The Story Behind the "M"

The "M" is 620 feet above the Missoula Valley floor. It is 125' feet long and 100' feet wide. University of Montana forestry students cut the switchbacks into the side of the hill in the early 1900's. The first "M" was assembled out of whitewashed rocks in 1909, and given a fresh coat of paint by freshmen every year, until 1968, when all those rocks were cemented together with concrete.

Photo by Nelson Kenter, kenterphotography.com

Archive for the ‘Recreation’ Category

Montana’s Quiet Football Dynasty: The Fighting Saints of Carroll College

By DILLON TABISH - The spotlight shines bright on UM Griz football. Down in Helena, a quiet dynasty continues to reign as one of the best NAIA college football programs in the US.... more

Skyla Sisco Goes From Griz to Zebra

By SKYLA SISCO - In my college days, I was definitely the passionate, competitive type. Upon graduating, I had the suspicion that a self-imposed penance of officiating was in order.... more

The Art of Letting Go When Race Disaster Strikes

By ANNA RUSSELL - At some point or another, most runners have experienced a letdown in some form or another. The best thing to do is to learn from it and move on to the next race.... more

Photo Gallery: Montana Grizzlies Beat Northern Iowa

Photos by PATRICK RECORD. Friday night under the lights brought fireworks, a full moon, and a huge victory to Griz Nation. The Montana Grizzlies dominated the Northern Iowa Panthers in the FCS quarterfinal game... more

The Bounce of the Football – UM Griz vs. N Iowa Panthers

To help you get stoked for Friday night's FCS playoff game under the lights, we've got a Griz photo caption contest and some UM-UNI trivia, courtesy of CHRIS WALTERSKIRCHEN.... more

FCS Playoff Scouting Report: Montana Grizzlies vs. Northern Iowa Panthers

By BRINT WAHLBERG - The University of Northern Iowa Panthers come to Washington-Girzzly Stadium on Friday, Dec. 10 to play the Griz under the lights in the FCS quarterfinals.... more

Tyler Hobbs: Life After Griz Football

By PATRICK RECORD - Former starting defensive tackle and team captain Tyler Hobbs looks back on his years as a Montana Griz football player.... more

Elk Hunting in Montana: A Bit of History

By BRUCE AUCHLY - Thanks to conservation efforts, there are now roughly 150,000 elk ranging in Montana. Whether or not you got your elk, these are the good old days of elk hunting.... more

Photo Gallery: Montana Grizzlies Beat Central Arkansas

The Griz beat the Central Arkansas Bears 41-14 on Saturday. UM Journalism student Patrick Record was on the sidelines to capture all the action of the game.... more

FCS Playoff Scouting Report: Montana Grizzlies vs. Central Arkansas Bears

By BRINT WAHLBERG. The University of Central Arkansas Bears head to Washington-Girzzly Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 3rd and the playoffs begin for Griz Nation.... more

Considering the Light and Dark of Backcountry Skiing

By MARK VOSBURGH - It's easy for me to gush about backcountry skiing. But I've come to believe that skiing has a dark side that exists regardless of whether we choose to acknowledge it.... more

River to Table: A “Blast and Cast” Trout and Duck Harvest

By BRYCE MCLEAN and MATT DEVLIN - As big game season comes to an end, we find ourselves looking for other ways to spend our weekends. Fortunately, fishing season lives on and duck season still has two months to... more

Validation: Montana Grizzlies in Round 2 FCS Playoffs

By MICK HOLIEN - Everybody loves a winner, don't they? I fondly remember the first time the Grizzlies defeated a ranked team when they upset Northern Iowa early in Don Read's tenure.... more

Mount Jumbo to Close Dec 1 for Elk Herd Winter Range

The snow has started to fly, and that means it's time for Mount Jumbo's elk herd to return to their winter range. The North and South Zones of Mt. Jumbo will close for the winter on December 1.... more

Dreams of Running and Running in Dreams – in Missoula

By MISTY GAUBATZ - Recently, I dreamt I was running. As I ran the Turkey Day 8k last week, I remembered the dream I had and I realized I was living the dream while I was running.... more

How to Lose a Staring Contest with an Elk

By PAUL QUENEAU - Montana’s rifle hunting season is over, my freezer sits empty, but I’m more grateful than ever for this place that I live.... more

Hunting for Clarity on Thanksgiving Break

By CLAY SPRINGMEYER - Whether you're in Missoula or not, if you live or have ever lived in Montana, count yourself lucky. 20 years of Big Sky Country have taught me to be thankful.... more

All Things Lady Griz: Reintroducing Shannon Cate

By KRISTA REDPATH PYRON - Shannon Cate is Montana-made and proud of it. And she's even more than just the most talented Lady Griz player to ever don the uniform.... more

How To Thank A Horse

By DANIELLE LATTUGA - How do you thank a horse? It depends on the horse. That’s the first thing you should know. I thank Smoke every day we are together.... more

MissouLOVE: Things That Make Missoula Home

By JEN SLAYDEN - From the rivers to the mountains and all things in between, here are my 10 fave things about Missoula. What do you MissouLOVE?... more

Early Season Skiing: First Turns of the Year at Lolo Pass

By TRAVIS GOODKIND - It was hard to image a better ski day, considering that it was my first day on skis since May. I was jealous of the stories of great early-season skiing. It was time to make some turns of m... more

Diabetes and Running: A Beginner Runs the Missoula Half-Marathon

By GINA BROWN - I am a runner, and I happen to have type one diabetes. But I wasn't going to let that stop me from running the Missoula Half-Marathon.... more

Watch the Griz Playoff Game on ESPN3.com

Even though the second-round Griz playoff game on December 3 won't be televised locally, you can still watch it on ESPN3.com for free if you're an Optimum Internet subscriber. ... more

Folk Musician Chris Bathgate Plays at the UM FLAT

By CLAY SPRINGMEYER - Last Monday, my band The Trees had the privilege of opening for Michigander folk musician Chris Bathgate and his band. I must say, I'm still giddy from the show. ... more

Photo Gallery: Griz Upset Bobcats to Win 2011 Brawl of the Wild

Photos by PATRICK RECORD The University of Montana Grizzlies exacted their revenge this year in the form of a 36-10 victory over the Montana State University Bobcats. UM Journalism student Patrick Record was... more

Brawl of the Wild – Griz Cat Game 2011

BRAWL OF THE WILD scouting report by Brint Wahlberg. Here's the 4-1-1 on the general stats, players to watch, and the keys to a Griz victory in today's game!... more

Winter Kayaking Motivation: Don’t Hesitate, Just Go!

By JASON SHREDER - The ultimate winter day is going to Snowbowl in the morning and surfing Brennan’s Wave in the afternoon. How many places can you do that?... more

Missoula Cross-Country and Nordic Skiing – Big Things Happening!

By MARK VOSBURGH - Big things are happening in Missoula's cross-country and Nordic ski scene. There are BIG opportunities for great XC/Nordic skiing on our local trails due to the efforts of our area ski clubs.... more

Ski Gear Review: MFD All Time Touring Bindings

By TRAVIS GOODKIND - With their All Time touring binding, MFD has combined what we love about alpine bindings and touring bindings. We’ve been waiting for this. ... more

The 2011 Griz-Cat Brawl of the Wild Contest

What's your Griz-Cat Big Sky Classic game tradition? How do you get psyched for the big brawl? Any rivalries under your roof? Tell us and you could win a $50 gift certificate to the Montana Club.... more

GRIZ GRIT: Fall Out at Penn State

By MICK HOLIEN - As a parent, and now as a grandparent, the one thing you want to be assured of when your son or daughter is entrusted to another adult for any activity is that those responsible will protect th... more

Photo Gallery: The Beginnings of Winter in Missoula

By PAUL QUENEAU - Could the mountains above Missoula see 40 inches by this weekend? The snow might not have stuck much to the valley floor, but the mountains are eating it up.... more

Back of the Pack Runners Welcome New Members

By PAM GARDINER, Wellbuddies Coaching Run Wild Missoula’s Back of the Pack mailing list started up just a year ago. Since that time, more than 100 dedicated runners and walkers have gathered around the mot... more

GRIZ GRIT: Redemption for Athletes in Trouble

By MICK HOLIEN. Drafted No. 2 in the 1998 draft after taking Washington State to the Rose Bowl, Great Falls native Ryan Leaf was a Heisman Trophy finalist who was a bust in the professional ranks.... more

Storm Bears Down – Prelude to a 2011 Monster Montana Winter?

By PAUL QUENEAU - [Photo Gallery] - Late tonight, a powerful cold front will sweep across western Montana. Could we be in for a repeat of last year's epic winter weather?... more

Gourds in Space – Or Punkin Chunkin Missoula Style

By BOB WIRE - They call it Punkin Chunkin’, and it’s one of the things that make people wonder why the hell anyone would move to Montana.... more

Fall – A Season to Anticipate Winter – and Skiing!

By TRAVIS GOODKIND - (VIDEOS) There's nothing quite like fall in Montana. Fall is the perfect transition to winter, our favorite season.... more

Lady Griz Tradition: Some Get to Wear It

By LINDA WEYLER - Every year, the Lady Griz team has new faces, but, in my eyes, the honor of being a Lady Griz is forever.... more

Snowbowl Set to Expand, Make Public Freestyle Terrain Park

By BILLIE LOEWEN - Montana Snowbowl ski area is preparing to expand their terrain park to bring freestyle skiing in western Montana to new heights.... more

Fall is for Swinging for Steelhead

By MATT DEVLIN and BRYCE MCLEAN - Fly-fishing for steelhead trout in the high-desert hills of eastern Idaho is all one could ever ask it to be.... more

‘Tis the Season for Cold Weather Running

By EVA DUNN-FROEBIG - Kickstart the holiday season with the Turkey Day 8K and 3K Family Fun Run on Thanksgiving Day. The event will be on Thursday, November 24 at 9:30 a.m. Races start near Toole Park on the Ri... more

GRIZ GRIT: Athletes as Role Models – Good, Bad…and Fair?

By MICK HOLIEN. There is little doubt that varying descriptions surface whenever an alleged drunken situation occurs. Witnesses to such transgressions have their own interpretations about what they observed.... more

A Salute to Missoula’s Bike-Friendly Events of 2011

By BEN WEISS - There is no doubt that Missoulians like riding bikes. In fact, we consistently rate among the top 10 cities in the country for percentage of people using bicycles for transportation.... more

Playing in a Missoula Band Called “The Trees”

By CLAY SPRINGMEYER. So I'm in a band now. We're called The Trees. I know what you're thinking: “The Trees? Really?” Yes. We're The Trees. ... more

Paul Queneau Showcases Missoula’s Stunning Fall Foliage

Paul Queneau sent us so many gorgeous fall color photos for his post, Missoula's Fall Colors: The Best Ever?, that we couldn't resist putting them all in one big gallery for you to enjoy.... more

A Birthday Party Run Wild

By EVA DUNN-FROEBIG When it came time to plan my son’s sixth birthday party, it only made sense that it would have a running theme. I eat, sleep, and breathe running, and Milo has become more enthusiasti... more

GRIZ GRIT: UM Football Coaches Do a Thankless Job

By MICK HOLIEN. Why is there such preoccupation with whether a football coach or a staff deserves to be fired?... more

Lady Griz Basketball is in the Air!

By KRISTA REDPATH PYRON - This time of year I always get this familiar feeling in my gut. Crisp mornings, followed by late afternoon warm sun, early sunsets, and... the gym!... more

Missoula’s Fall Color: The Best Ever?

By PAUL QUENEAU - I’m just going to say it: This might be the best fall color the Missoula Valley has ever seen. A bold statement, I know, but so are the colors.... more

Kayaking’s Best: The Rider of the Year and Whitewater Grand Prix

By JASON SHREDER - There are many different platforms to showcase the sport of whitewater kayaking. Whether it's big wave surfing in remote places or whitewater parks nestled in the heart of town, they all cont... more