One of my favorite local ski hills has to be Snowbowl. One of the reasons has to be its proximity to Missoula, the others would be Après-ski culture involving a deck and best bloody mary or slice of hand-made pizza one can find slope side . And what better way to spend a lovely day outdoors than watching ski jumping deckside with a bloody mary in hand? If you need a reason to hang out on the deck and enjoy some food/drink with good entertainment this weekend in the Missoula area, look no further than the Gelande Championship at Snowbowl.

The Snowbowl Cup Gelande Championship features spectacular ski jumping of up to 200 feet using alpine equipment. The jumpers fly off a narrow drop between two cliffs just above the Grizzly chairlift. The event attracts national media as well as jumpers from all over the United States.

This event features spectacular ski jumping of up to 200 feet using alpine equipment. This event attracts national media as well as jumpers from all over the U.S. $8000 cash purse. Annually, the last weekend of February.

For more information visit www.montanasnowbowl.com

feature photo: flickr.com/kbdphotography