There is a downhill ski area of the same name, which I skied in back then, but this time, since I've given up alpine skiing (for a number of reasons, mainly having to do with my left leg), decided to see what the Nordic skiing potential was like in this area. Red Lodge lies just to the east of the highest mountains in Montana, the Beartooths, rising to as high as 3700-3902m, and containing small glaciers on the highest peaks. The Beartooth Wilderness area protects this rough, wild region not too far west of town, and there were several trail possibilities to check out.
It was a long 7.5 hours drive on slushy icy I-90, then US-212, 570km in total, from Missoula. Pretty stressful, and there had just been 20-30cm fresh new powder snowfall in Red Lodge when we arrived. Such that next day when the sun came out, this area (pop. 2300) was in all its glory.
The 3000m mountain there behind town is just a foothill of the 3500-3900m higher Beartooth peaks off to the west. Our first outing the day after Christmas was a classic ski on the Lake Fork (of Rock Creek) trail, which penetrates directly in to the Beartooth Wilderness.
The conditions were outstanding on our 25km ski on this slowly ascending trail, -10C, just a very light breeze, and the 20-30cm fresh Rocky Mtn. powder. The high country shone in the sun, up this canyon. We could only go in 12-13km before having to turn back around, my skinny waxless touring skis were not ideal when the trail became steeper and narrower.
The CRP staff had a great time in these pristine peaceful surroundings, as beautiful a ski as anywhere we've ever been.
Our resident powderhound Kluane, with his webbed front paws and thick coat, is uniquely suited to thriving in this environment. Whilst Mattie and I stayed together on our 25K ski in here, he probably ended up covering 3-4 times that with all his outings, sniffing around for news, and maintaining our security.
Since this 25K ski only took us three hours, we decided to have a go at another area for some skate skiing. US-212 heading southwest from Red Lodge ascends 3307m Beartooth Pass, just before entering the north edge of Yellowstone NP. Needless to say, the highway is not maintained for the winter. So only 20km from town, at 2500m elevation, is the closure gate. I'd heard that there's usually enough snowmachine traffic to pack the road down, and allow for skate skiing.
Here at the gate, looking in to the southwest and the very high country toward the pass, it was pretty chilly, -11C with a 20-40kph breeze.
It was a long 7.5 hours drive on slushy icy I-90, then US-212, 570km in total, from Missoula. Pretty stressful, and there had just been 20-30cm fresh new powder snowfall in Red Lodge when we arrived. Such that next day when the sun came out, this area (pop. 2300) was in all its glory.
The CRP staff had a great time in these pristine peaceful surroundings, as beautiful a ski as anywhere we've ever been.
Our resident powderhound Kluane, with his webbed front paws and thick coat, is uniquely suited to thriving in this environment. Whilst Mattie and I stayed together on our 25K ski in here, he probably ended up covering 3-4 times that with all his outings, sniffing around for news, and maintaining our security.
Since this 25K ski only took us three hours, we decided to have a go at another area for some skate skiing. US-212 heading southwest from Red Lodge ascends 3307m Beartooth Pass, just before entering the north edge of Yellowstone NP. Needless to say, the highway is not maintained for the winter. So only 20km from town, at 2500m elevation, is the closure gate. I'd heard that there's usually enough snowmachine traffic to pack the road down, and allow for skate skiing.
I only ended up doing a 10K skate ski on the highway, it wasn't too steep, but got too bumpy and still had alot of thick powder in spots. Not the ideal groomed surface skate skiing is best in. By the time I got back to our vehicle to re-group, Kluane had peeled off somewhere, so we had to search for him.
He found an old deer hide below the highway closure gate hunters left behind from last fall and was heavily engrossed in its pleasures. So much so that I had to threaten to leave him behind unless he finished up and came back. I was getting chilled rapidly after getting heated up skating earlier at that high altitude and less than ideal conditions. He came to his senses fortunately, and we were able to make a quick getaway back to town.
Red Lodge is a very beautiful little town, behind its quaint main street, Broadway, lies several blocks of 90-130 year old houses. The inhabitants are friendly and inquisitive, such as these wild turkeys and white-tail deer that roam freely through the neighborhood. Mule deer tend to stay on the hillsides surrounding town, Red Lodge lies at around 1723m elevation nestled in a 100m deep draw that beautiful clear rushing Rock Creek flows through, draining the high 3500-3900m Beartooths. A real treasure, that we'll be sure to keep coming back to, in all seasons.
Our second day there, we decided to check the West Fork Road, which also goes directly into the high Beartooths, but which is sometimes groomed for skiing after its winter closure.
This road just heads due west into the Wilderness, reaching it about 8-10K up from the winter closure. It actually starts right near town, on the higher bench where all the newer vacation and resort homes are.
It turned out that it wasn't groomed, so I couldn't skate ski in, had to use my skinny waxless classic touring skis. Even so, was able to get about a 25km ski in here, some east winds of 30-60kph came up, in the -10C conditions, not much fun then. At this 2100-2300m elevation, that happens alot.
After finishing that and re-grouping, we wanted to glimpse the barren dry Beartooth Front, lying in the precip. shadow of the highest peaks in MT, the first low valley only gets 1/3 the precip. of Red Lodge, and would be a desert, were it not for the colder winters. It's just a short drive east from Red Lodge up and over a summit, then you can see the endless expanse of barren dry hills dropping down. With the moister Pryor Mtns. in the distance, where wild mustangs roam.
The little town of Belfry, MT lies down in the lowest Valley, and sure enough, there was only patchy snow there, but 25-35cm depth in Red Lodge.
The entire front of the Rocky Mountain range (the Rocky Mtn. Front!) from Colorado north into Alberta is similar geologically, and have deposits of oil and natural gas. Which unfortunately has subject some areas like the front north of Denver to highly focused and dense fracked oil and gas wells. Polluting the air and ground-water, leaking methane (100X as powerful a greenhouse gas as CO2 in the short term), and ravaging the surface.
We described the horrors of fracking during our previous incarnation, in the above article.
Thus, the Beartooth Front has been in peril of seeing fracking activity similar to what is occurring in Colorado and North Dakota.
As of a few months ago, this is where things stood, as far as increased possibilities of wells going in, etc..
But then, as if by magic, global oil prices began plummeting last month, and are now expected to remain at or below 40 USD per barrel (or lower!) for some time, likely years.
This does concern us that many people might become complacent, and start driving more, buying more gas-guzzling larger vehicles, etc.. And that there will increased CO2 emissions as a result. But, at the same time, because fracking (and the mining of the Alberta Tar Sands) require a minimum oil price of 65 USD per barrel break-even point, this will shut them down. Which is very important to at least back off the accelerator a little bit of increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Not to mention saving large areas from experiencing toxic ground and surface water pollution. We think this development will do more to help climate protection efforts, than will be lost due to the possibility of increased driving and larger vehicles (if that even happens).
The above article gives a good run-down of the effects of the oil price crash, alot is still unknown. But for us, we are grateful this is happening, because the Beartooth Front will benefit, as will all the Rocky Mtn. front from Colorado, north into Alberta and the Tar Sands, in the boreal forest. And if we had a political and economic system that prioritised human needs and environmental protection for future generations above short term corporate profits, those people who would lose jobs/careers in any field because of its obsolescence or destructiveness, would not have to worry. Cheers.
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