Montana Slope Sites
Bear Tooth Highway West Summit, 10,947 feet!
By Greg Smith
Jul 1, 2004, 20:47

The West Summit of the Bear Tooth Pass is at 10,947 feet. What a view! Actually, everything from this point is down so slopes exist all over. The two I flew were just a couple of the many available.

Site one
At the sign for the West Summit there is a turnoff and parking area. On the day I was there the wind was westerly and I just walked a bit away from the parking lot and tossed the Weasel. It flew great. The slope at this point is not really steep but the Weasel made the most of the site. If I ranged farther over the road there was a terrific elevator of lift and at times I wondered if I could get the little Weasel down!

My wife, Wendy to shot some pix with the Nikon D-100 and I am really happy with how they turned out.







Landing on the top was no problem. The area is plenty big but there are rocks strewn about. I’d fly a bigger plane next time I am at the summit but I will make sure it has flaps. Being able to hand catch or plunk down where you want to would be the way to go. Of course a foamy would also be a good choice!

Site two
About a half mile past the Bear Tooth Pass West Summit parking lot is another spot that worked well in the west wind. There is a pull off on the right side just before the road goes around a right hand hairpin. The road is dropping fairly steeply at this point and when it is below where I parked it is a comfortable distance away plus there is a decent spot to land.

I had couple more super flights here giving the Weasel a good aerobatic work out.




For me the clincher at both these spots is the fantastic scenery. Snow still on the ground in late June, the excellent peaks and the fresh green grass are mesmerizing. If I lived in the area, I’d fly here every day!

NOTE: The proximity of the launch spots to the road may make it hazardous to land in some areas. The spots I flew were all no problem for me to land at and the early season, midweek timing probably meant fewer cars to deal with but please pay attention and it is your responsibility to act and fly safely. I can’t control your plane. Only you can. So make us slopers look responsible and don’t fly if you are not comfortably and confident in your abilities.

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