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Live and Let Ski

One writer's mission to find and test the newest skis in some of the wildest terrain in the West.

As I exited the Missoula International Airport in Montana, my opponents were waiting for me outside: Rows upon rows of mountains, some jagged, some gentle, some half-hidden in the clouds, ready to take me on.

Me, armed only with my New England-bred skiing skills.

Indeed, Montana is a surprisingly formidable locale for skiers. The Northwest corner receives up to 350 inches of snow every year, starting in November and guaranteeing a spring ski season. Ski areas range from large resorts to small, family-style mountains, but across the region, the experience is scaled-down and sport-centric. J-bars, rope tows, and two-person chairlifts sans the safety bar are not uncommon, nor are beautiful scenes of inversion clouds and snow-covered trees.

Wide-open, rolling runs give way to narrow forest trails, and offer skiers the option of making a left-hand turn into a terrain park, or a right-hand turn into the glades. Intermediate skiers can take their time getting to the bottom, just as extreme skiers can rush to the lodge by way of a rocky, vertical drop.

Locals rise early and ski late in nearly any condition. They brave the highways in snowstorms with glee, knowing new layers of powder are waiting for them. Four-wheel drive is a necessity, and hand warmers are a luxury. They have two words to describe their mountains: steep and deep. It's the perfect venue to put skills, and equipment, to the test.

My mission: Snap into some of today's newest skis just before sale-season, and plot a course through Glacier Country, where Mother Nature is still very much in charge.

Mission #1

Start from the top.

Location: Blacktail Mountain Ski Area, Lakeside, Montana

Equipment:

2009 Rossignol VooDoo 74 alpine skis for women. Designed for adventurous, intermediate skiers, these planks are equipped with lightweight bindings, give the feeling of a free-ride ski, and were made especially for women, using Rossi's Feminine Intuitive Technology (F.I.T.). F.I.T. specifically addresses women's anatomy when designing skis; a woman's center of gravity, for instance, is lower and further back than that of a man.

Giro Verse Snow Goggles they're light-weight, affordable, and work well with or without a helmet; they also wick moisture, and have a molded foam layer that protects the face from the elements.

Objective:

Travel 14 miles up a long, winding road to Blacktail Mountain's base camp' and prepare

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