Nearly two feet of fresh snow hit Red Lodge Mountain on Tuesday, and for one Billings couple, hitting the slopes was the perfect way to celebrate Valentine's Day.
For Scott and Tina Hackley, this Valentine's Day felt a lot more like Christmas morning. As soon as the couple heard there was going to be snow, they made sure to get out of work so that they could arrive at the mountain at 7 a.m. sharp.
“We heard on the news that we were going to get some powder and I just said, ‘let’s do it!’" said Tina. "He made the arrangements, and here we are."
Although Tina is fairly new to skiing, it was her idea to get to the mountain as early as possible, and you certainly won't hear any complaints from her husband Scott.
“The woman of my dreams, man," Scott said. "You know, wants to be your best friend and go do things together and skip work. It’s amazing.”
For Tina, the decision to be active on Valentine's Day was an easy one.
“We are better together when we’re out hiking, doing water sports, skiing," Tina said. "Any opportunity that we can get outside and do something, I’m all in."
And while the roads from Billings to Red Lodge weren't perfect, all that did was add to the excitement.
“As we’re driving from Billings, and you can’t see the road, you’re going ‘it’s going to be gnarly, it’s going to be amazing,’” Scott said.
Red Lodge Mountain lived up to the hype. By 10 a.m., there had already been 22 inches of snowfall at the top of the mountain.
“There’s nothing better than being at Red Lodge, getting off the lift, and then just point them down and you’re in waist-deep powder, man," Scott said.
It was big day for the mountain, in a place that means a whole lot to the Hackleys.
“Our first date was hiking to Mystic Lake," Tina said. "When we got married in September, we hiked back up there to read our vows. Just the two of us, our doggies and God."
"We love the town, and we love the community," Scott said. "So, whatever we can do to get more people up here and support this community, we're all for it."
