Skiing The Nearly Inaccessible Crazy Mountains Of Montana

Montana — Public lands had a rough year. Frequent attempts to sell it off, the approval of lands for questionable uses, and federal staff layoffs led to instability and future fears. However, many still favor keeping public lands and want improved accessibility. This is especially true in the Crazy Mountains of Montana, which has been a growing debate over the past few years.

In the new film Inaccessible, three friends head to the Crazy Mountains to try and find skiable terrain. What makes this situation complicated is that this mountain range basically looks like a checkerboard on a map, as it’s a mix of public and private land. If you cross over private land, it could result in lawsuits and a heavy fine.

Extreme skier Griffin Post and pro snowboarders Eric Jackson and Emilé Zynobia go to the Crazy Mountains to see if they can shred some terrain on public land. Along the way, they wrestle with confusing land boundaries, challenging conditions, and the risks of backcountry skiing. While it was tricky, they did end up finding some great shredding.

The Crazy Mountains also made headlines earlier this year for a Forest Service land swap with a private ski resort. In 2021, the Lone Mountain Land Company, the owner of the Yellowstone Club, bought Crazy Mountain Ranch. Through a convoluted process, the Discovery Land Company secured approval for a land swap with the U.S. Forest Service that will create new skiable terrain at the Yellowstone Club and provide greater seclusion at the Crazy Mountain Ranch.

It also converted private land into public space, creating a large block of publicly accessible land in an area that doesn’t have much of that. In theory, it makes accessing the Crazy Mountains easier. But it also gives the private entity more seclusion on what was public land.

Image/Video Credits: OnX Backcountry, Yellowstone Club

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