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to explore Blacktail's 26 trails.

At Blacktail, the order of the day is reversed; skiers drive to the top of the mountain, ski down, and chairlift back up to base. The trails are newly cut and varied, but the overall pitch of the mountain is a steep slope. Balance and the ability to turn well are key.

Mission #2

Conquer deep powder.

Location: Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area, Interstate 90 at the Idaho/Montana state line

Equipment:

Atomic ETL parabolic skis. These shorter-length skis turn well, are easy on the legs, and appropriate for beginner or intermediate skiers. Parabolic skis are also designed with an hourglass shape for an easier ski.

Objective:

Navigate between two states and multiple feet of fresh powder at Lookout Pass, known for its natural ski conditions and family-friendly style. To better prepare for deep-powder skiing, The resort's owner, Phil Edholm, suggests a lesson; in fact, Lookout Pass has offered free ski school on Saturdays for beginner, intermediate, and advanced skiers for more than 60 years. Look for instructor George Bailey (no relation to the Baileys of Bedford Falls) for tips on maneuvering in three feet or more of fresh snow. Bailey says the key is pretend to pedal a bike.

Mission #3

Ski big with the locals.

Location: Snow Bowl, Missoula, Montana

Equipment: 2009 K2 Apache Raider skis. These skis are made to stick to the snow, keep bone-rattling to a minimum, and make great turns. They're recommended for intermediate skiers looking in the midst of improving their skills, and it's also one of K2's more moderately priced pairs.

Objective:

Native Missoulians swear that Snow Bowl is the greatest ski hill in all of Montana. If nothing else, it's big, with 950 acres of skiable terrain. One of its most impressive runs, the three-mile long cruiser trail' Paradise, is perfect for canvassing the mountain in one, long swoop, and more challenging trails offer the powder, moguls, and straight-aways that put any pair of skis to the test.

Mission #4

Survey the territory.

Location: Lost Trail Powder Mountain, Conner, Montana

Equipment:

2009 Rossignol VooDoo SC80 skis. These share many of the same traits as the VooDoo 74s, but offers a skier more versatility in terms of the trail conditions the SC80s can easily handle. Still, it's lightweight and great for average-height and weight skiers who like to take it slow on groomed trails.

Objective:

Survey the mountains and prairies of Montana from high atop the Continental Divide. The well-groomed slopes wind through the Rocky Mountains, and are appropriate for all levels of skiers, provided that no one minds the occasional rope-tow. After a long week of winter sports, Lost Trail's ability to cater to the relaxed skier is welcome.

Findings:

The newest skis cater to athletes of all abilities, and there is a pair for everyone, and for every mountain. Parabolic skis have opened the sport to more people, while at the same time, advanced skiers have been able to take advantage of new technologies and designs to excel in the sport, as well.

Montana is a daunting testing ground. But somewhere between acceptance of my own skills and choosing the best equipment to suit them, the mountains and I had a meeting of the minds.

Mission complete.

Learn more about this author, Jaclyn C. Stevenson.
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