ARMSTRONG AND ZACH BROWN EBS CONTRIBUTORS

As Montanans, we care for each other. Across the rural-urban divide, generational divide, and Brawl of the Wild divide. Of all our constituents across Montana, the most deserving are our elderly neighbors who are on Medicaid benefits. They have served Montana well, and at this final stage in their lives seek the promise of compassionate, medically appropriate care. Most of them are out of money, have used up their care options with family members and loved ones, and cannot afford inhome care, which can cost more than $20,000 a month and is rarely covered by private insurance or Medicaid.

Our elder care economy is broken. Since January 2022, more than 10% of Montana’s skilled nursing rest homes have closed. And most of the facilities still operating, whether private or public, are teetering on the edge of closure.

The cancer in Montana’s elder care system is the low Medicaid reimbursement rate. The rate averages about $212 per day per patient, while actual cost of care is well over $300 per day. No facility can remain financially viable under these circumstances, private or public. As a result, most facilities in Montana don’t accept Medicaid customers, leaving few options for those who need services the most.

We represent counties across the state—rural, urban, conservative, liberal, and everything in between. Our

message for the Montana DPHHS, Governor Gianforte, and the 2023 legislature is this: Please help save our skilled nursing facilities by investing in a rate increase for nursing homes. We need your leadership now more than ever.

County facilities operate economically and efficiently— they make good choices and serve their communities. Our facilities’ financial problems are because Medicaid rates for nursing homes are unconscionably low and don’t come close to covering reasonable costs of care. The state isn’t paying for services they’re asking these facilities to provide.

In turn, county taxpayers subsidize the state to keep our local nursing homes open. Legally, these Medicaid residents are the state’s responsibility, but the state is shirking its responsibility.

Most of our counties and critical access hospitals in rural communities support these facilities with property tax funded mill levies. Rural, urban, conservative and liberal voters alike see value in funding crucial care services for our elderly neighbors in need. For example, Gallatin County voters just passed a mill levy to support their county rest home. A majority of voters in every house district precinct supported it, regardless of whether the district elected republicans or democrats to the legislature.

We have skin in the game at the local level. Now we’re asking the state to do its part.

The state has exceeded its budget to run state hospital and other state-run facilities by millions of dollars because of the skyrocketing costs of operating them. But so far, Governor Gianforte’s administration has not recognized that every facility, including private/ for-profit and county-run facilities, is experiencing the same kind of cost increases. This administration pays almost $800 per day to fund care for Medicaid residents in the dementia ward of the state hospital. Yet they’re only paying community facilities about $212 per day for senior long-term care Medicaid residents. All we ask for is parity - raise rates for community facilities and demand for beds at the state hospital will decrease, meaning more elderly Montanans will receive quality care.

We’re in this together. No group is more deserving of a safety net than our elderly Medicaid recipients. We urge Governor Gianforte, and members of the 2023 Montana Legislature, to please fix the rate reimbursement for nursing homes. The house is on fire and we need your help.

Submitted by Mary Armstrong, Valley County Commissioner, and Zach Brown, Gallatin County Commissioner, on behalf of the county commissions of: Gallatin, Glacier, Golden, Jefferson, Pondera, Rosebud, Lake, McCone, Mineral, Madison, Judith Basin, Phillips, Daniels, Valley, Roosevelt, Wibaux, Hill, Big Horn and Missoula.

Dear Badger,

I’ve been in Big Sky since the ‘90s and I love it here. But the traffic, the construction, and the insane development of this once small community is making me want to leave. It used to be the best kept secret, but like most secrets, it's out.

I don’t want to leave but I also miss what Big Sky used to be and am not sure I can keep waiting for it to return to normal.

Sincerely, Dirtbag Displaced

Dear Displaced,

I’ve found that the golf course still has a ton of good space for me to dig holes and this response will probably dig me another type of hole altogether.

Big Sky is indeed changing, and I think that the changes can be hard for someone who knew it when you could walk down the middle of the street with a squirrel in your mouth and not worry about a semi running you over. The traffic will hopefully get better as more lights are installed and the construction dies down. But I do think we need to get used to having more cars because… people have discovered how great this town called Big Sky can be. Did we really expect it to be small forever? Actually, I did because of the freezing temperatures.

But people have discovered heated gloves and bubble chairs.

Part of me says pack up and go because it isn’t the same town you and I used to know and love. A few of my mountain goat friends and I watched the tram go in and when we saw that weird bubble go up to the top, we knew it was going to change this town. The bears watched too. They are still mad. They might eventually eat everyone on the trails, especially the ones who get close enough to take a selfie with them…

Hey, listen, I’m just a surly badger and I can’t tell you who you are and what will make you happy. Only you can do that. People vibe in certain areas more than others. Some people love New York and some people love a town of 3,000 people.

Some people love a little of both. You could stay and adapt like many of my woodland friends have had to do or you could go and find your highest vibration. Adapting to a new environment can be hard but I think you’ll find that the things you love about Big Sky are still here. The trails, the sunsets over Lone Mountain, the dirtbags who stayed, the skiing, and… Milkies?

Stay or go, it’s up to you, but don’t leave before you realize that every good town gets discovered. Sure, they don’t all get discovered and build multiple resorts within a few years, but they do eventually have more streetlights and tourists.

Find your happiness where your happiness resides.

Sincerely, Badger

May 28 – December 31, 2022

Sponsor: Sheehy Family Foundation

In Memory of Ruth Sommerfeld

Michael G. Nast Foundation

Presenting Sponsor: Stephanie Dickson & Chris McCloud

Apsáalooke people of the Northern Plains

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

LETS TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

BY SHANNON STEELE EBS COLUMNIST

There is one month a year where the LGBTQIA+ community is actively celebrated, along with the progress that’s been made toward acceptance and inclusion, the heroes who got us here, and to also commemorate the lives lost to hateful acts, government indifference and personal despair.

June feels long-gone as we enter the depths of winter, and it’s important to continue honoring our commitment toward a more supportive, open and loving future for all. Each person who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, asexual, intersex and/or other has a story—one that’s often painful, risky and scary, and that compromises their sense of safety.

Chris Dunkerson, Director of Rental Homes at Yellowstone Club and a volunteer navigator, shared his story with me on Dec. 21. He mentioned he still thinks back to memories that impacted his sense of self and way of relating to the world around him.

Dunkerson grew up in the South and described living in a household as a teenager, struggling with his identity. He was without support from his family, friends, and had no resources to go to or people to confide in when navigating what it meant to be attracted to the same sex. No one was talking about sexuality or identity, and it was frankly unsafe to talk about it. After writing a note to a friend to bring voice to his experience, he was met with a counselor and parents who deemed it unacceptable.

"This destroyed my personal view of myself, and I began to believe something was wrong with me," Dunkerson shared. "I was backed into a corner that forced me to view myself poorly, and where I couldn’t be Chris Dunkerson.”

Though he eventually found spaces in college where he could explore who he truly was, he often led two different lives and realized it was ultimately unsafe to hide who he was.

“If I didn’t accept who I was, I would end up killing myself,” he said. Dunkerson committed to leading a more true, authentic life. The journey has not been

without its ups, downs and spirals, but he has found solace in welcoming spaces, being around others who are fully themselves and accepting of all, and knowing that he is not alone.

Throughout history and today, risk is everpresent, and victory is slow and ongoing for the LGBTQIA+ community. Many states enforce equal protections and marriage equity as the law of the land. However, we continue to see bills that target specific groups, allow discrimination to perpetuate and limit local protections. This is on top of navigating safety, relational, communal and intrapersonal challenges.

Safety is a fundamental requirement for being our best, authentic selves and impacts our ability to genuinely connect with others. Safety occurs when we can relax and be present and curious about what’s going on around us. Everyone has the right to FEEL safe all the time. As a community, we have a shared responsibility in creating safe spaces that communicate “you belong here,” and “all are welcome here.”

Dunkerson offered how we can move toward a more supportive, open and loving future as a community:

• Hold space for people’s experiences and stories: “I didn’t have anyone to talk to or listen to what was going on in my world…what I was dealing with. I can only imagine what it would have felt like at 14 for someone to say, 'How can we help you?'”

• Be open to one another. Be willing to listen and learn.

• Educate yourself, your organization and your community: The Big Sky Chamber of Commerce is stewarding diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives centered around Belonging in Big Sky. Their hope is that, whether here for a day or a lifetime, everyone in our community feels welcomed, valued, respected and safe. This is certainly a step in the right direction, and still, we have a ways to go. Stay tuned in 2023 to learn more about the Belonging in Big Sky initiative or reach out to Anna Johnson to learn more: anna@bigskychamber.com.

As individuals, within families and in society, the fight to merely exist and love openly never ends. For everyone who is “out,” we must keep in our minds and hearts the disappointed senior citizen who was blocked from true, reciprocal love, the scared teen who doesn’t know who to trust, the bullied school kid wondering what’s wrong with them and the small child who hates their toys and clothes.

Dunkerson wants you to know:

“You are not alone in being scared to be who you are. Don’t settle for someone who you’re not. There are people in this world that want to know you. Go through this life with an open heart. It’s okay to be who you are.

“You are not alone.

“You are not alone.”

All are welcome in Big Sky.

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.

PHOTO BY DISOBEYART/ADOBE STOCK

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

BY PAUL SWENSON

I have been out on the roads quite a bit over the last two weeks, going skiing at the mountain, down to Bozeman to visit, and up to Yellowstone National Park to spend some time in the backcountry. Every trip I see a surprising number of cars and trucks in the ditch, newly mangled guardrail, and carcasses of animals along the road. Maybe a little physics and math could remedy some of these unfortunate events.

“May the force be with you” seems like an appropriate saying to begin this discussion. The force due to friction allows us to accelerate from rest, come to a stop when required, and to navigate the turns in the highway. This force depends on two things: normal force, and the coefficient of friction.

On a level surface, the normal force is equal to the weight of the car or truck, and is directed upward, opposite the weight force. “Normal” is defined in math and science as perpendicular to a surface, which is vertically up if the surface is horizontal. You can feel the normal force on your rear-end as it is the force that keeps you from falling through your chair.

The coefficient of friction is a number that indicates how difficult it is for two surfaces to slide past one another—the higher the number, the higher the resistance. For car and truck tires, coefficients of friction are 0.9 for dry, clean asphalt,

0.2 for packed snow, and 0.1 for ice. If the car is skidding, these coefficients decrease by about 20%. So there is an 85% decrease in the coefficient of friction between summer and the worst winter driving conditions, which means there is an 85% decrease in the amount of friction to get you around a corner or to make a sudden stop. That’s a lot.

Frictional force produced between two surfaces is the product of the normal force and the coefficient of friction. Rub your hands together lightly. You feel a little resistance. Now press your hands together firmly and you feel more resistance. You haven’t changed the coefficient, but you did change the normal force resulting in more frictional force. This implies then that the force due to friction on your car is its weight (equivalent to the normal force), times the coefficient of friction. So, a small car has less friction, a large SUV quite a bit more.

But hold on you say, it seems like there are just as many SUVs off the road as small cars. Yep, that’s true. Let’s figure out why. Try this experiment, or at least think about it. Take a piece of string and tie an object to the end of it. Pull the object across the table. Now try pushing it with the string. Can’t be done because the string can only apply a tension force. Therefore, we know that the force on the object is directed along the string toward your hand.

Now swing the object around in a circle (wear safety glasses). Notice the string is always pointing towards your fingers in the center of the circle, which means the force causing the washer to go in a circle is always pointing toward the center: Centripetal Force! Any object moving in a curved path must experience this force. Of course, a car

rounding a corner does not have a string attached to it, but it must have a force pointing to the CENTER of the curve which is provided by friction.

To find amount of force required to navigate a turn: Force = (mass of vehicle)*(velocity squared)/ (radius of turn). The velocity is squared in this equation, which means it takes FOUR times the force to get a car around a corner if it is travelling twice the speed. So if a corner is safe at 50 mph in the summer, it might only be safe at 25 mph or less in the winter. Also note that the force needed to navigate the turn depends on the mass of the car, so SUVs and small cars end up experiencing the same loss of traction at the same speeds.

To remedy this situation, engineers devised a way to increase the normal force on a car, and to require less friction to navigate a turn: banked turns. In the photo, one can see by following the straight lines on the truck compared to the horizontal base of the photograph that the turn is banked by about 8-10 degrees. As the vehicle navigates the turn, the banked roadway adds a little more normal force, increasing the effective friction, and adds a small component of force toward the center of the curve.

One more quick math problem: If the canyon stretch is only 22 miles long, the drive time difference between 60 mph and 45 mph is only seven minutes. But the friction required to navigate turns is 70% greater, leading to a possible delay of a lot more than seven minutes. Please take the extra time, enjoy the beautiful canyon, and listen to two more songs from your playlist. It’s worth it.

Caption: A truck navigating a corner along the Gallatin River showing the 10 degree bank of the turn. PHOTO BY PAUL SWENSON

THE BASICS OF BECOMING AN AVALANCHE EXPERT

BY DAVE ZINN EBS CONTRIBUTOR

I had the opportunity to attend several Snow and Avalanche Workshops this year listening to complicated equations that define fracture mechanics, how radar, lasers and drones will be used to detect snow depths and heard some interesting avalanche stories. I appreciate the folks working to answer complicated questions about snow and avalanches, and these research projects are cool. However, the secret to becoming an avalanche expert is learning the fundamentals and putting them into action every moment of every day in avalanche terrain.

Learning the fundamentals of avalanches and safe backcountry travel seems simple. The number of providers who offer high quality avalanche classes has exploded, and people are hungry for information. You will walk out of a good onehour course knowing you should get your daily local avalanche forecast, obtain, and practice with an avalanche beacon, shovel, and probe, learn to identify avalanche terrain, assess for instability in the snowpack, and minimize your group’s exposure to avalanches.

These fundamentals save lives. First, get the avalanche forecast, which will describe the recent snow and avalanche history in your riding area, what to watch out for and what to do about it on that day (locally available at mtavalanche.com). If no avalanche

center operates where you ski or ride, follow the forecast from the nearest one and know that it will take more effort to learn the snowpack. This can be a rewarding process. Share the information you gather with your backcountry community.

Second, get the gear and practice. Refrain from the dubious plan of rising to the occasion or learning on the fly. Practice searching with your modern, 3-antennae avalanche beacon. Time your friends as they transition from ski or ride mode to rescue-ready with their gear pulled out and assembled. In the event of an avalanche burial, you need to recognize the situation, access the debris pile, search, probe, and dig out the victim in less than 10 minutes to have a decent shot at survival. The clock is ticking.

Terrain is the constant in the avalanche equation. Avalanche terrain is any pitch steeper than 30 degrees or flatter areas immediately below steep slopes. Know the slope angle by purchasing a cheap slope meter (inclinometer) or using a digital map with slope angle shading. Include a safety margin of a few degrees to account for the error often associated with each tool. Not all avalanche terrain is equally dangerous. Slopes with terrain traps such as trees, gullies, rocks, and cliffs increase the consequences of an avalanche. We are not saying, “don’t ever go into avalanche terrain,” but match your terrain choices to the avalanche danger for the day.

Keep your eyes open for signs of instability, as these signs provide free information to anyone paying close attention. Recent avalanches are the number one sign the snowpack is capable of avalanching! Additional indicators are cracks shooting from your sled, collapses or “whumphs” in the snowpack, significant snowfall or wind drifting and periods of abovefreezing temperatures. Digging a snowpit and testing the snowpack with an extended column test provides information if the obvious signs are not present.

Finally, minimize your exposure. We all make mistakes, so expose only one person at a time to steep terrain and watch that person from a safe location so you can perform a rescue if needed. Physically stop and plan before entering avalanche terrain. Everyone must be on the same page about identifying avalanche terrain

and stopping before setting out for the day. Otherwise, inertia takes over the flow of your day and you may skip this critical step.

Unfortunately, in many avalanche accidents there is a fundamental rule of avalanche safety that was not followed. We break rules for many reasons: we are excited, have limited time, something looks like fun, want to impress our friends, get distracted and get complacent. You name it, and we have all probably done it. However, our protocols only work if we follow them even when we don’t think we have to. So, if you want to ski, ride, or climb like an avalanche pro, learn the avalanche basics and follow the guidelines every time you are in the backcountry.

Dave Zinn is an avalanche forecaster with the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center

Skiers trek through fresh snow in the backcountry of southwest Montana. PHOTO COURTESY OF GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST AVALANCHE CENTER

A LA CARTE LAUNCHING THE UNWAFFLE

BY RACHEL HERGETT EBS CONTRIBUTOR

With its somewhat daunting list of healthy attributes, I wasn’t expecting to like the Unwaffle. The creation of chef Erik Walnum, Unwaffle is gluten- dairyand egg-free. It’s vegan. It’s high in both protein and fiber. It has low sodium and is low on the glycemic index. And the entirely readable ingredient list is topped with oats, lentils and flax seed—none of which I have ever associated with waffles.

But don’t let that fool you.

Walnum says food should be “delicious first,” but in nearly 20 years as a private chef, he has leaned into the idea that it can also be good for you. Nutritional lessons from his days as a competitive cyclist helped Walnum adapt foods for the dietary needs of his clientele and ultimately led him to Montana.

“My resume kept improving in a way that says ‘this guy cares about the connection between clean food, nutrition and healthy outcomes,’” Walnum told me.

Eight years ago, a family in Big Sky took notice and asked Walnum to move to Montana to cook for them. The family eventually moved; Walnum stayed. He runs Planted Kitchen with his wife Mollie, a teacher and pastry chef, and has cooked for professional athletes and business executives with the world’s largest companies.

But Unwaffle is Walnum’s dream for the future, for a way to work more regular hours and spend more time with his family. The father of three developed the recipe with both picky clients and picky children in mind. It uses organic oats from Montana Gluten Free in Belgrade and organic lentils from Timeless Seeds near Great Falls as its base, meaning Montana-grown ingredients make up 70% of the mix.

“This project has been the culmination of 25 years working with food,” Walnum said. “Can I take eight of the healthiest ingredients I know and make something that is surprisingly delicious and will make you feel great?”

Walnum posted his recipe for the mix on his website. It involved milling the ingredients into flour. The post got one like. Walnum wasn’t deterred. He pivoted, enlisting an incubator and business partners to help grow the idea into a company.

As an alternative to carb- and sugar-loaded offerings in most freezer aisles, Unwaffle now comes in freezer packs of six waffles. There are three flavors: original, blueberry and cocoa chip. Walnum’s go-to is the blueberry, topped with peanut butter and fresh berries.

They can be toasted or eaten right out of the pack for those on the go, as one of the partners in the company Joe Sheehan demonstrated in a video posted on social media, pulling Unwaffles from his pack and dunking them in coffee with the man in the airplane seat next to him.

Recently, Unwaffle launched a campaign on crowdfunding site Kickstarter, seeking $25,000 to help support the company’s growth. This includes moving into a new allergen-free space and upgrading packaging to lessen environmental impact. Rewards for backers include private chef services, cooking classes, T-shirts, stickers and a whole lot of waffles.

I was more than pleasantly surprised when I ordered the Unwaffle special at The Farmer’s Daughter’s Cafe and Eatery in Bozeman. The waffles were served with a scramble, a schmear and sides of gently pickled onions and maple syrup. But they remained the star.

Toasting the waffles to crisp their many edges brought out the nutty flavor of the batter (nuts, however, are not present on the ingredient list, along with the other top 14 food allergens). Inside, the waffle was soft and light. Like I said, surprising.

In addition to Farmer’s Daughter, you can try an Unwaffle at Steep Mountain Tea House and Well Juicery in Bozeman.

“All three of those locations do something totally different, which is really cool,” Walnum said.

The version I had is a special mix for Farmers Daughter, Walnum said, without the original version’s cinnamon and vanilla so the cafe can serve it sweet, savory or a little bit of both. Recipes for modifications like lemon poppyseed, pumpkin spice or everything bagel waffles using the Unwaffle homestyle waffle and pancake batter mix are available at https://eatunwaffle.com/.

Rachel Hergett is a foodie and cook from Montana. She is arts editor emeritus at the Bozeman Daily Chronicleand 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.

Unwaffle founder Erik Walnum with his wife, Mollie. The pair run the Planted Kitchen together. PHOTO COURTESY OF UNWAFFLE

The surprisingly delicious Unwaffle. PHOTO COURTESY OF UNWAFFLE

“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!”

BY JULIA BARTON

BACK 40

BY JESSIANNE CASTLE

This story was first published in the Winter 2020 edition of Mountain Outlaw magazine.

From 11,000 feet, Crazy Peak sends whispers in all directions across the landscape. It looms on the horizon northeast of Livingston, Montana, joined by the severe angles of its brethren, all gazing upon the Yellowstone River as it makes its meandering decent to the Missouri. Snow holds tight even in August on the tops of these mountains and in January whispers from the pinnacle are caught on gusts of wind that send crisp snowflakes tumbling into the air.

It was in the summer of 1857, during the short recess when winter relinquishes its stony grip on the mountains, when a 9-year-old boy tied his horse at the base of Crazy Peak and climbed toward the sky. He stopped near the top and waited, seeking spiritual guidance and blessing.

On the fourth day of prayer and fast, the boy was given a vision. Looking out across the valley, he saw the buffalo disappear into the ground to be replaced by the white man’s cow. He saw the white man come and change the land, and he experienced a mighty storm that destroyed all but one tree in an ancient forest. Within the surviving tree, the boy saw a chickadee.

Now known as Chief Plenty Coups, the young boy came to be a great leader for his people, the Apsáalooke, or Crow tribe. Plenty Coups’ vision guided his people, and many tribal historians believe it was key to the tribe’s survival.

Awaxaawippíia, or the Crazy Mountains, are no longer a part of the Crow Reservation, but their power remains prominent in Crow Country. And as Montanans seek ways forward together amid explosive growth in the

Greater Yellowstone, a powerful statewide recreation economy and the already palpable effects of climate change, the story of the Crazy Mountains offers something more.

THE CHICKADEE

When young Plenty Coups—or Alaxchíiahush in Crow—came down off the mountain, he rushed to his camp to share news of his dream.

“It took a strong leader to get to that high of elevation and put his knees on those rocks, without food and water, and to get an understanding of what his purpose is in life; of who he is,” said Adrian Bird Jr., a tribal historian with the Crow Tribal Historic Preservation Office, located in the Crow Agency 60 miles east of Billings. Bird’s eyes flashed as he recounted the story. “He wasn’t thirsty when he got down to the bottom of the mountain. He wasn’t hungry. He was excited.”

Apsáalooke elder Yellow Bear interpreted the dream at the time to mean that Plenty Coups would witness the disappearance of the buffalo. It was foretelling of what would come to pass in less than a half century, and Yellow Bear said in order to survive the Crow would need to be like the chickadee, a bird notable for its ability to listen and adapt.

Plenty Coups wasn’t the first to seek a gift in the Crazy Mountains, nor has he been the last. A rich oral tradition attests to the fact that for hundreds of years, young Crow boys have journeyed to the Crazies—and the Beartooth Mountains to the south—to seek blessings.

“We’ve heard stories of Crow chiefs and medicine men who would go up into the Crazies specifically because they are high and treacherous,” said Roberta Bird, Adrian’s wife, and an employee at the Crow Agency Department of Education. “When they were searching

for a prayer they would physically try to get their body close to the Creator or God or whatever you call Him in order to pray and fast and to search for answers or prayers or good things.”

Given the powerful Crow Medicine in the Crazy Mountains, their name makes sense. Awaxaawippíia, the Birds say, is translated roughly as the Snowcapped, Ominous or Amazing Mountains.

The young chief embodied the message of his vision, guiding his people to adapt and to work cooperatively with the white man. Crow warriors subsequently acted as scouts for the U.S. Army and leaders sought to compromise with the U.S. government. In Montana, their efforts drew the admiration of Bozeman’s founder.

“John Bozeman really loved the Crows at one point,” Adrian Bird Jr. explained, “for their protection, for their friendship, for their way of using the land. They shared their knowledge of what they used to do and how they lived and what they lived off of. We worked together and this is how far we’ve come.”

“I think that’s why we still have our reservation,” Roberta added, a smile dancing across her face. “It’s still on our land, we still have strong traditions and culture and language, all of those things are still intact.”

Even though the Crazy Mountains are nearly 100 miles from the current reservation, Crow boys still seek solace from the mountains today and the tribe actively advocates for wilderness protections on the national forest land within the 140,000-acre island mountain range.

“It’s more about the sacredness of the mountains and our ties to it,” Roberta said. “We’re not trying to exclude anybody. You wouldn’t want trash and ATVs and things running in the middle of your church.”

The Crazy Mountains. PHOTO BY MADISON PERRINS

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:

IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAIN

The land around the Crazy Mountains, a mosaic of sagebrush hills and fertile river bottoms, was settled by homesteaders in the late 19th century like much of the Greater Yellowstone. Tribes were shuttered onto reservations through a long procession of treaties, making way for miners, ranchers and towns.

The Crow Reservation was established in 1868 at Fort Parker, a fully stockaded military post located on Mission Creek 10 miles east of Livingston. The mighty Crazy Mountains were nearby sentinels for the Crow until the agency was moved in 1875 to Absarokee on the Stillwater River farther east. In 1883, the Agency was established where it is today in eastern Montana. Along the way, the tribe relinquished its hold on its historic territory, but the Crow still maintain interest in the land.

It was 100 years later, in 1966, when Sarah Anzick’s family purchased land in the Shields Valley near Wilsall, a land graced almost daily with fiery skies as the sun rises over the Crazy Mountains. Nestled in the cradle of the Bridger Mountains and Crazies, Anzick says the landscape was her playground. “It was a very special place growing up,” she said, admitting, however, that she knew little about the area’s history.

Anzick was 2 years old in 1968 when construction workers found stone artifacts at the base of a high bluff on her family’s property. Later, they unearthed the 13,000-year-old remains of a male toddler, who had been buried with more than 100 stone and bone tools—all thoughtfully covered with red ochre.

“This is probably one of the most important skeletal remains found,” Anzick said on the phone from her home in the Bitterroot Valley. Anzick went on to become a molecular biologist at the National Institutes of Health where she studies the relationship between genetics and disease.

In the early 2000s, Anzick partnered with archeologist Mike Waters at Texas A&M University and geneticist Eske Willerslev at the Centre for GeoGenetics in Denmark in order to analyze the ancient child’s genetics.

It was a time of controversy. A few years earlier, in 1996, two college students wading in the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, discovered the remains of a 9,000-year old skeleton, now known as the Kennewick Man and considered among the oldest complete skeletons ever found. The discovery threw speculation into the ancestry of contemporary Native Americans and launched a protracted legal battle between the U.S. government, native tribes and paleoanthropologists over whether ancient remains should be reburied.

Understanding the inherent risk in her quest to learn the child’s ancestry and after visiting with several tribes in Montana, Anzick and her team continued their research, guided by Doyle, though the work remained controversial among the tribes. One tribal member was interested in learning what science could glean, but another was opposed to the work.

Anzick’s tone was cautious, a pronounced reverence in her voice. “I have so much respect for tribal communities,” she said. “I had to figure out that balance because I’m a scientist too. It’s really that quest for knowledge.”

Ultimately, analysis of the toddler’s ancient DNA revealed the boy and his relatives to be direct descendants of many contemporary Native American tribes, but most closely related to those originating in Central and South America. “All of us are 99.9 percent identical,” she said. “In that .1 percent of difference, how big is that difference? I felt like the little child gave us a gift for all of humanity but it was time to lay him to rest.”

In 2014, the ancient boy was returned to the earth, once again in the shadow of the Crazy Mountains. He was reburied near the original site where he was found and tribal representatives from around the U.S. attended the ceremony.

As owners of the land, the Anzicks remain stewards of the little boy and the artifacts once placed in his grave. Anzick says her family will protect the site but often allow access to those who ask and one day hope to install a memorial. The artifacts—chert, porcellanite, antler points and tools—are currently on loan at the Montana Historical Society in Helena where the public can visit.

“I think it’s really great that resource is there for everyone to go and enjoy and learn from,” Anzick said, adding that she thinks Native engagement is critical and that it’s important to find ways to work together. “How can we advance the wellbeing of humanity and science with the involvement of Native American communities and not leave them out?” she asked. “Really it’s communication and interaction, relationships and bonds, and trust. Trust is huge.”

TIES TO THE LAND

Bent over in a chair in the tiny Livingston airport, Shane Doyle is quiet, composed despite the loud hum of small airplanes coming and going outside. He’s just stepped off of a six-seat Cessna 210, having circumnavigated the Crazy Mountains.

Nodding north, Doyle says his Crow ancestors wintered on the Judith and Musselshell rivers and sometimes camped in the Shields Valley and along other tributaries of the Yellowstone River. Doyle lives in Bozeman and is the program coordinator at the American Indian Institute. A Crow tribal member, he’s sought guidance twice in the Crazy Mountains through prayer and fast.

Doyle and other Crow members have asked the U.S. Forest Service to uphold treaty rights that recognize the tribes still have interests on lands that once existed on the reservation. A part of that recognition is to manage the Crazies as a sacred landscape—without new roads or trails.

“It’s going to be hard … for people to traverse that territory and that’s the way it should be,” Doyle said. “They’ve never been an easy range to navigate through. They’ve always been hard and I don’t think it’s up to us to make that easy.

“There are other sacred areas all over,” he added, referencing sites from the three forks of the Missouri to the Black Hills to central Missouri. “I think it’s real important people are aware of that.”

Doyle is among a strong cohort of Indigenous peoples seeking to reclaim their tribal heritage and achieve recognition in mainstream society after Euro-American colonization destroyed Native lifeways. He was a collaborator and principal performer in Bozeman’s Mountain Time Arts opera performance of Standby Snow: The Chronicles of a Heatwave produced in August of 2019, in which he sang about Plenty Coups’ vision, a prophecy Doyle interprets as a foreshadowing of climate change.

He says for Montanans to move forward together in the future, we all need to engage in conversation. “We share with each other our stories, our concerns and our vision. I think those are the ways we overcome those gaps or barriers.”

THE POWER OF PICTURES

One way to prompt that conversation is through imagery. Francesca Pine-Rodriguez grew up on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations and in Billings and has been an active advocate for tribal representation in

Bozeman. A member of both tribes, she says settlers moving West were sold on maps and images portraying a wide-open, unpopulated landscape.

“It’s just amazing how powerful pictures are [but] all of that was just a fantasy,” Pine-Rodriguez said. “It was really a recipe for disaster when the settlers came because they were basically bought and sold on a lie.”

A board member of the Montana movement seeking to rename the federal holiday Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Pine-Rodriguez says she was recently asked to be a model in a public art project about recognizing tribal heritage. For the project, Mountain Time Arts commissioned Montana Crow photojournalist Adam Sings In The Timber to photograph five Indigenous women who live in the Gallatin Valley as a part of his national “Indigenizing Colonized Spaces” photo series. The images illustrate that wherever people go in North America, they are on Native land.

“Moving everybody forward together is recognizing real history,” Pine-Rodriguez said. “It’s recognizing that the land you walk on every day was a tribes’ [land] in all of North America. And to recognize it is a minimum. The next step is to honor and celebrate it.”

That recognition and celebration is just what Sings In The Timber hopes to achieve. After graduating from the University of Montana School of Journalism, he moved to Chicago and dedicated his career to capturing Native lifeways through photographs to empower Indigenous Peoples, while also educating the non-Native world.

For Sings In The Timber, reclaiming his people’s cultural history expands to the very basic use of the word “Indian.”

“Growing up, I was Indian,” Sings In The Timber told me during his recent trip to Bozeman. “[But] Indian is no longer a part of the next generation for me.” Instead, he prefers to use words like “Indigenous” or “Native.” “Out here, we don’t say ‘Indian’ anymore.”

A WAY FORWARD TOGETHER

The Crazy Mountains overlook so much more than a landscape. They are keepers of the stories of the past, and they could provide keys for the future. Those who live in the shadow of the Crazies know of their beauty, and others, those who’ve experienced or heard stories of their power, can feel their presence from afar. “Yes these are sacred [mountains]. I can feel it,” Adrian Bird Jr. said. “I can feel it seeing them from the highway.”

From all directions, the Crazies stand as united peaks, working cooperatively to give sanctuary to life, to trees, flowers, wildlife, birds—even the chickadee, one of Montana’s songbirds that stays through the winter and sings to the quiet, snowy landscape.

“We need to work together,” Adrian said. “I know about these mountains, my son knows about these mountains. I want my grandson to know about these mountains and what has taken place here.”

Plenty Coups (c.1908) PHOTO BY EDWARD CURTIS

Looking back on the past 12 months—historic floods, new businesses starting while older ones offered farewells, land purchases, town growth and more—it was hard to narrow down our reporting into just 10 stories that felt representative of 2022. We selected these stories out of the top 50 of the year based on analytic data from our website.

As our community reflects on the past year and the milestones it’s held, we hope we have reported on most of them and that this collection helps tell the stories that shaped Big Sky this year. We wish you the best in 2023.

—The Editors

The following stories have been edited for brevity. Scan the accompanying QR code to see the full story.

WILDLANDS FESTIVAL RETURNS WITH GRAMMY WINNING LINEUP

In April, Outlaw Partners—the publisher of Explore Big Sky— announced the star-studded lineup for its August 2022 Wildlands Festival, which ultimately raised $150,000 for local and regional conservation efforts. This story previewed the event, which will return in 2023 with another impressive artist lineup.

OUTLAW PARTNERS

BIG SKY—Outlaw Partners is thrilled to announce that the Wildlands Festival will rock Big Sky, featuring not one, but two nights of world class music Friday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 13 at the Big Sky Events Arena, beneath the famed backdrop of Lone Mountain.

This exciting music event will bring people together who have a mutual love for wild and scenic lands, outdoor recreation, parks, trails and the enjoyment of what makes this part of the world special.

Six-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and New York Times Best Selling author Brandi Carlile will headline the Wildlands Festival on Saturday night. The Big Sky will be an official stop on her “Beyond These Silent

Days” headline tour. This will be Carlile’s second performance at the Big Sky Events Arena, where she originally played in 2019 as part of the Peak to Sky music festival.

The Grammy winning duo Indigo Girls will also impress music fans at Wildlands as they take the stage on Saturday to perform songs from their new album “Look Long,” along with classics from their eponymous album such as “Closer to Fine.” The Wildlands Festival will be an official stop on their “Look Long 2022” tour.

Friday night will feature music legend Lukas Nelson & POTR. Nelson and his band will undoubtedly turn up the heat as they return to Big Sky for the fourth time to play at the Wildlands Festival. The last time he played in Big Sky was a sold out, energetic crowd. In 2018, Nelson won a Grammy Award for “Best Compilation Soundtrack” for his work in “A Star Is Born” with Lady Gaga.

“This is an all-star lineup, one for the record books,” said Eric Ladd, co-founder and chairman of Outlaw Partners. “We’re honored to bring this many Grammy winning and award wielding artists all to one

stage, in an intimate and picturesque venue in Big Sky.”

A percentage of all ticket sales will be directly donated to area nonprofits that share the same ethos as the Wildlands Festival and its goal to bring attention and stewardship to the wild and open spaces that surround the community in Southwest Montana.

BRANDI CARLILE, INDIGO GIRLS, LUKAS NELSON & POTR AND MORE TO TAKE THE STAGE LONE MOUNTAIN LAND COMPANY ACQUIRES TOWN CENTER

“Our goal is to not only curate an amazing night of music in an incredible venue, but to raise money for some very worthy charities that work hard to protect our beautiful landscape,” said Ladd.

Wildlands Festival is produced by Outlaw Partners, publisher of Explore Big Sky.

Our top story from the month of May came when local developer Lone Mountain Land Company finalized its purchase of the remaining land in Town Center. EBS released this story just three days after the news went public. LMLC has since released a first draft of development plans for Town Center, which can be found at bit.ly/ LMLC-plans.

BY BELLA BUTLER

BIG SKY—Local developer

Lone Mountain Land Company acquired the remaining undeveloped residential and commercial land in the Town Center in a deal that closed on May 17. The

original developers of Town Center, the Simkins family, sold the approximately 500 acres and applicable development rights and with it, their remaining interests in Town Center.

LMLC, a local development arm of Boston-based investment firm CrossHarbor Capital Partners, plans to “move slowly on building things out,” according to LMLC and CrossHarbor Managing Director Matt Kidd.

“This is where the whole community comes together, right?” Kidd told EBS. “We want to build on that.”

CrossHarbor made its first appearance in the area in 2009 when it purchased the Yellowstone Club and began branching out into the broader Big Sky community following its 2013 acquisitions of Spanish Peaks Mountain Club and Moonlight Basin.

“We immediately started working with the Simkins family to think about what was going to happen— what could happen—down in Town Center,” he said. “And we have always looked at Town Center as the lifeblood of the year-round community.”

LMLC, formed by CrossHarbor in 2014, acquired its first property in Town Center in 2014. The developers launched discussions approximately five years ago with the Simkins family about purchasing the remaining land in Town Center.

The Simkins family purchased the land for Town Center in 1970, began acquiring development rights in the ‘80s and started developing in the early 2000s. Today, Town Center includes more than 250 residential units, according to an LMLC statement, and many commercial units.

“We are proud of our efforts to build an incredible community at

Town Center,” the Simkins family wrote in a May 19 statement to EBS. “…The accomplishments that we are most proud of are the community-building, connections and partnerships that were made over the decades.”

Through the purchase, LMLC also became the Town Center declarant and developer, and will manage the Town Center Owners Association.

Kidd framed development as a solution to community struggles such as housing and year-long economic sustainability.

Kidd said “community-based housing,” will be a primary focus of the remaining Town Center development and will likely include a broad spectrum of options. He added that LMLC plans to work with other community entities to identify where and when affordability requirements, deed restrictions and other housing solutions might make sense.

Outside of the private clubs, Kidd said Town Center is, for the most part, what remains to be developed in Big Sky.

“That is very energizing,” he said. “And we take a lot of responsibility with this.”

Lukas Nelson & POTR play during night one of the 2022 Wildlands Festival framed by Lone Mountain in the background. PHOTO BY JULIA BARTON

An aerial view of Town Center shows both the completed development as well as some of the remaining undeveloped land. PHOTO COURTESY OF LONE MOUNTAIN LAND COMPANY

SOUTHWEST MONTANA

Historic flooding hit southwest Montana in mid-June following an unusually wet spring and slow snowmelt. The Gallatin River near Big Sky was seen raging over house House Rock—a large boulder that rarely sees water splashing near its top at high water—sparking excitement that soon turned to dread as flooding in other parts of the state had more destructive consequences.

On June 13, severe roadway damage became apparent across parts of Yellowstone National Park, prompting full closures of the park. Much of Yellowstone remained closed until July, however, the park’s Northeast and North entrances didn’t reopen until October and November, respectively, due to the need for substantial repairs to damaged roadways.

BY JULIA BARTON

BIG SKY—Heavy rains and snow runoff have caused the Gallatin River to reach flood stage on June 13 with flow rates rising to 8,930 cubic feet per second. This is the highest the Gallatin has been since 1997 when it set a record at a peak of 9,160 cfs.

High water brings with it the risk of flooding and road erosion. The Montana Department of Transportation is working on emergency erosion mitigation efforts

RIVERS

Facing an “unprecedented crisis,” thenCEO of Bozeman Health John Hill reduced the nonprofit hospital’s staff by 53 full-time positions, including one staff member at the Big Sky Medical Center. Among several reasons for the move, Hill cited the high cost of filling labor gaps with contract laborers who cost upwards of four times as much as the hospital’s full-time clinicians.

BY BELLA BUTLER

in the Gallatin Canyon to protect the roadway from water damages. These efforts are not expected to result in road closures, however they will cause traffic delays between Big Sky and Bozeman.

At 11:09 a.m. on June 13, the National Park Service closed off all inbound traffic to Yellowstone National Park until at least Wednesday for flood danger. “Due to record flooding events in the park and more precipitation in the forecast, we have made the decision to close Yellowstone to all inbound visitation,” said superintendent Cam

Sholly in a park press release. Road closures in Yellowstone are likely to contribute to further delays on U.S. Highway 191, according to Gallatin County spokesperson Whitney Bermes.

Similar conditions are being seen across southwestern Montana, causing road closures on U.S. Highway 212 from Red Lodge to the Wyoming border; Secondary Highway 308 between Red Lodge and Belfry; Montana Highway 78 between Red Lodge and Interstate 90 junction at Columbus; and U.S. Highway 89 between the Wyoming

AT HISTORIC HIGHS RAIN, RUNOFF CAUSES FLOODING, FORCES YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK CLOSURE UNDER FINANCIAL PRESSURE, BOZEMAN HEALTH LAYS OFF DOZENS OF EMPLOYEES

border and I-90 junction at Livingston.

The town of Gardiner has been isolated due to road closures and NPS is working with the state to evacuate residents left without water or power. Flooding in Carbon County has prompted extensive evacuation orders in Red Lodge as water flows down streets, according to Red Lodge Fire and Rescue spokesperson Amy Hyfield. The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for parts of southwest Montana through Wednesday, June 15.

BOZEMAN—Bozeman Health last week laid off nearly 30 leadership staff due to financial pressures on the healthcare industry. According to its CEO, this was an unprecedented decision for the largest private employer in Gallatin County.

In an internal Aug. 2 email sent by Bozeman Health CEO John Hill to Bozeman Health staff, and provided to EBS, Hill announced the layoff of 28 employees as well as the decision

to not fill 25 open positions, totaling a reduction in 53 full-time equivalent positions. The reduction in force included one staff member at the Big Sky Medical Center.

The healthcare industry is facing an “unprecedented crisis,” Hill wrote in the email, reporting that Bozeman Health’s costs this year have surpassed revenue by 8%, resulting in a net loss of $14.8 million in the first six months of 2022.

Bozeman Health’s challenges don’t exist in a vacuum. Mariana Carerra, an associate professor at Montana State University who teaches health economics, said when she heard Bozeman Health’s announcement she was at first surprised to hear about layoffs in a labor market that needs staff so badly, but given the current state of the healthcare industry it made sense.

A report published a month ago by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas found that the healthcare industry, including product manufacturing, announced the most job cuts in 2022 at 19,390 at the end of June, up 54% from 2021.

“We have done everything we possibly can to reduce discretionary spending, redesign the way that we deliver care in the clinics and the hospitals, anything that we could potentially hold on when it came to expenditures, we have done that,” he said.

But on top of increasing costs, Hill said Bozeman Health experienced “softer volumes” this past spring, a trend that hit the healthcare industry across the nation.

Hill said he has no recollection of any other layoffs in Bozeman Health history.

Hill said he expects patients will see “no difference” following the layoffs. Bozeman Health did not disclose the name or position of the laid off employee from the Big Sky Medical Center but Hill stated it was a “leadership support role.”

“The community of Big Sky should not see any impact to the level of service, accessibility to care, the compassionate way that we serve that community,” Hill said.

The Big Sky Medical Center, part of the Bozeman Health network. PHOTO BY JULIA BARTON

A section of the road in the Gardner River Canyon was fully washed out by flooding. PHOTO BY JACOB W. FRANK / NPS

Following historic June flooding, Big Sky saw the raw number of visitors slow down in summer 2022 following two years of pandemic-boosted growth that sometimes strained businesses and services.

BY BELLA BUTLER

BIG SKY—Early this summer, floodwaters gushed through southwest Montana, tearing through communities in a short-term event

with lasting repercussions. This historic occurrence might be the perfect metaphor for business in Big Sky, suggests Big Sky Chamber of Commerce and Visit Big Sky CEO Brad Niva.

For the last two years, Big Sky was busy. The pandemic saw booming visitation to Western mountain towns. These seemingly anomalous years were what Niva calls “the highwater mark.”

This summer, that flood of visitors is subsiding.

“It was just crazy for a couple of years and now we feel like the pendulum’s swinging back to where it might be normal,” Hungry Moose Market & Deli owner Kristin Kern said.

It’s an August Monday morning at the Moose, and a small rush of customers float through the Town Center-based store grabbing coffee and pastries before work. The store is busy but relaxed.

Kern’s observation about business at the Moose is reflected in a number of data sets from the summer that indicate visitation to southwest Montana is down. Passengers recorded at the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport this July were down more than 7% from last July.

After two record-breaking summers, visitation to Yellowstone National Park—which closed after the June floods—this July was down 45% from last July, when the most-ever visits to the park were recorded.

Locally, occupancy in Big Sky was down up to 28% from last summer, according to Niva. He described the dip in visitation as a “correction.” When you remove 2020 and 2021 however, Niva said business is still on a growth trend.

“Yes, we are seeing a softening of overnight guests,” Niva said. “But what we are seeing a huge increase of … is day trippers. Day trip business is off the chart.”

The impacts on business may be more apparent closer to town.

Twist Thompson, owner of Blue Buddha Sushi Lounge and co-owner of soon-to-open taco restaurant Tres Toros, has definitely noticed less people in town this summer, but as a restaurant owner he said it’s been a welcome reprieve.

“We’re in the yes industry; We’re in the yes business,” Thompson said.

“It is our jobs to try to accommodate to the best of our ability, and I was saying no last year.”

This year, Thompson is happy to be saying yes a lot more.

The Caldera Chronicles is a favorite regional column of ours and this particular edition, for whatever reason, seems to have struck a chord with EBS readers.

BY MICHAEL POLAND DAILY MONTANAN

No doubt you’ve heard the story—roads have melted in Yellowstone National Park, which is supposedly evidence that the region is “heating up” and that a volcanic eruption is imminent.

The spate of misrepresented information even prompted the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory to put out a news statement discussing the recent observations and that there was no sign of any imminent volcanic activity.

The “melting road” story, however, has persisted as one of the legendary signs of Yellowstone’s restless nature. There is some truth to the legend—some roads actually are being heated from below and damaged as a result. But it doesn’t mean the area’s progressing toward a volcanic eruption.

The “melting road” of 2014 fame was Firehole Lake Drive, located in the Lower Geyser Basin of Yellowstone. That summer, the road closed for a few days because the asphalt in certain areas was starting to fail.

Firehole Lake Drive traverses one of Yellowstone’s largest thermal areas and has a history of asphalt “deflection” that dates back decades, since well before the 2014 publicity. The ground in the area is hot due to the abundant hydrothermal activity associated with features like Great Fountain

Geyser and White Dome Geyser. Laying asphalt directly onto such a surface is a recipe for trouble, especially during the hot summer months, when the asphalt is heated both from below, by hydrothermal sources, and from above, by the sun.

The result of this heating is that the asphalt softens and can flow, like silly putty. When vehicles drive over the warmed asphalt, the road can suffer significant damage. This problem is not unique to Yellowstone. For example, in 2012 an airplane at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., was temporarily immobilized when the tires sank into the asphalt during a spell of hot weather.

Firehole Lake Drive isn’t the only place where thermal features cause challenges with road engineering. The highway near the overpass at Old Faithful has been impacted by hydrothermal activity for many years. The road near Beryl Spring, between Madison and Norris Junctions, has also had issues with thermal ground adjacent to and beneath the roadbed. Park staff have developed innovative ways to handle the impacts of hydrothermal features on roads. In some areas of hot ground, like near Beryl Spring, insulating foam is applied before the road is laid to help mitigate the thermal impact.

Do roads sometimes “melt” in Yellowstone?

The phrasing is melodramatic, but roads can be impacted by thermal ground. It’s a consequence of laying asphalt roads where the ground can approach boiling temperatures, combined with high summer air temperatures.

Still pretty amazing. Just not worrisome.

THE MELTING ROADS OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Big Sky Town Center is seen in August 2022. OUTLAW PARTNERS PHOTO

Beryl Spring is a hydrothermal area in some restrictive topography. It takes a feat of engineering to keep the road drivable through this area, and sometimes nature has the final say, as in 1942, when this National Park Service photo was taken. Don’t fret, the road is now passable by auto and bison. PHOTO COURTESY OF YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

When the Big Sky Post Office first opened, the community was small enough that a third-party contractor, rather than the federal government, operated it. But the post office outgrew its space long ago, and the contract operator has taken the drastic measure of canceling its contract in a move to force the federal government to step up and expand the local post office.

BY JASON BACAJ

BIG SKY—The Big Sky Post Office, which has been operated locally for 21 years on a contract basis, will close on Feb. 28, 2023, without “serious involvement” from the U.S. Postal Service, officials said on Oct. 5 at the biannual joint meeting between the Big Sky Resort Area District and the Gallatin and Madison county commissions.

Gallatin Partners, Inc. has contracted with the USPS to operate the Big Sky Post Office since 2001, said Al Malinowski, president of Gallatin Partners. Among the reasons why the organization is terminating its contract with USPS, he said, is that the current post office location is too small and Big Sky should provide postal service to the community in Gallatin Canyon, much of which

is currently served by the Gallatin Gateway post office.

“We’re unwilling to continue to operate in the existing facility in the way we have,” Malinowski said. “Now a solution is necessary. There has to be a new location.”

The current post office has 1,661 post office boxes and Census data from 2020 shows that the Big Sky population is more than 3,500 people. Malinowski said his company took over the contract to operate the post office from the Big Sky Owners Association in 2001 with the intent

of serving as a bridge to handing the facility over to the USPS.

“I’m still hoping it can happen,” he said.

In March, the USPS bumped the amount of money provided to the Big Sky Post Office to $547,000, in what was viewed at the time as the first step toward a long-term solution for the over-capacity post office.

Past efforts to engage the USPS in talks about a long-term solution for operating the local post office have been unsuccessful. Malinowski

said that a letter signed by state lawmakers and the Montana Congressional delegation, among others, had been sent to the USPS in an effort to get the federal agency to act, but that the agency gave “no real response.”

In response to a question from the meeting’s audience about what would happen on March 1, 2023, if nothing were done, Malinowski said he did not know.

“Any approach we do on our own would be just another Band-Aid,” he said.

Not everyone had the chance to grab a bite with Deanne and Steve Stalnaker, but just about everyone around Big Sky has driven past the iconic inn and café for years. Many loyal locals were disappointed when this classic breakfast spot closed, however, the operation was becoming unsustainable for the decadelong owners amid labor shortages.

BY JASON BACAJ

A staple restaurant for Big Sky and Gallatin Canyon residents shut down for good in September after a nearly 67-year run.

The Inn on the Gallatin and its breakfast café first opened in 1955, according to Deanne Stalnaker. She and her husband, Steve, purchased the café, its six cabins and nine recreational vehicle sites back in 2013. Neither had been in the restaurant business before, but they decided to jump in regardless. The restaurant was closed for a couple years while they shored up the building.

The couple will continue operating the cabins and RV sites. They simply felt the need to step back from the café after 10 years in order to open up space for new projects and adventures.

“We had fun doing it,” Deanne said. “I think if we hadn’t had such an issue with labor, you know, we probably could have done it a little bit longer.”

Trouble finding people able to work the café led the Stalnakers to shift café operations so that it was only open to folks staying at the Inn’s cabins or RV sites. They had a chef at first, but when that person moved to Helena, Steve took the reins in the kitchen.

At one point two years ago, just Steve and Deanne were available to staff the café, and they ended up serving 52 people in three hours, she said. The two ended up working in the kitchen for hours past closing getting things cleaned and prepped for the next morning. The day marked a turning point for them. They knew the restaurant’s time was limited.

The breakfast café was not just locally renowned, but regionally.

Steve said they were perhaps most well known for their biscuits and providing a basket of hot doughnut holes to each table. Beyond that, their spicy eggs benedict, pancakes and unique cinnamon roll recipe developed by the chef initially hired

by the Stalnaker’s were what brought people back repeatedly.

“People used to come in from Livingston and Helena to eat breakfast,” Steve said. “So, you know, all the locals that ate here and supported us, it’s a big thank you to them. They just made it fun.”

As for their future plans, the café space is slated to become a workshop. And the two want to make changes to some of the cabins and their own

living space on the property.

“We definitely don’t sit around for months waiting for something to happen,” Steve said.

But mostly the couple wants to finally take advantage of the outdoor summer recreation opportunities that abound in the area.

“This is the first year we went whitewater rafting,” Deanne said. “This is our time.”

The Inn on the Gallatin's café sits right off U.S. Highway 191 between Gallatin Gateway and Big Sky.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEANNE STALNAKE

Cherrie Downer, Patea White and Al Malinowski greet customers at the post office desk. PHOTO BY GABRIELLE GASSER

FOUR ELK KILLED IN COLLISIONS ON HIGHWAY 191 OVER THE 11/7

As usual this fall, drivers and commuters between Big Sky and Bozeman faced the obstacle of avoiding elk and deer crossing U.S. Highway 191, especially in Gallatin Gateway where a major elk herd crosses the busy road. Many collisions occurred, but this early November weekend saw a peak of activity, spurring activists to demand variable message boards to encourage drivers to slow down and remain alert of the wildlife hazards.

EBS STAFF

Four elk were killed over the weekend on U.S. Highway 191 near Gallatin Gateway in two separate crashes. Neither drivers involved in the accidents were injured.

The first incident occurred early on Saturday, Nov. 5 during daylight hours, according to Holly Pippel, a longtime Gallatin Valley local and photographer who has followed elk herds near Gallatin Gateway for the past seven years. The driver struck two cow elk and a calf, all of which were killed.

Another cow elk was struck and killed likely in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, Nov. 6, Pippel said. She

noted that hunters with salvage tags claimed the elk meat.

The two incidents bring the number of elk killed by cars around Gallatin Gateway up to nine in the last two weeks, Pippel said—including one bull elk that was killed. She added that most accidents occur between Williams Road, near the mouth of the canyon, and South Cottonwood Road, near Gallatin Gateway.

A corridor study finished in October 2020 by the Montana Department of

Transportation showed that wildlife collisions accounted for nearly a quarter of the 1,077 vehicle crashes from 2009 to 2018 on U.S. 191 between Four Corners and Beaver Creek Road just south of Big Sky.

The report stated that upwards of 13,500 vehicles per day travel the highway that parallels the Gallatin River and cuts through a swath of the Custer Gallatin National Forest.

Pippel said that she had reached out to the MDOT about placing

WEEKEND OF NOV. 5-6 NO DRIVERS HURT IN THE ACCIDENTS THE LAST LAP: A LEGEND’S EARLY TRACKS AND TRAM WORK

variable message boards up along the highway to warn motorists of the wildlife crossing dangers but was told none were available. Pippel said that she hopes that public officials will consider lowering the speed limit between the mouth of Gallatin Canyon and Gallatin Gateway and improve the signage and warnings for drivers about wildlife on the roadway and that people concerned about the issue should reach out to the Gallatin County Commission.

The driver of this vehicle was uninjured after striking and killing three elk Saturday morning. PHOTO BY HOLLY PIPPEL

Since Big Sky Resort announced its plan to replace the iconic Lone Peak Tram, the prospect of Big Sky’s new era has captured attention. However, another reality looms in the hearts of long-time locals, workers and visitors: The winter of 2022-23 will write the final chapter for an iconic tram.

“The Last Lap” is a three-part series commemorating the origins, glory years and final days of the Lone Peak Tram.

Parts two and three will be published during the winter of 2022-23.

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—For years, Tom Jungst would hike up Lone Mountain or the A-Z chutes alone while ski patrol watched with binoculars. After moving to Montana to ski race at Montana State University in the fall of 1977, he began a “common fall ritual”: A weekend camping in the unlocked, uninsulated shack atop the Lone Peak Triple. That’s when he first skied the Big Couloir—the first lap of hundreds, he said, a small

number compared to the “thousands” done by some hardcore locals.

In the late ‘80s, Jungst was filming at Big Sky for Warren Miller Entertainment with fellow extreme skiing pioneer Scot Schmidt and “tough as nails” cameraman Gary Nate. After riding a helicopter to Lone Peak, John Kircher, resort general manager, asked Jungst and Schmidt what they thought about a tram.

Jungst recalls telling Kircher, that "it would put Big Sky equal to any European resort."

The tram was well-documented as a preposterous idea. But Jungst credited Kircher—a young Big Sky executive and son of Boyne Resorts owner Everett Kircher—and said he was “a super hard-charging skier” who foresaw the in-bounds potential of Lone Mountain’s terrain.

Just a few years later, by virtue of Kircher’s persistence, Jungst was working as a surveyor and welder on the incoming Lone Peak Tram.

“We were the last people to climb it and ski it before construction started,” Jungst said. “We skied the Big Couloir, it was really awesome.

The helicopters came up while we were coming down.”

It was May of 1995. By the time ski season arrived in late November— the tram would eventually open on Dec. 23—Jungst had a routine.

“I would get up in the morning,” Jungst said. “I would go down and have free breakfast at the lodge. I’d ski for a few hours, have a [free] massage, then lunch. Then I would ride the lifts up [to the bowl], and I would hike up top with my skis and [weld] ‘til about midnight.

“I’ve met people that remember seeing [my welding] arc up there at night. It was super bright. And then I would usually ski down the Big Couloir alone, by headlamp, and ski to Whiskey Jack’s and close it down.”

Jungst said Big Sky’s new tram will be just as dramatic as the original one.

“To me, it’s an engineering feat that they’re going to put that size tram up there,” he said. “I look at the rendering... It’s crazy.”

TOP TOWN CRIER STORY

CHRISTY SPORTS BUYS GRIZZLY OUTFITTERS, CONTINUES TO EXPAND INTO MONTANA

When Grizzly Outfitters announced its sale to Colorado-based retailer Christy Sports, the community had a captivated response—so did the subscribers to our daily Town Crier newsletter. EBS sat down with the involved parties the morning after the sale was finalized to get the scoop on what went into the decision.

BY JACK REANEY

BIG SKY—Christy Sports announced on Dec. 14 that it has purchased longtime Big Sky business Grizzly Outfitters.

The Colorado-based winter and outdoor retailer with 64 locations across five Western states acquired its first Big Sky location, Lone Mountain Sports, in December 2021. Officials with the company say they aim to continue Grizzly Outfitters’ highlevel service and will retain the entire Grizzly team.

With ownership of Grizzly Outfitters and Lone Mountain Sports, Christy customers have the ability to coordinate rental options between the mountain and the meadow areas. The ownership changes are effective immediately, Christy officials told EBS.

Gary Montes de Oca, VP of business development at Christy Sports called the aquisition “a perfect match and

the right strategic entry point” into Montana, their fifth state.

Co-owners Andrew Schreiner and Ken Lancey founded Grizzly in 1994. Schreiner said they plan to remain involved when needed, but will gradually move away from the operational responsibilities they’ve been accustomed to. Neither spoke to the details of the transaction, but both expressed their confidence in the future of the shop.

Christy Sports Chief Operating Officer Dan Fox said he approached Grizzly’s co-owners in April to indicate early interest should they consider putting their nearly 30-year passion project up for sale.

“We wanted to not have [just] one store in Montana,” Fox said. “The very best ski shop in the meadow is Grizzly.”

Lancey and Schreiner began talking with Scott and Carey Foster, who sold Lone Mountain Sports to Christy. Pointing to the fact that they still work at their shop, Lancey said the Fosters reported a positive experience.

“We assessed that we share the same ideas of how to run a business [with Christy Sports], so we weren’t handing our legacy over to an unknown. We checked those boxes,” Lancey said,

later adding that this is not Christy’s first rodeo.

Fox said the staff drew them in as much as the location and emphasized that Christy Sports has “no desire to make staff changes,” recognizing the passion of the Grizzly staff.

Christy Sports CEO Matt Gold called Big Sky “an amazing market and an amazing community.”

Schreiner emphasized his gratitude for his team’s leadership as it transitions into new ownership. He called his general manager the quarterback of Grizzly Outfitters.

“Without Addison Berry, none of this would have been possible,” Schreiner said. “There have been ups and downs, and lots of tears and hesitation. Going

forward with the leadership we have in place, I feel confident we will absolutely provide Big Sky something they’ve never had before and everyone has asked for: mountain and meadow connected by one operation.”

As for the shop’s name, Fox explained that Christy will analyze the market and brand to determine whether Grizzly Outfitters stays “Grizzly.”

Gold said Christy’s current mission in Big Sky is to get to know the people and Grizzly Outfitters staff.

“It’s all about communication,” Gold said.

Built around one of the nation’s largest ski resorts, Big Sky isn’t a traditional rodeo town. But July 21-23, the Big Sky PBR dusted this skiville with a Western culture that at its core shares the same foundation that holds Big Sky together: community.

In its 11th year, the Big Sky PBR was anything but predictable. Kids rocked their socks off in the dance competition, a bull escaped from the arena and took a tour around Town Center and some of the world's best bull riders competed under an iconic view of Lone Mountain.

“Big Sky, there’s nowhere else like it,” said this year’s event champion Jesse Petri after walking off the dirt with more than $46,000 in prize money and a slew of other big-ticket awards following his 88.5-point championship ride.

Of the many moments that defined this event, perhaps our favorite is the simplicity of watching a crowd come together and cheer on someone they don’t know getting bucked around in the arena. This photo from the first night of the PBR captures a rider leaning back, hand to the sky and draped in golden-hour sunlight as the crowd behind him watches in anticipation, praying for his 8 seconds of glory.

Grizzly Outfitters was founded in 1994 by Ken Lancey and Andrew Schreiner, and remained under the same ownership for 28 years. PHOTO BY JACK REANEY

PHOTO BY JULIA BARTON

Our most-liked Instagram post of the year was a photo of waves in the Gallatin River cresting House Rock on the morning of June 13 as rivers across southwest Montana experienced severe flooding. This post reached more than 25,000 people and was shared more than 17,000 times.

The Gallatin River is seeing flows up to 8,020 cubic feet per second and is predicted to continue to rise tomorrow. Here, House Rock is nearly submerged.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning through Wednesday. The water is cold, fast and dangerous.

The last time the river was this high was in 2011 when peak flows reached 8,410 cfs.

PHOTO BY GABRIELLE GASSER

The top Instagram Reel on EBS this year cataloged what was for many a momentous weekend of college football as ESPN’s pregame show College GameDay arrived in Bozeman on Nov. 18 for the first time ever. The show set up shop near Bobcat Stadium surrounded by fans for Montana State University’s 55-21 win against its University of Montana rivals on Nov. 19. The video was seen by over 31,000 people, which is roughly 10 times the population of Big Sky.

College GameDay rolled into Bozeman Thursday afternoon ahead of the 121st Brawl of the Wild. The stage is going up across from Bobcat Stadium and the stoke is high for the showdown at high noon!

#brawlofthewild #GameDayinBozeman

PHOTO BY JASON BACAJ

The first snow of the season to cover Lone Mountain laid a thin blanket of white over the peak, making it feel as though winter had come early. Nearly 160 people commented on this photo, sharing it with friends, sending us the photos they had taken and spreading excitement for the upcoming winter.

It's looking a bit like winter on Lone Mountain this morning. Snow fell overnight at higher elevations near Big Sky, covering mountaintops with some early season snow.

PHOTO BY JACK REANEY