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LOCAL NEWS Southwest Montana
Heather McPhie - Freestyle
BOZEMAN'S HEATHER McPHIE ON THE VERGE OF HER OWN FREESTYLE OLYMPIC ADVENTURE
In 1998, Bozeman local Heather McPhie watched Johnny Mosely win Olympic Gold in Nagano thanks to his signature 360 degree Iron Cross. This was the first time this former gymnast turned Bridger Freestyle Ski Team member realized moguls were an Olympic sport. Ten years later, twenty-four-year-old McPhie is standing at the precipice of her own Freestyle Olympic adventure. continued..
CHRIS KERR/PHOTOS
Avalanche Cycle
Too much too quickly creates avalanches.
We need snow, just not all at once. Too much too quickly creates avalanches, and the latter half of December served us a giant helping of snow. From Big Sky to West Yellowstone to Cooke City avalanches unloaded tons of snow from slopes of many sizes, aspects and degrees of steepness. The mountains were full of vacationers, mostly out of state snowmobilers, yet no one died. One reason for this is that we issued Avalanche Warnings that were broadcast on the NOAA weather radio, on the FM dial, in the papers, on television and in our advisories.continued..
CAUGHT IN THE COLD
Common sense - the best defense against frostbite and hypothermia.
With the early extreme cold we have had hear in latter 2008 this illustration should help your knowledge of frostbite and hypothermia.
Cody was learning about the backcountry experience. He had been a telemark and alpine skier for many years. He had several friends that were avid backcountry skiers and they had spurred his interest. His quest for untracked snow and beautiful mountain vistas encouraged him more.
Cody had been out several times with his friends and was feeling more comfortable in relatively safe situations. On this particular day he could find no one to go with him, so he decided to go to an area that he thought to be safe. The avalanche conditions were forecast as stable. Cody enjoyed a good climb and was skiing down some nice untracked powder when he hit a stump under the snow and felt something pop in his ankle. He immediately fell. Once he got his wits about him, he realized that he had serious ankle injury. Cody attempted to walk out, but his pain was too severe. Luckily, he had made arrangements to meet his girlfriend at the Corral Bar that evening. She knew that he was going backcountry skiing, but he had not known where he was going so she did not know where he was skiing that day.continued..
WAX ON ... WAX OFF
My first pair of cross country skis was purchased in 1971 before the invention of waxless skis. The salesperson led me to a corner of the basement where I was outfitted with skis, three pin bindings, boots, and bamboo poles for $50. Then he said, “Here you will need these” and handed me a cork, scraper and a couple canisters of wax along with a brief instruction leaflet. Thus began my trial and error learning experience of waxing. Today there is a plethora of waxing products, accessories and information available. Serious track skiers and racers have developed waxing into a scientific art that can appear intimidating to someone thinking about purchasing their first pair of waxable classic skis. Don’t be scared off! For the casual recreational skier waxing is not a complex mystery and the simplicity of my first waxing experiences still work today. continued..
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