Distinctly Montana Magazine

d i s t i n c t ly m o n ta n a • s U m m E R 2 0 1 4 26 The Beartooth Mountains, like the Boze- man area, have a long skiing history in both the winter and summer. The summer season, however, makes them stand out as the prime skiing location of southern Montana. Hardcore ski enthusiasts can ski off the Gardiner Headwall and hike back up, or even ski from a variety of points along the West Summit of the Beartooth Plateau and into the Rock Creek Drainage. But the presence of a fully operating sum- mer ski area, Beartooth Basin, makes skiing in the Beartooths special. Beartooth Basin's ski lift provides excellent summer skiing to those looking to save some breath from the hikes up the mountains. Located just across the border of Wyoming, Beartooth Basin is still most easily accessible from the Montana en- trance and its nearest town of Red Lodge. The ski area first began in 1966, when three Austrians — Pepi Gramshammer, Eric Sailer, and Anderi Molterer — founded the Beartooth Pass Ski Area as an alpine training center, attracting youth teams and Olympic hopefuls looking for a few extra months of training. Still today, the area draws talent from much of the Midwest and western United States including alpine groups from Minnesota, Idaho, and Utah. As ownership changed hands over the years, the mountain's focus shifted away from race training and moved towards attracting the general public. Last year, the area rebranded itself Beartooth Basin, leav- ing no doubt that anyone and everyone looking for summer turns could take a trip up to the backcountry ski area. Justin Modroo, one of the part owners, has focused on keeping Beartooth Basin open each and every year. He wants to provide consistency to the growing number of skiers visiting the area. "The Beartooths have always been in the know," commented Modroo, "It's the advanced skier market, looking to get turns in, (that) has greatly increased." Raised in Billings, Modroo's attraction to the Beartooth area started as a kid. He skied the headwalls during the summers and attended the Beartooth summer ski Phil Knight Lee Metcalf Wilderness Area

• Cover