Absaroka & Beartooth Ranges

Just got back from a fun little weekend jaunt to Red Lodge for a junior ski race. Took a few shots of the Beartooths. Not far behind the peak in the above photo is Granite Peak, Montana's highest at 12,800 feet. Unfortunately, I was unable to see it from my position behind the patrol shack on Nichols Peak. Between the races, I managed to get a few runs in down some of the chutes northeast of the Cole Creek lift. Coverage was a little sketchy. Lots of excellent winter recreation opportunities in this area. They had a pretty significant fire in the area (as seen in a below photo). It did not quite make it close enough to the hill to clear some of the popular tree skiing terrain, however, which according to a few locals needed some clearing. On top of the ski hill (about 9,300 ft) one could see (in addition to the Beartooths) the Crazies, Snowies and Little Belts.

The bank in Columbus said it was 60 degrees today. Unreal. I now know were Rapelje is - just north of Columbus. I've never made it to the bike race there, which each year is a 24 hour event. Friends have said it is a ball.

It is a little over 5 hours over from Missoula to Red Lodge. We managed to listen to Casper, Wyoming's 1030 AM from Columbus all the way to about Clinton cheering for the Steelers. They've made it in again! Red Lodge is a beautiful place. Another quiet little Montana secret.