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The best view in town
Published
11 years agoon
Skiing from the Mount Zimmer Yurt
Story and photos by Emily Stifler Explorebigsky.com Managing Editor
Alpenglow radiates pink outside the Mount Zimmer Yurt, lighting the surrounding mountains and across the valley to the south over the dark, volcanic massifs of Pilot and Index peaks. Cooke City sits in shadow, seven miles away and 1,800 feet below.
I fill a bucket with snow to melt for water and walk back to the yurt – from the front deck, I can see the rocky 12,000-foot escarpments of Zimmer and Wilse guarding the entrance to the highest peaks of the Beartooth Mountains. The mercury on the yurt thermometer reads 5 degrees, so I head inside to the warmth of the woodstove and a game of cards.
Before heading out for the day, I walk onto the front porch and watch a light-colored fox run through the yard. Unafraid, it comes within 30 feet of me, placing perfect prints in the snow.
A half-hour later we click into our skis on the porch, climb 300 feet to the top of neighboring Alp Rock, strip off skins and drop 400 feet of steep powder turns into Star Creek. A 30-minute skin puts us atop the Grand Plateau, a 160-acre alpine patio at 10,500 feet on Mount Zimmer.
The Mount Zimmer Yurt and the Woody Creek Cabin south of town are part of the new Cooke City-based business, Beartooth Powder Guides. Both have been booked regularly this year, their first season of operation, says owner Ben Zavora.
As part of the business, Zavora also guides backcountry ski tours, hosts ecology, avalanche education and ski mountaineering classes.
Unlike the yurt, which is accessible via snowmobile, the Woody Creek Cabin is set on a private inholding surrounded by Forest Service property and is accessed only via skinning or hiking. The 2.5-mile trail is gentle enough to allow carrying a heavy pack or pulling a sled. Zavora cut and hewed all the logs on the site last summer to build the cabin, which comfortably sleeps 10.
Together, the cabin and yurt access a range of ski terrain, from mellow forested meadows to ski mountaineering in the high Beartooths, with a slew of options in between.
Find more about this and summer operations at beartoothpowder.com.
Megan Paulson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outlaw Partners.
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
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Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
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Thursday of the Lord’s Supper Mass
St. Joseph Catholic Mission
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