Peruvian Christmas

I just returned from a week in Lima, Peru where I met up with my mom and we spent time with family and friends. The last time I was there I was 3 years old, and everbody remembered me as a little tyke, which was fun, especially when they pulled out the photos. It was great to meet up with relatives, hear the gossip, and see how everyone is doing. This trip was all about hanging out, eating, and wandering around the city. The weather was great, and the seafood was really satisfying.

Weekend of tele

This has been a superb weekend. On Friday I was lucky to meet Max during a holiday party at work and this weekend we hit the slopes all day long on both days. On Saturday we skied Lookout Pass and got 4 runs full of fresh tracks in 14 inches 0f powder over a 50 to 80 inch base, and spent the rest of the day enjoying the groomers. Today we went to Discovery, and met up with local Missoulian Jim, who kindly gave me pointers on my technique. The mountain had a low base so most of it was closed, but a series of long and lucious groomers were open upon which we just made laps all day long as I tried to free my heel from the bondage of the alpine turn. Now I am WORKED! Took a long bath and I can feel the full body soreness starting to set in...

It's that time of year

Time is flying by with work picking up steam, so many things to do, people to meet, and places to go. I finally got furniture at the local Rent-A-Center and while I was there I met Santa! It'll be nice to finally have a sofa and kitchen table...

Over the last couple days the temperatures have gotten into the 40's and it started raining so all the snow has melted around town, which is the wrong direction that things need to go around here.


Fortunately, the highs for the next few days will be in the mid 20's and it's snowing again. So tomorrow I'll be going for 1st tracks with my coworker at Lookout Pass on the border between Montana and Idaho.

I've been following the situation on Mt. Hood pretty closely for the last few days and really hope the 3 guys up there will be able to get down tomorrow. Please send positive vibes their way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKUUHth_HEI

In other news, Stephen has been without power in Seattle for a couple days 'cause of the crazy weather out there, but I don't feel sorry for him b/c he's heading off to Mexico tomorrow...

Snowbowling

Today, I finally made it up to Snowbowl to try out my new tele gear: Got some K2 World Pistes, Black Diamond O1 bindings, and Scarpa T2X boots... It was pretty much my 1st time dropping the knee on the slopes and I was thrilled to be getting out. Just a couple of weeks ago I felt trapped in the middle of nowhere with nothing but metropolis and suburbs sprawling endlessly in all directions, but now I am exactly 11 miles from my front door to the ski lifts! From the top of Snowbowl there are great views of Missoula to the South and wilderness to the N. Talk about a massive increase in quality of life!

So my attempts at the tele turn were kinda whimpy. I ended up on some serious slopes and found myself making alpine turns while feebly lifting one heel or another to at least look like I was trying. The snow coverage is ultra thin right now, and everyone on the mountain was praying for more snow and lamenting the scratches on the bottom of their boards or skis. Still there were some nice runs to be had, and at only 20 minutes from home, I will be spending a lot more time up there.

Cutthroats in Helena

Woke up to about 4 inches of snow! I'm hoping Big Sky and Snowbowl get some of that good stuff...

Went to Helena to meet with fish biologists from other organizations to lay out a framework for partnerships. The people were great, and I learned a lot about what's going on out here. One really interesting dilemma is the trade off between keeping the cutthroat trout isolated with mini-dams (for example) so that imported species can't get to them, and giving the cutthroat access to streams that are currently blocked to them so they don't get wiped out if some tragedy were to befall their little stretch of stream. Even if that means exposing them to those pesky invasive fish.

http://fwp.mt.gov/fieldguide/detail_AFCHA02088.aspx

There are some interesting options, like catching pregnant cutthroats, hatching the eggs in ponds, then releasing the babies in auspicious places. One thing is certain: We have to make conditions favorable for the cutthroat from the ground up so their enclaves can sustain themselves.

The drive home was great. The valley to Helena has little farms along the Little Blackfoot River, and is surrounded by nice mountainous forest full of elk and hotsprings.

Missoulianation

Today was my first day of work in Montana... and it was great. Good things are on the way. Today we talked with the state fish folks and tomorrow we are meeting with Montana's cutthroat trout steering committee.

This might be news to some, but Missoula and the surrounding area have lots of great fishing, and the region is particularly coveted by fly-fishers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_River_Runs_Through_It.

The rivers and streams are accessible, crystal clear, and full of luscious pebbles for laying fish eggs. There are tons of pools, logs, and bugs and all the other stuff fish love so much. There are also dams, roads, piles of mine waste, rampant human development and other stuff that the endemic fish don't like. Front and center are the invasive species, especially rainbow trout that think cutthroat trout are sexy and want to dilute their prized gene pool.

So for the next four months I am going to do my best to promote healthy human-native fish cohabitation in Montana, North Dakota, and Idaho. How well things turn out will certainly have a bearing on what happens come March...

Bozeman Ice Festival 2006

On Friday I saw a post for the Bozeman Ice Festival http://www.montanaalpineguides.com/bozemanicefestival/ on the Montana ice climbing forum and decided to go. I hadn't climbed in the mountains in over a year and a half and it was the perfect introduction to Montana. The people were great and I made a bunch of new friends and climbing partners. Over the weekend pros showed us how to climb and we got to top-rope up gorgeous waterfalls with all the required equipment already in place. It was an inspiring event, and now I am looking forward to getting out all winter.

Missoula 'n olga

Finding my way around town... There are lots of good java and burger joints. A couple people have told me that Bozeman is more ski bum and Missoula is more hippie. Mostly, I'm itchy to get up on the slopes. I might have to make the 2.5 hour drive on Sunday to Big Sky where there is a 17 inch base. Hmmm, wish we had Baker's 120 inch base http://www.mtbaker.us/snowreport/index.html... Looking at apartments right now, and it's definitely a renter's market. You can get a room in a house for $400 easy, or a 2 bedroom house for $1000. Hopefully I'll find something private, with a view, lots of space, and a good kitchen...