Distinctly Montana Magazine

d i s t i n c t ly m o n ta n a • w i n t e r 2 0 1 5 10 Valerie Harms has edited this magazine since 2005 and says it is like throwing a party every season. A writer as well as editor, she is the author of 10 books and numerous articles. A graduate of Smith College, for seven years she was an editor at the National Audubon Society in New York City. She has taught writing and given workshops around the country, plus in Greece and Canada. In 1995 she moved to Montana to see wild animals in their habitats and explore the mountains and rivers. For more info see her Web site at www. valerieharms.com. Email queries to valerie@distinctlymontana.com. Robert Rath collects hyphens. Currently, he's an illustrator-designer-author-art director-dog walker living in Bozeman. He's illustrated many children's books, including the award-winning First Dog: Unleashed in the Montana Capitol, and Yellowstone's Hot Legends and Cool Myths. His clients include Lucasfilm, The History Channel, Scholastic Books, Farcountry Press and many others. He isn't allergic to anything, can't remember birthdays, likes to cook, can wiggle his ears, and hates writing bios. SNoWkItINg moNtaNa page 12 With a passion for snowkiting that's insatiable, noah PorItz seems always to be chasing the wind in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. A team rider for Ozone kites, Noah has pioneered, written about, and photo- graphed snowkiting in our region's most wild and windy kite spots. hIbErNatIoN ... mIgratIoN? page 22 lISa BarIl is a wildlife biologist and freelance writer living and work- ing in Yellowstone National Park. When she's not glassing a pair of golden eagles in Yellowstone's backcountry, looking furtively over her shoulder for a grizzly bear, or dodging Yellowstone's most dangerous animal, the errant tourist, she can be found nestled in a comfy chair with a good book. Visit her Web site at www.lisabaril.com. DaShINg through thE SNoW page 24 StagECoaCh mary page 78 MaggIE SlEPIan received a Participation Award for the Bagel Challenge one-mile run and most recently came in second-to-last in an adult spelling bee. Maggie currently works a variety of jobs including freelance writer, edi- tor, climbing instructor, and nanny. She enjoys hiking, climbing, and borrowing people's dogs. bESt moNtaNa SkI arEaS page 28 BrIan hurlBut is the author of the Insider's Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (Globe-Pequot Press) and Montana: Skiing the Last Best Place (Great Wide Open Press). His writing has appeared in the Oregonian, and Montana's regional magazines. He lives in Big Sky, Montana. kItChEN guy: mErry mINI mEaLS page 44 ChEf JIM gray is a Missoula-based culinary instructor and restaurant consultant. He was the 2005 American Culinary Federation Montana Chef of the Year. He now operates the Kitchen Guy Cooking School in Missoula. As a restaurant consultant he creates, remakes, and reimag- ines menus for food and beverage establishments. moNtaNa IN 30: SkI mouNtaINS page 46 Twenty-nine years living in Montana and a lifetime in northern climes have given PhIl KnIght a real appreciation for the power of landscape. A student of wild places and the people and creatures who inhabit them, he writes about his adventures and misadventures from his home in Bozeman. WEIght page 57 ShElBy huMPhrEyS writes about health, weight loss, and being true to ourselves at www.100poundsin1year.net CaNCEr Support CommuNItIES page 60 angEla JaMISon is a Montana native, raised in beautiful Bozeman where she currently lives with her husband and two daughters. When not enjoy- ing the outdoors she works part-time in marketing and freelance writing. CoNtrIbutorS CoNtrIbutorS our CoNtrIbutorS ALExIS PIKE M a d i s o n V a l l e y , M T w w w . G r e y C l i f f s R a n c h . c o m Meetings and events • Weekend getaWays G r e y C l i f f s R a n c h

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