Spring 2023 Adventure Journal

EXPERIENCE A SEASON LIKE

IN SOME PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, SPRING IS CONSIDERED A “SHOULDER SEASON.” HERE IN MONTANA, IT’S ANYTHING BUT. Come springtime in anythingMontana, goes.

Nature’s annual dance of rebirth and renewal takes center stage, bringing color and life to every nook and cranny of our vast acreage. The Resort at Paws Up® comes alive with activity of the human sort, too. We’re heading out into the woods to forage for mushrooms and hunt for shed antlers. We’re celebrating the awakening of the Kyiyo (“bear”) with the local Blackfoot Native American community outside Missoula. And we’re taking day trips to visit the awe-inspiring art and sculpture parks in our own backyard and to see if we can catch a glimpse of one of the largest snow geese migrations in the country.

That’s hardly shoulder-season fodder.

On property, we’re counting down to warmer climes and the return of our brand-new open-air dining room, Shed.® Executive Chef Ben Scott’s live-fire eatery debuted last summer after a few seasons of pop-ups, and we can’t wait for you to tuck into all the finger-lickin’ details in this issue— and then book a trip to experience it for yourself. Of course, there are plenty of food-focused activities this spring that celebrate Montana’s growing season: yet another reason why we don’t shy away from spring in these parts.

Come join us for the most exciting season of the year. Because you haven’t experienced Montana until you’ve seen it in spring.

Rocking Out with Rhett Miller

Sometimes, where you create makes all the difference.

Did you set aside your dream to be a novelist? Put your paints in the back of a drawer and forget to open it back up?

There’s an artist inside all of us, and delving into that inner world can take some wild turns. But you have to be ready.

For inspiration, take your cues from singer-songwriter and frequent guest performer of The Resort at Paws Up, Rhett Miller. In addition to playing guitar and touring with his band, Old 97’s, he’s also the host of “Wheels Off,” a podcast that explores the “messy reality behind the creative life.” It turns out, he has a lot to say about generating ideas.

His advice? Take a step outside.

He tells a story about his last visit to Paws Up. “There was one particular spot where I pulled my chair around so I was at the edge of a cliff overlooking a bend in the Blackfoot River. I didn’t have modern noises, I didn’t have streets, I didn’t have cars. There were literally eagles flying around me, a fireplace crackling behind me—and the things my mind was able to do when it was confronted with that kind of freedom felt like they couldn’t happen anywhere else.”

It’s the opposite of what you find at other high-end resorts. “Because Paws Up offers a place where “artifice [is] stripped away,” he says. “You could pay all the money in the world and not get that.”

“The other thing Paws Up does is, it inspires so much gratitude,” Miller explains. “You know, people really fetishize unhappiness and heartbreak when it comes to art and creativity. But I’m a lot more effective at making things when I’m feeling gratitude.”

And there are lots of reasons to be grateful for Miller. His music and visits are always a joy.

Miller’s latest solo album, The Misfit, was released in late 2022. A video of the single “Already There” was shot at Paws Up by Resort Photographer and Filmmaker Stuart Thurlkill.

B SHED HUNTING

Walk through the woods of Montana in early spring and you’re likely to stumble across more than wildflowers. If any big game has passed through, they may have left behind their newly shed antlers, called simply “shed.”

READY TO HUNT? TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE BEFORE HEADING OUT.

FINDING SHEDS IS PRETTY EASY.

True.

“You never know when you’ll run into a shed,” says Senior Executive Chef Sunny Jin, an avid shed hunter. Keep your eyes peeled on your next spring trail ride for sheds from elk, deer, moose and more.

SHED HUNTING IS LEGAL THROUGHOUT MONTANA.

Almost. Sheds are up for grabs everywhere except for within Montana State Parks.

SHEDS ARE TYPICALLY DESTINED FOR MANTELPIECES.

False. Many shed hunters (including Jin) save their smaller, less pristine sheds for dogs, who savor the chew. As for larger sheds? “They’ve piled up into a collection for later decorations,” Jin says.

Born to be wild

Grab your morning joe and join the buzz outside. In the spring, Paws Up’s bloomin’ botany is a breakfast buffet for pollinators like bees and butterflies. Wildflowers are what power the hard labor that helps crops and other critical plants to grow, and their roots go deep, providing storage for water and nutrients, making them a crucial part of the ecosystem all year long.

But it’s when the snow melts around March or April, watering the seeds below the surface, that their colors come bursting onto the scene. Flowers appear one after another, in succession, and you can follow their blooms up in elevation. First, you’ll see them in the lower areas, and then the yellows, purples and pinks work their way up the hills and mountains as the season progresses.

Take the time to notice, and you’ll be in for quite a show. Naturalist and Paws Up guide Kristina Davis walks us through the timeline.

Buttercups

The first sign that spring is coming

Small in size and low to the ground

Look for five yellow petals and a green center

Shooting Stars

Leaves at ground level

Petals on a taller slender stem

Look for bright purple petals that point backwards

Bonus—they’re edible!

Pasqueflowers

Low to the ground

Fuzzy hairs on the stem and sepals

Look for purple petals with a yellow center

HOW THE COLORS OF SPRING DEEPEN OUR CONNECTION TO NATURE

Because Paws Up is a private natural preserve, you may pick the flowers. But please only do so if you’re planning to eat them, press and preserve them or use them for some other purpose. Otherwise, leave them for others, like the bees and butterflies, to enjoy.

And for help identifying species, download Seek by iNaturalist . It’s a free app that allows you to simply point your phone’s camera to find out what you’re seeing while you’re out on the trails.

Lupine

Can be poisonous to cattle but grows where they graze

Slender leaves that form a small pocket for a drop of water to be captured

Look for flowers that are a pyramid of purple, and seedpods that look like peapods

IndianPaintbrush

A stalk of red flowers

Green slender leaves running the length of the stem

Look for a flower that looks like, well, a paintbrush!

Arrowleaf Balsamroot

(not pictured)

Grows on open hillsides

Large leaves shaped like arrows

Look for a sunflower-like main flower

Yellow Bells

(not pictured)

Short-to-the-ground plants

Slender green leaves

Look for a yellow drooping flower

prepare for takeoff

MONTANA’S GREAT SNOW GOOSE MIGRATION

It’s the crack of dawn in mid-March. Snow still blankets the countryside, and ice forms a crust on an appropriately named Freezeout Lake. The sun is rising slower than the steam from the water, as the crowd of onlookers swells.

But no matter how many devoted bird-watchers gather to witness at the shoreline on this Montana spring day, their numbers will certainly be eclipsed by the hundreds of thousands of geese that spontaneously descend, then lift off, the lake’s surface—all in unrehearsed unison each day. It’s nothing short of epic.

It’s Montana’s annual snow geese migration: the first stop of an arduous journey that plays out each year, beginning with a flight from central California and ending on arctic coastline breeding grounds in the far north tundra of North America.

The 150 miles through the Blackfoot Valley along its namesake river, and over a heavily timbered and rugged Rogers Pass, is a dramatic drive made ever more so by the first breathtaking glimpse of the final destination: stark, golden plains of wheat and barley, hemmed by the enormous jagged granite peaks of the Rocky Mountain Front.

Come spring, it’s a nonstop 18-hour flight of 600 miles across California’s Central Valley. This annual migration of the snow goose is a sight so astounding, it can be overwhelming. Each of these geese spends about four to five days here before they continue on to the Arctic to carry out breeding. Like other waterfowl such as penguins, pairs mate for life and produce two to six eggs per year.

But it isn’t just snow geese that use Freezeout Lake. It’s also trumpeter swans, goldeneye, pintail ducks and Canadian geese, to name a few.

Over the course of about two weeks, groups of geese will engage in a cycle of feast and rest in this premier wetland/prairie complex, raiding grain fields morning and night. At midday, they blast up from surrounding fields in a deafening flap and move to the lake to lounge. The din of collective wing flaps and nonstop honking can be likened to a rock concert of waterfowl.

Over the course of about a two-week season, up to one million birds use this lake during their total 3,000-mile migration to arctic breeding grounds northeast of Russia, only to return south a few months later.

Freezeout Lake Wildlife Management says that it isn’t unusual to see groups of up to 300,000 snow geese at one time congregate here, gorging and resting for the longer flight ahead. Birds settle for the night on the lake, then ascend to feed on grain in neighboring fields in Montana’s famed Golden Triangle.

According to the United States Geological Survey, “the Snow Goose is a circumpolar species and one of the most abundant in the world.” Each year, Freezeout Lake is a sought-out stopover, making it integral to the entire population that migrates over the western United States.

FROM HAZARD TO HABITAT

Freezeout Lake was once a cesspool of agricultural waste products owing to drainage issues and pesticides. The water was said to have been so toxic that numerous birds would die each year from botulism and exposure to other toxins, which ultimately hampered migration and eventual breeding ground efforts in the North.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation began studying this area in the mid-1980s for water quality, irrigation issues and bottom sediment. They found deadly bacteria, arsenic and other chemicals. Reclamation of water and structural safeguards have prevented further contamination and restored it as an important waterfowl habitat for snow geese and other species.

The West’s new live-fire hot spot: Shed ®

For Becker, “The casual refinement of Paws Up stands out from more formal resorts. Laurence wanted to be sure guests would be comfortable coming in with muddy boots after a wilderness activity.”

What made Becker particularly excited was master-planning the area. “It’s a presentation where the old meets the new. It harkens back to the past,” she says, noting “contextual slatted walls that borrow shape-nostalgic design forms such as older barns.”

The Mutuus team designed this space as two spaces, partly to accommodate 100+ diners but also, “having a separate bar area just felt right for this space,” as Becker explains. One area features stunning cook spaces and plenty of seating. The adjacent space focuses on drinks and conversation. Both lend themselves well to live-fire demos and various tastings. “We wanted to combine a sense of comfort with the performance of the chefs and mixologists,” Becker says. “They live well together at Shed.”

A SIMPLE NAME: SHED.

But one that already stands for grilled and smoked culinary excellence in a space like no other. So how did The Resort at Paws Up ® turn what was once a small smokehouse pop-up eatery into a permanent dining pavilion par excellence?

shed 1 |SHed| noun

A simple roofed structure, typically made of wood or metal, used as a storage space, a shelter for animals or a workshop.

Home to a live-fire grilling paradise.

According to Paws Up Managing Director and Co-Owner Laurence Lipson, “We turned to Mutuus Studios, a design team headed by architect and designer Kristen Becker. They’ve been involved in so much of the Paws Up and green o design aesthetic—everything from creating the Social Haus dining experience to reimagining the Paws Up luxury camping tents. Their creative work made them the right choice for transforming Shed.”

The Shed’s cooking area was designed by Paws Up Senior Executive Chef Sunny Jin, a true visionary. It features a mesmerizing six-foot grilling area, with an ascending racks system for optimal flexibility with indirect heat.

On the smoking side of the kitchen, a massive 250-gallon, twin-chambered smoker puts Shed on the map. Shed Executive Chef Ben Scott points out that it “lets us smoke all day, or for an hour, by creating temperature zones—we can have it 50 degrees cooler on one end.”

The hardware’s impressive. But it’s the cuisine itself that separates Shed and continues to elevate the Ranch’s live-fire cooking and barbecue story.

When Shed opened last summer, excellence was on the menu right out of the gate. Sausages featuring game meats, from elk and wild boar to bison, seemed destined to become a staple. For the beef brisket, Scott borrowed from mentor and pit master Wayne Mueller’s famous Texas-style, noting that Mueller and his family’s Louie Mueller Barbecue joint has always been a source of inspiration. Scott jumped at a chance to cook with Mueller in Texas this past winter.

As Scott continues to refine the menu, his love of seafood over the open fire is obvious. “Direct heat, smoked, cured— it’s all delicious,” he says. “Grilled cedar plank salmon is a favorite, though we will go beyond traditional dishes with plates like smoked scallop crudo and maybe a dish like charred rapini with smoked trout roe and citrus.”

Whatever’s on the day’s menu at Shed, it will satisfy guest palates eager for that authentic Western grilled flavor, always served with a heaping side of Montana scenic landscape.

Shed opens for the season in May.

1. 2.

ENCHANTED

forest

“Kevin had created a similar park in Midlands, Ireland, called Lough Boora Discovery Park, and after multiple visits here, he was inspired by Montana so much that he envisioned it happening here,” she says.

On one visit, O’Dwyer spied an iconic industrial artifact (formerly used to burn wood byproduct) known simply as the TeePee Burner, where Delaney Sawmill used to be. “He immediately said, ‘That’s the icon, that’s the beginning,’ and we brought it to the land and gave it a new home,” Garland says.

Known for modifying industrial artifacts to create contemporary art, O’Dwyer wanted to recreate the glow of fire at night seen in the TeePee Burner. He used photovoltaic cells to drive LED lighting, replicating the luminosity seen as wood burned.

Once O’Dwyer’s inaugural piece was finished, creative invitations were extended to internationally recognized environmental artists known for creating art in nature. After studying Lincoln as a location, artists proposed their concepts, requested materials were gathered and each was given three weeks to complete a sculpture. The myriad focus of work that emerged is both symbolic and esoteric, highlights human existence and memory and honors place, landscape, material and story.

THE SCULPTURE PARK IS AN ANOMALY, something that could be found in the pages of an East Coast art quarterly, yet it’s wild. On the surface, it’s one of those delightfully improbable places that makes the world better. At its depth, it’s a complex look at the fabric of a town and why it’s important to embrace change in order to preserve it. Now in its tenth year, select artists fly into Montana from all over the world—Ireland, Finland, Denmark—to add to the collection. Last year’s installation featured work by an indigenous Montana artist.

“Key to our model is an educational program for kids,” Garland says. Each September, more than 300 students visit the sculpture park over the course of three weeks to meet the artists, learn about art in nature and then create their own sculptures using found objects.

Lincoln, Montana, is among a handful of American towns named for President Abraham Lincoln, who created the Montana Territory in 1864 about 25 years before it became the 41st state. Montana was once at the epicenter of industry in early American history. Known for copper and gold mining and eventually timber, Lincoln may be among the most unlikely towns on any map to be internationally famous for art.

Yet, somehow, it is.

BLACKFOOT PATHWAYS: SCULPTURE IN THE WILD is situated on 26 timbered acres, leased from the Department of Natural Resources Conservation in 2014. It’s the brainchild of Kevin O’Dwyer—an Irish sculptor known for large-scale work—and Lincoln knife maker Rick Dunkerley, who met by chance at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle.

Blackfoot Pathways board president and native Lincoln resident Becky Garland remembers the day O’Dwyer and Dunkerley proposed creating a sculpture park celebrating the cultural and industrial history of Lincoln. And though it seemed out of left field, she was excited.

While celebrating the town’s past, the sculpture park drives important discussions, from environmental stewardship to economic sustainability. The critical message? Even when industry is long gone, small towns trying to reinvent themselves can thrive via new economic initiatives.

Art stirs emotion. Emotion compels action. Perhaps this ode to a town, this intersection between art and nature, in a place with great historical significance, is an emotional love letter we all deserve.

BLACKFOOT PATHWAYS: SCULPTURE IN THE WILD IS WORTH THE DETOUR.

The Garden of One Thousand Buddhas

Just 30 minutes north of Missoula is a mind-boggling sight: One thousand stark white stone Buddhas lined uP in precision against a backdrop of rolling green hills and blue sky. Rows of serene, meditative statues carry messages of hope and karmic lessons.

As unexpected state novelties go, it’s truly remarkable.

Just past the small rural town of Arlee, and a mile or so jaunt down White Coyote Road, the emerging visual is truly revelatory—a hidden treasure that, at first, seems out of place in Montana. But when one considers this Buddhist shrine is situated on sacred tribal ground, this setting isn’t at all far-fetched.

It began as a vision. Gochen Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche, a Tibetan meditation master and scholar who purchased this site in 2000, had dreamed of a peace garden in a mountainous valley as a small child. The idea eventually manifested in Montana with the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas, a sacred pilgrimage site and Buddhist Ewam learning center established as a landmark of international peace.

With approval from Flathead County’s Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe—and with the participation of volunteers from the community to cast each concrete Buddha—the garden was born. Within 16 years, all of the buddhas were finally completed and placed.

This garden’s careful layout represents the 1,000 buddhas that are believed will actually be born in our religious age. The recurrent layout theme of a grid-like pattern that depicts one thousand buddhas, each sitting atop a lotus platform, can be found throughout art in all of Asia and at many sacred sights.

It’s what’s known as a “wheel of dharma” with a pavilion at its center, seating the female Deity, Tara. Its outer ring features 1,000 white stupas, or temple effigies. Also commonly known as the “Dharmachakra,” its inner structure is an eight-spoke wheel, often called “the wheel of law.” With 125 identical meditating figures per spoke, it is said to manifest an important lesson of Buddhism: that all sentient beings equally have “buddha-nature” and can attain enlightenment.

Nepalese scholar Netra Sharma explains that because Buddhism envisions peace as an inner state of mental tranquility which spreads outward, “attaining a state of inner peace could be an inspiration to all.”

The Garden of One Thousand Buddhas offers more than just a fascinating walk around a stunning property, including additional gardens and beautiful statuary. In spring and summer, the Ewam International center there offers retreats, classes and events. Video teachings from past years can be accessed for free on its website.

People come to the Garden for all sorts of reasons: to sit in a beautiful, tranquil place or just to marvel that anything like it actually exists just beyond Arlee, a town that you might otherwise miss while traveling 40 miles per hour. From U.S. Highway 93, which connects Flathead to Beaverhead counties from north to south, the shrine isn’t even visible from the road.

That something exists purely to inspire, enlighten and invite peace, calm and compassion may be the greatest gift to a tumultuous world. That Rinpoche had a vision that later included Montana, may be the highest of compliments.

The work of Hard Handiwork

MEET MONTANA’S CUSTOM SADDLE MAKERS

IN THE SPRING OF 1900, a lone Montana cowboy rode through the muddy streets of Great Falls. His top priority: three fingers of good whiskey. But he also came to see a man he had heard made the best saddles in the West: Victor Ario.

Descended from Austrian saddle makers, “Victor Ario was a craftsman, whose business grew to 10 saddle makers working to produce 500 saddles a year,” says Jeff Gollehon of Grizzly Saddlery, which is essentially the latest iteration of Ario Saddlery. Gollehon represents this traditional craft with pride. “I’m making a piece of art—very functional art. No two saddles are alike.”

Today, cowboys and cowgirls are more likely to trailer their horses into Great Falls than ride them. But “they are still looking for a great fit between rider and horse, ’cause if you’re going to be on a horse all day long, you don’t want to do it on a cheap factory saddle,” Gollehon says.

Riders’ love of well-made working saddles is not lost on Karstan Frecker of Frecker’s Saddlery in Dillon, Montana. His father was a legendary saddle maker, the late Kent Frecker. “I guess I started in this business when I was about 14.

I learned everything from my dad,” Karstan says. Now running the business, Karstan creates world-class saddles with brother Tyler, who crafts custom saddle trees that ensure a perfect fit to the horse. “It kind of sets us apart,” Karstan says, “building our own saddle trees fit to the horse, then the saddle to precisely fit the rider.”

For fancy high-end saddle builds, the intricate tooling and stamping needed to create beautiful floral or leaf designs, or even images of bison and elk, doesn’t come cheaply. Or quickly. “While a fairly plain working saddle might take 40 hours to build, a fancier one with extensive tooling easily takes four times that,” Frecker says.

Investing in an exceptional custom saddle pays off in the long run. According to Frecker, “A custom saddle will last a long, long time. Enough to pass it down to another generation if you take care of it.”

If the looks of these saddles has you licking your chops to order one, be a little patient. “We are booked out several years, and are now taking orders for delivery well into 2025,” business manager Jolly Frecker says.

Saddle-making spoken here

Belgrade Montana Horseman Saddle Building School

Belgrade Cole Custom Saddles

Dillon Frecker’s Saddlery

Ennis Ericksen Saddlery

Great Falls Grizzly Saddlery

Hamilton Bitterroot Saddle Company

Livingston Word of Mouth Leather

Lewiston Sting Saddlery

Laurel Witt’s Custom Saddlery

THE BEAR AWA K E N S

A sure sign of Montana spring: the Kyiyo Pow Wow

When spring rousts Montana from its winter lethargy, deciduous trees begin to bud. The wildflowers wake up and show their pretty faces. And something else awakens as well: the bear.

The bear, kyiyo in the Blackfeet language, is the perfect name for the University of Montana Native American Student Association. As a group, the members’ excitement level rises each April as they host Montana’s renowned spring powwow—the Kyiyo Pow Wow at U of M’s Adams Center.

It’s a chance for everyone to experience native cultures that span hundreds of years. Local Missoula Indigenous People such as the Blackfeet and the Salish, but also Kootenai, Assiniboine, Coeur d’Alene, Crow, Flathead, Gros Ventre, Nez Perce and other tribes from all over the West come together—all relishing the chance to preserve the rich heritage of Indigenous history and culture.

A massive drum, fully 10 feet across, beckons as multiple skilled drummers pound out a rhythm that will greet the Grand Entry on April 21 and roll through April 22. This 54th Kyiyo Pow Wow will begin with such a Grand Entry each day, letting all in attendance—and everyone is invited—to see myriad dancers in their full regalia.

The drumhead gets little rest as it remains the beating heart of the bear Kyiyo throughout the two-day powwow. It cues and follows the dancers as they enter and begin to show off dance moves that connect one generation to the next. After the Grand Entry, they, along with drummers and singers, will vie for prizes, but mostly they strive for a chance to pass on their traditions.

The diversity of each tribe represented at the Kyiyo Pow Wow comes to life through the various dancing styles. Their clothing, bursting with colors magnified by intricate beadwork and feather adornments, may date back to ceremonies and dances from this same plot of land 500 years ago.

Here, once this bear wakes up, the stories begin to pour forth. Stories about mountains, rivers, coyotes and ravens and great accomplishments. The stories teach and thrill. And they tug at you in ways you haven’t felt before. Additionally, various vendors offer art and jewelry and clothing that capture some of the authentic flavor of the weekend.

Through powwows such as the Kyiyo, Native Americans pass on knowledge of their histories and express them. Those of us who are privileged to bear witness to the display of cultural enthusiasm and skill feel thankful we have been invited into this world.

The late, revered Blackfeet Chief Earl Old Person once said that Native American songs are a way to link the past of Indigenous culture to the future. “Our language, our songs, our traditions are the foundation of being Natives, and it’s important for everyone to hear them,” he said.

Photos by Antonio Ibarra, courtesy of the Montana Kaimin.

A furry meet-cute

Meet the Ranch’s newest additions. Boone

MEET BOONE, OUR RESIDENT HORSE. This old fellow was skin and bones just a few years ago when he was donated to us. We nursed him back to health, then beamed with pride as he welcomed our smallest wranglers for a ride. Boone’s arthritis flared up, so we retired him last year, but he’s a good ol’ boy who still has all of his teeth, despite his advanced age (30+), so feel free to give him some treats.

Black Angus cattle, mustangs and American bison: These majestic creatures are synonymous with the American West. They’re also inextricably tied to the history and spirit of The Resort at Paws Up, which remains a working cattle and bison ranch. You’ll find the herds roaming the pasturelands not far from Paws Up Village and the Wilderness Outpost, while the rescued mustangs live at the Equestrian Center.

As awe-inspiring as these creatures are, they’re not the only animals who call Paws Up home. Come spring, you can meet the official welcoming committee for our smallest guests. There’s an old horse, goats, lambs, miniature donkeys and a bunny named Cinnabun, too. They’re out at pasture most days near the Equestrian Center, so stop by and say hello.

BIRTHDAYS ARE ESPECIALLY COMMON COME SPRING, and this year, three of our favorite friends will be marking their eighth birthday. Cupid, Rider and Goofball are three adorable goats that were lucky enough to be bottle-raised by none other than Jackie Kecskes, our Equestrian Manager.

JUST WHEN YOU THINK OUR CORRAL CAN’T GET ANY BETTER, along come Cinnamon and Sugar, our two miniature donkeys. They’re especially friendly and you’ll swear they’re smiling as they reach their heads out through the split-rail fence to greet you.

MARY HAD JUST ONE LITTLE LAMB, BUT HERE AT PAWS UP, we have three and they’re as wooly and wonderful as you’d expect. They turned one in January, but we still haven’t named them just yet.

WE

Wild, WACKY, and WET

The Whitefish Pond Skim

PUT A SPRING IN YOUR STEP

UPCOMING EVENTS AT PAWS UP

Ready to waterski? Every April, Whitefish

Mountain Resort in Whitefish, Montana (about a 2.5-hour drive from Paws Up) holds the Whitefish Pond Skim. The contest sees snowboarders and skiers dress up in outlandish costumes and try to “skim” across a manmade pond at the bottom of a run on the resort’s Big Mountain. Competitors take part in four rounds. The first round consists of just trying to make it all the way across the pond. The second, third and fourth involve jumps and backwards skiing.

The winner, who makes it to round four and skims the farthest across the pond, gets a cash prize and bragging rights—and a sopping-wet outer layer to deal with. “As you can imagine, by the end of the day there’s quite a few wipeouts,” says resort spokesperson Chad Sokol. Part of the resort’s season-closing festivities, it’s a “long-running and well-loved tradition,” Sokol says. There are also prizes for best costume, best crash and other categories. In 2022, the resort awarded $1,050, split up among the winners.

For more info on the Whitefish Pond Skim, visit skiwhitefish.com

SPRING 2023

SUNNY AND FRIENDS

March 3–5, 2023

Sunny really knows how to pick ’em. Find out what great chefs—and old friends—make when they cook for each other. Chefs Jason Dady, Shota Nakajima, Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, are the guests of honor, joining Senior Executive Chef Sunny Jin for adventure in the kitchen and beyond.

SPRING BREAK TIME, MONTANA-STYLE

March 20–April 19, 2023

Go ahead. Tell your kids to “get out.”

Teach your kids the real meaning of streaming right here in the Blackfoot River Valley. Wilderness Workshops, spirits tastings and live music included.

SPRING WILDERNESS WORKSHOPS

MONTANA MAJESTY PAINTING WITH ASHLEY MITCHELL

March 22 & 29, April 5, 12 & 19, 2023 Artists of all ages and skill levels are welcome.

GETTIN’ PRIMITIVE WITH GARY STEELE

March 27–April 2, April 10–16, 2023

The kids will talk about this outdoor skills workshop for years.

HAPPY HOUR MIXOLOGY

April 7, 2023

with Kera Holloway of Missoula’s Montgomery Distillery and live music by Kelley Sinclair

COWGIRL SPRING ROUNDUP

April 20–23, 2023

Featuring honorees of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

Brush up on your horsewomanship with scenic trail rides and enlightening demonstrations. And spend each night around a roaring campfire sharing tall tales with your soon-to-be lifelong friends.

THE WONDER WOMEN OF FOOD AND WINE

April 28–30, 2023

A culinary Ka-Pow!

Get to know inspiring chefs and vintners who’ve broken through to culinary superstardom. The best part? You’ll also dine on their award-winning cuisine while enjoying live music.

MONTANA MASTER GRILLERS®: TEXAS

May 26–29, 2023

A celebration of the best of the Lone Star State We’ll host some of the best pit masters in Texas, and as a result, the world. Come Memorial Day weekend and witness them in action, then sink your teeth into some finger-lickin’ BBQ.

SUMMER 2023

LIVE FIRE LEGENDS

JUNE 22–24, 2023

These chefs are right on ’cue. Pick up a few pointers on grilling with a white-hot lineup of BBQ pros, including James Beard Award winner Chef Jonathon Sawyer. We’ll have cooking demos and classes, plus mouthwatering meals.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

JULY 4, 2023

A first-class Fourth of July Picnics, pies, epic fireworks: We have all of your favorite Fourth of July traditions, plus a few new ones the whole family will enjoy.

BOUNTY ON THE BLACKFOOT

AUGUST 19, 2023

A culinary event you can bank on.

Taste the freshness of a farm-to-table feast dreamed up by Top Chef and Tournament of Champions winner Brooke Williamson—during Montana’s lush growing season.

Photos courtesy of Whitefish Mountain Resort

a full schedule of upcoming events and workshops at Paws Up, visit pawsup.com/events

Bust out the calendar and start marking it up. Whether you’re eager to learn from the country’s hottest chefs, raise a ruckus with Cowgirl Hall of Fame honorees or rub shoulders with the best pit masters in Texas, The Resort at Paws Up has something for everyone in the months ahead.

SPRING

IN MONTANA .