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 7 16 "I've been skiing at Maverick for pretty much 38 years, and I feel like there's a lot of pride that goes into that," says Birkenbuel. "My dad ran the lift; my mom did ski patrol; my brother started the first snowboarding program. I taught skiing there." And Birkenbuel's lift-line lineage is not unique. "Everybody gives back there," says Birkenbuel. "I consider it my mountain. And if you ask the next guy he'll say 'It's my mountain,' too." I've skied at Maverick only a few times, but I consider it my mountain too. Each time I've visited, I've returned raving to my ski buddies about the little ski hill in southwest Montana that they must ski to believe. When I skied there last, on Super Bowl Sunday, a group of local women had prepared a huge — and complimen- tary — buffet spread. A six-hour drive home ahead of me, I begged off, but the ladies urged me to stay and then sent me home with a to-go box and a passel of Rice Krispy treats wrapped in napkins. It was the kind of community camaraderie that's in rare supply these days, whether at a ski lodge or city square. But, no matter how often out-of-towners like myself spill the beans about skiing's little Shangri-la, Maverick will always put the "community" in community ski hill. "What keeps Maverick going is Dillon, Montana. You pass it on to the next generation," says Birkenbuel. "Maverick is still in my dreams and hopes of skiing there the rest of my life. I hope I'm like Robert [Marchesseau] when I'm in my eighties." "[Shilling] always said, 'It's the way skiing used to be.' And I talked to Warren Miller about it once and he said 'No, it's the way skiing should be.'" HOT SPRINGS RESORT NEXT TO MAVERICK MOUNTAIN 2 Outdoor Pools, 1 Indoor Hot Pool 350-450 gpm @ 119 +/-° F Pool & Shower Building Many Buildings Heated by Hot Springs • Lodge with Restaurant/Bar • 11 Sleeping Rooms • 11 Log Rental Cabins 2 Employee Cabins • Log Owner Residence (newer) • RV Sites w/Hookups Tumbling Creek & Beau ful Se ng Call: Steve Stelling (406) 728-9200 (406) 544-9029 Evenings & Weekends realty@stelling.net 101 E Broadway STE 201 Missoula MT 59082 INCREDIBLE HOT SPRINGS $750,000 Addi onal Income Possibili es: Horse, Snowmobile & Ski Rentals Tent Camping & Winter Sled Rides Premier Hun ng & World Class Fishing Most Desirable Recrea on Loca on www.Stelling.net Schussing in Wranglers, work gloves, and a red puffy jacket older than most of his companions on the chairlift, 82-year-old rancher Robert Marchesseau embodies the "Maverick Magic" of his home mountain.

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