Lost & Overlooked Ski Areas - Montenegro

Part two of the series

I didn't expect to find ski lifts in Montenegro. Between its mild climate, small population and developing economy, I didn't think they'd have the luxury . I have made three trips to Montenegro since 2013 and it has me captivated. When  I found out there was skiing there I longed to know more about the people who share one of my biggest passions. So far, I've found out little. Here's what I do know.

Another Publication

Thanks Outside Bozeman for publishing my piece.

http://www.outsidebozeman.com/magazine/archives/winter-2018-19/sweet-spot

Lost & Overlooked Ski Areas - New Jersey

Intro to the series

Lost & Overlooked Ski Areas

Žabljak, Montenegro - what's the story?

Of all of the places to ski in the world, skiers often forget about the lesser known spots where people practice the sport; the small ski areas, where many of us learned to ski, the abandoned ski areas whose lifts have long stopped running, and the ski areas we pass in unsuspecting places.

On (Not) Becoming a Travel Writer - A Poem

In my writing group the other night we did a poetry exercise, which lead to a whole evening of poetry writing. Collectively, we don't really know much about poetry, but we all agreed it was pretty free-form. With poetry fresh in my mind I wrote this poem during lunch today.

Channeling Your Inner Mary Ann

RIP Mary Ann Vinciguerra

L-R: My grandfather, my aunt Tippy holding me, my mother

March 2, 1934 - October 1, 2018

Aroma: A Poem

Although I've never been drawn to to poetry as either as a reader or a writer,  Henry Hugh's reading at the Country Bookshelf back in September had gotten me thinking about poetry. I've been working on my writing practice in recent years, taking classes, reading books on the craft, and trying to mimic styles and articles that capture me. There's something in the way poets use a brevity of words and the artistic layout of their work that I feel certain can help my writing. Maybe I should write a poem? 

The few poems I painfully wrote in an undergraduate creative writing class were my last attempt at poetry. What makes a poem? Certainly they are more than the rhyming mess of words I typed out all those years ago. It was time to write a poem so I sat down and did it. Reading up on how to do it can come later.

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Writing Exercise: Youthful Job Aspirations

I have never really known what I wanted to be and still don't. Early aspirations included driving a school bus and working at Dairy Queen. Once those goals faded, I wanted to be a novelist. After that, I never had an answer to the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" 

I did know I wanted to be important and powerful with a sophisticated sense of style. 

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Postcard from Slovenia

Triglav Summit

My trip to Slovenia ended weeks ago and I am finally getting around to posting a few thoughts. Such an inspiring place, so much to say about. I'll start with these few words and hope to post more later. 

Writing Exercise: Write About Yourself as a Character

Even on a good day, the director's temper could flare up at the slightest provoking. Today was muggy, the air still and stifling. With the air conditioning out, the creative team know it was going to be a trying meeting even before the director stormed into the room.

Writing Prompt: Describe a Moment of Awakening

Today's exercise...

The Demise of the Missoula Independent

Rambling Thoughts on Alt-Weeklies

Some folks will tell you that these days “everybody” gets their news online. With that in mind, it is no surprise newspapers are closing their doors on a regular basis. Montana suffered the loss of a newspaper when the Missoula Independent shut its doors unexpectedly on September 11. The fact that this was Missoula’s edgy alternative weekly paper that had been around since 1991 makes the news a real bummer.

Recalling a Dream - Too Much Stuff

Some day I'll get around to chronicling the chapters in my life by writing about the reoccurring dreams corresponding to each time period. I wrote about one reoccurring dream here, and below is another, one about too much stuff. 

Lifestyle Apparel Alert - Kitsbow Cycling Apparel

Although biking isn’t my primary passion, I guess I’ve ordered enough biking gear over the years to be labeled a biker and as a result, a Kitsbow catalog arrived in my mailbox. Founded by mountain bikers in 2012, the company aims “to create the riding apparel we couldn’t find: A perfect balance of technical performance, timeless design, and impeccable tailoring.”

Sprinter Vans are So 2016 - Bliss or Die

By now, many mountain town dwellers are familiar with Sprinter Vans. These vehicles, sometimes regular van size, other times behemoth, are popping up like balsamroot on summer hillsides. They cost a pretty penny and are often further pimped out for tens of thousands more. We call these Sprinter vans whether they’re the Mercedes Sprinter version or some other type. A Sprinter van unlike all others showed up in Bozeman the other weekend and was parked a few blocks from my house.

Look Who Made it Into a Literary Journal!

Stoked to have my work in appear in CutBank, the literary journal of the University of Montana. They were founded by William Kittredge 1973. Wendell Berry, Louise Erdrich, Richard Hugo and more have appeared in their pages so I'm in good company. I received excellent editorial advices from their editor, and they did a great job with the layout.

Sunday Morning in Downtown Bozeman - Observations

Bozeman's a pretty trendy place right now and continues to go through change at a startling pace. Lots of complaints about things getting too busy and too expensive. I guess business owners and companies see dollar signs in their eyes when it comes to doing business in Bozeman. Here are two things I noticed on Sunday morning.

Coming Back to Bozeman: The Play

As some of you might remember, I had a play that was included in the 2010 Equinox Theatre One-Act Play Festival. A DVD was produced for the festival and I finally found someone who could help me get my play posted onto YouTube. Check it out here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bwJmW17twE

I had always wanted to do another run of the play with updated jokes and references. While I haven't gotten around to it, I did transform the play into a short story about a year. It was a fun writing challenge and I enjoyed tweaking it slightly to include newer local issues, concerns and references. See if you can spot the difference from the original.

http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2017/03/coming-back-to-bozeman-fiction.html

Shameless Self Promotion

My latest publication...

2018 Snowpack Update or How Good is this Year's Winter?!

It's a question all avid skiers debate, and it's not an easy question to answer. A good winter depends not just on abundant snowfall, but on a magical combination of temperature, sun and clouds, and wind. Right now, Bozeman has the combination just right. No hugely epic storms but regular snowfall. Warm weather but no real melt-downs. Big piles of snow line the streets, avalanche hazard is reasonable, and skiers are happy.

What follows is a comparison of snow conditions going back to 2014. There are also a few links to websites that can help you geek out over snow and make your own conclusions.

Writing Exercise: SCARPA Gea Boot (Imitation Exercise)

In my writing group this week, we did an imitation exercise. We were to describe either a piece of clothing we own or were wearing in the style of the advertising copy in the J. Peterman catalogue. I wrote about my ski boots and decided to refine the piece here. It was a fun exercise and a great way to move my creativity in a new direction.

Writing Exercise: Recalling a Dream

The sleeping mind reveals strange stories. I work up with this dream stuck in my head and decided  do a free-write about it. Perhaps I will work this into more of a story one day. What would the new-age crowd say my sleeping mind was trying to tell me?

Skiing the M - Stats & More Photos

Yadda, yadda, yadda, Below are few more photos, comments, and stats on our trip.

Skiing the M

(Stats from our day and more photos are here:: https://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2018/01/skiing-m-stats.html)

2017-2018 marks my 13^th winter in Bozman, but only the second time I’ve skied the M. Lack of snow at its low elevation and frequent winds make good conditions on the M trail a rare treat. My first attempt was a socked-in, wind-effected mess, and I have always wanted to hit it in good conditions.

Update: A revised version of this story appeared in Outside Bozeman in winter 2018-2019.

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