How bad are the winters really?

[Reziac]

I've only used chains three places on Montana roads: part of one winter on the gravel road coming to my house just east of Belgrade; once on the pass between Bozeman and Livingston; and once just north of West Yellowstone during the Great Blizzard of March 1982 (an El Nino year). The problem wasn't deep snow (tho I had to break through frozen snowdrifts to get out of my place, and having chains made that possible!!), it was wet ice that melted from the weight of the vehicle, so each tire was in its own little skating rink and did nothing but spin. Needed chains to bite into the ice and get moving.

I've also used chains to get traction to escape from an unexpected sinkhole on a muddy road.

[ElkHunter]

Been up in this country for a while. I've never used chains because I wanted to go to the store. Only slapped them on when I was out in the field getting bails and had to get a little Western to get back out with a 30 ft flatbed piled 7 bails high. Got in ok, but with all the weight, couldn't get out. haha Or maybe pulling somebody else out of a ditch. But going to the school, to the bank, to the grocery story, I was fine, didn't need them.