After a week of cold snowy weather the boys from Ace Powder Guides and Hi Country Snowmobiles, as well as some of their buddies from West, finally got out and were able to do some riding. After a season filled with dissapointment in the lack of fresh snow fall we finally got what we have been waiting for. The fields of untouched cold smoke powder returned to SW Montana in a big way. In places where the wind had blown the snow in deep there was a fluffy 24+ inches of snow, and has allowed for the best riding of the season thus far. With another 12″ of snow forcased to fall in the next 24 hours the riding is only going to get better! Don’t trade the snow pants and helmit in for swim trunks and sandles just yet! Winter has finally arrived in West and it has come in a big way! Please be careful if you travel in the backcountry in the next couple days. The Gallatin Avalanche Center is calling for “considerable” avalanche danger due to the recent snow load deposited on wind slabs that formed over the last couple weeks. Yesterday during our ride there were some obvious signes of instability so please use caution, but the riding is at its best right now. Get out and enjoy it! For thoes of you that cant get out and enjoy the cold fluffy, enjoy the pics, we will try to keep posting!
Taylor
March 16, 2010 – 12:42 pm
After a few busy days in West Yellowstone with the World Snowmobile EXPO in town, a few of us here at Hi Country decided to take a spring ride up to Glory Land for a suntan. The weather was beautiful and the powder was suprisingly fresh. Lower elevations have seen quit a dramatic melt down, but our high elevations have held up nicely. Without a good shot of snow in the next couple of weeks, we will be closing operations by the end of March this season, so get your ride in now or dream about that powder turn you could have had until next year.
Guides Clint and Taylor headed out to one of our favorite spots today to see if the rumors of now powder were true. Well, guess what?! They were completely False! We found great snow all day long without having to look hard at all. It just goes to show you that there [...]
February 2, 2010 – 4:39 pm
Riders here in West Yellowstone have had a couple weeks of great backcountry riding with storms dumping light cold smoke powder at night and the skys clearing off during the day. The last couple days have been un-seasonably warm but with more snow in the forcast the outlook is good for a great month of [...]
January 21, 2010 – 7:39 pm
I have had the opportunity to ride with some great clients the last five days. And with good riders come some great pictures! The snow has been slow to come to West, but with a good base and new snow every night the last week, the Ace Powder Guides and those that ride with us are [...]
January 7, 2010 – 8:02 am
Good riding as arrived in West Yellowstone! It came a little later than normal, and snow levels in town are still a little thin, but once one reaches 7,500 to 8,000 feet the light switch turns on and over the hood powder can be found in many areas around West. The base up high early in the winter was thin, but thanks to a couple nice storms the last week and a half most of the rocks and stumps are now burried by a couple feet of snow and only getting deeper. Come to West and enjoy one of the best snow packs in the country, however keep a close eyes on the slopes. Once again, thanks to an early snow in October, and then a long cold spell we have a burried layer of surface hoar. What this means is we have an unstable snow pack, yesterday in Cabin Cr. guides and clients observed where 4 different avalanches had ripped out and heard word of 2 snowmobilers setting off avalanches around Lions Head. Both riders were able to ride out of the slides, but it is a good example of how the weight of a snowmobile on the wrong slope can easily propigate a slide. Please have all of your avalanche gear, know how to use it, and avoid obvious avalanche terrain. Hi Country has packs for rent and we will give you instruction with the avalanche gear inside if you decide to ride the backcountry. Please ride safe and enjoy a late, but good start to our winter.
Taylor.
December 26, 2009 – 3:44 pm
The backcountry around West Yellowstone is starting to take shape nicely. If you know where to go you can find more good turns than you can handle. Clint, Taylor, and some of the boys from Ace Powder Guides have been scouting some of our favorite riding areas and have been pleasantly surprised. Despite low snow [...]
August 26, 2009 – 9:52 am
While most of the people in the mid west are already in spring mode and gearing up for Summer. In West we are still finding time and snow to do a little riding. While only snow banks are left in town, in the higher elevation we are still able to find good snow for riding. [...]
Boy just when we thought winter was over, Shaaa Boy! we get slammed with some of the best snow of the season. There was no way we could resist conditions like these so we headed out as soon as possible. Needless to say the amount of powder was more like early February than the first [...]
Chad ripping some turns!
Clint catching some downhill turns
Well, the title pretty much says it all. As we head into March the West Yellowstone area got slammed with a wonderful winter storm, dumping 20 inches or more in the high country. Anyone who says there is no snow out there needs to check out the above [...]
