USA 2004

Having booked my flights months in advance it did not take long for the trip to come around and I was looking forward very much to my first visits to Wyoming and Utah. Flying out of Aberdeen on March 24th I eventually arrived at midnight in Kalispell, Montana. I headed on to the Days Inn for the night after picking up the rental car.

I grabbed a quick cup of coffee and doughnut and headed on the drive down to Missoula and the resort of Montana Snowbowl which I had previously visited in 2002.

It instantly hit me that the snow levels were very much less than my previous visit after an extremely warm period that would continue throughout my trip. The parking lot and the ground beneath the chairlift were completely stripped of snow but the bottom line was that I was here to ski regardless and having not skied since the previous winter I happily wondered up to the ticket office for my pass.

Knowing the resort well I headed to the upper chair and spent most of the morning on the sun kissed slopes taking in the views and breaking in the legs. With conditions on the lower mountain rated marginal I decided that I would stay high until lunchtime. I chose one of the runs down through the guts of the mountain and it was amazing to see how little snow there was in places and with another two weeks of skiing in front of me it was a little concerning that I may not see out the season!

With a long drive along I-90 to Bozeman I headed away early after a few runs in the afternoon. My destination for the night was the Super 8 motel just off the road and within a few miles of Bridger Bowl. After a quick trip to the local supermarket I headed on to the liquor store for some much needed beer and headed back to the motel for a night in front of the TV.

With a short drive to Bridger Bowl there was no need to be up early and I took advantage of this and caught up on some much needed sleep. Looking out of the motel window it was clear that snow was in the air and I jumped into the car for the short drive up to the resort.

The parking lot at Bridger is like a hand, with each outstretched finger acting as a separate lot. I was able to park the car in the lot nearest the day lodge and at first glance the resort seemed very quiet and everything you require is in a small collection of buildings at the base.

Just as I was stepping out of the car the heavens opened and it really was coming down in absolute sheets of water. Undeterred I got my boots on and walked up to get my ticket. Having bought new gear for this trip I was really glad to see that the rain tipping onto my legs was simply bouncing off and I was warm and dry. With each lift up the mountain the rain slowly turned white and by the time I was on the Bridger chair the snow was thick and deep under foot.

The terrain on the upper mountain is for good intermediate skiers and boarders and above and in limited visibility it was tough to navigate the large moguls that were partially covered by a foot or so of fresh snow in places. The Deer Park lift offered some superb sport and I spent most of my morning exploring the trails off of this lift along with the Bridger lift. Some of the runs through the large rock formations were great and in better visibility I reckoned that the views would be superb.

Lunch was spent at the Deer Park Chalet and it was busier than the slopes with a lot of skiers and boarders warming themselves and getting some much needed food and drink. After a lovely lunch it was time to head over to the Pierre's Knob lift that accesses the South Bowl. A small traverse across from the top and the wide open bowl offers superb skiing and with plenty of fresh powder I was happy to try several routes down.

After a hard day on the slopes I headed into the Jim Bridger Lodge for a quick beer before heading down to Driggs for the next couple of nights. I bought my beer and grabbed a seat overlooking the nursery slopes which having been almost washed away in the morning was now covered by a few inches of fresh snow. The waiter recognised the foreign accent and was extremely interested in finding out about the 'naked man' that he had read about in the daily newspapers. Wondering what on earth he was talking about, it turns out he was talking about the naked rambler that was walking between Land's End and John O'Groats. After that I could hear him telling other people about it and that they should talk to the Scottish guy about it!

After another beer it was time to head off and after a scenic drive through Yellowstone National Park I arrived in the Super 8 in Driggs. Another really nice motel I had scored another huge room all to myself. I was a little annoyed that my TV controller was not working, but I coped!

I headed up to Grand Targhee and arrived in the parking lot in bitterly cold and misty conditions. After buying my ticket I waited patiently for the Dreamcatcher lift to open for the day. I noticed that one or two skiers were heading off to another lift and with a good twenty minutes before the main lift opened I headed across to the Blackfoot lift.

The lift was quiet and I was joined on the runs by a handful of skiers and with 6" of fresh snow on the intermediate terrain it was simply great fun. Run after run I only stopped for the occasional picture and to watch some of the youngsters racing on an adjoining piste. By lunchtime I was fairly tired and I headed into the lodge for a couple of pints and I decided to have the daily special for lunch.

Refreshed, I headed back out and spent the afternoon on the Dreamcatcher lift and although I found the terrain to be fairly easy it was fun none the less.

Once the lifts closed I drove back to the Super 8 and had a long walk into town and stumbled across the O Rourkes bar in the centre of town. The walls were adorned with American football, NBA and baseball memorabilia. I sat at the bar and had a few beers and headed across the road for some shopping. Back to the Super 8 I watched a bit of TV before calling it good for the night.

I packed up the car in brilliant blue skies with just a trace of new snow in the parking lot. All set I headed over Teton Pass for a day at Jackson Hole. The road over the pass was winding and at times a little scary. I stopped at the summit to take a few pictures and the view down towards Jackson was simply amazing.

After dropping off the car I headed off to the Jackson tram. Expecting a queue I was amazed that on a beautiful Sunday morning I was pretty much on the first tram that came down. Listening to the liftie give his safety talk I was beginning to wonder if I was biting off more than I could chew. At over 10000ft my camera could not handle the cold and I was disappointed that I could not get more photos of the stunning scenery. I was able to pick out the trails at Snow King in Jackson.

I spent most of the day in the deep powder of the Rendezvous Bowl off the tram along with the trails from the Bridger gondola. All great fun although the sun was beginning to have an effect on the conditions lower down. This would become a common theme for the rest of my trip.

With a long drive down to Park City where I would spend a week with Mike Richards, I headed off at around 3pm for the 6 hour drive south.

The drive is fairly boring through pretty bland scenery on the whole. Having made good time I was an hour or so ahead of schedule so when I felt the urge for a toilet stop I stopped in the town of Evanston in south Wyoming. Wondering into a local bar I ordered a beer and sat down and wrote a few postcards before heading on to Park City.

I arrived at around 9pm and cracked open a few beers with Mike before heading to bed for the night.

Our destination for the day was Powder Mountain, a resort that Mike had been raving about all winter. Mike was helping out with a British school's group from Bedford and as part of the deal Mike and I received free ski passes. Once the kids were split into their groups Mike and I joined teachers Richard 'Chads' Chadwick, Nigel Robinson, Dave 'Jenks' Jenkins and Dave Kendall for a tour round the area.

The unseasonably warm weather had taken its toll on the slopes with the Paradise lift not operating. This on paper closes a lot of the mountain but as I was to find out the opportunities were still plentiful.

We skied laps of the mountain and in the warm sun built up a real hunger and we really enjoyed our burgers and fries in the lodge. More of the same in the afternoon and it was time to head back down to Park City for some pizza, beer and the hot tub. Our entertainment for the evening was the extremely funny film One Night At McCools starring Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas and John Goodman. Great film and before long it was time for bed.

After a quick breakfast we were on our way. Mike was helping out by taking a couple of British guests up to Brighton so I waited for his friend, Tom Wilson-North, to pick me up before following Mike up to the resort.

After getting my ticket I was amazed to see just how quiet the resort was. We walked onto every lift without anyone in front of us. We spent the morning on the Crest, Snake Creek and Great Western lifts and although the snow was firm it was fun none the less. It was amazing in the clear blue skies to see just how close the other Utah resorts were and it was interesting to think how much they would gain or lose if they were all connected by lifts. From a personal viewpoint I don't think that would be a good idea but I guess others may disagree.

We finished the morning on the Millicent lift and settled down in the strong sun for lunch at the small restaurant at the base of the lift. Burger and fries certainly did the trick and we finished the day with laps on Millicent before heading over to the other side of the mountain which had gradually softened in the strong sun.

A nice beer and chicken wings in the lodge to finish off and it was soon time to head back to Park City for a quick change of clothes and a drive up to Ogden to the Prairie Schooner, a restaurant where every table is under a Conestoga wagon top, where we met up with the schools group. After a nice meal we took a look up to the local ten pin bowling alley to arrange the following night's activities. After a drive back to Park City Mike decided that he would use the room up at the hotel in Ogden from now on to save driving up and down the road each day.

Mike had a lot of paperwork to attend to so decided that he would drive me up to the lifts at Park City and meet me for the afternoon.

I spent most of my morning on the immaculately groomed trails off the Thaynes and Motherlode lifts. The hot sun was softening the piste nicely and even though I was wearing just a long sleeved t-shirt and fleece I was finding it very warm. Waiting behind a group of skiers for the Thaynes lift I laughed along with everyone else when a guy and his wife landed in a spot of bother while loading the chair. At the very last second the lady decided to change sides with her husband and although she loaded safely her husband fell face first into the dirt with the chair going right over the top of him. It was so funny to see and I had the pleasure of the husbands company on the chair. Turns out he was from Augusta, Georgia and as the US Masters was on the following week we spoke about our mutual interest in golf. He laughed when I suggested Colin Montgomery as a potential winner!

By lunchtime I headed to the base area and met Mike who was still busy with paperwork and he pointed me in the direction of somewhere where I could grab some lunch. I headed up to the lovely Summit House restaurant at the top of the mountain and enjoyed a lovely burger and a beer before heading over to Scott's Bowl for the afternoon.

The views from Scott's Bowl were superb and even at 10000ft you could really feel the warmth in the air. It felt warmer there than summer back home in Scotland! The off-piste opportunities were nice but the snow certainly was hard on the legs. I eventually headed down to the pick up point to meet Mike having thoroughly enjoyed my day at Park City.

We set off in separate cars from Park City to our new home at the Comfort Suites in Ogden and after dumping our gear in the room we headed to the reception area where each night there is a guest social. Basically it is a free bar although the custom is to put $1 in the tips for each drink. After a few vodkas it was time to jump on the bus and head to the ten pin bowling alley for the night.

I had wound Mike up that I was going to give him a lesson but unfortunately that did not happen. Nigel was by far the best on the night but it was all good fun. Back to the hotel and time for a couple of drinks before bed. It turned out that my day at Park City had been the hottest March day on record with temperatures in Salt Lake City hitting 80 degrees. It was also the hottest March ever!

It had turned out the previous night that one of the kids had lost their passports and Mike decided that he would need to take a day off with Chads and the kid to try to get something sorted so that they could get the kid home on Saturday.

I headed off to Powder Mountain with the school and skied the morning in overcast skies myself. Meeting up at lunchtime I joined the teachers for the afternoon. We were all finding the snow particularly sticky so Nigel brought out his tub of rub on wax. It was funny as Jenks had his done first and as I was helping Nigel with my skis and his Jenks got his skis on and skied off. We laughed when all we could hear was an ooo and an aaa followed by the breaking of dry tree branches. We turned round to see Jenks wrapped round a tree suggesting that the wax was very good indeed!

That night we arrived in the bar area and joined Mike and Chads for a few drinks. Having been here a few nights we were all known and at bang on 6pm when the free bar closes the barmaid came over and offered us one last drink. Tipping her well we got pretty strong drinks and we were surprised at about 6.15pm when she asked us if we wanted another. Not one to turn down a free drink I was happy that everyone else agreed. Back she came with massive plastic cups filled with vodka and coke! Brilliant!

That night the kids were heading to the cinema so Mike and I decided to stay in the bar. As I was staying for the week with Mike for nothing I took the tab. Eventually we were joined by Jenks after the school party headed to their rooms and chatted to around midnight before heading to bed.

We were skiing my final day in Utah at Powder Mountain and again we were blessed with beautiful blue skies and mild temperatures. It was great to watch the young kids bombing around the mountain and we wondered how many guests there actually would have been on the mountain if it weren't for the schools group. Concentrating on having fun we blitzed the mountain throughout the day stopping only for a quick bite to eat and to take the occasional picture.

Back to the motel we stopped to drop off all the kids' rental equipment before grabbing our dinner. We were heading out to the local rodeo for the evening which I was really looking forward to seeing. By the time we arrived at the venue the wind had really picked and was howling through the large shed where the cowboys and cowgirls were trying to rope the small cattle. Very good to watch and I was disappointed when we had to leave. In fairness it was probably of little interest to kids but certainly something that all the adults appreciated.

Driving back to the hotel the bus was being buffeted back and forth and at one stage the back of a pickup truck was blowing across the road! We arrived at the hotel during a power cut and we headed to the bar for a few drinks before bed.

The next morning I was heading off on my travels and it was sad to be leaving Mike and Utah behind but we agreed that we would meet in the USA next year if we were both around. With the car packed I was on my way north on I-15 to the local ski area of Pebble Creek near the town of Pocatello.

The drive was fairly bland and I was glad to finally find myself in the parking lot. It turned out that although the lifts were running round 50% of the mountain was closed due to the Mogul Madness Hill Climb where snowmobile's race up the course which was underneath the main chairlift. I had to sign a disclaimer before boarding the chair which took away any liability the resort would have if anything happened to me! I jumped onto the lower chair to the base lodge as the upper parking lot was full of trucks and there was absolutely no snow under the lift.

The skiing was ok but I decided to spend most of the day watching the hill climb. There were some excellent crashes with my favourite being when one driver got very nearly to the top before being thrown out of his seat. The snowmobile pretty much turned around and headed downhill, at speed with no driver. It crashed into the trees at the side of the piste and once it came to a complete stop had to be pulled out be the marshals and nursed back to the lodge.

The slopes were quiet and although lacking cover the skiing was still decent enough and I would love to go back at some point to ski on the back side of the mountain which offers some superb out of bounds skiing.

I loaded up the car for the long journey north to Drummond, and the Sky Motel which I now visit every year on my travels. I was dark by the time I arrived and I quickly spoke to Bill and Kathy before heading down to the Canyon Bar for a much needed drink. Although fairly quiet I had an excellent night chatting to the locals. Off to bed I was looking forward to spending closing day at Discovery Basin.

After a cup of coffee in the reception I headed up to Discovery Basin just a short drive from town. The parking lot was deserted and most of the front side of Rumsey Mountain was closed due to a lack of snow so I headed into the back bowls and had an excellent day roaming about the mountain.

I was surprised just how quiet the mountain was. Granted, it was not all that great conditions but with 7 months before next season I expected a few more skiers. The locals were skiing the Limelight trail under the lift so I joined them on lap after lap until the lift closed. All too soon my day at Discovery was over but none the less I had a great time and can't wait to go back again. One of my real favourite local areas in the USA.

Back to Drummond via the supermarket I sat in my motel doorway with the sun beating down I read a book, drank my beer and took in the view to the distant hills. Wonderful!

I was up and about early for the long drive to Silver Mountain, Idaho and after saying my farewells I took off along I-90. It is a fast drive to Kellogg and although it is 175 miles it can easily be driven in under 2 ½ hours. Although it was later that day before I remembered, I had actually forgotten about the time difference so I was actually an hour ahead of myself! I wondered why the lodge was so quiet when I stopped for an early lunch. It was probably nearer 10.45 than 11.45!

Having been to Silver Mountain before I knew what to expect and I grabbed my lift ticket and jumped onto the deserted gondola. The mountain was quiet and the snow soft but with the sun beating down again it was nice sport and certainly better than work.

I spent most of the day on the Wardner Peak side of the mountain and although warm the cover in general was pretty good. Silver Mountain is ideally situated with the gondola rising from the town itself and is certainly a resort that UK visitors would do well to check out if they are ever in the area. Its two biggest problems are that it is not close to any major airline hubs and the wind often closes the mountain. When that happens simply take a drive up the road a few miles to the small resort of Lookout Pass.

I set off once again for the final drive of my holiday up to Whitefish and the superb resort of Big Mountain, Montana. The drive took me through some stunning scenery and as I had made good time I decided to stop for a couple of beers in a bar in Dayton. A wooden clad structure it was both deceptively busy and large inside. I settled down and wrote a few postcards before making my way to the Cheap Sleep motel in Whitefish where I would spend the remainder of my trip. I dropped off all my gear and took the car back to Kalispell airport and got a taxi into town.

Having been before I knew what to expect in town and after a few beers I wondered back up the road for a good nights sleep.

The free Snow Bus picks up and drops off from the door of the Cheap Sleep and works perfectly for those of us who like a good few beers after a day on the slopes. The guys that drive the bus are only too willing to drop you off at stops not listed on the timetable.

Friday brought some much needed snow to the area and after the warm weather I had endured for the last few weeks it was great to be skiing some powder. I spent the day in the East Rim and North Bowl Face areas. It was simply superb and with the lack of skiers and boarders on the mountain I had fresh lines most of the day.

I headed to the Stube after skiing and sank a few beers in the busy bar. It was the prize giving for the Big Mountain Vertical competition and the beer hall was pretty much packed. I met a couple of guys who were heading to town so I managed to grab a lift and headed straight to the Remmington Bar for a few drinks. I met a great bunch of guys who were up for closing weekend from Missoula. Eventually I headed home although by the following morning my recollection of the evening was a little sketchy!

The last Saturday of the season at Big Mountain is the day of the annual furniture race. Locals strap skis onto various pieces of furniture and race them downhill. It is certainly not a serious event! I had spent a few evenings in Moguls bar and I was sitting in the early afternoon having a beer before the race began when two guys sat down next to me at the bar. Turning round I recognised them from the previous night and the Remmington. By now I was known as Willy, the character from The Simpsons and they invited me out to watch the race with them and their friends.

Standing watching the race the guys pulled out a massive water pistol. Thinking that they were about to soak someone I was unsure what the call 'Makers mark' meant. It turned out that each time they shouted this you had to open your mouth and take a shot of Makers Mark whisky. Great times.

After the race we headed to the parking lot where the guys setup a BBQ and every now and then a few of us ventured into the packed Stube for a few more drinks. It was great fun and the BBQ salmon was simply superb. Just as a few of us were preparing to head into town the mountain security came to warn us about letting off fireworks. Undeterred we headed into Whitefish and the Great Northern Bar for the night. Playing pool badly I headed home knowing that my holiday was almost over.

After a final days skiing I headed home on the Monday morning knowing that I had skied 11 resorts in 4 states and had an excellent holiday. Back to work, all I could do was dream of the next trip.

This article was written by Quintin Chalmers, a 30-year-old skier from Aberdeen in the north of
Scotland. Quintin has skied at over 50 North American resorts and is in the process of setting up
www.offthebeatenpath.co.uk designed to help like minded people find the best turns in some of the
more unusual resorts in western USA. He has over 20 years skiing experience and enjoys nothing
more than seeing new places that many people write off as being not worth the hassle.