Distinctly Montana Magazine

Distinctly Montana Winter 2014

Distinctly Montana Magazine

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literal animal skins, but the concept remains the same: a sheath of angled unidirectional fibers with an adhesive backing, stuck on the bottom of the ski like a fuzzy decal. We climb up through the trees behind the yurt on a well-used skin track. Accustomed to the hip-straining slog of snowshoes in deep powder, I marvel at how effortlessly the skis ascend. I settle into the skinning rhythm, lifting one ski, gliding it upward, and setting it down with a subtle shift of weight. We crest a small knob and stop. Sievers demonstrates how to set up the skis for alpine mode: set the bindings, lock the boots, peel off, and stow the skins. I have a vague recollection of the "pizza and French fries" technique. But, accustomed to the single plank of a snowboard, I worry about the two skis running at cross-purposes, my pizza and French fries turning into a pretzel. But when the skis meet the slope they track like two tethered sled dogs down the contours of the forested slope. I don't know how to make powder-skiing kick turns, so I learn quickly how to right myself in deep powder. Feeling confident, I point the tips of the skis more into the fall line, figuring that powder is more forgiving than a skied-smooth resort bunny hill. Back at the yurt, I beam. I've just powder-skied through an untracked forested glade an hour's snowmobile ride from the nearest sign of human habitation—an enviable location for a powderhound, let alone a rank beginner. "I think a lot of people come up to the yurts just to enjoy the surroundings with friends and family," says Sievers. "You don't have to be a hardcore skier to enjoy it." He's right; at the yurt, whether you ski at 3,000 vertical feet or 300, there's still a cold beverage and warm fire waiting at the end of your run. 16 distinctly montana • winter 2014

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