Most freestone-river-fishing fly fishers like (if not love) snow – mountain snowpack is the critical source of fishable waters for the bulk of the year. The snowy season also ushers forth a flood of recreation opportunities and we’ve burned many a day on the mountain riding skinny and fat skis up and down the hills.
Time on the ski mountain teaches one to have a great deal of respect for patrollers who keep it safe for the hoards skiing and boarding the mountain. A friend in Utah a few years back was in charge of Alta’s team setting explosive charges to manage snow loads and trigger slides in high risk areas; his team was meticulously careful but readily admitted you never could be sure how a slide would run when triggered.
Here’s a great example from Crystal Mountain just up the road in WA…
