W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M
9
Y
ES, WINTER AGAIN—THE ONE THING ABOUT MONTANA
THAT KEEPS IT RELATIVELY PRISTINE, AND AS LOVELY AS
ONE MIGHT IMAGINE. Most folks cannot or do not want to tolerate the
ice, snow, and frigidity, which leaves Montana to those who embrace it in
every way imaginable, from the cold smoke of downhill skiing to the steamy,
basking relief of hot tubs and saunas.
We celebrate our winter as do the Norwegians, not by hiding, but by reveling
in temps and conditions which make most of the rest of our country cringe in
cryo-phobia. Montana winters are long. Our first snow was months ago, in
September, and will continue through May, and maybe June. Montana win-
ters can be harsh (see our article this issue on Montana's worst winters); but
they can also be fun and magical, as we enjoy the outdoors on sleds, sleighs,
skate, skis and snowshoes under skies that range from achingly blue-and-
bright to starry panoramas, completely unseen to most people on the planet.
Montanans carry no hint of an identity problem, nor are we unduly misan-
thropic. We see ourselves as pretty tough, unusually resilient, more than a
bit crowd-adverse, and with a special capacity for appreciating our natural
wonders. Winter is simply our escape hatch from the rest of humanity.
So, now that the majority of our 12 million annual tourists have dwindled
to a manageable few Montana wanna-bes, and another cold cull of snow-
birds have been sent fleeing to warmer climes, we can settle-in for the one
season which makes Montana livable and loveable.
Maybe we'll just skip spring this year.
BILL MUHLENFELD, PUBLISHER
bill@distinctlymontana.com
ANTHEA GEORGE, PUBLISHER
anthea@distinctlymontana.com
A N O T E F R O M T H E
P U B L I S H E R S
AARON
THEISEN
