Finalists, Best Sporting Goods Store 2. REI: 3275 N. Reserve 541-1938 rei.com 3. The Trail Head: 221 E. Front St. 543-6966 trailheadmontana.net Finalists, Best Store for Guns 2. Axmen South: 5175 Highway 93 S. 251-3399 axguns.com 3. Wholesale Sports: 2323 N. Reserve 523-9000 wholesalesports.com
STAFF PICK BEST WAY TO SPEND YOUR 21st BIRTHDAY This year we asked you for the best way to commemorate turning 21 with a little self-interest, since the Indy turns 21 this year. We thought maybe we’d get a few tips. You had plenty. Shockingly, most involved alcohol, with bar hopping downtown a popular contender, as well as flaming shots at Feruqi’s and dinner and drinks with friends. Kudos to the candor of making fun yet terrible choices, naked, drunk, blacked out, in jail, in a taxi, in a DeLorean, in a time machine, in a trashcan, avoiding the bar you’ve gone to for the past three years and as if I could remember as well as the sobriety of not drinking too much, not in jail, at the Mansfield Library, eating pie and awake. You guys are too much fun. Also, at odds with one another—but that’s what makes Missoula such a diverse community, isn’t it? While some of you are naked and blind drunk, some of you are in the library.
Bowling Alley: Westside Lanes When was the last time you went on a bowling date? The sheen of the lanes’ polish, a table full of beer, bumping hands when you reach for your ball even though it’s not your turn: ’tis the stuff of romance. Westside takes your turkeys to a new level with a full bar featuring live music and karaoke, a casino, arcade and pool tables galore. Jeez, there’s even batting cages. Wait a second, can we just live there? Westside Lanes: 1615 Wyoming St., 7215263, missoulabowling.com
Missoula Independent Page 40 Best of Missoula 2012
Finalists, Best Golf Course 2. Larchmont: 3200 Fort Missoula Rd. 721-4416 larchmontgolfcourse.com 3. Canyon River Golf Club: 1268 Bandmann Trail Rd. 721-0222 canyonrivergolfclub.com
Fly-Fishing Guide: Stacy Jennings Jennings is the donna suprema of fly-fishing in the valley. She’s led trips and taught classes since 1994, bringing skill, patience and humor to any situation. Jennings has an intuitive sense about flyfishing that speaks to her devotion to her craft. Her knowledge of flies, river conditions and fish biology is remarkable and she’s happy to accompany you on a snorkel session to get to know the river better. Her excitement over every detail of fly-fishing encourages every client and student to hit the river and try out the new drop-cast she patiently walked you through for hours. Stacy Jennings: 370-4027, kingfisherflyshop.com
Finalists, Best Fly-Fishing Guide 2. John Herzer, Blackfoot River Outfitters: 3055 N. Reserve 542-7411 blackfootriver.com 3. Drew Miller, Grizzly Hackle: 215 W. Front St. 721-8996 grizzlyhackle.com
Health Club: Peak Health & Wellness Center Missoula has some great public tennis courts, but for the other six months of the year, tennis players and many others around Missoula know that the best place to work out is Peak Health & Wellness Center, down by Blue Mountain. The sprawling, upscale and locally owned club, in business for more than 25 years, has indoor and outdoor tennis courts, an indoor pool, weight rooms, a basketball court, an indoor track, and saunas and steam rooms in the locker rooms, among other amenities, making it a year-round destination for the fitness-conscious. And it’s all nearly pristine. “We’re the only true athletic club in the area—we’re at over 100,000 square feet, so it’s pretty massive,” says assistant director Joseph Foley. “We attempt to make it immaculate.” Peak Health & Wellness Center: 5000 Blue Mountain Rd., 251-3344, peakmissoula.com
Finalist, Best Bowling Alley 2. Five Valleys Bowl: 1515 Dearborn Ave. 549-4158 luckystrikebarcasino.com
Finalists, Best Health Club 2. The Women’s Club: 2105 Bow St. 728-4410 thewomensclub.com 3. YMCA: 3000 S. Russell St. 721-9622 ymcamissoula.org
Golf Course: The University Golf Course
Store for Skis: Gull Ski and Snowboard
Are we really going to do away with the best golf course in town? Only time will tell, so get out and hit the links at this spectacular course while you still can. Nestled right below the foothills of Mount Sentinel, the UM golf course has been Missoula’s goto spot for fun (and beginner-friendly) golf for years. While the College of Technology and other new UM buildings certainly need a home, let’s hope they don’t tear down this gem of a course to make room. University of Montana Golf Course: 515 South Ave. E., 728-8629, umt.edu/golf
Another summer, another string of afternoons sitting around saying, “If only I’d bought some alpine touring gear...” Well, stop moping. Now’s the time to get kitted out, and who better to do the job than Gull? They’ve got the Salomon Rocker II, dude! Can’t you picture the cold smoke flying off those tails as you rip down St. Joe’s in June? Sure, summer 2013 is a year off. But the days are only getting shorter between now and winter. Why the hell would you wait? Gull Ski and Snowboard: 2601 W. Broadway, 549-5613, gullskishop.com