Hi Readers!
For those of you that I have not had the chance to meet, My name is Emma (yes, another one), and I am new to the pro team this year. I was born and raised in Avon, CO, and I skied for Ski Club Vail in high school. I recently graduated this past spring, following an undergraduate degree and four years of skiing in the EISA circuit at Dartmouth. I am now back west for a great year of pro skiing in Montana with BSF! I cannot fully express how pumped I am to be back in the land of big skies, sunshine, and cooler fall weather, but I am sure going to try; hence the topic of this blog post.
This is not my first time in Bozeman. I had the opportunity to ski with BSF during the fall of 2023, and again during the summer of 2024, both with the excellent college summer training program Andy runs every year (I highly recommend it to any college skier out there). Clearly, I had such a great time that I came running back after graduation, and here I am yet again. This is the first year, however, that I have experienced the shift from summer to fall up here in Montana. Growing up, I admired the bright yellow of the aspen trees in the turn to fall, and then the deep reds and oranges of the East Coast. Naturally, I have been doing everything I can to follow the leaves on my solo training days and take in the sights of the beginning of fall. Based on what I have collected so far, I am going to share my top 5 fall training days, featuring a mix of running, biking, and rollerskiing, and complete with the best foliage and beautiful Montana views. Whether you are new to Montana, and like me, are exploring new territory, or have been hiking/riding, and rolling these trails for decades, hopefully, this will give you a peek at my favorite spots so far.
Number 5 - Triple Tree + Fowler Road
Triple Tree neighborhoods (pictured) and surrounding flats (not pictured). This was the starting location of this morning's Double Pole Interval workout. Great sun exposure made for a prime location for an early morning ski/bike, especially with the mornings getting chilly. The highlight of the ski was on Fowler Road with some top-tier foliage and some really nice pavement.
Number 4 - Mount Ellis
Mt Ellis run with Erin, Ashley, and Luke, and bonus views from the top. A double track most of the way up makes for great side-by-side running and some good conversations. Heads up for the last steep pitch before the top; it is famously feared in our uphill run time trial, and will certainly take you by surprise.
Number 3 - story mill- sypes canyon connector + Forswall road
A supposed-to-be rainy gravel ride that turned into some really nice overcast riding. Lead by our fearless leader, Anders Weiss. Out on Story Mill Road connecting to Sypes Canyon, and a new gravel territory unlocked up Forswall Road. I will certainly be out here again soon; rumor has it Forswall road goes all the way up to the base of the Bridgers…
Number 2 - Story Mill Park and the Glen Lake trail systems
If you are looking for a flat, path-like run with none of the pavement pounding and all the fall foliage, these trails are for you. I recently spent hours running around these trail systems, the whole time wondering how I hadn’t come across these sooner. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of the “bumblewood thicket” fairy houses tucked away along the trail.
Number 1 - Sourdough road to Hyalite Canyon, back on Fowler
This was hands down one of my favorite sessions of the fall so far. An Early morning start made for quiet roads, warm sunshine, and some pretty epic uphill bike intervals. Unfortunately, my photos don’t quite do the foliage justice, but take my word for it, and you will not be disappointed. Plus, the way back is all downhill :).
Happy fall and happy exploring. I hope to see some of you out on the trails!
Till next time,
Emma Reeder
