Snow Day

A cold wind is sweeping across Southwest Montana and somewhere clouds heavy with snow are forming. Believe it or not, ski season is fast approaching. This post is about a trip I took a few years ago, to my mind the perfect winter weekend. Early one Saturday morning in late January, we started out from Missoula headed for Discovery Ski Area. Interstate 90 was dry, but the wind swirled snow around us. At Drummond, we turned south off of I-90 onto the Pintler Scenic Route. The Pintler Scenic Route follows the Phillipsburg Valley between the Flint Range to the east and the Sapphire and Long John Mountains to the west. The clouds were low, and the jagged white spires of the mountains cut dramatically against the gray backdrop. Around Phillipsburg, the valley stretches out broad and flat, and the road closely follows the meandering Flint Creek. The red of the willow brush, brown of the grass, white of the snow and blue of the creek made for a postcard perfect drive, despite the low clouds. South of Phillipsburg, we climbed through the Flint Creek Canyon, then followed the shore of the frozen and windswept Georgetown Lake until we came to Southern Cross Road, about twelve miles past Phillipsburg. From there, we followed the signs to for about four miles until we reached Discovery.
I’m not an especially good skier, so we spent most of our time on the smaller runs, but with 67 trails and 2,200 patrolled acres, Discovery has something for everyone. I’m told that the backside of the mountain has acres upon acres of steep runs and mogul fields that are utter perfection.

I may not be the best of skiers, but I gave it my all, and after a day at Discovery I was completely exhausted. From Discovery we headed southeast, through Anaconda and then east on I-90 to Fairmont Hot Springs. There is no better way to top off a day at Discovery than to soak in Fairmont’s hot springs. I love to sit in the outdoor hot tub at night and watch the snowflakes melt as they meet the steam from the pools.

We stayed a night at Fairmont, and then with heavy hearts turned back to Missoula and another week of college.

Prices:
Discovery:
Adult Full Day: $40
Adult Half Day: $32
Child (12 and under): $20
Senior (65 and over): $20
Easy Chair: $12
Child (5 and under with an adult ticket): Free

Fairmont:
Rooms start at $155

Tags: skiing, Fairmont, Discovery, winter activities, road trips