Distinctly Montana Magazine

Distinctly Montana Winter 2014

Distinctly Montana Magazine

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Yurt Skiing the Swan Range article and Photos By Aaron Theisen I coax my skis to the edge of the hill, just before the point where slope and lack of friction overcome inertia. The horseshoe-shaped ribs of western Montana's Swan Range stretch out to my right. To my left, more than 3,000 feet below, lies Seeley Lake. This is only my second time on skis in 20 years, and my first ever in backcountry powder. I couldn't think of a better classroom. Forming the westernmost buttress of the broad swatch of peaks that comprises the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, the Swans lie within an hour's drive of Missoula but well off the beaten path of 12 the skiing masses. With an annual average annual snowpack of around 10 feet, the Swans boast some of the state's best backcountry powder skiing, on the edge of one of the largest tracts of wilderness in the lower 48 states. "There's a lot of really good skiing to be had in the Swans," says Carl Sievers, one distinctly montana • winter 2014

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