Acronym-phomaniacs

BZN gets short. 

Acronyms and abbreviations are useful (if often misconstrued) linguistic tools. Here’s a primer to a few that are common to southwest Montana, along with some misconstruction, just for fun.

BBC—Bridger Bowl Cloud
Ahhh yes, the phenomenon that dumps copious quantities of snow on Bridger long into the spring season. Of course, the BBC is also a phenomenon that dumps copious quantities of melodramatic period dramas on TV, so maybe it’s a wash.

CDT—Continental Divide Trail
The CDT is great for early-season mountain biking near Butte, which is super fun. It also stands for Comprehensive Drug Testing, which is not.

FUBAR—F*#%ed Up Beyond All Recognition
Originally coined in WWII to describe, well, WWII, this might also describe breaking a leg ten miles into the Lee Metcalf Wilderness, or a bear ransacking your camp.

CFS—Cubic Feet per Second
The measurement for how much water is moving down a river, and cool-kid slang for Current Favorite Song. And it’s definitely Beiber.

LBS—Local Bike Shop
We love our local shops—crusty techs and all. Of course, that crustiness may be a simple case of the other LBS: Low Blood Sugar. Bring your techs a treat, solid or liquid variety, and maybe they’ll forget how badly you abuse your bike.

AMGA—American Mountain Guides Association
In addition to being the only certifying body for mountain guides in America, AMGA is also the official acronym of the American Meat Goats Association. The only logical conclusion is that Mountain Guide = Meat Goat.

SWE—Snow-Water Equivalent
This relates to how much moisture is in fresh snow—skiers like it cold-smoke light ’round these parts. It also abbreviates Smoke Weed Everyday. Coincidence? We think not.

OB—Outside Bozeman
Southwest Montana’s favorite local journal shares its abbreviation with Off Broadway (we’re WAY off), Out of Bounds (nothing is), and Operating Budget (a foreign concept).