Your Choice of Lifts | Special Precautions | Best Bets for the Backcountry

Your Choice of Lifts: Helicopter, Snowmobile, Snowcat, or Feet

Certainly, Montana can brag about the absence of lift lines at our downhill resorts. But if you're one of those people looking for absolute solitude, we have the backcountry terrain of your dreams.

The big question, of course, is: How do you get to the backcountry? After all, the term "backcountry," by definition, means it's off the well-worn path. You won't find a nice high-speed quad to the trailhead for these treks.

There are probably no more extreme extremes in backcountry skiing than setting off under your own power from one of our hundreds of trailheads toward a snow covered crag with visions of first tracks... possibly first tracks ever... helping make every step lighter. With the proper equipment, a bit of hiking will deliver you to an alpine peak or couloir filled with untouched powder. However, this isn't a decision to take lightly, as the terrain can be dangerous if you're unprepared (please see next section).

On the other hand, guided helicopter, snowcat or snowmobile tours are available in some of the most challenging and beautiful terrain in the world. Let someone else do the hard work while you enjoy the view, and of course you'll be pounding new powder before anyone else has gotten off the chairlift. If you want to take a guided heli-ski trip, Montana has guides that can help you.

More prevalent than helicopters, though, are guided snowcat/backcountry ski trips. Snowcats can get you into backcountry areas fairly quickly, and they have the added advantage of being instant lifts when you're done with a run. Again, many Montana guides offer backcountry ski trips.

Bottom line: You work for it, or you pay for it. But then, it doesn't much matter, which way you get there. Exploring the raw, untamed world of the backcountry is unlike anything else in skiing. Areas that are often frequented by backpackers in summer are completely empty and quiet in winter, when the peaks, lakes, rocks, and trees are blanketed under 20 feet of snow. The backcountry skier gets a double delight-- discovery of self and of the wilderness that surrounds.

• The evening before your planned backcountry trip, call for a regional avalanche report. For Northwest Montana: 406-257-8402 or 800-526-5329 (in Montana). For Southwest Montana: 406-587-6981 or http://www.gomontana.com/avalanche. For West Central Montana: 406-549-4488 or 800-281-1030 (in Montana). For the Cooke City area: 406-838-2341. For the West Yellowstone area: 406-646-7912. Nationally: http://csac.org/Bulletins/ or http://avalanche.org/. Know the basics of avalanche safety, and avalanche rescue. You'll find a brief overview here, but the best way to learn is to enroll in a course on avalanche safety.
• Ski with someone else. Backcountry skiing alone is an almost certain recipe for disaster. Two (or preferably more) skiers increase the odds of survival if one of you is caught in an avalanche.
• Don't "group up" while skiing. Try to stay 100 yards apart, especially on steeper, less stable slopes. This decreases the chances of your entire group being caught in one avalanche.
• Carry the right equipment for avalanche rescue, including transceivers, probe poles and shovels. Again, an avalanche safety course is your best bet in this area.

Best Bets for the Backcountry

Any of Montana's downhill resorts operated on forest service lands present opportunities for backcountry exploration. But please talk with the local ski patrol before you venture out of bounds to get their thoughts on current conditions. Many guides also offer helicopter and snowmobile trips. For a listing of Montana guides offering snowcat skiing search Travel Montana's database here. Or for a complete listing of Montana guides offering backcountry ski getaways, search Travel Montana's database here.

Or, find out more about Montana's national forests (and the ski areas operated on them) by following these links to their home pages on the U.S.D.A. Forest Service web site.

• Beaverhead-Deerlodge
• Bitterroot
• Custer
• Flathead
• Gallatin
• Helena
• Kootenai
• Lewis and Clark
• Lolo