the crevisse

over christmas break, i was handed the opportunity to go home, to eureka. my hometown. it was pretty incredible.
first night back, i went to an ugly sweater party. my first, hopefully not my last. it was a little surreal. a lotta funny. got to see ol peeps like juice...who sported a cobalt blue jnco sweater. he's the kind of friend that i can just look at the expression on his face and know exactly what he is thinking. lots of laughs...thats all we do, laugh at eachother.
then there's netzloff...we talked about music, his bands butter and wartime blues...
saw holt, the mexican jumping bean.
hung out with my cuz davey, as he sported a thick cardigan sweater, church pants (holey), and untied boots... the disheveled look to a tee. his girlfriend, sweet jenny haidle was there. she's a keeper.
lots of good people...oh-i was wearing an oversize blue sweatshirt with a snowman on the front and a birdhouse on the back.

after a few jagermeisters and jack and cokes, the evening was 'capped off'.

the next morning, the big plan was to go up trego to the crevisse to do some ice-climbing...

i was up for it...but after a long night of drinking, i wasn't sure if the plan would follow through.
sure enough, the next morning, holt the mexican jumping bean comes to pick me up and we are off.
he was rough. he was haggard looking. he was still drunk i am sure. but, armed with snowpants, vitamin water, and trail mix, we headed out.
gotta love following through, right?

about an hour into the drive, we make it. we stuff sierra nevadas into a camel back and into every pocket we can find and start the trek.

we traverse through streams, rocks, fallen logs, and ice to make it.

needless to say, it was worth it.


there was quite a crew out there. im talkin bad asses. i know i am in good hands with these guys.
meet wade.


wade is in his happy place doing dangerous things...such as ice-climbing, caving, jumping off things, etc. all the times i have hung out with wade have been extreme. last time with him, we went caving, dove into freezing waters, scaled cave walls, and surfaced numb and dirty. wade's good stuff.

matt...


matt is your quintessential bad ass. anybody that knows him knows that. and with all his badassesdness...he is a tailor. he handmade these gortex blue and black pants. looking closer, his craftsmanship is on point. this is without any type of formal class... pretty darn impressive.

and holt...


lots of energy. always smilin. down for a good time.

lovely savaiah


she's a funny lil bird. literally, she was petrified of climbing the ice or having her boyfriend ice climb where they are strapped in with ropes... yet she flys planes solo 20 thousand feet in the air.

here are some goodies....






my ex and his papa were there... we got along fabulously. it was a really beautiful day.

bilbo & co.

forest flew up to see me... who knew forests could fly... fairly absurd.
we had an AMAZING time...i had to take him to dave's sushi so that we could indulge in the cheeseburger of sushi rolls, the Gobbler. crab, mango, avocado, cream cheese, tempura fattty roll, doused with sweet chili sauce.
we devoured these culinary godsends with pleasure...

that evening, equipped with my girlfriends recipe, i started dinner. black truffle spiced soy bean succotash over polenta, topped with chimichurri sauce.
in all honesty, it was apparent that it was my first time cooking this dish. the veggies were sad looking, the polenta wasn't quite cooked through...and the chimichurri sauce was a little too spicy. i banked on the 'thought that counts' with this one.

the following saturday was cold and snowy. fact.
i had planned a sleighride up bigsky, a first for both of us.



as we made our way to ranch 320, we saw 3 moose just off the road...



forest took the last one, at about 10 to 15 feet away. lil too close for comfort for me.

we turn into the ranch, a wee bit late (due to the moose sightings)... but we made it. i was happy to have my eskimo with me.



we met the ringleaders of our chariot...bill, bo, and co.


hopping in the sled, forest and i nestled in the very back...most definitly the best seats on the sled. draped with wool blankets and furry hoods, we started off. the night was clear, only days from a full moon, which cast tree shadows along the lit snowbanks.

it was nice. the air was fresh and clean. the romanticism 'cliche' of starlit sleighrides is verified in my book.

stopping for 'cowboy chili',

drinks,

and a warm campfire under the moonlight was also...very nice.


we soaked and sweat in the hot springs for a solid 2 hours afterwords

heavy with grief, so weighted
that my head hangs
and shoulders sag.

what is so fair about this life...

montanan

friday night, 10:30.
long day. i woke up early to find a foot of freshly fallen snow on the ground. after brushing the snow of my buick with a swifter...yes, thats right...i drove 15 miles to work, passing cars in the ditch.
my trusty steed did me well. my blue suede shoes.
after a good 10 hours of productivity, i came home and reshoveled my walkway with a mouth full of sunflower seeds.
inhaled my leftover phyllo dough spinich pie and headed to the Ellen theatre.
a christmas carol debuted tonight. my seat was E101, one of the better ones in that there was an empty space in front of me to stretch my feet...which i didn't utilize, but still nice. it was so sweet. great acting, heartwarming. giggles. laughter. and the ellen. the ellen is so beautiful in its vintage lore.
driving home, and a bit lonely...i tossed back and forth the idea of going out...but my sensibility took over the reins and i came home.
turned on the computer, checked to see if bozeman mag. had published my article...and alas, they did...including my first poem.
which goes something like this;

“We are here together you and I,
that feverish summer well’s run dry.
She came in hot and went out cold,
Teased you a bit just like fools gold.

Now you’re left with me, my friend
With any season, I will gladly contend.
Tell me, what is your hearts delight,
And please, by all means, be forthright.

Is it weaving through a bed of trees
Bouncing off powder on two skis?
Maybe you prefer to ride a board
Shredding through terrain unexplored.

Either way, if that’s your love,
These types of things that I speak of,
Take my frosty hand and follow me,
Bundle up tight, and lets go ski.”

made me smile.
because it is sprinkled with personal metaphors.

goodnight world.

alice

lately i have been traversing old but familiar territory, in my mind, in search of dark places willing to host my extravagent pre-planned pity parties, complete with whine and cheese.

these wonderlandish perverbial 'tea parties' welcome many distressing thoughts.

inviting cruel, untrue, and potentially debilitating satirical prose.

this entourage of self-defeating mad hatters needs to be slowly yet assuredly jettisoned. So that this dark path and place in my mind slowly disappears leaving truth and light in its place.

chapters

forest pulled away early this morning, his car loaded with all his bozeman possesions.
thats goodbye then.
and i turn the page...

406

As winter wraps itself around our curvy natural state, we are compelled to accessorize with an arsenal of winter gear. Dusting off those sorels gives me an odd sense of pleasure, as if I am unholstering a life saving piece of integral warfare. Thermal underwear and socks are searched for in the bottoms of dressers and bins, and upon being found, proudly take their places as body armor. A flurry of hats, scarves, and mittens take the front lines, almost as if they are trying to confuse the stone-cold winter rival with a variety of shapes and colors.
In all honesty, regardless of how prepared we are for winter here in Montana, it is rather daunting at times. Making its way effortlessly past our militant layers of fabric, the frigid air still finds our ears and whispers. Putting a metaphorical rhyme to winters cool breath may sound something like this:

“We are here together you and I,
that feverish summer well’s run dry.
She came in hot and went out cold,
Teased you a bit just like fools gold.

Now you’re left with me, my friend
With any season, I will gladly contend.
Tell me, what is your hearts delight,
And please, by all means, be forthright.

Is it weaving through a bed of trees
Bouncing off powder on two skis?
Maybe you prefer to ride a board
Shredding through terrain unexplored.

Either way, if that’s your love,
These types of things that I speak of,
Take my frosty hand and follow me,
Bundle up tight, and lets go ski.”

Bozeman, as most of us already know, has built a nice fat repertoire when it comes to voluptuous hillsides of powder. Our credentials are popping at the seams with magazines gleaming of our nationally top-ranked ski terrain.
So, excuses being for the birds, I would suggest making the most out of this ski-tropolis that calls itself Bozeman. If you don’t ski, pick it up this year. There’s no time like the present, right? If you don’t drive, be a bum! Don’t feel bad either, because Bozeman was declared as being the “best place to go if you’re a ski bum” by Powder Magazine. If you are strapped for cash, make some necessary cut backs and save for a day of rosy cheeked shredding by checking out Bridger’s deals. You won’t be disappointed.
With all due respect, and unless you are a small child, lets keep those winter blues whines down to a small roar, shall we? I promise you that those sad nasal-pitched snivels are old news and taste just as bad as they sound. If you are seasonally affected, ahem, you my friend are in the wrong area code. With that being said, lets gear up for ski season, and find out for ourselves why we are ranked as one of the top ski towns in America.

Let me give you a run-down of all the nitty gritty morsels that you may want to chew on as the ski hills begin to open.

First up on Bozeman’s line of big triple threats is Bridger Bowl. Opening December 10th, lift ticket prices for adults are 39$/half day and 47$/full day. A standard season pass will run you $665 while a midday season pass comes in at $465. A couple deals to consider include the ten-time pass for $350 or look into MSU’s RIDE-ON card. This card is $30 and it allows you to ski all season for $39/full day and provides many discounted and free days throughout the season as well. The closest and most reasonably priced ski resort of the three, Bridger is a 16 mile drive Northeast of Bozeman. Check it out at www.bridgerbowl.com.

Next up to the plate is Big Sky Resort. Opening November 25th, lift ticket prices for adults are $55/full day through December 10. After the 10th, lift ticket prices for adults are $61/full day with valid MSU ID. A couple deals to consider is the Gold Direct-to-Lift Pass going for $899 for college students and the Frequent Sky Card for $139 which offers you 14 free days of skiing and $20 off the regular season window rate.
Ski 3800 acres, the most acres of rideable terrain you will find in the area. For more information, check out www.bigskyresort.com.

We also have our hidden gem, Moonlight Basin. Opening December 11th, lift ticket prices for college adults are $44/half day and $49/full day. College students can score a season pass for only $545. Shell out $450 if you can swing a mid day week pass! This resort will offer you beautiful uncrowded ski terrain. For more information, go to www.moonlightbasin.com.

For a season pass that combines both Big Sky and Moonlight into over 5,500 acres of downhill terrain, 27 combined lifts, and 220+ trails, take a look at the ‘Biggest Skiing in America’ ticket prices.

Its time to play, happy trails everyone!