MK Ambassador, Brad Carpenter, Recaps the Montana Winter

Winter started out great this year in Southwest Montana. November 8th it started snowing and by the end of the month we had three to four feet on the ground. Like most seasons in Montana, winter seemed to turn on like a switch. Our snowpack stayed mostly stable for the season as well which made for some great backcountry skiing and riding conditions all over the mountains.

I was able to spend a lot of time in nearby Hyalite Canyon ferreting out new lines from the steep bowls and trees hidden within its depths, and mostly stuck close to home as there was no need to ski anywhere else with such amazing conditions here.

Come spring we were sitting on a decent base and waiting for our annual spring snow hose to turn on. March and April are usually our biggest snow producers and this year was no exception with more than 300cm or about 10 feet of snow falling from March 1st to our closing date of April 24th. This doesn't count the two feet of snow that fell last week! We ended the season with over 300 total inches having fallen and 105 inches settled on the ground for a base.

The rest of the spring should be great with several feet or more of snow in the mountains. I am looking forward to spring touring around the area for the next few weeks then its off to the Cook Islands and New Zealand for their winter yet again.