[outdoors]
MOUNTAIN HIGH The Yellowstone Rendezvous Race is billed as “no better way to celebrate the end of the winter season,” or, in our case, possibly just a nice kickoff to unending Ragnarök. (Your faithful calendar editor is crabby because at press time, my car remains buried in a snowbank and every damn store is sold out of shovels. And you don’t need to yell at me for being a Montanan who doesn’t own a shovel; my sister does every time I beg her for a ride.) Anyhoo, if you’re so brave as to venture eastward on I-90 to West Yellowstone, the race includes a 2K, 50K and everything in between, for cross country skiers of all ages and skill levels. Races are on the
groomed Rendezvous Ski Trails all day Saturday, followed by awards and desserts at the Holiday Inn West Yellowstone; I suspect cocoa and other adult libations follow. The Kid’s Ski Festival follows on Sunday. Alternately, if this weather holds, just strap on your skis and have your own damn rendezvous right here in Missoula. See you at the bar. —Kate Whittle The 34th annual Yellowstone Rendezvous Race, with cross-country races ranging from 2K to 50K for skiers of every level. Visit rendezvousrace.com. Sat., March 8.
illustration by Kou Moua
THURSDAY MARCH 6 Andrew W.K. would approve of the Run For the Luck of It race registration party, hosted by Valley Physical Therapy from 5-7 PM, where you can show up, enter to win prizes, hang out with energetic folk and register for the March 15 race for a discounted rate.
SATURDAY MARCH 8 May the wind be at your back during the annual St. Patrick’s Race in Anaconda, which features a three- or six-mile run. Walkers are welcome, too. Meet at the Locker Room Bar for bus transportation to the starting line, with staging starting at 10:30 a.m. and the race at 11. Visit anacondaaoh.com. The perky Missoulians on Bicycles host the Miller Creek Meander group ride, a 30-mile junket that departs from McCormick Park, following city bike paths along the way. 11 am-1:30 PM. Visit missoulabike.org/ridepage or call Wayne at 721-6330 to learn more.
SUNDAY MARCH 9 Acrophobics might want to steer clear of the 2014 Vertical Challenge at Snowbowl, which challenges teams of two to see who can ski “the most
vert from bell to bell.” Visit the Montana Snowbowl Facebook page to learn more. Registration includes lunch and post-race brewski. Give Daylight Savings a kick in the teeth with the Missoulians on Bicycles’ 44-mile ride today, which meets at Fort Fizzle campground, six miles west of Lolo, to ride up to Lolo Hot Springs for hot cocoa and/or adult beverages. 11 AM. Call Ray at 239-1448 and visit missoulabike.org/ride-page to learn more.
TUESDAY MARCH 11 Roll on over to the Rocky Mountaineers’ March meeting, which features Michael Moser, Norman Singley and Aaron Baldwin sharing photos and stories about “light to ultralight” mountain bike touring. Trail Head, 221 E. Front St. 7 PM. Visit rockymountaineers.com.
WEDNESDAY MARCH 12 Trout-talk gets epic with “Upper Clark Fork Update: A Giant Awakens,” the seventh annual fishery briefing for guides about rebounding Silver Bow Creek and Warm Springs. Clark Fork Coalition. 5:30 PM. RSVP at facebook.com/clarkforkcoalition. Email info@clarkfork.org to learn more. Pizza and craft beers included.
missoulanews.com • March 6–March 13, 2014 [41]