Teens Snowboarding and Snowshoeing The Flat Iron Trail

On Janaury 6th, 2013 our teen boys’ group started off their Sunday a little earlier than usual. The anticipation and excitement was palpable among the group of teenage boys as they set out to snowshoe and ski the Flat Iron Trail, an intermittently groomed trail located on Flat Iron Mountain near Libby, Montana.

This endeavor was not your typical visit to the ski resort. No chair lifts, no groomed trails, and no lodge to get that steaming cup of hot chocolate. At approximately 10 a.m. the group loaded up their skis and boards onto their hiking packs and prepared to snowshoe for 2 hours up the steep, narrow trail and up to the top, where lunch was enjoyed while taking in the spectacular view. Ian B. expressed his sense of accomplishment by saying he was “amazed at how gratifying it was to reach the peak and to look all around me and know the only place to go was down”.

After lunch the snowshoes came off and on went the skis and boards!  The group was reflective of various skill levels, but much to their credit those who were more advanced proved helpful and patient and everyone had a terrific time.  Down-hilling the mountain was described by one participant as “a pure powder wonderland that will be hard to beat in the future”