montana

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Permalink Reply by Montana Slim on October 23, 2008 at 1:14pm

Yo duder. Montana is for badasses - so they say.

Actually, to be honest, if you've been riding Bachelor, I can't say you're going to be overly impressed. I'd say that Bridger and Big Sky in central MT are the more impressive of the resorts, but you can have a lot of fun at some of the smaller ma and pop resorts in the state. Discovery is worth checking out, but again, nothing mind-blowing. I've been riding Snowbowl for the past few years outside Missoula. There's a lot of things wrong with this place, but it's got some charm for the same reasons: horrible management, no park to speak of, snowboarder-unfriendly, ancient and slow lift systems - you can tell a local by the fact they keep their own evac rope on them at all times - but, there's a lot of good tree riding, some super sick lines in the bowls, and plenty of hidden stashes, especially if you spend some time getting in with the yocals. None of the expert runs and stashes worth riding are labeled on the map, you just pick them up over time through word of mouth.

I can't attest to any of the other cities, but Missoula is a great place to live. You can get around anywhere you want on a bicycle. It's got a pretty happening cultural and indie music scene (for Montana), and Snowbowl is a super short drive - half hour or less, though the road is sketchball, and is often littered with cars dumped in the ditch. There's a bus that runs to the mountain, and you can usually hitch a ride pretty easily as well.

word.

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Permalink Reply by Montana Slim on October 23, 2008 at 3:13pm

Oh yeah, and of course, Red Lodge in the East, and Big Mountain in the NorthWest [or Whitefish Mountain Resort as they're trying to call it - ] are both worth looking into - depending on your taste of living. There's real decent terrain and pretty good snow fall (though can be a bit heavy) at Big Mountain, or the Big Fog as it's often referred to - actual fog, yes, but mountain and local snow bum parties that will also leave you in a fog. It's not too cheap living in Whitefish, but if you could get a place on the mountain, then you might never need to go anywhere. The area has it's own vibe - which overall is a bit yuppified. Red Lodge I'm not sure about, but am guessing it might be kind of desolate out in that red part of the state. Of course if you're planning on living in Montana, you should definitely get a big truck and grow your mustache out, in which case you'll fit right in.

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Permalink Reply by evilroyslade on October 23, 2008 at 8:56pm

Thank you very much for the info. Snowbowl sounds like my sorta place, and I'll be sure and check into that one.

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