2012 Montana Conditions, Stoke and Whatev Thread

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[Bunion 2020]

Looking at Trailforks it doesn't look like theres much of a modern mountain biking trail system around Bozeman other than whats up here at Big Sky. That seems odd to me.

If you mean a bunch of "flow" trails with giant berms, no. Too many BWAGs and walkers with a lot of money and animus towards scary 2 wheeled bikers. Lot of good riding up Hyalite, old school horse trails that are a lot of fun to ride but you have to share. No outfitters using the area is key.

[Bunion 2020]

We are at Lionhead Trail west of West Yellowstone with SWMMBA. The Southwest Montana Mountain Bike Association is a Bozeman-based nonprofit that builds, maintains, and protects mountain bike trails across southwest Montana, with a mission to improve access and foster a passionate biking community. The project for this past weekend was a 3,000-foot climb trail — clearing deadfall, carving lines, and fine-tuning switchbacks for riders who’ll never know how close this trail came to staying wild and unused. The team was fortunate to have four horses with their owners carrying the chainsaws to the summit; they usually strap them on their bikes and pedal up with the grace of a trail mule. SWMMBA isn’t just clearing paths — it’s building them.

This year marks its 10th anniversary. That’s a decade of activism, fundraising, and dirt-covered vision. From Bozeman’s urban edges to Big Sky’s alpine trails (shoutout to the Trail Dogs chapter), the Southwest Montana Mountain Bike Association has become more than a group of cyclists. It’s a living, grinding movement. Board president Josh Horstmann explained it best — weekly rides mostly attract riders from the 3,600 members. That’s riders of every level, rolling out together like spokes from a hub. Trail-building days bring new faces into the fold, each volunteer shaping terrain that future riders will bomb down without blinking. SWMMBA is advocating for access, sustainability and inclusivity. The group embraces e-bikes and calls for thoughtful legislation and open discussion rather than division. Montana’s terrain is diverse and the organization has carved out rides for every comfort zone — from mellow in-town paths to brutal alpine ascents. Funding is where the community shines.

Monthly donors (the “Dirt Heroes&rdquo, one-time gifts, and events like Give Big keep SWMMBA’s gears turning. Big grants have fueled flagship projects like Copper City and the Bridger Bowl crosscut flow trails — those alone account for more than a half-million dollars in investments toward Montana’s outdoor culture. By midmorning at Lionhead, the volunteers are miles into bear country. The climb is merciless, but there’s no complaint — just jokes, encouragement and a shared understanding that what we’re building isn’t just a trail, it’s outdoor legacy.

[yeahman]

I wouldn't say Helena has a bunch of flow trails either. There are a few. Mostly just repurposed hiking trails.

I do really like that new trail in the Scratchgravels. Perfect one hour loop from my house. And the new Barking Dog trail in the south hills is a good one too.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

I've been helping fundraise on this Bridger/CC project. The first phase is underway now and will have a fun bike only directional flow. We have more in the pipeline for the future. All directional and bike only. Some raw and backcountry style too. We are hopefully laying the groundwork for much much more.

https://www.southwestmontanamba.org/...rosscut-trails

We are trying our best. We have some hurdles here that other similar sized (or much smaller) mountain towns just don't have. Mountain biking (and actual safe commuter cycling routes) are just not a priority. You would think this would be like so many other "B" towns (why is it always B places?).....Bend, Boise, Bentonville, Boulder, etc etc....but NO.

[evasive_MT]

I wouldn't say Helena has a bunch of flow trails either. There are a few. Mostly just repurposed hiking trails.

I do really like that new trail in the Scratchgravels. Perfect one hour loop from my house. And the new Barking Dog trail in the south hills is a good one too.

I’m walking the next phase of work with the BLM next week.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Nice 3 hours in the canyon tonight headed home. Pickup into a Semi wreck. Hopefully everyone is OK. Will they ever enforce that through trucks to Idaho be forced to take the Ennis route?

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

I hope all the oligarchs and broligarchs going to the Google weekend in YC had to sit in traffic

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

^^^ I 100% saw a weird armored looking escalade sandwiched in a very long motorcade of other "normal" black escalades heading south as I sat stopped while trying to head north.

[lifelinksplit]

Oh how I don't miss the canyon. Are you even allowed to bitch if you had to only wait for 1 wreck?(heavy sarcasm). Or the ex president closes the canyon for his motorcade while rafting. It gets real fun after a 12 hr shift and the canyon closes so you and the boys in the work truck say no problem we'll just loop around west and grab another 30 rack and go for a quick dip in the mad. Then you find out you're running low on road sodas. Suddenly the turn for the Madison pops up and apparently a semi rolled on 35mph turn. Now you're taking the long alcohol free route home all the way to 3 forks just to get home to 4 corners just in time to get hopefully 3hrs of sleep before doing it all again.

Signed any construction worker in big sky(overheard.bozeman)

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[Bunion 2020]

Floated the upper Gallatin and took out at Karst. As we were loading the boats at around 16:00 I heard the sirens and thought, "well shit"..... Made it to just North of the Mad Mile before traffic clotted up. Got home at 18:35. It was a nice float but damn that road is busy these days.

[SUPERIOR]

Oligarchs and Broligarchs is a good one!

Will be interesting to see what the traffic solution to Big Sky becomes in the future.

You’d think with the usage and money spent in the area they’d put something together that looks like the interstate between Helena and Great Falls, essentially a nice built up roadway with bridges and exits and a center divider.

I guess since the canyon is so small they’d have to blast the shit out of the rock and do a bunch of eminent domain.

Whelp, thoughts and prayers in the meantime.

[Bunion 2020]

I have seen several pie in the Big Sky proposals for a 2 level highway. Never gonna happen in my lifetime. Getting rid of the Interstate heavy truck traffic would be a good start.

[raisingarizona13]

@WG, that trail Petes been working on looks sick. Good work on all of ya for making that happen.

[Bunion 2020]

RE: Trails in and around SW MT

Reading the Chronicle article, “Chainsaws, Horses and a 3,000-foot climb: Building an outdoor legacy at Lionhead” (July 17), made my heart sink.

In the year 2025, how could a journalist from Bozeman, Montana, laud the conversion of one of our precious wild places — the Lionhead Range — into a race track for mountain bikers? According to the author, bikers want to be able to bomb down without blinking though this wild landscape deep into bear country. What could go wrong with that scenario?

Indeed, the author laments, how close this trail came to staying wild, that is until the Southwest Montana Mountain Biking Association (SWMMBA) brought in chainsaws and started carving away. And they are not just clearing paths, they are building them.

The Lionhead forms a wildlife linkage connecting Yellowstone to wildlands to the west. Is the author unaware of research showing the impacts that such trail building and mechanized recreation can have on wild places and wildlife? It’s habitat fragmentation.

And combined with climate change and sprawling development adjacent to public lands, it does not bode well for the health of our beloved wildlife. Let’s be clear, increased access of this sort does not mean increased conservation. Indeed, it often leads to just the opposite. Lately I’ve seen a bumper sticker that reads, “Glaciate Bozeman.” I don’t know who created it, but my interpretation is that its originator believes we have so despoiled our landscape, it’s time for Mother Nature to wipe the slate clean. I am not that pessimistic. I feel like we still have plenty to fight for. But not for long. I’m sorry SWMMBA, I do not share the reporter’s enthusiasm for your Lionhead mountain bike trails. It’s leaving a legacy alright.

A legacy of degraded habitat.

Dennis Glick Livingston

[Gnar_Shralp406]

RE: Trails in and around SW MT

They must be fun at parties.

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[anotherVTskibum]

Post-event review of the Bone crusher/ Swiftie slide:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BZTAMsba6Uk&t=339s