Distinctly Montana Magazine

Distinctly Montana Winter 2020

Distinctly Montana Magazine

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D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 60 and quickly recovers the quarry—another patroller that we "buried" in the snow cave. We reward the dogs with high-pitched squeals and tug- of-war with their favorite toys. e dogs are so enraptured by the play that they are oblivious to the small crowd that has gathered to watch them work. 1330: I take Juniper back to her kennel and leave her there to rest until the end of the day. I head back to the summit to eat my lunch and take a turn sitting in the shack while other patrollers leave to work on projects and patrol the terrain. 1440: e day is already starting to wind down; upper mountain trail closures will start in 30 minutes. I take a final patrol lap, making mental notes about the snow conditions as I ski. With more snow in the fore- cast, it's likely that we'll be back for avalanche mitigation routes again tomorrow morning. 1515: e last guests left the summit ten minutes ago. It's just us patrollers up here now. All of the excitement of the day starts to melt away in the stillness of the alpine. I take in the moment of solitude from the top of my assigned trail closure. e trail is clear below me, and for a moment, I forget that I am at work and enjoy the simplicity of just skiing. 1600: I catch last chair on Powder Seeker and I'm greeted by Juniper at the top. Juniper runs next to me as I ski, looking up from time to time with an unmistakable smile. She loves this job too. 1700: Amidst sighs of relief as boots come off in the locker room, conversations pick up—inquiries about each other's days, friendly teas- ing, and professional exchange. All of the great moments of the day are amplified by the camaraderie of the patrol team. 1730: Time for me to head home to my real job: Mom. 2100: I'm tired. Time to go to bed and get ready to do all over again tomorrow. In this job, WE GET LOTS OF EXPERIENCE WITH THE NUANCES OF "COLD," "SNOW," AND "WIND." TODAY'S COMBINATION IS PRIME FOR MITIGATION AND FOR GREAT SKIING. Inside Whitefish Mountain ski patrol www.distinctlymontana.com/skipatrol201 DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL Alto Ridge at sunrise

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