The entries have been received, the chads dimpled, ties settled with sewing machines at 20 paces and recounts recounted. We are proud to announce and showcase the winners of the 2011 Mystery Ranch photo and video contest. Congratulations to grand prize winners Ryan Krueger, Matthew Irving and KGB Productions and thanks to everyone who entered your unbelievably awesome photos and videos.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

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It’s easy to tell when springs coming in Montana! The southwest weather flow will converge with our colder air up north dropping heavy wet snow with a density upwards of %6. This pattern begins sometime in march and will usually run well into June, allowing us to ski powder while everyone else is attending U13 soccer games and barbecues. This heavier snow sticks to everything, allowing us to ski the lines we have been looking for all season. This March we ventured out into the Tobacco Root mountains seeking shelter at the Bell Lake Yurt for four days of uninterrupted skiing. Enjoy the short video attached to see what the Bell Lake Yurt is all about!

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James Binkley weaving through Aspens

James looking for a safe, speedy path through an Aspen grove

The sun found its way out Monday morning, but 4 feet of snow lurked on top of a terrible weak layer.  This combination resulted in 23 reported avalanches in the Salt Lake region over the weekend. Short on cash for a second day at the resort, we took to low angle backcountry skiing.  Big Cottonwood Canyon is lathered with moderate angle, aspen infested pitches fresh for our choosing. We found some lines.

Taking a turn on an untouched shoulder in front of Solitude

The stability tests we performed on the snowpack aligned with the forecast, consistently terrible,  so we packed the camper that afternoon and motored for Colorado to prep for the SIA (Ski Industry Association) tradeshow in Denver.

Of course, on the way to Denver is the little town of Crested Butte, with more snow and bluebird skies, but again unsettling conditions lurked in the snowpack, the new snow/old snow interface weak, the avalanche danger high. Did I mention we trailered sleds the whole trip? We stayed prudent though, confined ourselves to skiing only the base of the highest peaks, drooling over the possibilities in the higher lines. We used the snowmobiles to lap short lines and small cliffs void of avalanche danger, then packed again, not ready to test our luck further in another unfamiliar snowpack, fired up the camper, and drove to the biggest skiing party in Colorado.

The X-Games. Aspen. Two days, a Friday night. We did absolutely no skiing. Instead, a hearty effort was put into supporting the athletes who have trained hard to compete professionally, and figured the best way to do this was to take advantage of the sponsor companies throwing the parties. In Belly Up we were greeted with an open bar and catered lunch. We used several hours of this as motivation to make our way 5 miles to the events at Buttermilk. Do five matching backpacks makes us look like professional media? We stood just down from the packed bus stop, and in mere seconds a van pulled out of traffic to the side of the road asking if we were with ESPN and offered us a ride. The hesitation in our response and no credentials foiled this plan, but the second vehicle fell for our plot and gave us a ride. Two hours of witnessing ridiculous tricks sent us right back to the bars in Aspen. A few ridiculously caffeinated cocktails played a small, but key, role in closing down the bars. 9am meetings in Denver would be something. And on we went.

Jeff Christenson drops into the Alpental backcountry

Slashing a turn on the tooth

With light fading fast, Tracy set up for a shot on a ridge in front of The Tooth. It was not her first photo shoot and she nailed her one turn down the shoulder with dust on crust to a spectacular finish in a tree. With the sun behind the peak and no more chances for stopping action we wrapped up for holiday events.

Hike to Chair Peak

The high pressure system held strong, with clear days and cold nights producing new snow in the form of facets. To ensure a smooth transition between family events, my mom scheduled a morning off before hosting her side of the family. My brother and I jumped at the opportunity and were out of the house by 5 am. My father who was aware of our plan the night before laughed at the idea of an icy dawn patrol. While racing the sun, we skinned as far as we could but resorted to boot packing when the relentless icy slopes would not allow for uphill travel.

Kicking up Snow

Chair Peak became the background for the sunrise and we quickly manufactured turns on a sunny wind loaded shoulder. We skied as long as the light held then turned back to the iced southeast face toward the car. The pictures we earned did not reflect the same morning my dad experienced at Alpental. Four hours late and just down the ridge my father took advantage of firm corduroy.

Hucking the first run

Jonny Wood takes his first steps. Photo by Ryan Krueger.

The first cold front of the season parked itself directly over Bozeman for 12 hours on the last day of September. Less than an inch of snow accumulated on the cars and roofs of Bozeman, but 14 miles north at 7,000 feet the snow filled in some of the grassy slopes at Bridger. There really wasn’t enough snow to skin, which is good because I couldn’t find my lightweight boots shovel or probe! It barely took an hour for us to reach the top of the grass and the bottom of the rocky slopes, where we clicked into our skis and wiggled down the grassy slopes catching everything the mower missed this summer.

Here comes ski season!

Jonny finds a seam through the grass. Photo Ryan Krueger.

James Binkley skiing between trees on the west side of Bridger Bowl. This terrain received its first opening this season under the open gate backcountry access. As of January you couldn't tell anyone had ventured down this side.

The Saddle Peak Pack quickly found its home this winter as locals began putting their names on a waiting list before production of the pack even began!  Its ultimate arrival was marked shortly after Bridger Bowl’s opening weekend.  Armed with modest disposable incomes, (read ski bums) a few early Saddle Peak adopters headed into the mountains armed with their cameras to document the release.

I pulled time off work and crammed all my gear and myself into the back of a pickup of friends headed to Mount Baker.  The short trip to Washington gave 3 incredible days of skiing with over 30″ of snow!  A horrific Pineapple Express quickly pushed us back towards the Rockies….. ahhh Montana!  Here are some shots I gleaned from a few crucial and well planned “sick days”.

Here’s a glimpse into part of my winter…. enjoy some Montana skiing shots!

The Saddle Peak really excels when all you need are skins and avi gear. Jonny Wood entering one of the many new couloirs that the Slushmans lift has brought into the slack country.

The Saddle Peak really excels when all you need are skins and avi gear. Jonny Wood entering one of the many new couloirs that the Slushmans lift has brought into the slack country.

Jonny Wood takes an air in lift serviced terrain late afternoon at Bridger Bowl. The snow stays great if you are brave enough to enter this slide path.

You still need skins if you go skiing in Cooke City, but the weight of your backcountry setup doesn't matter when you have an approach vehicle like this. James Binkley lays over his sled with his skis carried diagonally on the Saddle Peak. This image was take in November on a small frozen lake. It was one of only a few spots that James could lay over his sled without worrying about hitting rocks.

Known as a snowmobile mecha, Cooke City is surrounded by the incredible Beartooth Mountains. This combination allows for snowmobile access to some of the best skiing in Montana. Kyle Taylor drops into the untouched Elbow Couloir splitting the north face of Mt Miller.

This shot was taken in Washington after a day of white out powder skiing. James Binkley is feeding the birds at Mt. Baker after our second 12″ day in a row. Five locals let us shack up on the floor of the 3 bedroom “Chando”. This shack, condo combination in Glacier was filled to 10 guests.

Lets hope spring will bring more snow,
Kyle