Skills
Outdoor Education
Tent-care tips. Outdoorspeople know there are three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and zipper failure. None are any fun, and I’ll avoid the first two, but hopefully these tips will help you with the latter inevitability. Read more >>
The red planet lives.It’s the color. Lurid, baleful red, blazing unblinking in the night sky. Like a burning ember, or a drop of blood. No wonder this “wandering star” in the realm of the gods was associated with grisly characters. Read more >>First Aid
For all its rugged beauty, Montana’s backcountry holds its fair share of danger. Avalanches, lightning, frigid water, bears, rattlesnakes… the list goes on. Read more >>
As with any outdoor activity, prevention and planning are the best safety aids—but mistakes happen. Here are some common hunting injuries and how to deal with them. Read more >>Astronomy
This winter's lunar eclipse. The mortal moon hath her eclipse endured. —William Shakespeare, Sonnet 107 Read more >>Navigation
Relearning the map & compass. We have become the ET Phone Home generation. Don’t get that reference? Google it.It means we are so dependent on our phones that we are lost without them—in some cases, literally. Read more >>
Let’s say you’ve been kidnapped—God knows why. You’re tossed into a trunk, driven an interminable time, and dropped off in the middle of nowhere with only a jacket, a bottle of water, and two sticks of gum. Night is falling. What do you do? Read more >>
Land Navigation Handbook: The Sierra Club Guide to Map, Compass, & GPSby W.S. KalsSierra Club Books Read more >>
It’s hard to get excited about pieces of paper, but Beartooth Publishing has printed a few new maps that are nothing short of badass. Its extensive Outdoor Recreation maps cover a huge portion of the Rockies, including Yellowstone, Wyoming, and Idaho. Read more >>Weather
At 11,000 feet, having only marginal rain gear during a storm can be life-threatening. On the other hand, if you're hiking for several hours in the rain, you're going to get wet, no matter how awesome your new parka is. So what to do? Prepare, prepare, prepare. Read more >>
Another vital aspect of safety in the mountains is dealing with the weather. Dennis Diclaudio's new book Man vs. Read more >>
What is the most dangerous and frequently encountered weather hazard experienced by people each year in many parts of the United States, including Montana? If you said lightning you would be right, if not you are in good company. Read more >>
Eastern Montana has its lengthy cold spells, Livingston its winds, Great Falls its temperate weather-but the Gallatin area has a little bit of everything. Read more >>Safety
My Alpine Education, Part 1: Avalanche AwarenessEditor’s note: This is part one of a six-part series on learning about avalanches and how to keep yourself and your partners safe while ski-touring in the backcountry. Read more >>
How to right a capsized canoe. Canoes aren’t likely to tip over, at least when used by calm people in calm water. Read more >>Survival
Yes, we know, every Bozemaniac worth his or her salt should be able to start a fire with a match—and ladies, beware the bumbling bloke who can’t—but sometimes you want a big flame right away, so you can move on to more important things, like eating and drinking. Read more >>Fly Tying
When fall returns, so do the hatches of Blue Winged Olives (BWO). As with most fly patterns, this BWO cripple is an adaptation of many proven patterns—and possibly something I unknowingly borrowed from another fly tyer. Read more >>Photography
A photographic study of Ross Peak. It’s not the highest point in the Bridgers. It barely falls within the range’s ten-tallest summits. But for whatever reason, we’re drawn to Ross Peak. Read more >>Tips & Tricks
Tips for winter stoke.Are you new to town? Welcome to Bozeman! We have a long and storied ski culture, and while you may hail from Colorado or Utah or upstate New York, we do things a little differently here. Here are some tips for fitting in. Read more >>
The culmination of a good hunt is not the kill—oftentimes, that’s the easy part. Getting the animal home, in good condition, is the real end-game, and often where the greater challenge lies. From field to freezer, a lot can go wrong. Here’s how to do it right. Read more >>Beginner's Guide
In the crowded field of wild-game cookbooks, Eileen Clarke’s Slice of the Wild (Deep Creek Press, 2009) doesn’t immediately Read more >>
