Flathead Avalanche Friends Fest

Connect with community, learn about snow, and support our safety mission at Friends Fest, February 21-24!

Beacons & Brews
Gunsight Saloon, Columbia Falls
Weds, Feb 21 from 6 to 8 pm
We’re stoked to kick it all off by turning the Gunsight’s yard into a pop-up beacon park. Bring your own gear or borrow ours, and practice single or multiple burial scenarios. All participants will receive a can of Flathead Avalanche x Bias Brewing Cold IPA and a tin of MountainFLOW Skin Wax.

Name That Tune, Name That Avalanche
Bias Brewing, Kalispell
Thurs, Feb 22 from 6 to 8 pm
We’re bringing back an old classic, our twist on trivia. Name that Tune: Identify 80s hits & deep cuts based on 10-second clips. Name that Avalanche: Identify avalanche problems based on photos of slides

Workshop Night
The Patio, Whitefish
Fri, Feb 23 with doors at 6 pm and first remarks at 6:30 pm. Wrap-up around 8:30 pm
Dig into avalanche topics with your favorite snow geeks, Erich Peitzsch and Zachary Miller. Don’t miss their two-part presentation on avalanches, climate, and wet snow. We’ll kick things off with a State of the Snowpack from FAC Avalanche Specialist, Cam Johnson. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Sign up here.

Hot Dog Days
Two locations: Flower Point Chair and Canyon Creek Trailhead
Sat, Feb 24 from 10 am to 2 pm
You know the drill! Find a beacon, win a hot dog. Presented in partnership with our friends at Flathead Nordic Backcountry Patrol and the Flathead Snowmobile Association.

Ultimate Après
Tap House, Whitefish
Sat, Feb 24 from 5 pm on

Backcountry Partner Speed Dating begins at 5:30 pm. NEW this year! Meet and mingle with potential partners. Choose one of three blocks: 5:30 pm, 6:30 pm, or 7:30 pm. There are 20 spots per block, so if your block fills, you’ll chat 1-on-1 with 10 people. We’ll have discussion questions covering all the basics and then some. Sign up here.

Big A$$ Raffle Begins at 6:30 pm. Featuring kick A$$ prizes including one flight to Schafer Meadows courtesy of Red Eagle Aviation. Thank you to our raffle sponsors including: Great Northern Cycle & Ski, Jones Snowboards, High Rockies Art, Walking Man Frame Shop & Gallery, Montana Coffee Traders, The Mountain Guides, RMO, Stumptown Snowboards, MountainFLOW Eco-Wax, Bias Brewing, Glacier Restaurant Group, and Swan Mountain Outfitters!

Win sweet prizes from big brands and local businesses, all while supporting our avalanche safety mission. Must be present to win, excluding the Schafer Meadows flight. Get tickets at any of our events this week.

$5 = 1 ticket
$10 = 3 tickets
$25 = 10 tickets
$50 = 30 tickets