Welcome 2012

The new year has been incredible so far! After spending the X-Mas week in California with my kids and the dry weather I was welcomed home to a 3 day powder storm! Needless to say the skiing has been phenomenal!

Hanging with the fam in Cali for a week was great! I spent some time golfing and got to meet my new little niece Paige as well as my kids got lots of time to hang out with their cousins, so great to see them all play together. California was fun but it is always nice to get home to Montana! Like I said I was greeted by three days of powder falling from the heavens and was it oh so nice to land in a blizzard! While most of the states are hurting for the white fluffy substance we here in South West Montana have been fairing decently with our snow pack. Alas we do have a dangerous base that developed and there have been a few fatalities. Please be careful while out traveling and playing in the back country!

With that being said the skiing has been great and we have been trying to get after some of the better skiing while keeping avalanches in mind. We have been doing quite a bit of travel in the Beehive Basin and Middle Basin areas of the Big Sky back country. We have been finding great snow and stablizing conditions. Pretty much all west and south facing aspects are now a hard sun-bake while the east and northern facing aspects are still nice and soft and skiing good, the snow-pack is healing nicely and upon inspection we have found about 12" of soft wind snow on top of about 30" of condensed well bonded snow pack sitting on top of about another 12" of faceted sugar which is getting compressed and condensed daily making for a stronger base. Shovel shear tests were able to define the layers but upon compression tests and reusch block tests the snow seemed to be well anchored! Game on!!

Have to take a break today though, after 3 days of incredible skiing, to get hay for the horses and catch up with the world. I have lots of video to edit and will try to get out an shorty soon so be patient. In the mean time pray for snow and be safe in your adventures!

P.S. Moonlight Basin will be hosting the FWT Qualifiers this Jan 2012 so if around come out and support Moonlight Basin and the competitiors of the FWT!

Ski ya later,
Joe "Turns" Turner

Some of the lines that are skiing well right now! Beehive Basin, SW MT Backcountry

Moon Rising over the Beehive Basin Buttress!