Montana enjoying great ski finale
By Hookemharry

Posted: April 1, 2009

Old Man Winter decided to extend his stay for a few days in Montana – just as the 2008-09 ski season is racing toward its finale.

The local ski areas are all trying to wind down their seasons, despite receiving heavy snowfall last weekend. As of their last ski conditions report ,Snowbowl just north of Missoula had received close to 30 inches of new spring snow for a five day period that ended last Sunday.

Skiers found powder on every run that Snowbowl has to offer. Of course, they also had to put up with a 20-40 mile per hour wind on the top, but that didn’t keep them from enjoying a great day of skiing.

The latest blast should set up Snowbowl and other Montana ski areas with ideal conditions for their final days. Snowbowl is scheduled to be open through this Sunday, and then for a final weekend April 10-11-12th.

Snowmobilers and cross country skiers should also enjoy the benefits of the latest snowfall well into April and possible early May.

Snow, skiing, snowmobiling, high temperatures for the day in the 30’s and 40’s, doesn’t sound like spring does it?

Well, warm temperatures will be here before you know it and the fishing season will kick into high gear.

This year, you might want to give yourself and a friend an added incentive to be on the water. The last count that I made showed that there are 50 open water fishing contests slated for Montana. There is an open water fishing derby for just about every fisherman.

Whether you like to fish trout, lake trout, bass, northern pike, whitefish, catfish, salmon, walleye, and even shovelnose sturgeon, Montana has a fishing tournament for you. The bodies of water that the derbies take place in are located all over the state.

Entry fees range from no money to as high as $400 a team. You have a chance to win hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars. And while the money is very nice, there are other benefits, too.

You get to learn new and innovative we ways to catch fish from other anglers who are usually more than willing to share their successes and failures with you. Fishing tournaments are also a great way to see new products and see how they work first hand.

But perhaps the most the most important benefit that you receive is you get another excuse to go fishing. While tournament fishing may not be for everyone, don’t be afraid to give one a try.

You can find the whole approved list of oOpen water contests on the Outdoor Calendar Page on www.montanaoutdoor.com .

Win or lose, one thing will be certain, you’ll have a reason to go fishing and you can’t beat a deal like that.

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