THE STORY OF MONTANA'S FIRST WHISTLEBLOWER

Winter
HORIZONS

Tanner Hall Returns

B.C. Hot Springs Tour
Big Sky Night Lights
1
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S S E A S O N 2 0 X X
FREE WINTER 2016-17
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F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 5
Contents

Features
24 The Return of Tanner Hall
BY DILLON TABISH
Now at 33, the pioneer in the sport of

24
freeskiing is enjoying life as a professional ski
bum with a few tricks still up his sleeve

30 Legislator Day Jobs

BY MYERS REECE
Montanas senators and representatives hail
from diverse backgrounds, juggling careers
and families as they participate in a citizens
legislature for minimal compensation

42 A Cut Above
BY TRISTAN SCOTT
At RBM Lumbers family owned timber
mill, the Thompson family has carved out
a niche business with conservation as its
core principle and slow growth as a staple

50 The Whistleblower
BY MYERS REECE
The story of Fred Whiteside, a Flathead
senator who took on a corrupt Copper King
at the turn of the 20th century, while tending
to an apple orchard back home in Kalispell

42 50

6 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
P.O. Box 1898, Bigfork, MT 59911 ~ Phone: (406) 837-3373
brad@bigforkbuilders.com ~ www.bigforkbuilders.com
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 7
Contents

Departments
104
10 Editors Note Let it Snow
14 48 North Dispatches from Northwest Montana
HOME

56 Profile Hiding in Plain Sight

64 Feature Camp of the Rising Sun
72 Interiors Back to the Basics
LIFESTYLE

80 Feature Legates Legacy

122 88
88 Style Young at Heart
92 Balancing Act Going to School is Hard!
93 How We Age A Work of Art
94 Staying Fit Winter Sandbag Workouts
FOOD&DRINK

96 Feature Bringing Asia to the Flathead

102 Tap Room day day
104 Dish Firebrands Roasted Beet Salad
106 Recipe Goat Cheese, Three Ways
OUTDOORS

108 Feature Getting into Hot Water

116 Feature Winters Water Wonderland

116
122 Destinations Big Sky Night Lights
124 Events What Not to Miss This Fall
128 Interview D rew Bledsoe and the Art of Football
8 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
 Custom Designed Fine Jewelry Since 1973
Specializing in Montana Yogo Sapphires
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Photography & Ad by Kendra Wainscott

241 Central Ave Whitefish, MT 59937

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F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 9
Editor's Note
Let it Snow
A
s winter approaches and fore-
casters predict seasonal con-
ditions, they often explain
their findings with terms El Nio and
La Nia, which literally mean little
boy and little girl. The kids refer to
the warming or cooling of the eastern
tropical Pacific Ocean.
Lucky for anyone who likes to play
in the snow, shes back. In November,
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration issued a La Nia advi-
sory, which likely means average tem-
peratures and above average snowfall
for the Flathead Valley this winter.
Ive never lived in a climate where
snow wasnt expected this time of year,
and when it fails to arrive, I consider the
season disappointing. The valley blan-
keted in snow is well worth the extra
times spent plowing sidewalks, scraping
windshields and maneuvering the roads.
And a white Christmas is far better
than the alternative of dreary skies and
muddy lawns.
10 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
If you live in this region year-round,
youve adapted to the likelihood of
frigid, snowy winters. And in many
ways, you embrace it. Whether skiing, fork that serves up authentic fare with
or sledding, or ice fishing, we all have imaginative twists.
our cold-weather habits.
In this issue of Flathead Living, we
offer up some fireside reading as you dry
out after a day embracing the elements.
With the Montana legislative session
approaching, Myers Reece profiled five
local lawmakers on their unique respon-
sibilities of balancing day jobs such as
surgeon, highway patrolman and caterer
with those in Helena. Reece also tells
the story of Fred Whiteside, a Flathead
senator who took on a corrupt Copper
King at the turn of the 20th century.
For foodies who like to pair cold days
with hearty meals, we have you covered.
We stopped by The Firebrand, White-
fishs newest hotel, to sample the menu,
including the delectable roasted beet
salad. Schafers Restaurant and Rileys
Pub in Woods Bay provided us three
Snow covers trees in
the Flathead National
Forest near Tally Lake.
divine recipes utilizing goat cheese. And
we profiled Koi Asian Bistro, Chef Josh
Auerhammers new restaurant in Big-
Finally, weve loaded this magazine
with recommendations to make the
most of your winter weekends. Molly
Priddy traveled British Columbias Hot
Springs Circle Route and wrote a guide
for day and multi-day trips. Kay Bjork
opened her diary of years spent on ice
around Northwest Montana. Photogra-
pher Greg Lindstrom will help you catch
a glimpse of the aurora borealis those
dancing lights in the darkness of winter.
Winter is upon us and, with any luck,
La Nia will deliver the goods. Let it
snow.
PHOTO BY GREG LINDSTROM
Thanks for reading,
Kellyn Brown | editor in chief
editor@flatheadliving.com
 Getting older has its challenges.
North Valley Embrace Health
can help make
Font is: Filosofia Grand Bold

EDITOR IN CHIEF Kellyn Brown

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Myers Reece

the journey easier.

ART DIRECTOR Steve Larson
MARKETING DIRECTOR Sammi Johnson

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Kay Bjork, Sammi Johnson, Liz Marchi, Jenna Anderson,
Molly Priddy, Justin Franz,
Dillon Tabish, Clare Menzel, Tristan Scott,
Meredith Coopman, Colton Martini, Chelsea Martini

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Lido Vizzutti, Mandy Mohler, Greg Lindstrom, Gibeon
Photography, Sally Finneran, Kay Bjork

SALES
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Bob Hunt
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Kristin Ahonen,
David Clawson, Kelly Siblerud,
Clint Webb, Andrew Westlund

DESIGN
Dwayne Harris, Sharilyn Fairweather, Tyler Thorney

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Joyce Harris

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Nic Headlee
VIDEO PRODUCTION LEAD Connor Welles
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Paula Carter

FLATHEAD LIVING
Flathead Living is published quarterly by
Flathead Beacon Productions. Flathead Living
(www.flatheadliving.com) is solely owned and operated
by Flathead Beacon Productions. This publication may
not be reproduced, either in whole or part, without the
express written permission of
Flathead Beacon Productions. Feeling overwhelmed with life transitions, stressors
2016 Flathead Citizen, Inc.
and losses can result in anxiety and depression.
CONTACT
17 Main St. Kalispell, MT 59901
North Valley Embrace Health provides compassionate,
(406) 257-9220 individualized treatment to meet the unique mental
a division of and emotional health needs of seniors. Call us today
to learn how our patient-centered care may help you
or your loved one.

ON THE COVER

Snowghosts at
3004 Hospital Way, Whitefish, MT 406-862-4763 www.NVEmbraceHealth.org
sunset in the
Whitefish Range
at Big Mountain.

PHOTO BY CHUCK HANEY

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 11
 17

Map of the Flathead Valley

Glacier National Park

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Flathead
Dayton National Forest

Elmo
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28
83

Polson
W E

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93
15 Miles
12 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7 Ronan
 TRAILS & PARKS
ARTISAN LANDSCAPES
RESTORATION & REVEGETATION
FOREST MANAGEMENT

406.862.4225
Visit us at forestoration.com
 48N RTH DISPATCHES
FROM
NORTHWEST
MONTANA

PULL
48NUP RTH
A CHAIR THE BROTHERS BERTRAND, TWO BEARDED, MINNESOTA-BORN,
snowboarding, jack-of-all-trades carpenters, have opened up shop

48N RTH 48 N RTH

in the Flathead Valley. They split their time between their wood-
working and landscaping/construction businesses. In their creative
projects, they often work with diamond willow, a unique wood that
forms gnarled, diamond-shaped cankers around infectious fungus.
Andy Bertrand breaks down the draw of the wood, and how he
and his brother Nick chase diamonds:

THE WOOD those have to be gouged out by

Its a labor-intensive wood, but
its really beautiful. We have
a never-ending supply of it
in Minnesota, and brought
quite a bit with us. We have
a bunch drying here that
takes about half a year. It
grows in wet areas, so youre
trudging around the swamp
(to harvest it). Youre not going
to be doing anything fancy,
like (using a) four-wheeler, so
we go in by foot. One guy
has a chainsaw, and the other
has a handsaw. There's kind
of a symbiotic thing going
on between the fungus and
wood, which usually doesnt go
together well, so you have to
pick through it to find stuff that
isn't rotting. It takes a keen eye
to find it in really big chunks.
ABOVE A side
table featuring THE PROCESS
diamond You bring it into the shop, and
willow.
then you skin it. Some people
LEFT use a power washer, (but we
A bench use) a drawknife, a big blade
made of the
with two handles, and you pull
Bertrand
brothers same it. It works pretty good, but
signature its slow going. The fungus kills
wood.
the outside of the tree, and
it makes these diamonds
chisels. From there, you get to
plug in a few power tools, and
you get to do some sanding.
The sanding is an undertaking.
If I was doing a queen bed, Id
spend 80 hours on sanding
alone. Then you seal it off, do
some little creature (carvings)
to make it more interesting.
THEIR STYLE
Weve done a lot of wildlife
carving: fish and birds, more
of a Northwoods kind of style
that we started with because
of where were from. Were
into Celtic Norse mythology,
and whenever we do themes,
we try to make it a little more
different than just a piece of
furniture. Initially, our style
was not quite Montana, just
because diamond willow is
such a drastic wood. You could
also call our style craftsman,
which I do see quite a bit of in
Montana. Were adapting our
style. The beauty of diamond
willows is that because it has
so much character, and the
shapes are so different, you
can find a perfect tree that's
perfect for a project. FL

14 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17
Architecture By

15
18 Peregrine Way 238 Frontage Park
Bozeman, MT Kalispell, MT
mtsashanddoor.com 406.586.1858 406.752.4527
 48N RTH
48N RTH
48N RTH 48 N RTH

TO RIDE
ANOTHER DAY
OH HOLY SNOW GODS, THE PRAYERS
for powder worked! Look outside. TOTALLY CLASSIC
Last night, it snowed, and it snowed THE FLATHEADS DOGSLEDDING CLASSIC IS BACK AFTER WARM WEATHER STRUCK
hard. Whether youre a mountaineer, last year, canceling the event. The weekend-long classic will take place
snowmobiler, skier, casual snowshoer, February 25-26, and for the first time ever, the 40-mile track will stretch from
or radical backcountry dog-walker, an Olney over Red Meadow Pass to Polebridge. Organizers expect between 20
adventure in the winter wonderland and 25 teams to show, with anywhere between two dogs on a just-for-fun
outside does not come without its skijoring team to the 12-dog powerhouses running the full 80 miles.
risks. Flathead Avalanche Center Were trying to maintain a stronghold of this area as a great winter recreational
director Eric Peitzsch shared four spot, said Action Sports Inc. president Brett Sveltik, who organizes the event. The
tenets of basic avalanche safety that Whitefish Range is incredible, in terms of the snow it gets. Its just an exhilarating
snow science leaders nationwide experience. Youre probably going to see over 100 dogs. Its toward the end of winter,
are emphasizing this season. and a lot of people love skiing or snowmobiling. This is a different way to see a different
side of things. Really, it's just about the action. And everyone can connect to a dog.
1. Get the gear. Start with an Find more information about the event at http://www.flatheadclassic.org/. FL
avalanche transceiver, probe, and
shovel. Consider an avalanche
airbag. And bring navigation
and emergency kits, as well as
COLD BEER, WARM BELLY
communication devices. NEW TO WHITEFISH THIS SUMMER,
2. Get the advisory. Find your the Montana Tap House is a fast
updated local forecast at flatheadav- favorite. And theyre planning on staying
alanche.org every day by 7 a.m. warm this season with wintery elixirs
3. Get the picture. Plan and research thatll light a fire under your frozen
your route carefully, identifying bottom. Were a seasonal beer place.
and avoiding dangerous terrain. We do stay up with the season, man-
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; GREGLINDSTROM
Look for obvious signs of insta- ager Ed Docter said. All winter long,
bility, including recent avalanches, well be running winter-styled beers,
changes in weather (like substantial porters, stouts Theres no distinct
new snow), and cracks. Listen for flavor (of a winter ale); its not like a breakfast, starting at 8 a.m., with coffee,
wumphfing in the snowpack. stout or a porter or an IPA. Some have growler fills, and food to eat in-house
4. Get out of harms way. Limit your different kinds of spices, or different or on the road. Tamarack ski shop is in
groups exposure to backcountry herbs, that make them more wintery. the same building, so you can get your
dangers and dangerous terrain. The taps rotate regularly, but you might skis waxed while you eat, Docter said.
find Rogue Ales Yellow Snow, Kalispell Should be pretty cool, pretty smooth.
Learn more online at http://backcoun- Brewing Co.s Core Shot Black IPA, or The bartenders keep an updated list
tryaccess.com/avalanche-avoid- Deschutes Brewerys Chasin Freshies of whats on tap online: http://www.
ance-backcountry-basics/. FL and Jubelale. Also new this winter: montanatap.com/on-tap/. FL

16 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
CONCEIVED DURING A SNOWSTORM

G lacier Distilling Company was conceived during a

snowstorm and in the Montana ethos of prepared-
ness and self-reliance. In the Winter of 2009/10 a group
of friends gathered around the fireplace in a cabin along
the North Fork discussing ski widths, fly lures, whiskey and
other such academic topics. As the snow continued to
pile up and the level of the whiskey bottle started falling
to dangerously low levels, the conversation turned to
more practical matters. Should this be Armageddon, how
could these friends ensure safety and continue to provide
for their families? They could guard The Pass and The
Canyon. They could hunt and forage for food. They could
chop wood for warmth. But where would they get their
whiskey? Alas, something had to be done. One of them
had to start a distillery. It was only prudent.

Glacier Distilling Company was registered as a business

on January 20th of 2010 and permitted to operate
legally on December 28th of that year. Taking a cue from
Josephine Doody, a moonshiner who operated from her
homestead on Harrison Creek in Glacier National Park
during the early 1900s, the distillery first released an un- WINTER HOURS NOON6PM THURSSUN
aged white whiskey that could be produced and sold in a
STARTING MAY 1: NOON TO 8PM DAILY
matter of months, instead of years. North Fork, Bad Rock
Rye and Wheatfish whiskeys soon followed and as the 10237 HWY 2 EAST // CORAM, MT 59913
saying goes, the rest is history. (406) 387-9887 // GLACIERDISTILLING.COM

OUR TEAM Whiskey Slingers

Nic Lee, Founder Molly Thorvilson, Marketing/
Currently Sipping: Sales/Brand/FOH Manager
Trail of the Cedars, Extrait Currently Sipping:
dAbsinthe Pear eau de vie
How do you Drink Glacier? How do you Drink Glacier?
With appreciation for those After ripping up pow on The
Kendra Burton Mike Nania
drinking with me. Big!

Pat Cattelino, General Jake Allen, Production

Manager Manager
Currently Sipping: Currently Sipping:
Heather Recker Jess Gutierrez
Fireweed Wheatfish Whiskey
How do you Drink Glacier? How do you Drink Glacier?
Out of a flask in the With friends and family toasting
backcountry! to the future and reminiscing on
the past.

Lindsey LivingGood

Handcrafted with Pride

48N RTH
48NNorth
48 RTH Breakdown a BY DILLON TABISH & STEVE LARSON
48N RTH 48 N RTH

69 Seasons on Big Mountain

O
n Dec. 14, 1947, the gas-powered ski lift rumbled to life and began hauling people up the white slopes of Big Mountain.
Though not the official opening of the new ski area overlooking Whitefish, it marked the beginning of a beloved local
tradition ski season. That first day in 1947, an estimated 300 people turned out to try the new-age T-bar lift that car-
ried skiers 3,200 feet uphill to Muldowns Mound so they could ski Mullys Mile. Now the expansive Whitefish Mountain
Resort is one of the top ranked ski areas in the nation and attracts more than 320,000 people each winter.
Here are some facts about our cherished local ski destination:

11th 1955
Whitefish Mountain Resorts ranking among the best overall ski areas The year when a local chapter of the
in the U.S. in this years SKI Magazine readers poll. The local ski Knights of Columbus installed the Jesus
resort ranked in the top 10 in seven of 18 categories, including No. statue atop Big Mountain. In its appli-
3 Service and No. 5 Value. Whitefish Mountain Resort also ranked cation, the group described the statue
No. 8 for Grooming and No. 10 for Character, Kid Friendliness, as a memorial to soldiers who died in
Lodging and Overall Satisfaction. This years rankings tallied the most World War II. Since then, the statue has
top 10s ever for the resort. been designated an historic landmark.

18 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
1962
On Dec. 3 of this year, Sports
Illustrated featured a skier in
the winter wonderland of
Montana atop Big Mountain as
part of a feature story on The
Wests Amazing Ski Resorts.
3.3 miles
The length of Hellfire, the longest
run at Whitefish Mountain Resort.
131"
The amount of snowfall that fell in
January 2008, the most single
month snowfall on record at
Whitefish Mountain Resort.
3,000
Acres of land encompassing Whitefish
Mountain Resort, includ-
ing 105 marked trails.
Snow Ghosts
Big Mountain is known for its mysteri-
ous snow ghosts. These spectacular
snow creatures are the result of wind,
clouds and fog coating the trees atop
the summit ridge with moisture and
heavy accretions of ice, called rime.
These trees receive plenty of mois-
ture, and the freezing temperatures
at the summit create chilled droplets
that freeze on top of each other into
hard, heavy ice. After awhile, with the
help of snow accumulation, this rime
fully coats the trees in a white disguise,
creating the iconic ghost formations.
8,058,144
Vertical feet skied by Ken Jones in
the 2015-16 season, the most ever
since the resorts vertical program
began tracking pass holders
mileage in 2004. Jones, who was 51
at the time and hadnt skied in 24
years prior, skied 1,526 miles last
winter, missing only six days out
of the 128 total. Jones, who works
as a handyman in the summer and
saves up enough money to ski in
winter, is back this season trying to
break his record from a year ago.
426"
The amount of snowfall in the
2007-08 season, the big-
gest snow year on record at
Whitefish Mountain Resort.
 48N RTH
48N RTH
48N RTH 48 N RTH

Celebrating 10 Years With The Whitefish Review

OVER THE LAST DECADE, THE
Flathead Valleys homegrown literary
journal has developed into a nationally
acclaimed periodical hailed as distinctive
and refreshing. Founding editor Brian
Schott thinks back on 10 chapters of
documenting mountain culture.
The growth of Whitefish Review over
the past 10 years has been steady and
incremental, one step at a time, while
always focusing on quality and redefining
what a literary journal can be.
Weve been guided by a lot of incredi-
ble mentors like Rick Bass, David James
Duncan, and other literary heroes who
have always given us the needed energy
to push on and reminded us that what we
are doing is not only important for the
new and emerging writers we publish, but
also provides a haven for the established
writers and artists.
In 2006, I knew that if we remained
focused on quality and surprising people
like some of the interviews we have
landed and the art we have published
we would be successful. I believe that every
issue we publish sets the bar a little higher,
which is both daunting and inspiring.
For the next decade, we will continue
to bring live literature to the community
with our ever-increasing schedule of
author readings, and continue to try to
get people who would not normally read
a literary journal to discover something
new. Jimmy Kimmel interviewed presi-
dent Obama a couple weeks ago and
now were going to interview Jimmy for
issue #20.
Its an honor to review the work of so
many incredible authors and artists and
continue to talk with some of the most
creative minds in the nation. FL

On The Egyptian Boat With The Gun

LIFE WAS EASY FOR THE RICHEST WOMAN IN ENGLAND. THEN A COMPLICATED HONEY-
moon cruise up the Nile River featuring a betrayed best friend and a shooting
changed everything. Thats a story you never want to hear, unless the Bigfork
Community Players are telling it. The local crew is producing the classic mys-
tery, Murder on the Nile, originally written by Agatha Christie, this winter.
Its one of Director Larry Lefcourts favorite. Why he loves the story:
Murder mysteries are always, always prevalent. You cant watch TV without seeing a
murder mystery.
Its got pretty equal parts for men and women. This gives women a chance to be a
bigger part of the Bigfork Players.
Everybody loves to try and guess a whodunit, especially when theres twists and turns,
which there are in this show.
I like to give people the chance to try and figure out whats going on. There isnt
anything hidden It tricks the audience, but there are no cheap tricks.
Its a fairly good reveal at the end. Theres a lot of misdirection written into it. Agatha
Christie did a great job. This is one of my favorites.
*Dates: February 17, 18, 19, 25, 26. Check online at bigforkcommunityplayers.com. FL

20 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
 Mindful Designs
Custom Builders

Longviews Studios, Inc.

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 21
 48N RTH
48N RTH
48N RTH 48 N RTH

CRACK THE WHIP

Q: What has eight legs, two skis, three fast-beating hearts, a will to win, and (probably) a few screws loose?
A: Your neighborhood skijoring team. Obviously.
THIS IS MONTANA, AND WHERE OUR
cowboy and skiing heritages collide, youll
find skijoring, the art and sport of pulling
a skier behind a horse. We spoke to a
local legend, Ron Behrandt, a volunteer
and course architect, about what kinds
of characters this crazy event draws.
Youve got horse people, and horse
people are really passionate. And you
take this group of horse people willing to
run their horses as fast as they can in ice
and snow. Then youve got the skier folk
theyre pretty passionate, too and
you take that subset willing to grab a rope
tied to a horse and go around a track.
Throw them together, and its a blast.
Catch the action during the Whitefish
Winter Carnival 2017, January 20-29,
and at the inaugural Flathead Lake
Skijoring Championships in Lakeside,
December 31-January 1. FL

PAINTING THE OLD TRUCK

FLATHEAD VALLEY COMMUNITY theres a lot of beauty in unexpected
Colleges longest-standing adjunct places. I love (Glacier National Park)
professor, Karen Leigh, a painter, is dearly, but it doesnt draw me to
looking back. A Hockaday Museum of paint. Its intimidating. I dont think
Art retrospective, Journey: A Painters I can do it justice. I think thats why
Life, which is on exhibit until January 21, Id rather paint an old truck.
highlights more than 40 years of Leighs The exhibit is (about the) journey (of)
watercolors, memorabilia, and sketches. a painters life. Two of my dear friends
TOP TO BOTTOM: GREGINDSTROM; CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

and I spent several years traveling around

The artist shared some words:
I do a lot of sketchbook work, and
those are prominently displayed in the
exhibit, mostly (featuring) travels, places
Ive been to, explored, and enjoyed.
(People have) seen my paintings, but
they havent seen my sketchbooks. A lot
of my paintings are done in my studio,
but my sketchbooks are done while Im
sitting next to a river or in a piazza with
a glass of wine. Thats the difference:
theyre more immediate, not finished.
I leave them I rarely use a sketch as
a stepping off point (for painting).
I love junkyards and places that most
people dont think of as subject matter.
I call it accidental magnificence. I think
the state of Montana painting, and we
turned those paintings into a traveling
show. Ive sold those, (but included in this
exhibit are) photographs: getting a flat
tire, having a drink at a bar in Choteau,
painting out in the woods. It traces
part of that journey, and journeys with
students. It shows me, my friends, and
my students the path that Ive taken. FL

22 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
 To the
Summit
and Beyond
HOW ABOUT A CUCUMBER WASABI
tuna bowl or bnh m to go with your
PBR? If theres a refined palate behind that
shaggy ski bum hair, youll want to saddle
up at the Summit House, the restaurant
perched atop Whitefish Mountain Resort.
The establishment underwent phase two
of its remodel this summer, with crews
overhauling and growing the kitchen
by 50 percent to make more room for
cooking and eating. Order up two of its

Rockin Around In The

newest offerings, both for about the price
of a candy bar at most big-ticket resorts.

Cucumber wasabi tuna bowl: rose-

mary-sesame seared tuna, coconut
rice, pickled carrots, bean sprouts
and sliced cucumber with cucum-
ber-wasabi sauce. $9.95
PHOTOS BY GREGLINDSTROM
Christmas Trolley
WHETHER YOUR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
go up after Halloween, Thanksgiving,
or stay up all year long (neighbors
and norms be damned), wed bet
We remember why we celebrate
Christmas: to bring families together,
to be able to spend that quality time
together, singing and laughing and

Bnh m: smoked brisket, duck and pork
liver pate, bean sprouts, pickled carrots
and onions, cucumber, jalapeno, cilantro,
basil and spiced mayo in a hoagie. $8.95 FL
that your homes display cant hold
a candle to some of the illuminated
masterpieces that light up around
Kalispell every December. Hop on a
Montana Trolley Co. tour to catch
the finest festive sights. DawnD
Stadick, an owner, says its her
favorite time of year. Why, you ask?
Theres some pretty extravagant
displays we get to see. Families
come together and enjoy cocoa and
treats, if they want to bring them,
and sing and have family time for an
hour, instead of somebody having
to drive and not really be involved
at looking at Christmas lights.
enjoying each other, stepping away
from the technology world, stepping
away from the stress that sometimes
Christmas can bring for families.
Weve had babies; weve had
90-year-old grandmothers. Its never
something that gets old. We get it once
a year. Its such a spectacular time.
The tours have sold out for the past
two years, and this year, the trolley
company plans to run to the end
of December. The public tours are
$10 per ticket. A private tour goes
for $135, and can fit up to 20 people.
Check www.montanatrolleyco.
com for more information. FL

WEVE HAD BABIES; WEVE HAD

90-YEAR-OLD GRANDMOTHERS.
ITS NEVER SOMETHING THAT GETS
OLD. WE GET IT ONCE A YEAR. ITS
SUCH A SPECTACULAR TIME.
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 23
 eturn of

ll
The Ret

a
Th

Tanner H head Va lley, Tanner Hall beca me an iconic

From the slopes of the Flat iing. Now at 33, he's enjoying life as a
pioneer in the sport of freeskh a few tricks still up his sleeve.
professional ski bum wit
story by dillon tabish // illustrations by dwayne harris

n the purple glow of Caseys Pub and Grill in Whitefish, the

man with long, blonde dreadlocks pouring out of a black
beanie stepped onstage and into the spotlight. His eyes peered
into the darkness around him. Pulsating exuberance swelled
throughout the crowded room and engulfed the stage, an
avalanche of applause that he allowed to sweep over him. A grat-
ified grin, decorated with new false teeth, revealed itself. For
Tanner Hall, it was good to be home.
A high school dropout who became one of the most accom- atmosphere felt more like a homecoming celebration than a
plished athletes the Flathead Valley has ever produced and one screening.
of the greatest freestyle skiers of all time, Tanner was right His name is a household word. Everybody here is very
where he wanted to be on Oct. 26. Among family, friends and proud of you, said Billy Marcial, a teacher in Whitefish who
fans, Tanner premiered his new ski film, Ring the Alarm, grew up skiing with Tanner and helped establish the Smoking
a 30-minute epic that took two years to produce atop some Aces Tour, which has developed into one of the largest slope-
of the biggest and baddest mountain peaks of Alaska, British style tours for skiers and snowboarders in the region.
Columbia and Oregon. The event, which raised funds for the Whitefish Mountain
On this rowdy night in Whitefish, as he took the stage, the Resort freestyle team, where Tanner started as an enthusiastic

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 25
 child prodigy 23 years ago, was sold out. More than 170
people, including awestruck teenagers, crammed into
the second-floor bar for an evening devoted
to the hometown icon.
Ring the Alarm, this is two years
of work. This is real skiers. We feel
this. We bleed this. Like, this is our
life, Tanner said, holding a micro-
phone and addressing the crowd.
I dont know nothing else.
Probably not the best thing to
say in here for you parents, but I
quit school for this. When school
wants to teach me that Chris-
topher Columbus founded the
United States, I think I made the
right choice.
Ever the showman, Tanner
was in his element, stirring the
conversation with the unapolo-
getic boldness of a true Montana
maverick. Tanner Hall is many
things a freeskiing pioneer, one
of the true rock stars of the sport
but he is most certainly not a
conformist nor someone worried
about following the rules. These
traits once helped him rise through
the ranks of his sport, but over
the years have gotten the Kalispell
native in trouble and, in many ways,
alienated him in an industry that he
helped thrust into mainstream venues,
including the Olympics.
But here in this ski town, Tanners audacious
words, much like his bold risks and tricks, elicited cheers, My culture is being
a proverbial and collective amen. The Ski Boss was now
leading more of a Sunday sermon than a simple screening. destroyed by some dumb
My culture is being destroyed by some dumb social social media Internet type
media Internet type s**t. Thats unacceptable, he said.
Parents, take that iPhone out of your young childs s**t. Thats unacceptable.
hand. I didnt have an iPhone until I was 25. Parents, take that iPhone out
By the time he was 25, he was also a superstar with
major sponsorships and untold accolades. The kid from of your young childs hand.
Kalispell, who started as a talented 10-year-old on Big I didnt have an iPhone
Mountain competing with the ski areas moguls team,
had led the freestyle revolution, blending the colorful until I was 25.
style of Glen Plake with a daring craziness and creativity
that was more akin to skateboarding than skiing. - Tanner Hall
Much the same way that grunge evolved from rock n
roll, freeskiing emerged from the traditions of moguls
and ski racing in the 1990s. And Tanner, defined by a

26 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
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 brash, devil-may-care attitude, was among its rock stars.
Along the way, he pushed the boundaries of skiers expec-
tations as competitors and rewrote the record books, both
on slopestyle courses and in half pipes, where he earned
seven gold medals and four silvers at the X Games, making
him the most decorated skier ever, which still holds true
today. Only snowboard sensation Shaun White has more
X Games medals than T-Hall.
Ive known Tanner since we were young kids. To see
him grow through skiing has been phenomenal, Marcial
said prior to the Whitefish screening. He was a part of
that huge innovation in the industry and in skiing itself.
Hes really a pioneer who has shaped the sport.
But those days, in terms of mainstream competition,
are behind him. Tanner is now 33, a milestone he also cel-
ebrated with the crowd in Whitefish in late October.
Hes not someone whos imprisoned by his past, but
the occasion another lap around the sun brought
reflection.
Its been quite the journey to get back here, back home
where it all started. The odyssey of a self-made man,
someone who ventures away from home as a teenager in
pursuit of a lofty goal, can be perilous, lined with pitfalls
and trials that try every inch of his soul.
You can lose your way, he said, clutching the micro-
phone and looking out into the dark, quiet
room. All of a sudden, it just falls off.
And to stop that from happening takes
zero effort. Instead of falling off, stay
on point. Thats the biggest thing Ive
learned in my life. Just stay on point.
For as much success that Tanner
has achieved in the last 18 years, he
has collided with equal amounts of
obstacles and challenges.
In just the last decade, Tanner went
from being a decorated gold medalist to a
troubled star, suffering career-threatening injuries
in 2005 and then again in 2009, battling drug and
alcohol abuse, and coming to terms with the death of
his best friend, C.R. Johnson.
Everyone else would have quit, Tanners longtime
friend and film producer Eric Iberg told Freeskier Maga-

Everyone else zine recently. They would have quit after the first injury,
or they would have quit after the second. And thats the
would have quit, most amazing thing about Tanner: He aint going to quit.
Hes a skier.
They would have quit At the same time Tanner was sidelined tackling his
after the first injury, demons, the sport he helped establish moved on, further
progressing into the mainstream and reaching
or they would have quit the highest summit: the Olympics. Half-
after the second. And pipe and slopestyle skiing made their
Olympic debut in 2014.
thats the most amazing Although relatively old in a
thing about Tanner: He sport defined by youth, Tanner
mounted a momentary come-
aint going to quit. back a few years ago, eager to
Hes a skier. achieve success atop an Olympic
podium.
- eric iberg The time when the Olympics

28 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
came up, I even fell into the hype. I was really excited and
I started going through the motions, Tanner said in an
interview two weeks before appearing in Whitefish.
But when you start going through the motions and
you run into the level of ego and the Olympics Thats
what shied me away. There came a point where you either
commit and make that your life and deal with those people.
But at some point, you got to remember why a lot of us left
mogul skiing to come to a thing where you dont have to
conform to what somebody says and you dont have to live
by a life of rules.
It was around 2012-2013 when Tanner left the com-
petitive ski world behind at the same time that his long-
standing Red Bull sponsorship ended. He found himself at
a crossroads. He chose the path leading to the mountains,
up the peaks and into the powder, back to his roots.
At the end of the day, I ski. Im a skier. Thats so cool
to say. Its not a bad thing, he said at his parents home in
Kalispell recently. I got wrapped up and was focusing on
things you dont need to focus on. At the end of the day I
worked hard for a lot of the opportunities that Ive been
given. Why let something take my energy away from some-
thing that brought me everything?
The result of his odyssey into the mountains is reflected
in Ring the Alarm, a passion project he spearheaded with
friends and up-and-coming skiers whom he wanted to
showcase. Riding his favorite Armada Magic Js one
of many popular mainstay skis from the company he
co-founded 16 years ago Tanner proves just how far
hes advanced in the high country, tackling peaks few could
ride. He attacks monster drops with the freestyle skills of a
slopestyle star but the detail-oriented acumen of the best
backcountry skiers. His creative flair is still unmistakable
and feels as original as when he first emerged on the bumps
at Big Mountain.
Tanner is now inspired to stoke the flames that fuel his
passion for the sport he loves. And to do that, he sold his
home in Utah and returned to Kalispell this summer. He
trained daily at the gym and spent time with his mother,
Darla, and father, Gerry.
Like the true ski beatnik he is, hes now traveling the
West in a 24-foot-long Winnebago, his new home on
wheels, in pursuit of powder and the lifestyle he loves most.
His destination? Wherever the road takes him.
Once you make your own choices in life, thats when
you know youre doing the right thing, he told the crowd
in Whitefish.
All of us are here for a reason. We all have purpose.
So at the end of the day, if you just stay on point, life will
get better. FL
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 29
 LEGISLATOR
DAY JOBS
Montanas senators and representatives hail from diverse
backgrounds, juggling careers and families as they participate
in a citizens legislature for minimal compensation
BY MYERS REECE PHOTOGRAPHY BY MANDY MOHLER
I
n an age of plummeting Congressional
approval ratings, with the national electorate
trending toward cynicism, a term like career
politician often rolls off the tongue as an epi-
thet. Voters conjure mental images of men and
women in Washington D.C. kicking back in expensive
suits, enjoying the fruits of six-figure salaries and gov-
ernment benefits.
Whether such perceptions are accurate or fair is
in the eye of the observer, but the truth is they dont
apply whatsoever to Montanas legislators. In the Big
Sky state, representatives and senators participate in
a citizens legislature that convenes every two years
to churn out policies and budgets with meager com-
pensation. Between sessions, and sometimes on week-
ends during sessions, they go back to their day jobs.
According to the National Conference of State Leg-
islatures, Montana is one of six states nationwide with
legislatures that qualify as part-time, low pay, small
staff. On the opposite end of the spectrum are highly
populated states such as California and New York cat-
egorized as full-time, well paid, large staff.
In 2015, Montana senators and representatives
received a base salary of $82.64 a day, or $10.33 an hour,
plus a daily per diem of $30 for expenses. The base pay
will rise to $11.33 hourly for the 2017 session.
The makeup of a citizens legislature renders a
system that, one could argue, more closely embodies
the spirit of direct representation. Members of the
state House and Senate truly come from the ranks of
those they serve. Campaign taglines declaring can-
didates as real Montanans may grow tiresome, but
30 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
typically theyre not lying.
Whereas attorneys have traditionally dominated
the U.S. Senate and Congress, though incrementally
less so as a professionalized political class gains
increasing prominence, Montanas legislature has
more ranchers and farmers than lawyers. Thats not to
say legal backgrounds arent valuable in policymaking,
but rather theres a certain usefulness in professional
diversity bringing more voices to the conversation.
That said, it takes a degree of employment flexi-
bility or financial mobility to take on the job. Unless
candidates are retired or their bosses let them take off
four months for the session plus additional time for
other duties, or they do well enough through self-em-
ployment to go on sabbatical, running for elected
office simply isnt an option for many Montanans.
Building contractors stop bidding on projects
during the session, farmers and ranchers rely on family
and friends to pick up the slack while theyre away, and
others similarly do whatever they can to make do. Leg-
islators from districts closer to Helena can come home
on weekends to attend to business, but, in such a huge
state, most dont have that convenience.
The state senators and representatives profiled
here acknowledge that their professional circum-
stances allow them to pursue a cause they believe is
noble and vital. The phrase better keep your day job
is typically uttered as a tongue-in-cheek insult, but,
applied here, its a mantra of survival for a group of
men and women who juggle careers, families and long
days in Helena for the sake of upholding democracy
in Montana. F
 Where Montana Gets Engaged

131 Central Ave - Whitefish, MT 59937 - 406.862.9199 - www.McGoughandCo.com

F L AT H E A D L I V I NG W I N T E R 2 0 16 - 17
S 31
LEGISLATOR DAY JOBS

DAVE FERN, DEMOCRAT

House District 5 Representative
Chimney Sweep, Whitefish

WHEN DAVE FERN ANSWERS HIS CELL PHONE,

dont be surprised if he tells you hes on a
roof. But if hes in a chimney, youll probably
have to leave a message. It takes him awhile
to crawl out, not to mention remove his full-
body Tyvek suit and respirator mask.

32 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
 Fern, one of only two Democrats to
represent Northwest Montana in the
Legislature, came upon his profession
by chance. In the early 1980s, when he
was living in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, he
worked at a bicycle shop that also moon-
lighted as a chimney parts and service
company. To fulfill his job duties, he
needed to learn both sides of the business.
What could have simply been a
stopgap skill to keep a young man afloat
until he found his calling morphed into
a career. Fern has been a chimney sweep
ever since, self-employed for the last 17
years as the owner of Chimney Solutions.
This was an unplanned career;
thats the way it works sometimes,
Fern said. Youre fortunate in life if
you can enjoy your work and have your
independence. For a lot of people, thats
the quest.
Fern is originally from Rhode Island
but since 1988 has lived in the Flathead
Valley, where his wife has family roots.
He worked for Kalispell-based Anderson
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Masonry Hearth and Home for a decade,
helping build up the companys chimney
services, before setting out on his own
in 1999.
Fern cleans, installs and repairs
chimneys, fireplaces and stoves, while
also providing inspection and educa-
tional services. Fire and accident pre-
vention is a significant, and vital, por-
tion of his job description. Hed rather
tell a homeowner how to avoid an inci-
dent than have to come in afterward to
fix the aftermath. Insurance companies
also send him to houses for inspections.
Unexpected duties have emerged as
well.
People say, While youre up on the state legislators come from the working
roof, would you mind cleaning my gut-
ters, too? he said.
Fern operates within roughly a 100-
mile radius, from Eureka down to the
Polson area, branching out east and west
to the Swan and Marion regions. He puts
30,000 miles on his odometer each year.
Hes mostly a one-man show, although he
327 Main St. Kalispell, MT | 406-755-1500
has an occasional employee, an arrange-
ment that will become more consistently
needed while hes at the three-month leg-
islative session in Helena.
In December, Fern will retire from
the Whitefish district school board after
24 years. He also served on the Montana
High School Association board and as
president of the Montana School Boards
Association. He already has a few educa-
tion bill drafts queued up, including one
to facilitate increased foreign language
immersion in Montana schools.
At age 63, Fern doesnt have imme-
diate retirement plans, and he says con-
stituents he speaks with appreciate that
class.
There seems to be a lot of agree-
ment that the term citizen legislature
has great meaning, he said. Were not
professional politicians. People see that
we have to leave our work to do the peo-
ples work. I think those are good Mon-
tana values that people appreciate. FL
stay connected
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 33
LEGISLATOR DAY JOBS

DEE BROWN, REPUBLICAN

Senate District 2 Senator
Retired Teacher and RV Park Owner,
Hungry Horse

DEE BROWN GETS EMOTIONAL TALKING about

Miriam Davis, her second-grade teacher in
Columbia Falls and the woman who inspired
her to pursue a career in education. The
quiver in Browns voice, all these years later,
provides irrefutable evidence that a good
teacher can change a persons life.
Its safe to say that Brown too changed
a few lives in her 26 years of teaching,

34 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
split between elementary schools in
Columbia Falls and Bad Rock Canyon.
Like other educators at rural schools,
she was an everything teacher,
branching out into music, special edu-
cation, whatever was needed.
As enrollment declined, her Coram
school closed and consolidated with
Hungry Horse. Amid shifting demo-
graphics and financial uncertainty,
teachers were forced to adapt on the
fly, but Brown was unfazed. Her mis-
sion transcended minutia.
I truly believe the best teachers are
called to the profession, she says.
Today, Brown is retired from both
teaching and her second profession of
owning and operating an RV park with
her husband near Hungry Horse. In
2014, after 24 years, the Browns sold the
campground property to Xanterra Parks
& Resorts to be used as an employee
campus.
Brown continues plugging away at
the Legislature, where she served as a
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representative in 2001, 2003, 2005 and
2009, and then as a senator in 2013 and
2015. After running uncontested for
reelection in November, she will return
for the 2017 session.
The habits and values of teaching
havent left Brown, and she enjoys
taking young legislators and candidates
under her wing. Likewise, as the only
adult in the room for so many years and
now as an experienced lawmaker, she
espouses the wisdom of prudence and
level-headedness in approaching legis-
lative matters. She knows that the high-
minded idealism of freshman legislators
doesnt always produce practical results.
Weve all been there before where
we came in with stars in our eyes, she
said. I thought we could come in and
change things quickly, but thats not
how it always works.
With only 90 days allotted every two
years to sort through appropriations
and policies, far-fetched bills with no
chance of passage can hijack precious
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hours of discussion. A potential remedy,
Brown believes, would be to split the
Legislature into two separate sessions
as a way to hone focus: 30 days concen-
trating solely on laws and policies and
another 60 days dedicated exclusively
to the budget.
Those of us on the policy side dont
really know the appropriations side,
she says. We know how to read a fiscal
note, but we dont delve deeper into the
budget. Its like talking about decorating
your house but not talking about how
much it costs.
While she emphasizes the impor-
tance of efficiently channeling the legis-
lative conversation, she has no concerns
about the conversation itself, or the
motivations of those participating in it.
People are all down there for the
same reasons, she says. Their hearts
are in the right place. You should never
let go of those stars in your eyes, but you
should align them correctly, and then
you can get something accomplished. FL
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 35
LEGISLATOR DAY JOBS

ALBERT OLSZEWSKI,
REPUBLICAN
Senate District 6 Senator
Surgeon and Partner at Flathead
Orthopedics, Kalispell

ALBERT OLSZEWSKI, THEN A SURGEON WITH

the U.S. Air Force, was performing an opera-
tion at a hospital in San Antonio, Texas when
he got the call: a federal building had been
bombed in Oklahoma City. No other details
were given, but Olszewskis orders were to
quit what he was doing and immediately hop
on a plane.

36 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
 Three hours later, he was in Okla-
homa City setting up a makeshift med-
ical center to assist local hospitals with
caring for the wounded in the imme-
diate aftermath of the terrorist attack.
But he didnt stay long, because the
tragedy hadnt left much for a surgeon
to do.
People either had scratches or they
didnt make it, he said. That was a
tough day.
Olszewski has had plenty of other
memorable moments in his medical
career. As a flight surgeon with the Air
Force, he traveled to overseas desti-
nations such as South America. Later,
during a fellowship focused on sports
medicine, he was a physician for the San
Antonio Spurs and the Sweet 16 of the
NCAA basketball tournament, among
other major athletic events.
Ive had some unbelievable expe-
riences, from jumping out of airplanes
to being next to Coach Osborne at one
of his last games, Olszewski recalled
recently, referring to legendary Univer-
sity of Nebraska head football coach
Tom Osborne. You always want to let
life be an adventure.
The most recent leg of his lifelong
adventure has been the Legislature. In
November, he was elected as a state sen-
ator after serving in the House last ses-
sion. He doesnt have to leap out of air-
planes in Helena, nor is anybodys life
at stake on an operating table, but there
are still a lot of people counting on him.
He says a medical career characterized
by demanding, high-pressure situations
that require clear thinking and steady
focus has prepared him well for the role.
Olszewski grew up in Great Falls and
attended C.M Russell High School. Fol-
lowing his decade in the Air Force and
Texas-based sports medicine work, he
returned to his home state, setting up
shop 19 years ago as the first fellow-
ship-trained sports medicine doctor in
the Flathead Valley. He provided ser-
vices for local athletic teams, giving
schools an impressive medical resource
at a time before the areas health care
boom had brought the stable of highly
trained specialists now found here.
As a partner in Flathead Orthope-
dics, today Olszewski specializes in
very complex knee surgery, the type
of operation that might require a trip to
the Mayo Clinic without his availability.
The nature of the work, which can be
scheduled out in advance, as well as the
support of his partners, allows him to
pursue his legislative ambitions. Olsze-
wski was also the lieutenant governor
candidate on Republican Jim Lynchs
unsuccessful 2012 gubernatorial run.
Olszewski believes his background is
useful in health care policy discussions,
and hes grateful that he has the oppor-
tunity to make a difference.
Theres kind of an awe to the his-
tory of those hallways, he said of the
state capitol. You put into perspective
that youre a part of a process that really
is awesome. FL
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 37
LEGISLATOR DAY JOBS

MARK BLASDEL,
REPUBLICAN
Senate District 4 Senator
Restaurant and Catering Service
Operator, Somers
MARK BLASDEL HAS HELD MULTIPLE TITLES AT
the Montana Legislature: representative, sen-
ator, House speaker, Senate Taxation Com-
mittee chairman, and now Senate majority
whip.
But hes worn as many different hats at his
everyday job as owner and operator of Vista

38 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
Linda, a Somers restaurant and one of Foundations annual banquet, which sessions from 2007-2013 as a representa-
the largest catering services in the Flat- draws up to 600 people. tive, and he will be attending his second
head Valley. Meanwhile, the restaurant is open for as a senator in 2017. It can be a grind, but
Sometimes Im bartending, some- dinner seven days a week, plus break- it never loses its intrigue for him, thanks
times Im cooking, sometimes Im fast on Sundays, specializing in Mexican to both the give-and-take of the process
washing dishes, Blasdel said. Its the food, whereas the catering side offers a itself and the diversity of those guiding it.
life of a small business owner. range of fare. Its not uncommon for Its kind of the melting pot of Mon-
Even during the legislative session, Blasdel to work 15 hours a day. tana, Blasdel said of the Legislature.
when Helena demands much of his Summers are intense, Blasdel said. You have all kinds of career paths, you
time, he returns on weekends to tend Its three months straight of seven days have tribal entities, you have this whole
to the family business. Blasdel says his a week. Thats when you make it. spectrum of different people with dif-
stints back home benefit not only the Blasdel served in four legislative ferent expertises and backgrounds. FL
company, but also his legislative duties.
Stay too long and the state capitol can
become an echo chamber.
It helps to come back because it
brings you back to hearing what people
are thinking, hearing their concerns,
Blasdel said. We can do that in North-
west Montana. If youre from Broadus, Fine Furniture
you dont get to go home.
Presents
The Copper Kings
Blasdels mother, Alice, bought Vista
Linda in 1981, when Blasdel was 6 years
old.
I grew up in the restaurant busi-
ness from then on, he said.
In 1991, the Blasdels sold the restau-
rant, located where the Rack Shack now
resides, but continued catering. The
family ran the lunch program and caf-
eteria at Flathead Valley Community
College for 10 years.
After Blasdel obtained his degree in
hospitality administration from UNLV,
he returned home and reopened the
restaurant in its current location on
Boon Road. It remains a truly fami-
ly-run operation; Alice still works, and
Marks wife, Renae, is active in both the
regular business and running the lunch
program at Stillwater Christian School.
Assisting the Blasdels is a staff that
fluctuates with the seasons, peaking in
the summer at 16 or 17, with others on
call for big gatherings or particularly On display at:
hectic times. Vista Linda might do 120 Glacier Hardwoods
catering jobs in a summer month, and & Laminate LLC
perhaps as many as eight or nine in a 3167 U.S. 93 S Kalispell, MT
406.756.9515
single day.
Or on the Web:
On top of the scattered events that DanielTalago.com
are always cropping up, Vista Linda
caters for a few mainstay occasions,
including the Rocky Mountain Elk

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 39
LEGISLATOR DAY JOBS

STEVE LAVIN,
REPUBLICAN
House District 8 Representative
Highway Patrol Major, Kalispell

STEVE LAVIN, A MAJOR AND REGIONAL COM-

mander with the Montana Highway Patrol,
says he has the greatest job in the world. But
when he discusses his service as an elected
state representative, hes no less exuberant.
I guess you could say thats the other
greatest job in the world, he said.
Lavins eagerness is believable, not only
because of his sincere personality but also
because its hard to see how someone could

40 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
manage the competing roles without
enthusiasm. If you dont really want to
serve, then you dont.
Ive always wanted to be in the Leg-
islature, he said. I love the Legislature.
Its very rewarding.
He adds, jovially: But its a pay cut.
Lavin, a fifth-generation Montanan,
was born in Helena but has deep roots
in the Flathead. He earned a sociology
degree from Montana State University
in Bozeman and landed a job with the
U.S. Marshals in Missoula right out of
college. He did that for a year before
joining the highway patrol.
I liked the idea of staying local in
Montana, he said. With the U.S. Mar-
shals, they can move you all around the
country. The highway patrol can move
you around, but you stay in Montana.
Lavin worked out of Missoula, Cut
Bank, Bigfork and Libby before landing
the Kalispell-based gig. Over the 23
years hes been here, hes moved up the
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highway patrol ranks, serving as a ser-
geant and captain before accepting the
major position over a year ago.
As regional commander, Lavin over-
sees four of the agencys eight districts. It
just so happens that his half of the state
is Eastern Montana, meaning he puts a
lot of rubber to the asphalt. The district
offices under his command are located in
Havre, Billings, Bozeman and Glendive.
I travel about 1,000 miles a week,
he said.
Lavin is grateful that his superiors
allow him the freedom to join the Leg-
islature, and says an added bonus is that
he gets to train other officers to tem-
porarily fill his position. On Nov. 8, he
was elected to his fourth and final term
in the state House of Representatives,
handily beating Democrat Paige Rap-
pleye in the House District 8 race.
Through three terms, hes ushered
21 bills into law. Among his proudest
achievements are measures diverting
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lottery money to scholarships for grad-
uating high school seniors, allowing
the collection of roadkill for con-
sumption with a permit, and a bipar-
tisan 24/7 sobriety program for repeat
drunken-driving offenders in part-
nership with Democratic Gov. Steve
Bullock, a bill that came on the heels
of two separate car accidents in which
Lavins highway patrol partners Evan
Schneider and Michael Haynes were
killed by drunken drivers.
Lavin wishes everybody could par-
ticipate in the Legislature, although he
knows its not feasible for many Mon-
tanans. Nevertheless, a great number
of residents do get a crack at it, and the
range of their expertise and person-
alities represents the beauty of the
Legislature.
I think every person should do the
job at least once, he said. To have a say
in your states budget and policy matters
is a blessing. FL
Dave
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F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 41
RBM Lumber in Columbia Falls on Nov. 22, 2016.
42 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
A Cut Above
At RBM Lumbers family-owned timber
mill, the Thompson family has carved out
a niche business with conservation as its
core principle and slow growth as a staple
story by // TRISTAN SCOTT
photography by // GREG LINDSTROM

C
OLUMBIA FALLS
Skating his fingertips
across the concentric
rings of an old-growth
Douglas fir, Roy Thompson traced
the trees 200-year history in the
Northern Rockies like a blind man
reading braille, deciphering the coni-
fers tactile timeline from its genesis
to its recent autumnal demise, when
his brother Ben and 81-year-old father
Malcolm hand-felled the mighty giant
with a chainsaw.
The brothers Thompson like to say
they have sawdust and timber in their
blood, a genetic makeup hardwired in
their DNA, predetermining their fate
as loggers.
In junior high, they peddled
hand-tooled leather wares and cut
lawns with borrowed mowers to
earn pocket money, which they used
to buy a bow saw and a wagon to cut
and haul firewood.
In high school, they traded 10 cords
of wood for a chainsaw and, with the
help of their mom, Evelyn, started
their own post-cutting outfit. Since
then, theyve dedicated themselves
to working with the forest to preserve
wildlife and old-growth timber, imi-
tating the forests natural rhythm by

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 43
timing their restrained harvests to when Allowing sustainable methods to ABOVE Ben, left, and Roy Thompson, pictured at
a tree reaches the end of its normal prevail, the brothers say, is a win-win. RBM Lumber in Columbia Falls on Nov. 22, 2016.

lifespan at 150 to 200 years, while selec- Roy and Ben Thompson track their BELOW A log goes through a vertical saw at RBM.
tively harvesting other timber that is own family history through a forested
wind-blown, diseased or fire-killed. timeline bristling with trees, and with
Today, the familys successful busi- the same depth of knowledge and inti- together with grit and a flair for healthy
ness dovetails with those youthful macy as they gauge the quality of the forests, the concentric lines binding the
entrepreneurial endeavors and eco- old-growth fir, theyre careful to count Thompson clan are even tighter than
friendly ethics, and their early ingenuity every ring. those aging the tree.
remains on full display in the evolving After more than 40 years running Still, its the trees in the region that
model at RBM Lumber, which stands for a family-owned timber mill, scabbed keep them rooted here, a mixed-age
Roy, Ben and mom.
Still, watching Roy solemnize the
slab of vertical-grain, old-growth fir
with the sanctity of a Samurai sword-
smith appraising a length of gleaming
steel, the birthright might well have
been delivered yesterday.
Look at how tight the growth rings
are. You can see when the climate
changed, when there were heavy rains,
when it was a dry year, he said. A tree
is basically a history book.
If the old firs life had been cut short,
it would have produced far less wood,
but by allowing the tree to reach the
end of its lifespan, the Thompsons max-
imize the economic contribution to the
forest and their business.

44 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 45
affair that makes for a healthy business
operation, and which preserves the
Thompsons teenage enthusiasm for the
business and the forest.
We didnt start doing this to make
any money; we started doing this
because it was fun, Ben says. Its like
hunting or fishing you dont always
catch or shoot anything, but you enjoy
getting out in the woods.
Indeed, time moves slowly at RBM.
It was two decades before playing in the
woods turned lucrative, but its been
fun all along. The family has sacrificed
quantity for quality, foregone speed for
precision product, and wastes nothing
in the process, inventing new products
to avoid wasting edges and slabs.
Like a frugal butcher, RBM uses
everything from the forest but the oink,
and by sticking to that business model,
theyve thrived.
We dont do anything fast, Roy said.
46 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
ABOVE RBM Lumber in Columbia Falls.
We pride ourselves on how slow we are,
and thats how we get the most value out
of every tree. Its all built around trying
to get more out of every tree.
Key to understanding RBMs success
story despite its sluggish cutting tempo
a timber company like Weyerhaeuser
mills in a week what RBM does in a year
the real point of clarity begins with their
fence-post cutting days as teenagers.
The Thompson boys were hired out
to cut posts as high school students
when they learned they could make more
money bidding on their own forest sales.
At the time, November 1974, Ben, 17, was
recently graduated from Columbia Falls
High School and Roy, 16, was beginning
his senior year. Because the brothers
were both minors, their mom, Evelyn,
had to sign the contract papers with the
U.S. Forest Service.
We didnt start doing this to
make any money; we started
doing this because it was fun.
Its like hunting or fishing
you dont always catch or
shoot anything, but you enjoy
getting out in the woods.
B EN TH O M P SO N
That first summer, they won two
bids for Forest Service post sales, and
began skidding logs with the familys
beat-up Dodge pickup. Evelyn, who was
working in the schools hot lunch pro-
gram, pitched in with a $500 tricycle
tractor, and the boys raced to finish the
jobs before the school bell rang Roy back
indoors.
When the classroom called and
the sales still werent finished, mom
was reluctant to send Ben off into the
woods to work alone so she picked
up a chainsaw, quit her job in the cafe-
teria and joined him.
It wasnt long before they moved up
from posts to house logs, buying a log
truck and a little bulldozer before set-
ting up a Mighty Mite portable sawmill
in the backyard of their parents home
on Columbia Heights, powering the mill
with a Volkswagen engine.
The quality of their lumber, known
for its precision cut, soon had the busi-
ness booming, and they expanded onto
14 acres nearby. In 1981, they bought an
adjacent property where an old roller
rink once sat, and three years later they
cobbled together a mill from steelyard
scraps, using the first of three Small
Business Association loans. Today, the
same mill still turns out lumber for the
business and stands out as an impressive
feat of engineering.
Ben and I did all of the fabrication
because we couldnt afford to hire any-
body. We milled the wood to build our
mill, Roy said. We didnt make any
money until 1995. Our parents had to
co-sign on our first loan. Now the banks
are begging us to take out a loan, but
weve been completely debt free for 15
years, which is a good way to be.
The tale of bootstrapping a high
school hobby into a successful timber
business culminates today in much the
same way it began by adhering to an
ethos of manufacturing low-volume,
high-value, visually pleasing products,
with conservation as a core principle.
We break all the rules, Ben said.
We never made a business plan and
said, This is what were going to do. I
never dreamed Id have a sawmill like
this. But I didnt like the way clear-
cuts looked in the forest, and I thought
maybe we could do something about it.
The forest is too precious to waste.
What started with a trade of fire-
wood for a sawyers saw at the Columbia
Falls Saw Shop has evolved into a spe-
cialty mill that supports the families of
more than 60 employees in Columbia
Falls, and which, until her death this
spring, was an endeavor held together
by the family matriarch, Evelyn, who
served as the operations head-rig
sawyer today, the M in RBM stands
for Malcolm.
Another aspect of RBM that defies
the industry standard is its hap-
py-healthy employee campaign, which
offers catered nutritional meals to its
workers and yoga and fitness classes at
its on-site gym. The biggest problem for
the Thompsons isnt finding the right
trees to cut down; its finding skilled
workers who can endure the physical
labor while creating the best, most
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 47
attractive product.
An unhealthy body isnt going to be
able to stand up to this kind of work, Ben
said. When our employees are living on
energy drinks and pizza pockets, its only
a matter of time before their health goes
downhill. So we got people working out.
At first, RBM paid for memberships at
a local gym, but no one went. Then the
Thompsons hired a personal trainer and
a yoga instructor, and outfitted the front
office with an on-site gym. To encourage
the employees to exercise, they offered
financial incentives.
Still, there was resistance.
Now we require them to go work
out, Ben said. Its a major investment,
but I would rather pay for this than pay
an insurance company to provide my
guys with painkillers. Weve had people
quit smoking and chewing and drinking
pop since they started working here.
Having an environment that supports a
healthy lifestyle is critical.
It takes years to develop the pro-
gram and see the results, and we are
starting to see the results, he added.
48 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
ABOVE Roy Thompson at RBM Lumber.
Whether it relates to the health of
the forest or its stable of mill workers,
conservation is a core principle that has
driven RBMs growth.
RBMs reinvented timber economy
mostly relies on damaged, stunted, fire-
prone forests, which the timber giants
have largely left behind. Their task is to
restore, rather than deplete, the wild old-
growth forests, adopting a time frame
of 200-year intervals rather than quar-
terly dividend statements or annual tim-
ber-cut targets.
The vast majority of timber we
remove is salvaged from wind-blown,
diseased, insect-infested, fire-killed trees
or from timber cut in a thinning opera-
tion to promote growth in the remaining
stand, Ben said.
The viewpoint emerged in part
because the old paradigm no longer is
tenable.
A single daily truckload of timber
provides RBM with enough inventory
to run the business, versus 20 or more
The driving force behind our
story and our evolution is get-
ting the highest value out of
the forest. Weve always had
our own ideas. But theyre
pretty simple ideas.
ROY TH O M P SO N
truckloads per day at a larger firm.
As fierce advocates for old-growth
forests, and with a knack for imitating
nature, Ben and his father, Malcolm do
the logging while Roy manages the mill
and Bens wife Joy runs the business side.
The Thompsons are so passionate
about their principles that they have led
a citizen revolt against an old-growth
timber sale on a state forest along the
North Fork Flathead River near Glacier
National Park, rankling some neigh-
boring logging outfits.
They didnt like that because they
expected everyone to be on the same
page, Ben said. But were not seen
as competition to the big guys. Were
in our own universe.
RBMs customers prefer the raw
beauty of the fine-grained, slow-
growing timber used in its thousands
of distinct products, including RBMs
door shop, the most recent element
to the ever-expanding business.
The wood we use in our custom
doors would go into any other mills
chipper, Roy said. But we dont
waste wood. We haul our waste away
in a wheelbarrow, not a dump truck.
Thats a statement right there.
Were not making any money on
doors, but they are an excellent way
to showcase the tree, Ben added.
Its just a great way to make people
appreciate the wood and the tree,
and it makes them interested in our
other products. So we make doors.
RBMs business plan, or lack
thereof, might be unorthodox, but
its one of the reasons theyve flown
under the economic radar. They
werent affected by the crash of the
beleaguered timber industry, in part
because they were playing in an
entirely different league.
We never slowed down during
the recession, Roy said.
Thats because we were never
going that fast in the first place,
added Ben.
RBMs wares are showcased at
numerous businesses throughout
the Flathead Valley the tabletops
at Loulas in Whitefish, throughout
MacKenzie River in Kalispell, and at
Backslope Brewery in Columbia Falls.
The mill also turns out the high-
est-grade lumber on the softwood
market, like the vertical-grain
Douglas fir whose narrow contours
tell the trees entire story.
The driving force behind our
story and our evolution is getting
the highest value out of the forest,
Roy said. Weve always had our
own ideas. But theyre pretty simple
ideas. FL

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 49
the story of fred whiteside, a flathead senator
who took on a corrupt copper king at the turn of
the 20th century while tending to an apple
orchard back home in kalispell
By MYERS REECE

red Whiteside is on a short list of Montanans who are permanently memo-

rialized in the state capitol. Its a fitting place for him to spend eternity,
since, as his plaque asserts, during the statehouses construction in the
1890s, the Kalispell senator exposed a scheme to embezzle millions of dollars by
inflating the projects cost. The scandal spurred a reinvigorated endeavor to build a
new state capitol, sans corruption, which resulted in the artful edifice that serves as
Montanas governmental lynchpin to this day. Whitesides battle with the fraud-
ulent Capitol Commission was a training ground for his next, and most famous,
round of whistleblowing two years later, in 1899, when he publicly challenged the
political ambitions of William A. Clark by uncovering the industrial magnates use
of bribery to obtain votes. Clark, among the most powerful men in Montana his-
tory, was believed to be one of the two richest Americans at the time alongside John
D. Rockefeller. Not only did Whitesides efforts obstruct and temporarily derail
Clarks rise to the Senate, but they also, most significantly, led to a constitutional
amendment requiring direct election of U.S. senators, as opposed to state leg-
islatures selecting them.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MONTANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Fred Whiteside.

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 51
 Whitesides state capitol plaque in
Helena notes that a grateful citizenry
has bestowed the honor in recognition
of valiant acts of patriotism.
He fought for honesty in govern-
ment, the plaque states. Against stag-
gering opposition at times setting an
example worthy of emulation.
When Whiteside wasnt taking on
political corruption, he could be found
tending to his apple orchard in Kalispell.
For this pioneering state senator, growing
fruit and whistleblowing were both dig-
nified pursuits, and he approached them
with the same fervency as he had buf-
falo hunting, freight hauling, general
contracting, and otherwise placing his
stamp on the American West.
Whiteside was the subject of a recent
meeting held by the Northwest Mon-
tana Posse of Westerners, a Flathead Val-
ley-based group of history enthusiasts,
where residents living in the old Ashley
area of west Kalispell arrived with apples
from trees they believe are descendants of
his original orchard. Although there isnt
conclusive evidence of the fruits genetic
lineage, it was clear the apple gatherers
took pride, all these years later, in their
potential connection to a man whose rel-
ative obscurity belies his enduring signif-
icance in Montana history.
Whiteside was born Oct. 31, 1857 in
Litchfield, Illinois, the great-grandson
of Captain William Clark, the famous
explorer of the Lewis and Clark Expe-
dition, but no relation to the man of the
same name whom Whiteside would later
use as a springboard to his own mod-
icum of national fame.
Whiteside made his first trip to Mon-
tana in 1878. As he recalled in his auto-
biography Three Hundred Grand: Buf-
falo, Boodle and Bribery, which was
dictated to his daughter the year before
his 1935 death and eventually published
in 1980, I grabbed my war bag of per-
sonal stuff and jumped down from the
farm wagon in which my elder brother
had driven me from our tenant farm to
the railroad station in the country town
of Litchfield. With that, a frontier life
had begun.
52 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
The Fred Whiteside plaque that was
sponsored by a citizens' group, assisted by
the Montana Arts Council, and installed
in the Montana State Capitol in Helena
in August 1974. The bronze plaque was
sculpted by Richard P. Murphy of California.
Whiteside bought an $18 ticket for a
six-day trip on the War Eagle, a steam-
boat departing from St. Louis. Upon
arriving in St. Paul, he hopped aboard a
Northern Pacific Railroad train bound
for Bismarck, North Dakota, but not
before purchasing a .50 caliber rifle for
buffalo hunting. When an experienced
buffalo hunter saw the gun, he informed
Whiteside that he had been swindled.
If you shoot a buffalo with that
damned thing and he finds out, the
hunter said, hes liable to make trouble
for you.
After arriving in Bismarck, his
journey to Miles City hit another speed
bump: a week earlier, Indians had killed
two men at the stagecoach station and
run off the livestock. While trying to
arrange alternative transportation
means, Whiteside spent 10 days camped
out with a Mtis and his wife, learning
vital frontier survival techniques.
Whiteside eventually found a man
who agreed to take him to Miles City
for $15, and the young voyager arrived
along with an influx of settlers brought
West by the Northern Pacific Railroad
and the lure of riches. His autobiography
says substantial sums of money were
dispersed between sheep and cattle
ranches, building business blocks, and
various other enterprises incident to the
opening of a new country.
Those were hectic days in Mon-
tana, he wrote. New people were
arriving in large numbers and nearly
all brought money to give them a start
in the new El Dorado.
Whiteside found a job hauling freight
with horse-drawn jerk lines. From there,
the entrepreneur would piece together
a small fortune through freight hauling
and buffalo hunting, and later, gen-
eral contracting, while accumulating
a books worth of frontier adventures,
which included lowering a body after
a hanging, finding a colleague scalped
and killed, encounters with grizzlies and
Indians, and befriending another Mtis
named Joaquine.
One of Whitesides first forays into
the construction business was building a
dance hall called the Bella Union in Miles
City, although he said in his memoirs that
he never patronized the establishment
because he didnt approve of such activi-
ties. In fact, he would later try to abolish
licensed gambling in the Legislature.
Whiteside was lead contractor for
the Old Soldiers Home in Columbia
Falls, completed in 1887. Now called the
Montana Veterans Home, the operation
today is based out of a newer adjacent
building while the original structure is
no longer in use, although grassroots
efforts are underway to repurpose the
historic brick building. Among White-
sides other impressive construction
feats were the historic Broadwater
Hotel and Natatorium in Helena, a silver
smelter in Great Falls, and the Hennessy
Block in Butte.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MONTANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
In 1891, Whiteside moved to Kalis-
pell, where he built a 14-room ranch
house and planted an apple orchard
with 50,000 trees. He grew vegetables
between the rows of trees. His autobi-
ography commits a single paragraph to
this undertaking, hardly glowing.
I learned from bitter experience
that the world has but little sympathy
with the man who feeds it, Whiteside
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said. He must sell his products at the
price fixed by those who buy, and for all
he buys he must pay the price fixed by
those who sell.
His qualms with agricultural eco-
nomics aside, Whiteside pursued fruit
growing with the same diligence he dis-
played in other arenas of life, and his
daughter recalls Kalispell fondly in her
foreword to Three Hundred Grand.
I considered my childhood and
teenage years perfect due to my parents
and the environment they provided,
Eunice Whiteside Reasoner wrote.
Whiteside, who was also the editor
and publisher of the Kalispell Bee news-
paper, was elected in 1896 as a Democrat
to Montanas lower house of the Fifth
Legislative Assembly. He admitted to
being green and ignorant of the ways
of politicians, but to me the same coin
of honest purpose was the standard of
value as in my youth.
During his first session, in 1897, he
caught the odor of various forms of
graft, the strongest of which came
from the state Capitol Commission,
then in the preliminary stages of con-
structing the Capitol. Whiteside sniffed
out and uncovered a plot to raise $5 mil-
lion for a project that would actually
cost not even half that sum. The rest of
the money would be secretly divvied out
to a ring of insiders.
Despite providing compelling evi-
dence, Whiteside was greeted with resis-
tance from the legislators allied with
commission members. For its part, the
commission sued Whiteside for $50,000
in damages for libel.
But a district court ultimately ren-
dered a verdict in Whitesides favor,
leading Gov. Robert B. Smith to appoint
a new commission, based on Whitesides
findings. The building was constructed
for $350,000, or 7 percent of the orig-
inal commissions figure, predominantly
with land grant funds, according to
Whitesides account.
Whiteside was elected to the state
Senate in 1898. By the 1899 legislative ses-
sion, it was widely known that William
54 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
An 1896 historical photograph of the
Old Soldiers' Home, which Fred Whiteside
built in Columbia Falls in 1887.
A. Clark, who had amassed great wealth
through his industrial enterprises as one
of Montanas Copper Kings, was bra- hed have to think it over, but in the
zenly offering $10,000 apiece to state
legislators in exchange for their vote in
his U.S. Senate campaign.
With assistance from fellow legisla-
tors who also found the bribery deplor-
able, Whiteside agreed to accept a series
of payments totaling $30,000 for him-
self and on behalf of others ostensibly
as bribe money, though in reality he
planned to use the cash as physical proof
of corruption.
Once John Wellcome, an attorney
who served as Clarks primary bagman,
grew wise to the plan, he called White-
side into the office of Helena Inde-
pendent publisher, John Neill, for a
meeting. The location wasnt arbitrary.
According to Dennis Swibolds book,
Copper Chorus: Mining, Politics, and
the Montana Press, Neill later admitted
that Clark held a $25,000 mortgage on
the newspaper. Clark was known for
swaying public opinion by either subsi-
dizing or outright purchasing Montana
newspapers.
Whiteside tucked a gun into each
pocket of his overcoat and headed to
the meeting, where Wellcome offered
to pay 10 to 1 in hush money to keep
the bribery under wraps, meaning the
$30,000 would now swell to $300,000.
That tidy figure gave Whiteside his auto-
biography title.
Whiteside writes in his memoir that
he feigned interest in the plan and said
meantime Wellcome could have the
key to a Union Trust Co. Bank safety
box where the money was supposedly
deposited. But Whiteside had removed
the cash and stashed it in a hotel room.
Whiteside called a committee
chairman that evening and immedi-
ately began hashing out a report to be
read at a joint balloting session the next
day. Along with the report, he dramat-
ically presented the $30,000 in bribery
cash on the Senate floor, which fell like
a bombshell in the camp of the bribers.
The friends of Clark among the mem-
bers scattered like frightened rabbits,
Whiteside recalled, and in the ballot that
day Clark received only seven votes out
of the total of about 100 that were cast.
But money and power ultimately
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM AT CENTRAL SCHOOL
spoke louder than virtue. Clarks cronies
in the Legislature voted to boot White-
side from the Senate, while newspapers
under Clarks influence publicly excori-
ated the Kalispell senator. After 18 bal-
lots through January of 1899, Clark won
enough votes to head to D.C.
I was mistaken in the belief that
indisputable proof of bribery would
prevent the election of Clark and stop
 CUSTOM RESIDENTIAL DESIGN

further bribery, Whiteside lamented. PARK DESIGN

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
About the only visible effect it had LAKESHORE PERMITTING
was to double the price they were
427 E Center Street Kalispell
obliged to pay for votes. 406.270.8054
Still, Whiteside doggedly pursued www.terradesignworks.com
info@terradesignworks.com
the scandal, buoyed by the support
Kurt Vomfell, PLA MT Lic . #9051
of Marcus Daly, a rival Copper King
who steadfastly opposed Clarks polit-
ical aspirations. Whiteside followed
Clark to Washington D.C. and stayed
there through the winter into 1900.
He testified before the Committee on
Privileges and Elections, which unan-
imously supported his findings and
removed Clark from office.
Clark responded by attempting
to orchestrate a scenario where he
stepped down only to be named as
his own replacement, which historians
Michael Malone, Richard Roeder and
William Lang, in their book Mon-
tana: A Tale of Two Centuries, called
a move so preposterous that it is still
difficult to believe. After the gov-
ernor quashed that plot, Clark per-
severed until he finally achieved the
higher office he so coveted; he served
one term in the U.S. Senate from 1901-
1907. The 17th Amendment estab-
lishing the election of senators by pop-
ular vote was ratified in 1913.
Noting the robber barons history
of buying votes, Mark Twain wrote
that Clark was as rotten a human
being as can ever be found anywhere
under the flag.
He is a shame to the American
nation, Twain continued, and no one
has helped to send him to the Senate
who did not know that the proper
place for him was the penitentiary,
with a ball and chain on his legs.
No doubt Whiteside agreed with
Twains assessment. But he didnt let
Clarks victory slow his own ambi-
tions, and he was reinstated to the
state Senate, where he served until
1918. He also went on to pursue inter-
ests in mining and oil exploration, in
addition to building. And there are a
few people in west Kalispell who say
he grew some delicious apples, too. FL

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 55
Home
Hiding in
Plain Sight
BY COLTON MARTINI P PHOTOS BY GIBEON PHOTOGRAPHY

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 57
 Home

J
ust a stones throw from the
entrance to Glacier National
Park, on the shores of White-
fish Lake, is a delicately bal-
anced home that straddles the
boundary of nature and urban life. The
infrastructure has been built in a tra-
ditional style that harkens back to the
landscape, with materials collected
from the bounty of the immediate
surroundings.
The National Park Service was offi-
cially established in 1916, and subse-
quently, in 1918, a division was created
to design the shelters, kiosks, land-
scaping and lodges needed to serve vis-
itors exploring the parks. From this
point on, a movement was born, giving
rise to a building style referred to as
National Park Service Rustic Architec-
ture or PARKitecture.
The goal of PARKitecture was to

58 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
BUILD A LIFE
YOU DONT NEED
A VACATION
FROM.

TANYA GERSH, REALTOR

Luxury and Vacation home specialist
PureWest Christies International Real Estate
One of the top
producing Real Estate
agents in Whitefish for 2016

TA N YA GERSH
R E A LTO R
CELL 406.261.4830
EMAIL Tanya@PureWestMT.com

401 Baker Ave, Whitefish, MT 59937

WWW.WHITEFISHLAKEREALTY.COM
WWW.PUREWESTREALESTATE.COM
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 59
 Home

create modern amenities without dis-

turbing the immediate surroundings.
PARKitects combined local stone, native
woods, and traditional building styles,
much like those found in the Arts and
Crafts movement, which incorporated
the use of handmade craftsmanship
and moved away from the symmetry
found predominantly in more indus-
trial architecture.
When the owners of Cedar Camp
came to Troy Denman of Denman
Construction in Whitefish, they were
looking for a builder who would imple-
ment the values of PARKitecture.
Denman takes pride in his companys
efforts to build homes as environmen-
tally conscientious and energy efficient
as possible. Notable is Denman Con-
structions passion to build homes that
cannot easily be seen, according to
Troy, especially when you are building
on the lake!
Denmans talent for building homes

60 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
that hide in plain sight is evident in the
choice of exterior materials incorpo-
rated at Cedar Camp. Reclaimed metal
from nearby fallen buildings adorns
the shed style roof, reflecting the well-
thought-out architecture of even the
most rudimentary service structures
found in Glacier. More refined elements
like hand-hewn log siding and cedar
shake roofing help draw the house fur-
ther into the landscape.
Denman and his team hand-se-
lected and cut the cedar flair posts sur-
rounding the house. There is only a
short timeframe when these trees can
be harvested, normally in the heart of
winter, between January and February.
The pores are closed then and the
bark stays with the trunk, Troy said. logs rise up three stories and support
Harvested any other time, and the bark the balconied halls of the guest rooms
peels away. above. Like the lodge and its location
The cedar posts are reminiscent of on the shore of McDonald Lake, Cedar
the lobby in Glaciers Lake McDonald Camp has an intrinsic connection to
Lodge. Among the many other intricate Whitefish Lake.
details in the lobby, gargantuan cedar Nestled on a low bank, Cedar Camp

Montanas
Shelter Island Estate
ROLLINS, MT

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Missoula, Montana 59802 Whitefish, MT 59937
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F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 61
 Home

uses subtle and site-correct propor-

tions that hold it into the trees, lichen,
and boulders, exuding a humble ele-
gance. However, the irregularly shaped
and pointed deck is designed to get
the guests out to the lake, and creates
a sense of floating above the lapping
waterline. Looking back at the home, the
warm light from the interior through
the muntin-style windows invites you
inside. Further reflecting the PARKitec-
ture style, the windows are tastefully
painted with the undeniably familiar
Forest Service green, Travis Denman
said.
The interior is just as meticulously
thought out. Aged wood flooring runs
throughout the home, complimented
by the massive timberwork that is also
made from the support of structures
past. The great room boasts a floor-to-
ceiling stone fireplace fit to grace a lodge
in Glacier National Park. A small secret
room hides behind the fireplace, perfect
for a cozy night in, if you can find it.
All of the homes stonework was
sourced locally through a quarry in
Elmo, just above Flathead Lake. The

62 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
kitchen countertops are even fabri-
cated from this local stone, and are
a bold complement to the live-edge
slab on the island. Bark, timbers, and
camp-style lighting and plumbing
bring the feel of the bathrooms, fitted
with all of todays amenities, back to
a simpler time.
Bunk-style bedrooms were cre-
ated to fit as many people as pos-
sible into this camp. The home-
owners teenage sons, all active in
Align
From intimate galley kitchens to large gourmet workstations, Align faucets bring a refreshed,
sports, needed extra-large bunk modern look to your home. Simple lines create the contemporary style, while a pulldown
beds to make the room comfortable wand delivers in-demand functionality
for everyone a cozier interpreta-
tion of the historic Snyder Hall, which
until recently was dormitory-style
employee housing, just a walk from
Lake McDonald Lodge.
Much like the lodges of the past,
Cedar Camp was built on the premise
of bringing people together all while
enjoying everything nature has to
offer. Whether skiing in the winter
or spending days on the lake in the
summer, the homeowners of Cedar
Camp will be creating happy memo-
ries long into the future.
Colton Martini studied architecture
at Montana State University and is a
principle designer with Sage Interior
Design. He can be reached at (406) 480-
2375, 105A Wisconsin Avenue in White-
fish, 101 S. Higgins in Missoula and
www.Sade-ID.com. FL

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 63
 Home

AT FLATHEAD LAKE SKY RANCH, A FLY-IN COMMUNITY,

CONSTRUCTION ON CONCRETE AND STEEL CUSTOM
HOME WITH AIRPLANE HANGAR TAKES OFF

Story by Clare Menzel Photography by Sally Finneran

THE CESSNA AIRCRAFT THAT THE HUDAKS

SHARE WITH A FEW OTHER COUPLES CURRENTLY
RESIDES NEXT DOOR TO THEIR HOME.

64 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
A small, unmarked plane sits inside a simple hangar. Its called the
Velocity. It has an unadorned interior and smooth, matte gray paint,
and though it has seen the light of day, it has never taken to the skies. Eigh-
teen years in the making, its not quite finished. The Velocity has also never
seen its permanent home, a 2,000-square-foot airplane hangar built into
the side of a hill in Lower Valley. The building, called Camp of the Rising Sun,
which is also many years in the making, isnt quite finished, either.

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 65

THE HOME MANDA AND DAVID ARE
CONSTRUCTING IN LOWER VALLEY
FEATURES A UNIQUE DESIGN.
Both are projects of David Hudak,
who works on them with his wife, Manda,
and friends including his neighbor John
Shriak, the Velocitys co-owner. David
has lived in the Flathead Lake Sky
Ranch neighborhood for years, after
buying a property back in 39, his pet
euphemism for a long time ago. Akin
to golf course or marina communities,
the southern Kalispell ranch is home to
folks with an aviation hobby captivating
enough to build their lives around. A
mile-long runway cuts through the
middle of this 320-acre fly-in commu-
nity, one of a handful in Montana, which
now has some 16 homes.
Were just ordinary people that
have an interest in aviation, Bill
Paullin, a founding member who has
lived at the ranch since the early 1990s,
said. We have a purpose, and that is
to keep our lifestyle and our airplanes
going ... Every one of these houses is
somebodys dream.
66 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
The Hudaks forthcoming house,
Paullin continued, is wonderful.
Dave is an extremely talented
and creative person, he said. It is an
amazing house. He created this himself.
It's his idea, his everything. Hes worked
hard at it. And the craftsmanship he's
good with his hands.
David hopes to finish Camp of the
Rising Sun during the summer of 2017,
and the Velocity the year after that.
The Camp, designed by David and built
entirely by the couple, their neighbors,
and artist friends, doesnt look like
much else in the neighborhood of tra-
ditional homes, aside from the planes
themselves. When viewed from above,
the concrete and steel structure looks
somewhat like a stealth bomber, or a big
wing, David says. He would know. The
68-year-old has 1,200 hours of flying
time under his belt, which hes clocked
in the past 27 years.
After taking an airplane ride with
an acrobatic pilot at age 17, which David
says was a high point in his life, the
Vermont native couldnt stop dreaming
of the skies. But earning a pilots license
is a lengthy, often pricey process, so
his path turned to contracting, and he
became a master electrician today,
hes the president of Kalispell-based
Powerhouse Electric Inc. When he
turned 40, he told himself, I need to
do this, or quit thinking about it. A
chance encounter at work introduced
him to Jack Archibald, a bush pilot and
local aviation legend who taught David
to fly over the following year.
Right now, with the business of
building a custom house on their
plates, he and Manda fly only about
once a month, though they both wish
they could get out more. They cur-
rently share a plane, a renovated 1958
Cessna 175 that lives beside the Velocity
in Shriaks hangar, with five neighbors.
Flying around this state, its a
breathtaking experience. Its another
vantage point to see Montana, said
Manda, who is a chef and instructor at
Flathead Valley Community Colleges
Culinary Institute. Theres a lot right
here. You can go fly around for a half-
hour. I like that regularity.
The neighborhood, which receives
less snow and calmer winds than other
parts of the valley, and is in a wide-open
space, is well suited as an aviators home
base. Manda enjoys cruising the neigh-
borhood, flying in the shadows of the
Swan Mountains, above Flathead River,
and down to Flathead Lake. Commu-
nity members occasionally fly around
the valley as a group, heading to eat
breakfast together in Polson on a Sat-
urday morning, for example. Members
also sometimes fly to the Kalispell City
Airport to pick up groceries, a practice
Manda jokingly called vulgar before
admitting shes done it, too. David most
enjoys traveling to remote wilderness air-
strips, like the one at Schafer Meadows
in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Com-
plex, which takes less than 30 minutes
to access by plane from the ranch.
Montana is really unique in the

MANDA AND DAVID SHOW OFF THE DOOR
TO THE HOUSE THEY ARE BUILDING IN
LOWER VALLEY. THE DOOR, DESIGNED BY
AN ARTIST FRIEND, IS JUST ONE OF MANY
DISTINCTIVE DETAILS AT THEIR HOME.
sense that its big, you have to go a
long way from one place to another,
and theres not a lot of traffic. You get
the sky to yourself, David said.
They fly beyond state boundaries,
too; Spokane is a simple 45-minute
flight away. And when the Velocity is
ready, David and John want to take it
to Mexico. David also dreams of flying
it home to visit family back east and
showing his aircraft to his brother, a
pilot.
Though Manda doesnt have her
pilots license, she says she certainly
has genetic appreciation for avia-
tion. Her father, a combat pilot and
recipient of the Presidential Award
of Valor, held the highest aviation
license. Her mother also participated
in a womens flying club in Ohio, Man-
das birth state, which was really
unusual for the time. Manda says
she always regretted not becoming
involved with aviation, because it was
such a big part of (her parents) lives.
When she and David first met, he
invited her out on an airplane ride.
She hesitated, at first, wary of an
unfamiliar pilot. But eventually, they
took to the skies, and later married
in 2008. By then, David had already
started designing the Camp, using
2-D rendering software and foam
sheets to make a model, and Manda
has picked up hammers and paint-
brushes in stride. She said she loves
FOUR GENERATIONS
ON
FLATHEAD LAKE
FOUR GENERATIONS
ON
FLATHEAD LAKE
that her husband is a dreamer who
makes it happen. Through the years,
David, who says hes always wanted to
build his own house, has tried to pick
up as much as he can from working
alongside many great artists and
craftsmen, and studied architecture
in his own reading. Cly de Stewart
We genuinely enjoy working on Flat head Lake c. 194 9
it. Its been fun to watch it evolve, to
see it through. Its been about the pro-
David Fetveit aims to keep
cess, Manda said. When I get on a the Montana tradition alive,
ladder, theres my husbands hand- representing his family as a
writing. Thats incredibly endearing. fourth generation Montanan,
Its a labor of love, David living on and around the shores
acknowledged. of Flathead Lake.
The two-bedroom, two-bath-
room house offers 2,000 square feet Like his great-grandfather
of living space, which hovers above a Clyde, David understands the
value of this special place, and
hangar of the same size. To maximize
works hard to introduce the
space below, the second floor is built lake life to others, by providing
like a bridge, suspended with tension a superior real estate experience.
members, rather than held up by posts.
The hangar, which will have dramatic,
hinged polycarbonate doors that will
slide back into the buildings rounded
walls, also has space for a workshop.
David chose to build with concrete
because he didnt want to hear the
wind blowing in heavy gusts across the
Lower Valley. Concrete also retains
DAV I D F E T V E I T | B R O K E R
heat, so he insulated it on the outside PureWest Real Estate
to maintain the interior temperature.
C E L L 406.249.1764
The floors are heated, and Manda says E M A I L David@PureWestMT.com
they plan to carpet the master and W E B www.DavidFetveit.com
guest suites, lay inset carpet in the
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 67
 THE UNFINISHED LIVING SPACE SHOWS
THE UNIQUENESS OF DAVID'S DESIGN.
living area, and find another soft sur-
face for the kitchen floor.
The guest suite includes a bathroom,
and the master suite features a large
closet with space for laundry machines,
as well as an ironing board that folds
out from the wall and looks out at
the view. The main living space fea-
tures huge, southeast-facing windows,
which look onto sloping green land, a
slough, and the Swan Mountains. The
kitchen will be well appointed, with a
lot of stainless steel, David said, to give
Manda room to play and entertain. The
houses appliances need to be installed,
including hanging toilets, a long-run-
ning joke between the couple Manda
says she knew shed found a refined elec-
trician when he mentioned plans for
the sleek fixture. Theyll also put in a
plunge pool, which will sit near a future
sprawling garden.
One of the Camps unique features is
its front door, framed by Carl Ambrose
and built by metal sculptor David
Secrest, two local talents and friends of
the Hudaks. Designed to play on scale,
the door is diminutive, as it appears to be
68 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
much smaller than it truly is. It also con-
ceals the sweeping high interior ceilings.
So often, (entryways are) designed
to be huge and a little intimidating,
Secrest said. There's certain cultures
where you have to bow down to get
through the low door. It sort of disarms
you as you go through it. It's humbling.
From the distance, the building looks
much larger, because youre using that
as a reference to give yourself a sense of
scale. Its a little bit jarring to your sense
of perspective.
Then, when you reach for the handle,
the door opens up in an unexpected
fashion, by way of a jagged crack.
When you open the door, and you
open the crack, it takes that sense of
scale and gives it a humorous quality,
Secrest said. Ive never seen a door
open in a crack. Things that are old, you
have a crack in it, and it gives it a sense
of time. Things do come apart; there's
a temporal aspect. Its the whole idea of
having some flaw in this thing.
As David and Manda refine the
homes decorative aesthetic, they plan
to incorporate more work of many other
Flathead artists, as a unique way of
reflecting our environment, Manda
said. She feels blessed to know so many
talented friends.
Theyll paint at least one interior
wall purple, Mandas favorite color. A
few shades theyre currently considering
include expressive plum, exclusive plum,
and quixotic plum. Theyre considering
a different shade of deep purple/gray
for the exterior that will melt into our
eastern mountain palate, Manda said.
Even unfinished, theres been buzz
about the home, from neighbors and
strangers alike, including some who
have dropped by asking about the
project and whether its for sale. The
Hudaks cant wait to call it home.
Were pushing pretty hard on it
now; were both pretty anxious (to com-
plete it), David said.
Then, he can make the final tweaks to
the Velocity and fly, maybe to Rosauers
or Schafer Meadows or Mexico. And
when David returns from the clouds,
hell push back the arching clear hangar
doors, roll the plane inside, turn the
lights off, and be at home. FL
 40 years
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S 69
Home Interiors a BY MEREDITH COOPMAN

PRINCIPLES OF INTERIOR DESIGN

BACK TO THE BASICS

I
nterior design, art, architec-
ture and even music have
basic design principles that
are essential to success. While many
of these seem like common sense and
sometimes just come naturally to some
people, we can all use a refresher course.
Its also a great reference if you are plan-
ning to revitalize a room or even start
from scratch. Also know before you read
these basic principles that its okay, even
encouraged, to break the rules. There
really are no rules only guidelines.

Harmony and Unity

Harmony refers to the blending of
similar elements, while unity refers to
the overall sense of belonging together.
Think of your house as a whole, the
sum of all of its parts. If you break
it down, it really is a series of spaces
linked together by hallways and stair-
ways. In order to create a sense of unity,
everything needs to work together. A
common theme, style, composition,
elements or color all help create coor-
dination that will build the relation-
ship between the spaces. This is not
to say that all design elements should
be the same, but that they should work
together to complement each other and
reinforce the whole composition.
An artist uses color in much the
same manner as music uses harmony.
We can create harmony with color
to help us build a particular relation-
ship between the colors on the palette.
When colors are harmonized, the rela-
tionship that is established allows the
colors to work together.
Balance
Balance in interior design is
described as the equal distribution of
visual weight in a room. Balance can be
symmetrical, asymmetrical or radial.
a Symmetrical balance happens
when a space is divided into two equal
halves centered on a central axis (real or
imaginary). We are naturally comfort-
able in a symmetrical setting because
it reflects the human form. Symmetry
is usually found in traditional interiors
and is typically more formal. Examples
of this would be the same object found
on either side of a fireplace, fireplace
mantle or matching side tables and
lamps on either side of a bed.
a Asymmetrical balance occurs
when elements are placed unevenly,
but work together to produce coherence
overall or when using dissimilar objects
that have equal visual weight. Asym-
metry suggests movement and leads to
more dynamic interiors, as it feels more
casual and less contrived but more chal-
lenging to achieve. Examples of asym-
metrical balance would be mismatched
tables and lamps on either side of a sofa.
a Radial Balance takes place when
elements of a design are arrayed around
a center point. Spiral staircases, chan-
deliers and round dining tables are all
examples of radial symmetry.
Emphasis
We generally refer to this as the
focal point of the room. As the name
suggests, emphasis is a principle of inte-
rior design that says that a central piece
of art, furniture, fireplace, window with
a nice view, or even the television must
play the role of a focal point or attention
grabber. This is the point of visual refer-
ence to which the eye always returns. A
well-designed room has, depending on
the size, one or more focal points. It
needs to be the top priority and dom-
inant enough to draw attention.
Rhythm
Elements repeated in an orderly
fashion and the spaces between them
create a sense of rhythm. Rhythm can
be achieved in any living space by fol-
lowing these three methods: repetition,
alternation and progression.
a Repetition is the use of the same
element more than once throughout a
space. You can repeat pattern, color,
texture, line, or any other element, or
even more than one element.

70 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 71
 a Alternation is the method of cre-
ating rhythm by alternating two or more
elements in a pre-defined fashion like
ABABAB or ABCABC.
a Progression is when elements
are arranged ascending or descending
based on their size, color gradient or any
other distinctive characteristic.
Just as it is in music, rhythm in design
is about creating patterns of repetition
and contrast to create visual interest. It
is defined as continuity, recurrence or
organized movement, and is achieved
by using the same element, or series of
elements, to move your eye around the
room. For instance, you can establish a
rhythm by using a color in the pillows
picked up from a painting, and using
it again in a rug, or by using the same
fabric on a sofa and an accent pillow in
a chair.
Contrast
In interior design, contrast can be
achieved by three elements: color, form
72 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
and space. Contrast places opposites
side by side, such as black and white or
hard and soft. It is fairly straightforward
and is mostly used to enliven a space.
Putting two elements in opposition
to one another, such as black and white
pillows on a sofa, is a trademark of this
design principle. Opposition can also
be implied by contrasts in form, such
as circles and squares used together.
The challenge is to balance contrast, so
as to maintain a sense of overall unity.
Without adequate and distinct contrast,
which can be subtle, a room can look
boring. However, if a room has too much
contrast or too much variety, it will look
chaotic and cluttered.
Scale and Proportion
The principles of scale and proportion
ensure that objects placed in a space look
like they belong to each other. Scale refers
to overall size, while proportion relates to
the size of parts compared to the whole.
Be it the size, dimension, shape or color
of the objects, harmonization should be
established between them, and a propor-
tion has to be maintained.
Details
Details are like jewelry, which add an
extra touch that completes the outfit.
Every detail adds a little bit of life to the
overall interior design, adding unique
features to the overall composition.
Come up with a formula that has
just enough but never too much of the
elements that make for beautiful, func-
tional rooms. One of the key consider-
ations in any design is the question of
whether a design works or functions for
its purpose. And most importantly, do
what feels good. Trust your instincts.
Meredith Coopman of Meredith
Coopman Design Studio has a background
in architecture and interior design. You
can reach her at meredith@meredith-
coopman.com. FL
 PURE
MONTANA
PROPERT Y SHOWC A SE | W IN TER 2 016 - 2 017

Montana living is precisely PURE.

At PureWest Christies International Real Estate,
pure living is Montana living. As the largest,
independently-owned brokerage in Montana we
promise to find your slice of Pure Montana.

In the next 6 pages, we invite you to

dream and explore a selection of our
winter 2016-2017 Featured
Properties.

www.PureWestRealEstate.com

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406.751.4330 PureWestRealEstate.com || 73
 Flathead Lake
Kingwood Estate on Flathead Lake
This exquisite home sits atop the most
prestigious point on Flathead Lake with
magnificent 360 degree views of water,
mountains, and sky. This Old-World mas-
terpiece lodge is set on 14 elevated acres
with over 750 ft of lake frontage. Enjoy a
lifestyle of relaxation, privacy and gor-
geous views year-round. Entertain in the
massive great room, handsome suites,
open floor plan, bonus family room, and
large shop for family projects. Features
125 cherry trees and all varieties of fruit
trees overlooking the large organic vege-
table garden.
4 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms ~ 7,500 Sq Ft

INFORMATION MAY HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE PRINTING OF THIS PUBLICATION. PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR CURRENT PRICING AND AVAILABILIT Y.
Bigfork ~ MLS# 21608281 ~ $4,850,000
DAVID FET VEIT | 406.249.1764

Spectacular Flathead Lake Home

Designed by Richard Wyman Smith, this
home is a perfect balance between con-
temporary elegance and north-western
craftsman. Gorgeous windows bring in
views of the lake and mountains beyond.
Enjoy water activities on the gently
sloped 285 ft of frontage and oversized
dock, or take in the view from the deck.
Guest cabin includes private deck and
kitchenette.
4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms ~ 3,620 Sq Ft
Lakeside ~ MLS# 337656 ~ $2,825,000
DAVID FET VEIT | 406.249.1764

74 || PureWest Real Estate | PROPERTY SHOWCASE | WINTER 2016-2017

 Flathead Lake
Modern Design on the Lake
Beautiful home on 147 ft of level Flathead
Lake frontage. Relax in the infinity hot
tub as you take in the views. Amenities
include Italian marble and Brazilian
cherry floors, granite countertops, and
gourmet appliances. Waterfront patio
includes fireplace, newer dock and boat
rail lift system.
4 Bedrooms, 6 Bathrooms ~ 3,968 Sq Ft
Big Arm ~ MLS# 21611032 ~ $1,890,000
DAVID FET VEIT | 406.249.1764

Executive Flathead Lake Home

Over 200 ft of frontage with oversized
dock and covered, double boat lift
stations. This exclusive lake home takes
full advantage of the breathtaking lake
and mountain views. The incredibly
maintained and updated property offers
spacious yet comfortable lake living with
great privacy.
3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms ~ 4,450 Sq Ft
Dayton ~ MLS# 21603729 ~ $1,735,000
DAVID FET VEIT | 406.249.1764

Lakeside Waterfront Home

Walk to town from this ideal Flathead
lake home with room for guests. The
recently expanded front deck highlights
views to the north across the lake and
overlooks 93 ft of level waterfront with
composite dock and covered boat slip.
6 Bedrooms, 6 Bathrooms ~ 5,772 Sq Ft
Lakeside ~ MLS# 21609938 ~ $1,690,000
DAVID FET VEIT | 406.249.1764

Private Lakefront Cabin

Cabin located on 3.8 acres with 119 ft of
Flathead Lake frontage on Angel Point.
Over-sized dock includes a covered deck
area. Cabin recently updated with new
floors, cabinets, appliances, granite and
tile. Vacation rental history available
upon request.
3 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom ~ 874 Sq Ft
Lakeside ~ MLS# 337659 ~ $788,000
DAVID FET VEIT | 406.249.1764

PureWestRealEstate.com || 75
 Flathead Lake
Exquisite Lakeside Club Home
Flawless attention to detail defines this
award-winning craftsman home exhib-
iting luxurious quality in a mountain
lifestyle.
5 Bedrooms, 6 Bathrooms ~ 6,325 Sq Ft
Lakeside ~ MLS# 335912 ~ $1,849,000
DAVID FET VEIT | 406.249.1764
Great Beach with Firepit & Toy Shed
Custom built home with beautiful
lake and mountain views and 102 ft of
Flathead Lake waterfront. Agent related
to seller.
3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms ~ 2,751 Sq Ft
Dayton ~ MLS# 318840 ~ $684,900
CINDY L ANIER | 406.250.5273
Whitefish
76 || PureWest Real Estate | PROPERTY SHOWCASE | WINTER 2016-2017
Captivating Home with Panoramic View
Custom home with unique design featur-
ing a breathtaking overlook, expansive
decks and cascading waterfall.
3 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms ~ 3,877 Sq Ft
Bigfork ~ MLS# 21605044 ~ $850,000
TEAM FL ATHEAD | 406.219.0002
JIM KUHLMAN & CANDACE JOHNSON
Views Across Somers Bay
This beautiful newer home features
a gourmet kitchen, great room with
wood and stone flooring and a large
covered deck.
3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms ~ 3,806 Sq Ft
Somers ~ MLS# 21605290 ~ $669,000
DAVID FET VEIT | 406.249.1764
Pristine Flathead Lake Living
Beautifully furnished, uniquely crafted,
chalet-style home with a wrap around deck
capturing panoramic mountain views.
3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms ~ 2,195 Sq Ft
Big Arm ~ MLS# 21611169 ~ $750,000
MARK NELSON | 406.253.1410
INFORMATION MAY HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE PRINTING OF THIS PUBLICATION. PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR CURRENT PRICING AND AVAILABILIT Y.
Beautiful Flathead Lake Lot
Over 178 ft of lake frontage on Angel
Point with an ideal home site, cleared
and ready to build your new home
with a view.
1 Acre ~ 178 Ft of Frontage
Lakeside ~ MLS# 330281 ~ $499,000
DAVID FET VEIT | 406.249.1764
Whitefish Lake Luxury
This impeccably renovated 3 story home
has been thoughtfully designed with an
open floor plan and expansive windows
to maximize views. Spacious decks are
perfect for entertaining or to relax with
the family. 100 ft of pristine Whitefish
Lake frontage.
6 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms ~ 4,098 Sq Ft
Whitefish ~ MLS# 21607601 ~ $1,990,000
SEAN AVERILL | 406.253.3010
MAT T BUCKMASTER | 406.261.8350
 Whitefish
Whitefish Lake Lots
Waterfront lots on Whitefish Lake offer-
ing stunning views of the crystal-clear
lake and Whitefish Mountain Resort
beyond. City sewer and water rights.
121 Ft of Frontage
MLS# 21603956 ~ $1,950,000
70 Ft of Frontage
MLS# 21603955 ~ $995,000
51 Ft of Frontage
MLS# 21603957 ~ $995,000
RYAN ROWE | 406.270.8200
MAT T BUCKMASTER | 406.261.8350

Montana Retreat
Private home with vaulted ceilings
situated on 39.57 acres bordering Forest
Service land. Enjoy amazing mountain
views from your deck while being only 20
minutes from Downtown Whitefish. Also
included is a barn and a 3,000 sq ft shop
with an apartment.
6 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms ~ 6,697 Sq Ft
Whitefish ~ MLS# 21603857 ~ $1,595,000
RYAN ROWE | 406.270.8200

Mountain Modern
This 2.7-acre property on the outskirts of
Whitefish is defined by modern archi-
tecture and design. The home is energy
efficient and eco-friendly featuring high-
end finishes such as concrete showers,
tile vanities, in-floor heat and a tuliviki
soapstone stove.
2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms ~ 1,995 Sq Ft
Whitefish ~ MLS# 21611560 ~ $519,000
LINDSAY FANSLER | 406.471.4897

Once in a Lifetime Opportunity The Best of Lake Living

Legacy property bordering state and forest land with a creek,
shooting range, backdoor ski hill, views and minutes to Whitefish.
1,114 Acres ~ 1+ Mile of Creek Frontage
Whitefish ~ MLS# 21610814 ~ $8,912,000
KEVEN GUERCIO | 406.250.7847
This Whitefish Lake home sits on 100 ft of waterfront and is ide-
al for entertaining with a game room and lake side BBQ area.
6 Bedrooms, 6 Bathrooms ~ 7,610 Sq Ft
Whitefish ~ MLS# 21605802 ~ $6,500,000
KEVEN GUERCIO | 406.250.7847
PureWestRealEstate.com || 77
 Whitefish
Iron Horse Estate
This rare, fully furnished, luxury offering is
custom built with 100-year-old beams set
on 3.4 acres with sweeping lake views.
6 Bedrooms, 9 Bathrooms ~ 7,794 Sq Ft
Whitefish ~ MLS# 21600930 ~
$4,500,000
KEVEN GUERCIO | 406.250.7847
Grouse Mountain Home
Featured in Log Home Living Magazine, this
stunning home on 6 acres overlooks Lost
Coon Lake and the Continental Divide.
4 Bedrooms, 6 Bathrooms ~ 6,899 Sq Ft
Whitefish ~ MLS# 338154 ~ $2,350,000
KEVEN GUERCIO | 406.250.7847
Whitefish Lakefront Condo
High-end contemporary condo thought-
fully designed to bring the outdoors in,
private lake access and deeded boat slip.
3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms ~ 1,868 Sq Ft
Whitefish ~ MLS# 21603671 ~ $1,095,000
KEVEN GUERCIO | 406.250.7847
78 || PureWest Real Estate | PROPERTY SHOWCASE | WINTER 2016-2017
Stunning Home on Whitefish Lake
This timber home with old world crafts-
manship, hardwood and granite is set on
75 of pristine deep water frontage.
3 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms ~ 4,152 Sq Ft
Whitefish ~ MLS# 337438 ~ $2,900,000
KEVEN GUERCIO | 406.250.7847
Expansive Whitefish Lake Views
This luxury, craftsman home in Iron Horse
features a gourmet kitchen, great room,
formal dining room and huge lake views.
4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms ~ 5,500 Sq Ft
Whitefish ~ MLS# 331809 ~ $2,140,000
KEVEN GUERCIO | 406.250.7847
Magical Views Right in Town
Bordering 200 acres of conservation
land, home with large shop, barn and
storage shed on just under 5 acres.
3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms ~ 2,500 Sq Ft
Whitefish ~ MLS# 333824 ~ $995,000
KEVEN GUERCIO | 406.250.7847
Iron Horse Masterpiece
Luxurious living spaces created using
high-end finishes and reclaimed wood
highlight this home with Whitefish Lake
INFORMATION MAY HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE PRINTING OF THIS PUBLICATION. PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR CURRENT PRICING AND AVAILABILIT Y.
views.
6 Bedrooms, 6 Bathrooms ~ 6,134 Sq Ft
Whitefish ~ MLS# 21606115 ~ $2,649,000
RHONDA KOHL | 406.250.5849
Craftsman Home Overlooks Ponds
Beautiful Iron Horse home on 1 acre with
hand hewn timber, log trusses, Chief Cliff
fireplaces and views of the ski resort.
4 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms ~ 4,880 Sq Ft
Whitefish ~ MLS# 335768 ~ $1,299,000
KEVEN GUERCIO | 406.250.7847
Exceptional Lake Views
Enjoy Whitefish Lake and mountain views
from this quality, comfortable home with
expansive outdoor living areas and lake
access.
4 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms ~ 2,569 Sq Ft
Whitefish ~ MLS# 21600132 ~ $787,000
RHONDA KOHL | 406.250.5849
BR ANDON L ANGEL | 406.390.6676

Gorgeous Horse Property
Exquisite mountain views from this gated
56-acre fenced property with Blaine Creek
frontage and extensive equestrian facilities.
4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms ~ 2,878 Sq Ft
Kalispell ~ MLS# 21606104 ~ $2,950,000
BR ANDON L ANGEL | 406.390.6676
RHONDA KOHL | 406.250.5849
Whitefish River Frontage
Endless opportunity with 12.7-acres and
1,250 ft of river frontage with views from the
Swan Mountains to Glacier National Park.
3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms ~ 3,625 Sq Ft
Kalispell ~ MLS# 21610848 ~ $955,000
JOHN SINRUD | 406.261.2150
Breathtaking Swan Valley Estate
Spacious, luxurious home on 61 pristine
acres with entertaining spaces, chefs
kitchen, 3 master suites and 360 views.
3 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms ~ 8,100 Sq Ft
Swan Valley ~ MLS# 338578 ~ $2,350,000
BR ANDON L ANGEL | 406.390.6676
RHONDA KOHL | 406.250.5849
Thoughtful Design
Beautiful home on 3.3 acres featuring a
huge shop, kennel, lots of windows, river
rock fireplaces and mountain views.
4 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms ~ 3,200 Sq Ft
Eureka ~ MLS# 21608666 ~ $599,000
CINDY RUTH | 406.890.0155
JOHN RUTH | 406.890.0461
Greater Northwest
Beautiful Glen Lake Home
7.7 acre waterfront property bordering state
land with a custom home, large decks, heat-
ed garage/shop and mountain views.
3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms ~ 2,528 Sq Ft
Eureka ~ $999,000
CINDY RUTH | 406.890.0155
JOHN RUTH | 406.890.0461
Private Setting in Creston
Updated home on 5 acres with a spectac-
ular Swan Mountain backdrop. Hardwood
and granite highlight the main living
space.
3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms ~ 3,489 Sq Ft
Kalispell ~ MLS# 21610434 ~ $565,000
DAVID FET VEIT | 406.249.1764
PureWestRealEstate.com || 79
 Lifestyle

Joe Legate stands on the

catwalk of the theater he
designed for Flathead Valley
Community College.
Legates Legacy
Over the past 25 years, Flathead Valley Community Colleges
beloved theater director has pushed the program to new
heights. Now, over the next five years the final years of
his distinguished career Joe Legate will work through a
bucket list of all-time productions.
BY CLARE MENZEL T PHOTOS BY SALLY FINNERAN

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 81
I
n September 2010, Joe Legate
stepped into the office of Jane
Karas, the president of Flathead
Valley Community College. The
theater director wanted her blessing
to produce Equus, a psychological
thriller about an unimaginative psychia-
trist treating a young man with a patho-
logical fascination with horses.
I went in and for 40 minutes talked
nonstop, Legate said. He told Karas,
I really want to do this show. Its such
a vital show but, by the way, theres
nudity involved. Its not about the
nudity, but you have to do it.
Hed wanted to produce the show
for decades, and his experienced stu-
dent-actors wanted to push themselves.
He knew he could create a sensitive
environment to challenge his students,
the theater department, and the audi-
ence. Eventually, he says, he paused to
catch his breath, and Karas stopped him.
You have to, he remembers her
saying.
Even though there was this stum-
bling block in the required nudity of the
production, that didnt take away from
82 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
the artistic or educational integrity, he
said. She knew how important it was
for me to do the show. She trusted me.
Legate, who has been teaching the-
ater and speech at the college for 25
years, has earned trust to spare. Under
his watch, the FVCC Theatre has flour-
ished from meager beginnings into a
vibrant program with five instructors
and state-of-the-art facilities, the kind
that can pull off a skillful production
like Equus.
(Legate) developed an outstanding
theater program, Karas said, and she
praised him for keeping the focus
on the success and well-being of our
students.
Now embarking on the closing act
of his academic career, Legate hopes to
complete a bucket list featuring chal-
lenging productions and classic, feel-
good favorites before taking his final bow.
I
m the luckiest person in the
world, Legate has said. Every-
thing has fallen in place to have prob-
ably the best job that I could ever, ever
have ... I totally fell into this profession
James Vale, center, playing Reverend
Brown, performs during a dress rehearsal
of Inherit the Wind at Flathead Valley
Community College.
by sheer, blind chance.
Legate is so suited for theater that
it seems he would have found his way
here one way or another. Born on a farm
in southeast Missouri, the 61-year-old
says he never saw a play as a child. Edu-
cation, however, was a family value
his mother, who put her own studies
on hold to raise her children, eventu-
ally earned master's and education spe-
cialist degrees, and Legate says that as a
psychological examiner, she was instru-
mental in writing Missouris Title IX
program.
When it came time to pursue his
own higher education, Legate knew he
wanted to be a teacher. At the Univer-
sity of Arkansas, he fell in with the
PHOTO BY GREG LINDSTROM
speech and communication group, and
figured hed become a speech teacher.
Then, Legates advisor, who suggested
he consider a minor, signed him up for
a stagecraft course. During his first
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 83
class, Legate realized, It was just a
shop, and having been on the farm, I
knew how to use tools. I always had.
His first task was to glue fur on a giant
King Kong head for a play called The
Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild, based
on the Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy
in which a woman escaped from reality
into a dream world crafted from pieces
of thousands of movies.
I thought, This is just silliness, but
this is fun. And they were nice, Legate
recalled.
Many of his peers didnt have the
same technical skills, and he quickly dis-
covered a niche. After a semester spent
hammering nails, he attended opening
night.
I went to the play, sat down, the
lights went down, then these beautiful,
pretty lights came up, he said. And this
bombshell hit the stage floor, singing
and dancing, and I was mesmerized. I
thought, They will pay me to do this?
I was hooked.
So he tried acting, but he says he
never had the knack. More impor-
tantly, he realized that he didnt have
the same fire for being on the stage as
his castmates.
When you go backstage after a
show, the actors are just high, theyre
euphoric, he said. And when I would
come offstage, it was sort of a, Phew,
dodged that bullet.
His passion, rather, was in building
the stage, and helping to shape what
happened on it from behind-the-scenes.
When he directed his first show as a stu-
dent, a comedy called Next, about a
middle-aged, overweight man who has
mistakenly been called in by the draft,
he finally tapped into the rush hed wit-
nessed backstage.
I understood what it was like to
be an actor, and to have that sense of
excitement, euphoria, he said. Even
today, almost 40 years later, (I feel it).
I was thrilled.
He says hes drawn to the creativity
and variability of theater each show
has a different personality, and each day
of set-building or directing has different
demands. As an instructor, he looks
forward to helping (students) address
their challenges, their concerns, and
doing everything you can to make them
feel like a success.
Legate earned a Bachelor of science
in education, as well as a Master of Arts
in both speech communication and the-
ater, from Arkansas State University. He
also holds a Master of Fine Arts in tech-
nical direction and lighting design from
the University of Southern Mississippi.
He bounced around the United States
as a teacher professors are the great
transients of the professional world,
he said and has worked in New York,
South Carolina, Illinois, Mississippi,
and North Dakota. In Mississippi, he
met his wife, Julie, a psychology student

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84 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
who enrolled in the schools theater pro-
gram as a crewmember to pick up an
extra credit.
Very quickly, we fell desperately in
love, almost from the moment we met,
Legate said with a smile. Six months
later, we were married. It was ridicu-
lously foolish.
Julie also fell in love with theater,
and has since been onstage many times.
But like Legate, she leans toward sup-
porting those under the spotlight.
She has been a vital part of every
show Ive done here, Legate said.
She has been, without question, my
most ardent supporter and a very, very
trusted friend. We call her the Theater
Mom. We adopt almost every student How could you not fall in love with
Joe Legate talks to his theater students
that comes through here. the valley? he asked. Its so beautiful, before a rehearsal.
While the couple was living in North so magnificent, you have to.
Dakota, Legate interviewed for the posi- But, he says, thats not what captured universities, I had never encoun-
tion at FVCC on a lark. He took a quick him Ive lived in beautiful places tered a faculty that was so dedicated
trip over and found himself enchanted before, he noted. It was the school. to teaching. I was floored, absolutely
by Northwest Montana. In almost 15 years of teaching at floored by it, he said. There was no

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 85
sense of personal prestige. It was total
dedication to working with the students.
I was totally impressed.
When Legate was offered the job, he
and Julie packed up their bags and two
young children, and moved West. So far,
its been their happily-ever-after.
Legate plays the role of FVCC the-
ater director naturally, with tenderness
and graciousness. A testament to his
impact, hes officiated the marriages of
dozens of former students, and kept in
touch with many over years, some for
decades. Though he says hes never told
a student to be a star, when he learns
that someone wants to pursue a career
in theater, hell bend over backwards
to help them achieve that goal. Hes
watched some of them go to Broadway
or become teachers themselves.
One such former student, Rich Hap-
tonstall, is now a Legates right-hand
man, an associate professor in the FVCC
theater department. He too was once an
undecided undergraduate, interested in
studying maybe psychology, or law. He
too had a King Kong-type moment, when
he realized he could excel creatively in
theater, something he attributes in no
small part to Legates mentorship.
Hes propagated this culture of fun
and interest, Haptonstall said. There
is that fine line between creating a fun,
active, energetic environment, and also
creating something relevant within a
given artistic situation. He really does no love for tragedies, he said and
Joe Legate stands on the catwalk of the the
pursue his work seriously ... Our philos- that his theater bucket list, currently
FVCC theater. Legate said when he designed
ophy here is, first and foremost, were composed of 12 shows, is full of happy the theater, he started with the catwalk and
going to learn something, do some work, endings. the lighting setup.
and create some art, but it's going to be I am a hopeless romantic, and there
fun. That was his mark on me. He was are few things I like better than a really (its) so ridiculously fun. Theres no les-
very good at making you understand that good love story, he said. I love hap- sons in that; theres no ever-after. Its
you could do it and he didnt do it in a py-ever-after. I really do. Schmaltz-y as nothing but ridiculously fun. But it is
big showy way, just a matter-of-fact way. that may be, its the truth. Thats how I that it is that, indeed.
Legate often speaks of the balance want my life to be, its how I want my The remaining productions in
between challenging himself and his boys lives to be, its how I want my the current academic season include
students, and having fun. friends lives to be I dont want their Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are
Its easy to get on our high horse lives to be filled with tragedy. Dead and Bye, Bye Birdie, which
Weve got to do art! forgetting that The list features Shakespeare's Legate said will be an opportunity for
sometimes just making someone have classic, Twelfth Night, and The Wool- us to simply go mad. Its nothing but a
a good laugh and feel good is pretty all gatherer, an award-winning play lauded good time.
right, too, he said. as wildly humorous. The Rocky Horror He hopes he can check off all the
He tends toward comedies I have Picture Show is on the list just because shows on his bucket list in the next five

86 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
 years, but hes also not holding himself
to that deadline. He says he picked 30
years simply because it felt like a reason-
able length of time for a career, and he
may stretch it out a couple more years.
He still feels that rush on opening night.
Ive heard myself say too many
times, As soon as that sense is not there,
Im done. Its still there, Legate said. I
still love the rehearsal process. I still love
working with all these actors, helping
them develop their characters, helping
them develop a show. All of it is so sat-
isfying, so exciting, and so much fun.
When the time comes, Haptonstall,
who says the goal would never be to try
to replace Joe, will likely take the baton,
carrying on Legates legacy and ethos.
Legate has more adventures to
pursue, such as eating his weight in
PHOTO BY GREG LINDSTROM

seafood, he has joked. He rafts, fishes,

and brews beer. He spends time with
Julie, who is now a substitute teacher.
He also gardens, going back to my early
days of living on the farm, he noted.
Sometimes things come full circle.
Time marches on, he continued.
Its undeniable that, eventually, its
going to be time to do something else. FL
Tanner Fortre, playing Dracula, performs
with Beki Hafemeyer, playing Lucy, during
a dress rehearsal at Flathead Valley
Community College.

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 87
 Lifestyle

Young at Heart
As we enter into the season of nostalgia,
lets pause to reminisce. Curl up with a hot
PHOTOGRAPHER:
cup of cocoa and delve into the past. Or Mandy Mohler, Kalispell
simply take the time to create a life-lasting STYLIST/COORDINATOR:
memory. Honor your heart as you relive the Chelsea Martini, Lakeside
adventures of your youth. MODELS:
Macie, Nolan, and Jonas
Campbell, Lakeside

88 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
Antique Red Sled OLDER GIRL (Macie) 1 Red Sunglasses
$175 Fur Ear Muffs $1
Antique Mall/Booth 39 $14 The Dollar Tree
1
Kalispell TJ Maxx Whitefish
Kalispell
Vintage Snow Shoes
$200 Extra Long Knit 2 Childrens
Sage Interiors Scarf Rossignol Skis
Whitefish $22.99
2 $28
Target 5 Flathead Industries
MIDDLE BOY (Nolan) Kalispell Kalispell
Barlow Pistil Scarf
$38 Buffalo Plaid Jacket
3 Aluminum Ski
The Toggery $14
Poles
Whitefish Flathead Industries
$4.50
Kalispell
Salvation Army
Cat and Jack Pullover 3
Kalispell
$19.99 NorthCrest Cabin
Target Socks
Kalispell $7.99 4 Kids Ski Boots
ShopKo $24
Mad Bomber Hat Kalispell Replay Sports
$38.99 Kalispell
Cabelas YOUNGEST BOY
Kalispell (Jonas)
Arizona Pullover 5 SmartWool
4 Stagecoach Gloves
NorthCrest Cabin $13.99
Socks JCPenney $59.99
$7.99 Kalispell The Toggery
Shopko Kalispell
Kalispell

I contacted Glacier Sothebys International Realty to list my home

because I had heard nothing but positive reviews. They presented
themselves with the upmost in professionalism and knowledge.
They worked with me to accomplish my goals, which were met!
I strongly recommend them. P.H.

OFFICES | Downtown Whitefish: 406.863.3060 | Whitefish Mtn Resort:

406.862.1750 | Bigfork: 406.837.6100 | Missoula: 406.541.7020
| glaciersir.com

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 89
Lifestyle

3
6

90 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
1 Hudson Edison Bulbs 6 Red Shovel
$39 $38.99
Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts Murdochs
Kalispell Columbia Falls

2 Antique Sled 7 Stanley Thermos

$175 $24.98
Antique Mall/Booth 39 Walmart
Kalispell Kalispell

3 Mad Bomber Hat 8 Enamel Camp Mug

$38.99 $2.98
Cabelas Cabelas
Kalispell Kalispell

4 Figure Skates 9 Glade Candle

$22 $4.98
Somers Antiques Target
Somers Kalispell

5 Barlow Pistil Scarf

$38
The Toggery
Whitefish

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 91
Lifestyle Balancing Act a BY SAMMI JOHNSON
Going to School is Hard!
I
f my daughter reads this one
day, I want her to understand
that it comes from a place of
deep-seated love. The struggle is real,
even as I type this. Her transition into
kindergarten is nearing epic propor-
tions. Code red. Were not doing it right.
Anything and everything is coming into
question. Do we even have a clue what
were doing?
No, we dont. Never have.
This behavior isnt new.
Ski lessons? Bailed and failed.
Swim lessons? After five attempts, we
made it through a four-week cycle!
School? Currently still failing. My
husband and I lovingly joked between us
this summer that the only thing missing
for a perfect transition from preschool
into kindergarten was to simply invite
the teacher to live with us for a month
prior, so our daughter would get nice and
comfy with the new face and pace.
Our dialogue generally follows this
arc:
Fine, sweetie, you dont have to ski.
Thats a luxury, not a life lesson that you
need to survive. Your parents just really,
really like it.
But we have hard lines. Swimming
and school? You gotta do both. You
have to learn how to swim, and school
is a must. Im not home-school material;
youre going to school.
The common denominator? These
arent her own ideas, so they are met
with stubborn resistance.
We know that school isnt physically,
psychologically or emotionally hurting
her at all! In fact, its the opposite. Our
school is small, but loving and perfect in
our opinions. Her reasons for the school
cringe change daily and span a great dis-
tance of logic: Im scared of the lunch-
room. Im scared of the drop-off. Im
scared of the pick-up. I dont like recess.
92 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
On and on, and every
day it changes. And with
the wildly varying rea-
sons why school is the
worst thing weve ever
done to her, we know that
the threat isnt real. She is
reaching and grabbing at
anything to sway us into
agreeing with her.
She wakes up crying
with anxiety only to have
that ramp up to a level of
near hysteria as we pull
into the school parking
lot. Then we pry her out
of the car and carry her
inside through all the
other kids to hand her off
to the teacher, who has to
hold her back from running after us. Day about what to do. And we know the
after day. answer. Itll just take time, and when
We pick her up after school to learn its up to her, well be good.
that she calmed down a few minutes Were fine with her being shy and
later and had a really, really good day. introverted, and honestly, we have
We can hardly believe it. She is laughing, nothing to do with that. That is who she
loving it and not wanting to leave. is. I just start to question our parenting
On other mornings, she decides ability when she becomes apoplectic and
everything is fine goodbye! Were were all frustrated and concluding that,
shocked and excited. The playground in fact, Wowza, we are really sucking.
attendant is also surprised. Im getting A goal of ours is to equip our shy gal
the thumbs-up sign from fellow moms to trust in her quiet confidence to nav-
I dont know, getting the knowing head igate this world, accept and roll with
nod of a job well done, and I scurry out transition, change, strangers, friends,
of there thinking Im am a total badass teachers, and parents.
mom who is just crushing the parenting One month later: Okay, so we appar-
thing. I can do no wrong. ently did it! School is cool and has been
That is, until the next day, when I for a solid month. Just like we always
attempt to replicate the exact moments knew right when we think we have
of the previous perfect morning leading it figured out, or dont, it changes. The
up to the angelic drop-off, only to find only constant.
that those tactics, conversations and We love you, Savannah!
clothes (Ive tried everything!) are way Sammi is a mother, wife, business owner
off and were back to tears. and marketing director at the Flathead
Weve talked to the school counselor, Beacon in Kalispell. Contact her at sammi@
the teacher, fellow friends and Google flatheadbeacon.com. FL
Lifestyle How We Age a BY LIZ MARCHI

A Work of Art
I
n my office, I have a sign that
reads: Beautiful young people
are an accident of nature
Beautiful old people are a work of art.
I met a work of art. So much of our
dialogue about aging has to do with loss
and acceptance and some notion that life
will be less. Through the doors of a Boz-
eman coffee shop walks Anne Keresey.
She is the mother of my dear friend, Car-
oline Price. Anne has recently relocated
to Montana from Palm Beach, Florida.
Whats a little climate change?
I have to admit that there are
moments when I look at a recent pho-
tograph and hardly recognize my own
face. Blessedly, I feel so different inside:
vibrant, curious and generally very con-
tent. Anne Keresey, at 85, is a stunning
woman. She was always beautiful but
she has clearly taken care to exercise
and eat well, and she still has that head- of her adult life on the East Coast near wedding to Will Price. Anne has been
turning presence of a woman who still is New York City and in Palm Beach, Mon- widowed for 19 years.
very much living. She wears her clothes, tana is a huge part of who she is today. A recent event prompted a move to
her jewelry and her life very well. Oh God, let me be so lucky! Bozeman. Although she isnt driving,
Beyond her physical aura, Anne has a Anne married Thomas Keresey in she enjoys getting out a great deal and
life story deeply tied to Montanas past. 1954. He was in finance on Wall Street. In especially to attend her grandsons
Her husbands grandfather was Corne- 1975, they made the move to Palm Beach sporting events. Carolines friends find
lius Con Kelley, the former president where he became president of the First her an interesting and lively lunch com-
and chairman of the Anaconda Copper National Bank. The move was prompted panion. She is spunky, funny and speaks
Company and, with his partner, Orvis by a desire to commute less and have her mind. There is no sign of regret or
Evans, the builder of the beautiful Koo- more time with family. The Kereseys were loss, only whats up today.
tenai Lodge in the Swan. Con had five regulars on the charity scene in Palm I find great happiness in the pres-
daughters, and Annes husband, Tom Beach. Their only son struggled with ence of those who are living life the way
Keresey, was the son of Frances Therese alcoholism, and they became involved I want to be. Anne Keresey hasnt let
Kelley. All the daughters had their own in fundraising for the Hanley Hazelton the need for a cane diminish her. She is
cabin for their families when visiting for Drug and Alcohol Center. In addition a work of art.
summer holidays. Anne talks fondly of to their son, they had three daughters. Editor's Note: Sadly, Anne passed away on
the fact that the girls absolutely could do Caroline, their youngest, was born right November 23 unexpectedly. A life well lived.
everything: they shot guns, drove boats, before Annes 40th birthday, which was Liz is fascinated by the various approaches
waterskied, rode horses and camped in very unusual at the time. Anne and Tom to aging from denial, to plastic surgery, to
the woods. After the family sold the always said that they planned on Caro- running marathons, to depression. Given our
Kootenai Lodge, Anne and Tom bought line taking care of the them in their old current demographics, Liz thinks there is a lot
a house on the east shore of Flathead age and that they planned to live a long to explore, celebrate and learn from those liv-
Lake, continuing the Montana summer time. Sadly, Carolines handsome father ing and aging in the Flathead Valley. Contact
tradition. Though Anne has lived most died of cancer less than a year after her her at Liz@frontierangels.com. FL

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 93
Lifestyle Staying Fit a BY JENNA ANDERSON / PHOTOS BY GREG LINDSTROM
SANDBAG FLOOR PRESS
SANDBAG FLOOR CLEAN TO FRONT SQUAT
Winter Sandbag Workouts
W
hereas summer in the Flat-
head revolves around warm
sunny days, cool mountain-
tops, and relaxing lake afternoons, winter
explodes out of the gates with powdery
mountain slopes, crisp cross country
ski trails, and off-the-beaten-path ath-
letic endeavors on snowmobiles. Playing
in the snow brings (and keeps) people in
94 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
SANDBAG DIAGONAL SHOULDERING
the Flathead during the winter months,
and it not only takes a passion for the cold
weather, but also a degree of athleticism
to maneuver through the backcountry
with grace and power.
Fortunately, I have a workout that
will help prepare you mentally and phys-
ically for the demands of your favorite
winter hobby. The best part is youll only
SANDBAG TOES TO BAG CRUNCH
SANDBAG PUSH-UP
SANDBAG BURPEES
need one piece of equipment. You can
find it at your local gym or make one
yourself. What is this magic piece of
equipment?
A sandbag.
The sandbag is your new best friend
in your arsenal of training options due
to its versatility. Since it isnt uniform
like a dumbbell or barbell, the weight is
going to move, shift, and change with
each rep. Youll have to challenge your
grip and stabilizer muscles, which will
make most exercises twice as hard to
complete. Sandbag training isnt for the
faint of heart its a surefire way to ask
your body for change, improve your per-
formance in any chosen sport, and leave
you feeling confident about your ability
to handle any situation.
Sandbags create whats known as
functional training by helping you
develop strength with movements that
replicate aspects of your sport, such as
shifting and changing powder on the
way down the mountain, uneven sur-
faces while snowshoeing, or having to
physically manhandle your snowmo-
bile around a tough corner or tight spot.
Youll build explosive power, have a con-
tinually changing weight to train the
body how to accommodate an unstable
environment, and learn how to move a
more compact weight more efficiently.
The workout below is known as a
complex youre moving through each
exercise for 10-12 reps, and then resting
one minute before repeating for three
rounds.
THE WORKOUT:
SANDBAG FLOOR PRESS: Lying on the
floor, grip the sandbag and press it like
a bench press.
SANDBAG TOES TO BAG CRUNCH: Hold
the sandbag over your head, keep your
lower back down, extend your legs
(dont let your back off the floor), and
use your abs to pull your toes up into a
reverse crunch until they touch the bag.
SANDBAG PUSH-UP: Put the bag on the
floor and do full-body push-ups with
your hands on the bag.
SANDBAG FLOOR CLEAN TO FRONT
SQUAT: With the bag on the floor
in front of you, grab it and explode
upward, flipping the bag over your
wrists and onto your forearms, and
then do a front squat. Flip the bag out
of your arms at the top of your squat
and back to the floor.
SANDBAG DIAGONAL SHOULDERING:
Stand to the side of the bag, squat down,
pull it up and across your body to the
opposite shoulder, and stand up. Do
each side for prescribed reps.
SANDBAG BURPEES: Yes, the burpee is
known as the king of bodyweight exer-
cises. Now, add a sandbag, a squat, and
a push-up. Start with the sandbag on
the floor, jump back, do a push-up with
your hands on the bag, jump forward
and clean the bag to your chest, and
then press overhead.
There you have it: six exercises that
will condition you mentally and physi-
cally for the winter ahead.
Want more? Get a hold of me on my
website at www.innerpowertraining.com
or by email at jenna@whitefishwave.com.
You can also email me with the code
WNTR16 in the subject line if youre
interested in a free 30-minute preseason
consultation that includes a body fat anal-
ysis and postural analysis. FL
showcasing your
architectural vision
gibeonphotography.com
photo@gibeonphotography.com
406.270.2162
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 95
Food&Drink

BRINGING Inspired by his foreign travels,

Bigfork chef Josh Auerhammer

ASIA to the
opens Koi Asian Bistro,
serving authentic fare with
imaginative twists

FLATHEAD By MYERS REECE

Photography by SALLY FINNERAN

96 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7

Local chanterelle mushroom
egg rolls at Koi Asian Bistro.
Chef Josh Auerhammer prepares a dish at Koi Asian Bistro.
J
osh Auerhammer, a Flathead native and
experienced chef, spent a month in Vietnam
last year, absorbing an exotic culinary world
with all his senses: smelling and tasting, of
course, but also gawking, listening and feeling.
The marvels of a food market in Southeast Asia
are both tactile and abstract, easy to touch but
harder to demystify. Taken as a whole, its more
of a cultural enlightenment than a grocery trip.
I would just wander through the random, but I have total control of the
markets going, Holy cow, this is out of business, as both owner and chef, so I
this world, Auerhammer said recently. can do it.
The flavors, everything there, it just Auerhammer started his Big-
blew my mind. fork-based Culinary Design Studio in
When Auerhammer returned to Big- 2008. It has a restaurant along Highway
fork, he was sitting in his house, basking 35 but also specializes in catering and
in the afterglow of his overseas adven- private parties, with a larger kitchen
ture and wanting that kind of food. than dining area. While Culinary Design
So he decided to make it, and Koi Asian Studio offers wide-ranging cuisine of
Bistro, an ancillary operation to his diverse origins, Koi Asian Bistros menu
Culinary Design Studio business, was showcases Auerhammers specific brand
born on a whim. of French-influenced Asian fusion fare,
That night, I went and started the with dishes such as kim chi fried rice,
Facebook page, he said. It was really local chanterelle mushroom egg rolls,
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 97
 Food&Drink

Korean pork riblets, pad Thai, udon,

and his interpretations of mainstays I WOULD JUST WANDER THROUGH
found at many American Asian restau- THE MARKETS GOING, HOLY COW,
rants: stir fry, curries, Mongolian beef THIS IS OUT OF THIS WORLD.' THE
and broccoli, cashew chicken and more.
Though it will have staples, Auer- FLAVORS, EVERYTHING THERE, IT
hammer expects Koi Asian Bistros JUST BLEW MY MIND.
menu to change depending on ingre- JOSH AUERHAMMER
dient availability, seasons and his cre-
ative instincts. Customers are encour-
aged to check his Facebook page for
menu updates and to place reservations,
preferably a day in advance.
As a trial run, Auerhammer began
serving dinners for Koi Asian Bistro on
a preliminary invitation-only basis in
October before kicking off his carryout
service on Election Night. The response
left no doubt that his impulsive decision
to start the Asian diner would garner a
customer base.

TOP Kimchi fried rice.

RIGHT Mongolian beef and broccoli.

98 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
New Welcome Facility at Iron Horse
Constructed 2016

sunrisebuildersmt.com
 Food&Drink

It was very well-received, he said

of Election Night. I did way better than
I thought I would.
Auerhammer grew up in the valley
and attended Flathead Valley Commu-
nity Colleges culinary school, which
was fledgling at the time. He then walked
into La Provence in Bigfork and asked
Marc Guizol, the owner and a respected
French chef, if he could help out in some
way, essentially without experience out-
side of the community college. Guizol
took him on, and Auerhammer started
off in the pantry, preparing soups,
salads, appetizers and desserts.
It was just about showing drive,
working hard, Auerhammer said. He
had a wealth of knowledge.
Auerhammer worked his way up to
sous chef, and Guizol, who was pre- job at a restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia,
viously a chef in England, France and under another reputed French chef, Jol TOP Korean pork riblets with kimchi.
Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, progres- Antunes, who had earlier worked with BOTTOM Guests dine at Koi Asian
sively gave him more duties and con- Guizol in London. Bistro in Bigfork.
trol. Then, after three-and-half years at Antunes had been the executive chef
La Provence, Auerhammer accepted a at Mandarin Oriental, an acclaimed

100 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
ITS ALMOST LIKE YOURE EDUCATING THE
PALATE OF THE CUSTOMERS TO GET YOU
INTO A SPACE WHERE YOU CAN DO THE
KIND OF FOOD YOU WANT TO. JOSH AUERHAMMER
restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand, and
he carried those Asian influences over
to his Atlanta restaurant, where they
rubbed off on Auerhammer. In 2005,
Antunes won the prestigious James
Beard award for best chef in the South-
eastern United States.
What I learned there was very influ-
ential on my whole cooking technique in
general, Auerhammer said, referencing
the traces of French cuisine in his Asian-
based dishes.
After Atlanta, Auerhammer came
back to Bigfork and spent one final
summer at La Provence before starting
Culinary Design Studio. He knocked
out walls and gutted the Highway 35
location, remodeling it into a kitchen
and dining room. Over the next eight
years, Culinary Design Studio evolved
through several iterations, maintaining
a base built on personal chef work,
catering, and private parties, but also
incorporating prix fixe meals and tapas.
Auerhammers willingness to experi-
ment laid a foundation for both his bold
culinary repertoire and a customer base
eager to sample his new offerings, set-
ting the stage for Koi Asian Bistros
emergence in a region not widely accus-
tomed to such gastronomic flair.
Its almost like youre educating the
palate of the customers to get you into a
space where you can do the kind of food
you want to, he said.
Auerhammer works exclusively with
fresh ingredients: I have a freezer but
I never even use it anymore. He offers
vegetarian dishes along with meat-
based entrees. Its authentic Asian cui-
sine, infused with the chefs distinctive
style. You may never get the chance
to visit a Southeast Asian market, but
Auerhammer will bring it to you, right
here on the shores of Flathead Lake.
Culinary Design Studio and Koi Asian
Bistro can be found online at www.face-
book.com/chefjauerhammer or reached by
phone at (406) 270-4255. Regular dine-in
and carryout hours begin at 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday through Saturday. FL
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 101
 Food&Drink Tap Room a STORY & PHOTO BY LIDO VIZZUTTI
DAY DAY
BONSAI BREWING PROJECT, WHITEFISH
I
t is seemingly an oxymoron of
terms: session and India Pale
Ale.
Session beers are low alcohol
5 percent ABV or less, with purists
arguing for between 3 and 4 percent.
They are brewed with an expectation
of consuming multiples in a sitting,
or session, without becoming overly
intoxicated.
IPAs, however, have been pushed
to extremes becoming dryer, more
bitter, more unbalanced with pene-
trating hops, and emphasizing inten-
sity. They are something we drink over
a period of time, wafting in hop aromas
between sips.
I used to make so much fun of (ses-
sion IPAs), said Graham Hart, owner
and head brewer of Bonsai Brewing
Project. Session IPA, light IPA, its just
a pale ale.
Until I tried to make one. Then I
was like, Ok, Im wrong. Its way harder
to make. No matter how much fun I
made of it for two years, its definitely
different.
Enter Harts award-winning session
IPA, day day, a nonchalant, balanced
102 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
journey through citrus, tropical and
piney hop flavors. The kind of beer one
can drink after a morning of powder
turns and still be able to make the last
lift for one more. The kind of beer, as
its namesake recommends, that can be
enjoyed all day, every day.
Session IPAs are a trending, arduous
puzzle. In short, when extracting sugars
from grain to make a normal IPA, one
tries to hit it really dry, while with a ses-
sion, you want to hit it sweet so that with
a tiny amount of malt it barely ferments.
(Low malt) essentially amplifies
the bitterness and the character of the
hops. Because there is no body to bal-
ance them, it becomes a less balanced
beer, said Hart. It doesnt leave a dry
beer per se. But that sweet beer is the
equivalent to the IPA when its dry in
body.
Basically, youre trying to make a 4.5
percent beer taste like a 7 percent IPA.
Thats the challenge. You have to give it
body and good hop flavor with hardly
any ingredients.
The day day was recently recog-
nized at the 2016 Montana Brewers Fall
Rendezvous for best IPA. According to
 Montana Made
MONTANA LOVED

STYLE: Session IPA

IBU: 25
ABV: 4.7% 412 MAIN STREET // KALISPELL, MT 59901 // 406-756-BREW (2739) // KALISPELLBREWING.COM

MALTS: Montana Pale, Pilsner

HOPS: Newport, Amarillo, Mo-
saic, Citra
YEAST: American Ale Limited Edition 18 x 24 Prints
APPEARANCE: Light straw col-
ored; hop haze
Available for Purchase:
DESCRIPTION: Balance of piney
hops up front, followed by
heavy citrus. Tropical notes
grow as one progresses.
Mouth feel is thin at first, but
not lacking in body or flavor,
and builds through the drink.
WHERE TO GET IT: Bonsai Brew-
ing Project is located at 549
Wisconsin Ave. in Whitefish.
The day day will only be on
tap at Bonsai Brewing Proj-
ect along with their specialty
small-batch brews. Find Bon-
sai beers on tap at Last Chair Explore

Kitchen & Bar, Montana Tap Explore

House and The Buffalo Caf. Glacier National Park

ain
s Mount
ReynoldLogan Pass
at
Brewers Association definitions, ses- Elevation
: 9,124

sion IPAs at the festival in Missoula

were lumped into the overall IPA cat-
egory, a disadvantage that didnt keep
Bonsai from taking home top honors.
The award proved that day day is not
simply a good session IPA, but a genu-
inely good IPA.
To be able to have that IPA char-
acter that is super fresh, not very bitter, $25 unsigned | $50 signed | $80 unsigned set of 4
so your mouth can handle it for a while, $160 artist signed set of 4
and then it doesnt get you hammered
after two of them when done right, FLATHEADBEACONPRODUCTIONS.COM
Hart said, it is the most delicious, or visit our office at 17 Main Street, Kalispell | 406.257.9220
easily drinking beer, in my opinion,
that is on the market. FL

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 103
Food&Drink Dish a STORY BYJUSTIN FRANZ / PHOTO BY GREG LINDSTROM

DISH

The Firebrands Roasted Beet Salad

CHEF ERIN HAMILTON BRINGS WORLDLY FLAVORS TO WHITEFISHS NEWEST HOTEL

T
hat a good meal is best shared
with friends is a core concept
for Whitefishs newest hotel
and eatery, The Firebrand.
The 86-room hotel opened in the
summer of 2016 on the corner of Second
Street and Spokane Avenue, and is
cementing itself as part of the commu-
nity, said Edna White, sales and mar-
keting director for the facilitys owner,
Averill Hospitality.
We want to be part of the down-
town scene for locals and visitors alike,
she said.
In an effort to attract locals, head
chef Erin Hamilton has set out to offer
something different to Whitefishs

104 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
TOP LEFT The roasted beet salad with black
kale and house smoked almonds from The
which comes in handy since focusing on
small-plate dishes can be a challenge
THE DETAILS
Firebrand Hotel in Whitefish.
instead of a table ordering one entre DESCRIPTION : Roasted beet salad with
BOTTOM LEFT Another option is the per person, the order will include mul- black kale, smoked almonds, goat
charcuterie board with local cheeses and tiple dishes. The members of the kitchen cheese, grapefruit and tahini vinaigrette
cured meats.
staff are adept at thinking on their feet, PRICE: $12
and Hamilton said they all bring their LOCATION: The Firebrand Hotel, 650
burgeoning culinary scene: tapas own perspectives to the menu. East Third Street, Whitefish
and small plates that are best shared. Sometimes we get slammed in the HOURS: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
While The Firebrands menu does fea- kitchen, but we always get it out, she WEBSITE: FirebrandHotel.com
ture a few entres including a pan- said. FL
seared Alaskan halibut and flat iron
steak frites smaller dishes are the
heart and soul of the menu, including
crispy pork belly, seared ricotta
gnocchi and duck confit nuggets.
You can get bar food or you
can get a big steak, but there are
not many places to get some good
tapas, Hamilton said. We wanted
to bring delicious and shareable
comfort food to Whitefish.
Hamilton said an emerging
The Humidor is where you
favorite for guests and locals alike will find a large selection
is a fresh roasted beet salad. Along-
side the roasted beets are black of Cigars, Pipe Tobacco,
kale, house-smoked almonds, goat
cheese and grapefruit, topped with
Cigarettes, Moist Chew,
tahini vinaigrette. As with just about
everything on the menu, many of
Roll Your Own Tobacco and
the ingredients are locally sourced Supplies all in a clean and
from Montana in this case, the
goat cheese hails from the Gallatin friendly atmosphere. Stop
Valley.
Hamilton first worked as a cook
by, youll be glad you did!
in college in North Carolina. At the
time, the 18-year-old was frying
chickens, and while it wasnt exactly
easy work, she knew it was where she
belonged.
I realized I needed to be in a
kitchen, she said.
Hamilton dropped out of col-
lege and headed for culinary school.
Upon graduation, she moved to
Whitefish, where she worked at local
mainstay restaurants, and then got a
gig at the Yellowstone Club. But the
pull of the Flathead Valley brought
her back in 2016 when Firebrand
opened.
The head chef brings years of 175 HUTTON RANCH RD, STE. 110, KALISPELL 406-257-7518
experience to the new kitchen,

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 105
Food&Drink Recipe a BY CASEY ENGEL / PHOTOS BY GREG LINDSTROM
Goat Cheese, Three Ways
Goat Cheese and Basil Stuffed Roasted Chicken Serves 4
4 chicken breasts, bone in and skin on; airline breasts work
great as well
cup chiffonade fresh basil
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
tsp kosher salt
tsp black pepper
Balsamic glaze
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pat chicken dry and gently loosen
the skin from the breast. Mix the basil, goat cheese, salt and
pepper in a small bowl. Divide mix into four portions and gently
stuff it under the skin of the chicken breast as evenly as possi-
ble. Place it in a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt and
pepper. Then place it in the oven for 20-25 minutes, depending
on the size of your chicken breast, and check for an internal
106 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
temperature of 160 degrees. Let rest for 5 minutes. Plate with
your favorite side dishes and top with the balsamic glaze.
BALSAMIC GLAZE
16 oz. bottle of balsamic vinegar
cup granulated white sugar
Pinch of salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add all ingredients to a saucepan. Place on medium-high heat.
Mixture will boil, stir and reduce; check every 5
minutes or so. Should take about 20 minutes,
or until desired consistency is reached.
There are also many alternatives to making your own. Check in
your local grocery store or specialty market.
 Mixed Baby Lettuces Salad
Serves 4

6 cups mixed greens

1/3 cup toasted hazelnuts
5 dried figs, quartered
cup crumbled goat cheese
organic apple thinly sliced
Orange vinaigrette

Toss greens with desired amount of

orange vinaigrette, and either leave
them in a large bowl for serving or
portion onto four plates. Top with
hazelnuts, figs and goat cheese. Arrange
sliced apples on each salad or on salad
in the serving bowl. Extra dressing may
be added over the top of the salad.

Steelhead BLT with Goat Cheese Lemon Mayonnaise Serves 4 ORANGE VINAIGRETTE
4 4 oz. portions of steelhead (salmon may also be used); tail portions work best; 2 cups orange juice
may butterfly cut thicker pieces cup honey
4 brioche buns, or your favorite bun or bread cup Dijon mustard
8 strips thick cut bacon cup red wine vinegar
Butter lettuce, also called Bibb lettuce 1 tsp fresh chopped garlic
4 slices ripe tomato 1 tsp salt
Goat cheese lemon mayonnaise tsp black pepper
1 orange, zest and juice
Either pan sear or grill your steelhead portions on medium-high heat until the 1 cups canola oil or desired oil
desired doneness. Toast brioche buns in oven or in a pan, or on INSTRUCTIONS:
the grill if you like. Slather goat cheese lemon mayonnaise on buns In blender, add all ingredients except
and top with butter lettuce, tomato, steelhead and bacon. canola oil. After blended at high speed,
turn to medium speed and drizzle canola
LEMON GOAT CHEESE MAYONNAISE oil slowly into blender to emulsify.
2 cups mayo
cup crumbled goat cheese
cup lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix all ingredients in bowl with a whisk. Refrigerate.

Schafers Restaurant and Rileys Pub are located in the Mountain Lake Lodge in
Woods Bay just five miles south of Bigfork overlooking majestic Flathead Lake. Scha-
fers Restaurant offers a fine dining experience with a casual ambience, focusing on
premier Northwest beef, seafood and bison with a full bar and extensive wine list.
Rileys Pub has amazing cherry wood-fired pizzas, kobe burgers, wings and smoked
ribs, to name a few, with a great selection of draft beers a warm, inviting atmosphere.

Casey Engel is a career restaurateur whose experience started early in life on Califor-
nias Central Coast. In Montana for over 18 years now, he has been part of some of
Flathead Lakes top restaurants. Having fun and being passionate about fresh, quality
ingredients, creative plate presentations, and a team-centered approach have been
a huge part of his recipe for success. Bon apptit!

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 107
story by P MOLLY PRIDDY
photography by P GREG LINDSTROM

BRITISH COLUMBIA'S HOT SPRINGS

CIRCLE ROUTE OFFERS PLACES TO
SOAK AND PLAY ALONG A 500-
MILE LOOP, WITH OPTIONS
FOR DAY AND MULTI-
DAY TRIPS

108 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7

Highway 95 near Fairmont Hot
Springs in British Columbia.
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17
K
OOTENAY ROCKIES
Perhaps it's the manmade
line dividing two great
nations north and south,
or maybe it's just that Montana has so
much to do.
Regardless, I'm still trying to figure
out why I'd never ventured into the
Kootenay Rockies of British Columbia
before this fall, when a friend and I took
a daytrip to check out some of the nat-
ural hot springs and resorts located just
hours from the Flathead.
What drew us was the natural
wonder of the Hot Springs Circle Route,
a rough loop of hot springs set in breath-
taking mountain terrain that would take
an adventurer a week to fully explore.
The Circle Route runs just over 850
kilometers or nearly 530 miles
starting from Cranbrook and ending in
Creston, with 13 stops for soaking, rec-
reating, and sightseeing along the way.
This gem of a loop may seem hidden
to many Americans, but the folks at the
HelloBC, the official tourism bureau for
British Columbia, say this remarkable
drive is a popular route for travelers of
all stripes, from singles to families and
groups.
"The many natural hot springs in the
Kootenay Rockies region offer every-
thing from a full resort experience to
backcountry wilderness," said Wendy
Van Puymbroeck of the Kootenay
Rockies Tourism branch of HelloBC.
109
 Places to Stay
First Nations people originally dis- crossing at Roosville, the fog was Along the Way
covered the hot springs, she said, and thinning, but would hang around until Fairmont Hot Springs Resort
used them for medicinal and healing the sun finally burned bright enough 5225 Fairmont Resort Rd.
purposes. The naturally warm water in the afternoon. Canadian border 1-800-663-4979
bodies are a geological phenomenon patrol offered their two cents about FairmontHotSprings.com
found in abundance throughout the which hot springs to visit, and we were
Kootenay Rockies, allowing for dis- across the actual border in no time. Canyon Hot Springs
covery and adventure as wild as you Driving on U.S. Highway 93 nearly Campground/RV
want it to be some are still natural the whole way, we only had to change Highway #1, Revelstoke
pools near rivers, while others have roads at Cranbrook, where a slight 1-250-837-2420
been transformed into resorts with right turn had us on Highway 95 and CanyonHotSprings.com
plentiful amenities and luxuries. on the Circle Route. We passed Fort
Our adventure had us aiming for Steele, a restored 1890s pioneer boom- Halcyon Hot Springs Resort
Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, just a town, and Skookumchuck, making 5386 Highway 23, Nakusp
couple hours north of Whitefish. The our way north. 1-888-689-4699
morning was chilly and gray, with low- By the time we hit Canal Flats, an Halcyon-HotSprings.com
lying clouds and fog obscuring the industrial town set in rugged moun-
incredible spine of the Rockies that tains, the sun was shining, and the Nakusp Hot Springs,
we followed the whole trip. incredible scenery finally came out Chalets & Campground
By the time we hit the border from hiding. White and gray jagged 8500 Hot Springs Road, Nakusp
1-866-999-4528
NakuspHotSprings.com

Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort

ABOVE Fairmont Hot Springs Resort.
3609 Highway 31
OPPOSITE PAGE Lussier River Hot Springs. 1-800-668-1171
AinsworthHotSprings.com

110 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
 ALBERTA
Hot Springs Circle Route
851 km/529 miles

7 6 Banff 1 CRANBROOK
National Park
2 KIMBERLEY
8 3 FAIRMONT HOT SPRINGS AND
Banff LUSSIER HOT SPRINGS
5 4 INVERMERE AND WINDEMERE
4 LAKE
9 3 5 RADIUM HOT SPRINGS
6 GOLDEN
10 11 7 ROGERS PASS AND CANYON HOT
SPRINGS
2 8 REVELSTOKE
BRITISH
COLUMBIA
12 1 9 HALCYON AND NAKUSP HOT
13 SPRINGS
10 NEW DENVER
CANADA 11 KASLO
12 AINSWORTH HOT SPRINGS AND
KOOTENAY LAKE FERRY
U.S. Kootenai 13 CRESTON
National Forest
WASHINGTON IDAHO MONTANA

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 111
 Fairmont sits just at the north end of (Columbia
Lake), nestled into the mountainside under
peaks that could fit right in with the Swiss Alps.
The resort offered deep, blue pools of warm
water piped in, with diving boards and various
soaking opportunities.
112 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
peaks ripped into the blue sky, wild
and alpine, enough to make two people
who have lived in the Flathead Valley
for years and visit Glacier National Park
regularly say "wow" and "holy smokes"
at nearly every turn.
The journey to Fairmont Hot Springs
the Canadian version, not to be con-
fused with the popular destination in
Montana took us past Columbia Lake,
a massive water body that serves as the
birthplace of the mighty Columbia River.
Fairmont sits just at the north end of
this huge lake, nestled into the moun-
tainside under peaks that could fit
right in with the Swiss Alps. The resort
offered deep, blue pools of warm water
ABOVE Visitors soak in one of several pools
at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort.
BELOW Fairmont Hot Springs Resort.
Big Sky.
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piped in, with diving boards and various
soaking opportunities. Nearby, shops
and a market provided food, beverages,
and the little things you may have for-
gotten on the way out the door.
The mountainous backdrop pulls
double duty: not only is it post-
card-worthy, but in the winter it also
boasts a ski area with 14 runs and three
lifts, making it easy to imagine ending
a day on the slopes with a dip in the
springs. Lift tickets for adults are $47,
and $37 for youths, with age-based dis-
counts on top of that.
All told, it took us about three hours
to reach Fairmont. For comparison,
it's about the same amount of time it
would take to drive from the Flathead
to the Bitterroot Valley, or from Kalis-
pell to Coeur d'Alene. The closeness sur-
prised me; for some reason, the idea of
crossing the border made the trip seem
like it would be more arduous.

114 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
OPPOSITE PAGE TOP Lussier River Hot
Springs is a popular soaking destination.
BELOW Lussier River Hot Springs.

But this was simple, an easy

one-day trip that still allowed us
time on the way back to stop by
the natural pools of Lussier Hot
Springs, set in an idyllic canyon
next to the Lussier River.
There isn't much signage
denoting the turn, other than that
directing us to Whiteswan Lake.
The drive took us up a logging
road still very much in use, into a
different valley running parallel
to the highway, with two walls of
mountain ranges hemming us in.
About 20 minutes later, we found
the springs, already in the shadows
of the mountain despite the after-
noon sun.
Popular and simple, these
springs offer rock pools of warm
water directly next to the river,
allowing the adventurous a nice
temperature shock to the system
jumping from one to the other.
Our drive back was peppered Subscribe to Flathead Living
with more "whoa" and "pull-over-
I-need-to-take-a-picture" moments
as the peaks that previously hid in
fog revealed themselves against a
bluebird afternoon sky. We hit the
border again, energized and relaxed
from our trip, and we'd only been
to two of the stops along the Circle
Route. We hadn't even broken into
the bigger, more dramatic scenery
Mail the form below & check to:
Flathead Beacon
further north, in Golden and along 17 Main Street
the border of Banff National Park. Kalispell, MT 59901
Make checks payable to Flathead Beacon
As we continued back into the
For credit card payments call 406.257.9220 or email
United States, greeted by the town of marcie@flatheadbeacon.com
Eureka, two thoughts replayed in our
conversations, over and over: "How $25 - 1 Year of Flathead Living (4 Issues)
have I never done that before?" and $35 - 2 Years (8 Issues)
Rates for US distribution only. Contact for rates outside of the U.S.
"I can't wait to go back."
NAME
Font is: Filosofia Grand Bold

For more information on the Hot

ADDRESS
Springs Circle Route, including links
CITY STATE ZIP
and phone numbers for resorts and
campgrounds, visit www.kootenay- PHONE EMAIL

rockies.com/soak-relax/hot-springs/. FL

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 115
Outdoors

116 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
 WINTERS
Water Wonderland
A diary of years spent on ice around Northwest Montana
STORY & PHOTOS BY KAY BJORK

Ice glazes the shoreline and

begins to form on Flathead Lake
on a cold December night
Outdoors

Ice glazes the shoreline

and begins to form on
Flathead Lake on a cold
December night.

A
s summer slips away, boats are intensified by more extreme weather
FLATHEAD LAKE
disappear, docks are floated and temperatures. It takes more effort DECEMBER 12, 2009
to shore, seasonal cabins and a literal pull-up-the-bootstraps
grow dark and the lake effort to get out in cold weather, but GLAZED OVER
becomes nearly silent, like a deserted winters treasures are ever changing, We are driving through Bigfork, and
Main Street in an abandoned gold rush making the hunt even more enchanting the sun lies low in the sky as we near
town. in a winter wonderland that might the shortest day of the year. I gaze out
It is always hard to let go of the include a garden of hoarfrost blossoms, across Flathead Lake, where the last of
famous summers in Northwest Mon- stacks of ice glass, jewel-studded logs or the sun glints on strands of ice forming
tana, but winter on the lake offers its a wind-sculpted snow blanket. on the glassy surface. I especially
own kind of magic in a landscape that
is constantly shifting and transforming
with new snowfall and natures dra-
matic and astoundingly beautiful ice
formations.
Many view the lake as a seasonable
place enjoyed while basking beneath a
hot summer sun or cloaked by a magical
mist during an early morning fishing
trip, but some of my favorite and most
memorable moments on lakes have
occurred in the winter.
Even though I live on Swan Lake,
my experiences have not been con-
fined to my own backyard as I wander
and explore other lakes in the Swan Fall leaves are
and Flathead valleys. Whether on foot, frozen in ice along
the shoreline
snowshoes, skis or skates, there are
always surprises and discoveries that

118 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
 These are the
good old days.
Good times, great people, deep snow.
Welcome to Whitefish.

Ranked #3 for ser vice, #5 for value and #10 for overall satisfaction
by SKI Magazine readers. In the ski industr y exceptional ser vice and value
pricing do not typically go hand-in-hand... and then theres Whitefish.

Book in advance online for the best deals on lodging and lift tickets. W H I T E F I S H , M O N TA N A
SKIWHITEFISH.COM | 877-SKI-FISH Partially Located on National Forest Lands Photo Noah Couser
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 119
Outdoors

Skating as sunlight streams

over the Swan Range onto
Swan Lake.

appreciate winter sunsets when nature
takes out her coloring crayons to trans-
form a nearly black and white world, so
instead of going home, I decide to stop
at Wayfarers State Park. We park the
car and head to the cliff near the boat
launch, where we discover rocks coated
with ice like glazed donuts with pink
frosting. I skip to thoughts of summer
when the air is filled with the clamor
of motors and the happy shrieks and
splashing sounds of children playing in
the lake. Now the excitement lies in the
solitude of natures winter masterpiece.
pieces that have now relocked into one
piece, like a jigsaw puzzle. The ice sits
on top of sand, taking away the danger
of breaking through, so we set out for
a walk on the lake. When we notice a
flock of swans at the edge of the ice,
gliding silently through the water, we
head in the other direction, not wanting
to disrupt the delicate cadence of this
peaceful day.
SWAN LAKE
JAN. 20, 2015
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON
THE WAY TO WORK
We sink into our leather recliners
watching the morning news. I wrap
my fingers around a mug of hot coffee
seeking warmth while the woodstove
crackles its promise to warm a chilly
house cooled by sub-zero temperatures.

FEBRUARY 1, 2015

LET THERE BE LIGHT

I wake up to another monochro-
matic winter day. Craving brightness,
I head to the north shore of Flathead
Lake where the sky wraps around you
with light that is magnified as it reflects
off water, snow and ice. We trudge
through the spongy marsh area as the
sky brightens and the sun glows behind
filmy clouds hanging like a sheer cur-
tain over a window. I spot an eagle in
Ice forming
a nearby snag, and below I see grass the shoreline
flattened by deer bedding down the suggests images
of graceful birds
night before. We reach the lake, where
the ice has formed and reformed with

120 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
 the shifting and heaving pressure of
growing ice. It sounds like an uneven
symphony, maybe musicians warming
up for a concert. After a few more rum-
bles and squeaks, they put their instru-
ments down, and the lake lies quiet
once again. Frozen.
Our North Facing Slopes
offer the best snow conditions
and excellent visibility.
Overlooking Lakeside on the west
shore of beautiful Flathead Lake

HOLLAND LAKE
JANUARY 1, 2015

ONE MORE TIME

My computer hums in the loft above
me, bidding me to add my tap, tap key-
board rhythms. Instead I head out the
door with my husband at first light.
The cold that slaps us in the face only
encourages us to head farther down
Swan Lake in search of good ice. We
park at a pullout along the highway and
scramble down a steep slope where an
ice prairie stretches shore to shore. We
plop into a snow bank to put on our ice
skates and then glide to the middle of
the lake, feeling a sense of suspension
as we are surrounded by an expanse of
ice and sky. And then the sun explodes
over the Swan Range like a silent fire-
work celebrating winter.
JANUARY 8, 2013
SWAN SONG
Frozen. It is one of those days when
the world feels locked in the frigid
embrace of winter. I tug my scarf up
over my face to shield me from the
below-zero morning temperature and
head down to the lake. The lake seems
to be breathing as fog escapes from a
sliver of open water surrounding an
island. And then the lake speaks a
wave of sound that is punctuated by
pops and low vibrations created by
We just spent hours skiing in the
Lindbergh Lake area, complete with a
campfire lunch, and the sun is nearly
skimming the Mission Mountains. A
little weary from the cold, as well as
the uphill climb and challenging down-
hill ski, we settle into the car and turn
up the heat and the music. I am loving
my seat heater, but my daughter Risa
isnt done yet and suggests, Lets stop
at Holland Lake for the sunset. We
plod through snow to reach the lake
as the sky begins to glow. We spot a www.blacktailmountain.com
skier headed up the lake and a pair of
snowshoers who wave and continue
along the shore. I watch as the sun
disappears and the sky turns pink, and
then the lake falls into shades of gray.
A perfect bookend to our day. Now we
can go home.
HORSESHOE LAKE
NOVEMBER 22, 2014
PUPPY PLAY
Horseshoe Lake is a small lake in
Ferndale with great Swan Range sun-
sets and is one of the first lakes to
freeze over to provide us with a skating
rink. This year we have a new puppy
and are eager to introduce her to the
2014 & 2016
ice. We hop on skates and she eagerly BEST NICHE
follows. Her first sprint ends up in a PUBLICATION
face plant, and then she explodes into
a happy run that ends in a long skid, Montana Newspaper Awards -
which seems to delight her as she Better Newspaper Contest
repeats the process again and again.
Kids and dogs their excitement and
Call to Advertise or Subscribe
energy let us experience great things
in a fresh way when something very 406-257-9220
familiar suddenly seems brand new. FL

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 121
Outdoors Destinations a STORY & PHOTO BY GREG LINDSTROM
Big Sky Night Lights
EMBRACE THE DARKNESS OF WINTER AND EXPERIENCE
THE MAGIC OF THE AURORA BORAEALIS
T
he thick darkness that
blankets Northwest
Montana in the winter
months can feel oppressive. Instead
of letting the dark days get you
down, climb out of the doldrums
and venture into the night for a
chance to see the aurora borealis.
The dancing lights seem other-
worldly. Caused by gas molecules
from the sun entering the earths
atmosphere and emitting light
when they collide, the phenom-
enon generally occurs closer to the
north and south poles where the
122 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
earths magnetic fields are weaker.
Northwest Montana has no
shortage of remote locations
removed from light pollution that
make it easy to explore the night
sky. Lake McDonald in Glacier
National Park is one of the best
spots for viewing the aurora.
On a clear night at the shore
near Apgar, look north along
the lake for an eerie green glow
creeping up behind the snow-
capped peaks. The lights can be
elusive and generally dont begin
to appear until after midnight.
Bundle up and brave the cold.
Watching these lights dance across
the Big Sky will warm your spirit.
VIEWING TIPS: Find a loca-
tion with unobstructed views to
the north on a clear night, par-
ticularly when the lunar cycle is
near a new moon. Be prepared to
stay out until after midnight; the
best viewing times are generally
between midnight and 4 a.m. Solar
storms increase the likelihood of
a viewing, and can be tracked at
www.aurora-service.org. FL
AWARENESS AMPLIFIED.
CREATE AVALANCHE SAFETY VIDEO

MESSAGE DELIVERED

CLIENT: FLATHEAD AVALANCHE CENTER,

NORTHWEST MONTANA

Erich Peitzsch of the Flathead Avalanche Center

needed a way to get the word out about safety
in the backcountry. He asked, we delivered.
Lets spread your message.

CONTAC T US TODAY
MARKETING // DESIGN // WEB // VIDEO
FLATHEADBEACONPRODUCTIONS.COM 406.257.9220
 Happenings
The 55th annual Whitefish
Winter Carnival.
WHITEFISH
Whitefish Theatre Co.
Presents A Christmas Story
OShaughnessy Center
December 1-3, 9-10, 16-17 | 7:30 p.m.
December 4, 11, 18 | 4 p.m.
Based on the classic 1983 motion
picture, A Christmas Story is the
comedy gift you will cherish all
holiday long! In 1940s Indiana, a
bespectacled boy named Ralphie
Parker has a big imagination and
one wish for Christmas a Red
Ryder Carbine-Action 200-
shot Range Model Air Rifle.
Tickets: adults $18, seniors $16,
students $10. Tickets for
Dec. 1 preview are $10.
WWW.WHITEFISHT-
HEATRECO.ORG
Glacier Symphony & Chorale
Handels Messiah
Bethany Lutheran Church,
Bigfork | December 2 | 7:30 p.m.
Whitefish Performing Arts
Center, Whitefish |
December 3 | 7:30 p.m.
Flathead High Performance Hall,
Kalispell | December 4 | 3 p.m.
124 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
Handel's beloved masterpiece. Our
popular holiday tradition
for the entire family.
Pricing varies.
WWW.GSCMUSIC.ORG
Christmas Stroll
Downtown Whitefish
December 9 | 5:30 p.m.
Wagon rides, chestnut roasting,
family photos, warm fire pits, create
your own ornaments, vendors,
bungee jumps, face paintings,
kids activities, Whitefish Winter
Carnival Float and Royalty.
WWW.WHITEFISHCHAMBER.ORG
Womens Ski & Ride Day
Whitefish Mountain Resort
December 17 | 8 a.m.
Brush up on your skills while you
spend a fun day on the slopes with
the girls. Sign up for a special half-
day lesson with one of our instruc-
tors whether youve only skied a
few times, havent skied in years, or
are a seasoned skier, well put you in
the right group for your ability level
and ensure that you have a fun day
on the slopes with your friends.
WWW.SKIWHITEFISH.COM
Alpine Theatre Project Christmas Eve Torchlight
Presents Yuletide Affair 13 Parade & Gift Giving
Whitefish Performing Whitefish Mountain Resort
Arts Center December 24 | 4 p.m.
December 19-20 | 7 p.m. Before Santa makes his trip around
The Flathead Valley's most popular the world, he leads a fiery torchlight
holiday concert continues into its parade down the slopes at Whitefish
13th year. This is a night of heart- Mountain Resort and hands out
warming music and ridiculous satire. a few presents to good girls and
Tickets vary from $45-$57, based on boys. Gather at the bottom of Eds
seating. Run just outside of Ed and Mullys
WWW.ATPWHITEFISH.ORG to watch the Torchlight Parade
descend from the top of Chair 2.
This Montana Christmas Tradition
makes for great photos and is a
PRAY FOR SNOW!
Whitefish Winter Carnival
Merry Maker: January 7
Disco Party and Coronation of
King Ullr LVII and Queen
of the Snows: January 14
Ski Joring: January 28, 29
Gala: February 3
Grand Parade, Penguin Plunge, Pie Social: February 4
Nordic god of snow Ullr reigns as master of winter sports and frolics along
with his Queen and Prime Minister, beloved in the hearts of his
loyal subjects. This years theme: One Fish, Two Fish, Whitefish.
WWW.WHITEFISHWINTERCARNIVAL.COM
special event for the whole family.
Santa will give gifts out in Ed and
Mullys following the parade.
WWW.SKIWHITEFISH.COM
Cruise the Blues
Whitefish Mountain Resort
December 28 | 9 a.m.
For intermediate skiers and families,
this is a great way to explore the
mountain. After skiing one or more
runs, return to the checkpoint near
Chair 1 to get credit for your run(s).
Earn Stumpy Points by finding
scavenger hunt items; document
your achievements and post to
Instagram for double points.
WWW.SKIWHITEFISH.COM
New Years Eve Rail Jam,
Torchlight Parade,
and Fireworks
Whitefish Mountain Resort
December 31 | 5 p.m.
Up to 60 skiers and snowboarders
will hit rails and boxes at a
custom-built rail jam venue. It is
super fun to watch and even more
fun to compete in. Compete for a
$1,000 cash purse in Open Class
Skier & Snowboarder Categories!
Great prizes for amateur category
winners and a raffle for everyone
else! Cap off the night with a
spectacular torchlight parade, fire-
Members of the Whitefish fire
works show, and live music by Brent
dancing group Whitefire and the
Jameson and the Sordid Seeds.
Missoula group MASC Artisans
WWW.SKIWHITEFISH.COM
perform at the Whitefish
Christmas Stroll.
Whitefish Theatre Co.
Presents Always ABBA
OShaughnessy Center
January 27 | 7:30 p.m.
WTC invites you to celebrate all
things ABBA with the all-star
Canadian tribute band, Always
ABBA. This band has it all the
harmonies, the authentic costumes,
and the choreography bring-
ing timeless and transcendent
ABBA to life on stage.
Tickets: $35 Whitefish Banked Slalom Faculty Concert: Wai & Friends.
WWW.WHITEFISHT- Whitefish Mountain Resort This concert is free and
HEATRECO.ORG January 28 | 9 a.m. open to the public.
A banked slalom through the lower WWW.FVCC.EDU
World Invitational Ski Joring part of the Goat Haunt into
Armory Park | January 27-29 Georges Gorge, a natural Smash & Bash Adult
Ski joring is a sport that combines an ravine with steep sidewalls and Hockey Tournament
interesting mix of two of Montanas enhanced features. Both skiers and Stumptown Ice Den
favorites: horses and skiing. The snowboarders are allowed and February 4 | 8 p.m.
public is invited to check out the compete in separate division. The Smash n' Bash Tournament is an
continued revival of ski joring at the WWW.SKIWHITEFISHCOM open-level men's tournament that
Whitefish Winter Carnival. For over has been played for more than a
10 years, the weekend in January Flathead Valley Spring decade in Whitefish. It features
features an exciting combination of Concert Series the fastest and most competitive
horses, riders, and skiers mixed with Large Community Room, Arts & adult hockey that is played all year
speed, jumps, and, of course, snow. Technology Building, Room 139 in Whitefish. The winner brings
WWW.WHITEFISHSKIJORING.COM February 3 | 7 p.m. home a traveling cup with every
Visit us online at
FlatheadLiving.com
17 Main Street
Kalispell, MT
406.257.9220
Font is: Filosofia Grand Bold
F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 125
Happenings

Participants dive into

Flathead Lake during the
annual Polar Bear Plunge
in Woods Bay

past winner inscribed upon it.
WWW.WHITEFISHHOCKEY.ORG
Penguin Plunge
Whitefish City Beach
February 4
Benefiting the Montana Special
Olympics, nearly 4,000 plungers
have raised $690,000 since
1999 in the Penguin Plunge.
WWW.SOMT.ORG
Special Olympics
Winter Games
Whitefish Mountain Resort
March 5-7
Athletes from around the state
gather in Whitefish for the biggest
event of the year. Cheer them on
as they compete and have fun on
ENJOY THE MUSIC OF THE SEASON!
Glacier Symphony Holiday Pops!
Flathead High School
December 17 | 7:30 p.m.
December 18 | 3 p.m.
Glacier Symphony celebrates the season. A fun program featuring
European and American holiday classics, including The Nutcracker Suite.
TICKETS VARY FROM $15-$35, BASED ON SEATING.
the slopes, or sign up to volunteer.
WWW.SOMT.ORG
Glacier Symphony Presents
Star Wars, Dark
Matter, and Dvorak
Whitefish Performing
Arts Center
February 11 | 7:30 p.m.
February 12 | 3 p.m.
Dark Matter Petite Concertante for
Tuba and Orchestra is a musical
meditation on the metaphorical
and literal connotations that can
be derived from the title words.
The music does have three distinct
sections, which are woven together
to form a sort of triple entendre
of meaning. They are book-ended
by home thematic material.
Tickets are $35 or $30, based on
seating.
WWW.GSCMUSIC.ORG
Flathead Valley Community
College Theatre Presents
Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern are Dead
Black Box Theatre, Arts &
Technology Building
February 17-18, 23-25 | 7 p.m.
The fabulously inventive tale of
Hamlet as told from the worms-eye
view of the bewildered Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern, two minor
characters in Shakespeares play. In
Tom Stoppards best-known work,
this Shakespearean Laurel and Hardy
finally get a chance to take the lead
role, but do so in a world where
reality and illusion intermix, and
where fate leads our two heroes
to a tragic but inevitable end.
WWW.FVCC.EDU/THEATRE
Whitefish Theatre Co.
Presents The
NeverEnding Story
OShaughnessy Center
February 23-25, March
3-4 | 7:30 p.m.
February 26, March 5 | 4 p.m.
Adapted from the 1979 novel and
1984 film, young and old alike
will delight in the fantasy tale
of a boy whose wholehearted
belief in the story, and eventually
in himself, saves everything.
Tickets: adults $18, seniors $16,
students $10. Tickets for
Feb. 23 preview are $10.
WWW.WHITEFISHT-
HEATRECO.ORG
Whitefish Theatre Co.
Presents Niyaz
OShaughnessy Center
March 10 | 7:30 p.m.
Currently based in Montreal, Niyaz
was founded by Iranian-born
vocalist Azam Ali and multi-instru-
mentalist Loga Ramin Torkian, both
JUNO Award nominees. Described
by the Huffington Post as an
evolutionary force in contemporary
Middle Eastern music, Niyaz
which means yearning in both
Farsi and Urdu blend medieval
Sufi poetry and folk songs from
Turkey, India, and their native Iran
with acoustic instrumentation
and modern electronic rhythms.

126 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
TICKETS: ADULTS $30,
STUDENTS $20.
Over 40 Hockey Tournament
Stumptown Ice Den
March 18 | 8 a.m.
The Whitefish Over 40 Tournament
has gone on in Whitefish since
2004. It features the fast and
competitive adult hockey for
players at or over the age of 40.
WWW.WHITEFISHHOCKEY.ORG
18th Annual Nate Chute
Whitefish Mountain Resort
March 18 | 8 a.m.
March 19 | 5 p.m.
The longest-running banked slalom
in the United States is a supporter
of teen suicide prevention. The
cash purse is over $4,000. This has
everything a classic snowboarding
event should. Day one is banked
slalom. Day two is border cross.
WWW.SKIWHITEFISH.COM
KALISPELL
Glacier Symphony
Holiday Pops!
Flathead High School
December 17 | 7:30 p.m.
December 18 | 3 p.m.
Glacier Symphony celebrates the
season. A fun program featuring
European and American holiday clas-
sics, including The Nutcracker Suite.
TICKETS VARY FROM $15-$35,
BASED ON SEATING.
Brash Winter Series Rodeo
Majestic Valley Arena
January 6-7, 20-21
February 3-4, 17-18
Western Montana's longest-running
rodeo series, featuring bull riding,
bareback, saddle bronc, team
roping, tie-down roping, steer
wrestling, and barrel racing.
WWW.GLACIERCOUNTRYRO-
DEO.COM/WINTER
Ten Days: Kenneth Yarus and
Richie Carter
Hockaday Museum of Art
January 26-February 18
Showcasing a series of onsite oil
paintings completed during a 10-day
artist residency in the Bob Marshall
Wilderness Complex in August 2016,
Kenneth and Richie display a number
of these small works along with
several larger studio works inspired
by their time in the Wilderness.
A short documentary film shows
how their time was spent at Granite
Cabin in the Great Bear Wilderness.
WWW.HOCKADAYMUSEUM.ORG
Flathead on Canvas: Small
Town Charm to
Countryside Splendor
Hockaday Museum of Art
February 23-April 29
Artists B. Rex Stewart and Jeff
Troupe share a love for the
outdoors and were drawn to the
Flathead for its rugged beauty
and endless inspiration for their
paintings. Both Stewart and Troupe
paint primarily outside and use bold
colors and brushwork to create
vibrant and energetic paintings.
Their exhibition aims to depict what
makes the Flathead unique, and
is a celebration of the things that
make us feel most at home here.
WWW.HOCKADAYMUSEUM.ORG
ELSEWHERE
Flathead Lake Skijoring
Championships
December 31-January 1
Lakeside Club, Lakeside
The inaugural ski joring event of the
West Shore boasts the biggest
purse in ski joring, with estimated
$25,000 added money plus awards.
WWW.VISITFLATHEADLAKE.COM
Annual Polar Bear Plunge
The Raven, Woods Bay
January 1 | 2 p.m.
It is a family event to welcome the
New Year with a chilling dip.
Spectators are welcome. Bring
your suit, towel, camera and
good humor. Costumes are
encouraged. Parade begins at
1:45 p.m. at the Raven Brew Pub.
WWW.BIGFORK.ORG/EVENTS
Cabin Fever Days
Badrock Canyon | February 10-12
Cabin Fever Days is a mid-winter
festival in Martin City, Coram
and Hungry Horse. It is a 38-year
tradition of Barstool Ski Races and
revelry. The event is a fundraiser for
local causes and charities and draws
participants and spectators from
hundreds of miles to watch the races
and participate in the festivities.
WWW.CABINFEVERDAYS.COM FL

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F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 127
Whitefish Review a INTERVIEW
Drew Bledsoe and the Art of Football
O
ver the past 10 years, local
literary journal Whitefish
Review has made a national
name for itself by publishing surprising
interviews alongside fiction, essays,
poetry, art, and photography. Here, we
dip into the archives from issue #1 for
an excerpt from an interview with NFL
legend Drew Bledsoe. To read the full
interview, visit www.whitefishreview.
org/archives.
- Brian Schott
After 14 seasons, one of the NFLs all-
time greatest quarterbacks gives his first
major interview since his retirement in
April 2007. Drew talked to the Whitefish
Review founding editors about his love of
skiing, the art of football, and life after a
career as a sports superstar.
WFR: Youve been spotted on the
slopes of Big Mountain many times,
skiing powder with the Whitefish
locals. Talk to us about your love of
skiing.
DB: I started skiing when I was two.
My dad cut the last two feet off of an
old pair of skis, put a piece of leather
over the toe, a piece of rubber inner
tube around the heel, and I would go
traipse around the back yard in my
rubber wading boots. Eventually he got
me up on the ski mountain. I made my
first turns later that winter at Alpental
Ski Resort near Snoqualaqmie Summit.
My parents said the only time I cried
was when they told me it was time to
go home. Skiing was a real passion for
me growing up. My dad was a football
coach and teacher and my mom was
also a teacher. Wed take family ski
trips when school was out where wed
pile into our old VW Rabbit and camp
out at some cheap hotel and ski and
just have a ball.
128 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7
WFR: How is the sport of skiing differ-
ent than football?
DB: Skiing is more of a solo sport than
football. Theres some competition to
see if you can keep up with your bud-
dies, but its a different kind of sport.
You take the competitive element out
and enjoy doing something active in
a spectacular setting. I enjoy seeing
my kids ski. The freedom you have
on a pair of skis is unlike anything
elseyou can go anywhere you want,
as fast as you want. Watching my kids
experience it is amazingto see them
test where they go and how fast they
go. It creates a lot of independence for
young kids. I now know that it was a
big part of who I was as a young child.
Id take off when I was five or six years
old and have the whole mountain to
myself and meet my folks at lunch.
WFR: Why did you come to Big
Mountain?
DB: I always felt comfortable at the Big
Mountain [in Whitefish, Montana] and
other areas out west. It wasnt that big a
deal when I was skiing out here. I never
skied back east because I was afraid they
would turn it into a story and it would
be a mess. It was cool out here. All those
years of skiing and it never became a
story. Of course I skied a little more
sensibly while playing ball than when I
was younger, but I think it helped me
as a ball player. Its always interesting
coming out of football season. Id get
beat up for a few months then roll into
ski season thinking Id be in shape, but I
never had my ski legs. Im only good for
the first 20 yards (laughs)its all about
short bursts on the field.
WFR: How did you find Whitefish?
DB: My wife and I were skiing in Red
Lodge and decided to stop and ski
in Whitefish on the way home to
Washington. We drove into Whitefish,
stopped in for a beer, went to the ski
mountain, and rode up on the chair
with some guy named Mike Powers
[Whitefish Review editor] (laughs)
wearing a Patriots ski hat. We cruised
around, got a tour from someone
who knew what was going on, hung
out, checked out the lake, the little
downtown, and liked that it was not
really discovered. I was 23 years old.
We found a real estate agent from
some sign and told her we wanted to look
at property on the lake. I looked like a ski
bum and my wife looked really young, so
the agent looked at us like we were kind
of crazy. Houses on the lake are pretty
pricey. Are you looking for something for
your dad? she asked. Uhwhats your
price range? She drove us around, and
at the end of the lake we found this cab-
inI immediately knew I wanted it and
we bought it a week later.
Originally published June 2007.
This exciting development is located on the north shore of Flathead Lake in Bigfork, Montana.
Bigfork Landing is perfectly placed near Bigfork village, Flathead Lake and Eagle Bend golf
course. With state-of-the-art services nearby, nature all around and mature landscaping,
Bigfork Landing offers the best of town and country living. Visit today to see homes under
construction and to learn more about new home and lot possibilities that fit your lifestyle.

F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 17 1
2 F L AT H E A D L I V I N G S W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 - 1 7