On January 28th REI Bozeman along with some of their favorite partner groups will be hosting a celebration of winter at the Hyalite Reservoir day use area. The focus of All Out 2017 is to help people get outside, whether to learn a new winter skill, meet an outdoor goal, or just play in the snow. The public is welcome to participate in a variety of activities at Hyalite between 10am and 2pm. Bring your skis or snowshoes and enjoy an outing on one of the many trails in the Hyalite area or just enjoy a hot drink or snack around the fire.
REI’s Outdoor School instructors will be teaching introductory classes on snowshoeing, winter camping, and cross country skiing. The City of Bozeman Parks & Rec Department will host a number of kid’s activities including an obstacle course, fort building, and snow games. If you’ve heard about the Discovery Walks offered by the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, come on up for a winter version – a guided walk by a GVLT naturalist or a “snowga” outing led by Jen Ducharme of FLOW Outside. Friends of Hyalite will be on hand with their new Winter Recreation Trail Map funded by a grant from REI. In addition to providing information on the variety of winter recreational opportunities in Bozeman’s favorite backyard playground, Friends of Hyalite will also have information on stewardship opportunities in the canyon. Other partner groups in attendance will be the Montana Outdoor Science School who will lead guided snowshoe walks for kids and families. The Winter Wildlands Alliance Snow School will have a booth set up to view snowflakes under the microscope, offer instruction on how to cut igloo blocks, and lead a cross country ski excursion on the Hyalite trails. The All Out event is a great opportunity to hone your beacon search skills with Friends of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center.
With this All Out event, REI is encouraging people to #OptOutside together and kick off 2017 in the right direction. Space for the classes and outings is limited, so you are encouraged to reserve a spot at rei.com/learn. All classes and activities are free and open to the public. For additional information call Teresa at 587-1938.
