Winters (Bozeman, Red Lodge, Big Sky: house, buying, construction)

[wawagners]

I heard somewhere that the winters in Montana are so bad that you have to tie ropes from house to barn, house to garage ect... so you can find your way, is this true. Also I've read a lot about a highway between Big skye and Bozeman being very dangerous. What is the highway?

[bigtrees]

Winters in Montana are hard, plain and simple. But not necessarily the way you think.....

If I had to go to the barn in the middle of the blizzard, I probably could find the way even in the worst blizzard without needing a rope. But it would be miserable because of blowing and drifting snow and certainly wouldn't be the safest thing a guy has ever done.

The blizzards aren't what make Montana winters hard, though. I think they are fun and exciting. It's something that is different, kids love them because school gets cancelled, parents hate them because school gets cancelled, and it's fun hearing the wind blow.

What makes winters hard is when it's not blizzarding. It's not snowing. It's not sunny. The snow is frozen so you can't make snowmen. It's not December, it's March or April. All of your friends down south are talking about spring and all you see is a foot of snow on the ground. Basically, winters are long and the skies are gray and it wears on a guy. The first day of spring (not calendar day) is when the ground starts to thaw and you can walk outside with only a light unzipped jacket and you can smell the soil again, and that's the most wonderful day of spring.

Basically, western Montana has very gray skies (think Seattle) and that really wears on a lot of people. Eastern Montana is sunnier but has a tenacious wind and freezing cold temperatures.

[bigtrees]

The highway you are referring to is Hwy-191 from Bozeman to West Yellowstone. Unless you live in Big Sky (highly unlikely) you don't have to worry about it. It's mainly dangerous because the illegal Mexican workers aren't very good at driving it and tend to roll over or smash into other vehicles. Probably some Montanans aren't very good at driving it either. It's just a road that the construction workers have tended to drive way to fast on to get to work and get into an accident instead.

[Radek]

Some Montanans? How about all the morons at MSU who fly up and down that road to the ski hill?

But yeah, its long. As it is, we saw snow what? 2 weeks ago? Not a lot (except for Red Lodge), but enough to remind us all that winter is here. In addition to that, it was mid-april before the snow finally left Bozeman. It looks like we might have a similar year. Its not hard so much that its long. We have our sunny days, we have our snowy days, but again, as bigtrees said... its just long. 5-6 months of snow, of cold, of winter.

I prefer it over Seattle's 9 months of rain though.

[Rickers]

I'm sharpening up my ice auger and will be buying a new tip up soon. My buddy has a fold up plastic ice shack and were going to be catching those nice winter rainbows and perch. There's nothing like the sound of the ice cracks rumbling accross the lake when the sun comes out. A full thermos full of something hot to drink in hand, inside a dark ice shack and you can see every fish that cruises near your bait. I don't mind winter at all.

[wawagners]

That helps a lot. I think it sounds great. My favorite days of winter is when it's cold and grey. We live in Texas around Houston and we hardly ever get cold grey days, it's just HOT. My husband and I are cold weather people. We like Montana b/c of the climate and it seems to be a little more laid back and it doesn't seem to have changed much... pretty much just wide open beautiful country, the way it was a long time ago.

[lovinCarl]

We LOVE the winters... one of the reasons we had moved to Montana. We are winter people.

Love the snow and cold... especially when you are cozy in the house w/candles. driving is no big deal and people go about their day like any other.

I love the look after it snows. You become acclimated to the cold too. We will go out for a cigarette and it's 20 degrees and I'll be wearing shorts and a jacket and we feel fine...

We got hit hard by the winter storm beginning of winter (check pics at top of forum).. but we live in the windiest part of Montana LOL

[Radek]

Yeah Carl... Im the kind of guy that, unless its below 0 or actively snowing, I'm wearing flip-flops.

Don't mistake my assessment for being annoyed with the weather, I do love the snow and Montana. I will say that, having come from Seattle... when April rolls around, I am ready for the weather to shift.

Even then, doesn't guarantee we won't get snow in august.

[Rickers]

I'm still wearing my sandals outside everyday and we haven't had real winter-like weather yet other than it's just starting to freeze overnight. Our valley even though it's in western Montana is often very sunny when many other nearby areas are cloudy.

[wawagners]

We were so excited that (bellville, tx)it dropped down to high 40's LOL. 10degress colder then the norm.