BHL - April 2026 Layout final proof

ELIZABETH FREER

A Knack for Problem Solving & a Heart for Adventure

ON THE COVER

By Tanya Manus; Photography by Chapters in Focus

8 ELIZABETH FREER

A KNACK FOR PROBLEM SOLVING & A HEART FOR ADVENTURE

Hill City will celebrate its 150th birthday on May 23–24 with the Heart of the Hills Lumberjack Show and Logging Days, a free, family-friendly event featuring timber competitions, kids camps, live music, and activities while honoring the town’s logging & mining history. Read more on page 16.

BLACK HILLS LIFESTYLE CONTRIBUTORS

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Aaron Scott, Melissa Chinn

TEAM OF WRITERS

Tanya Manus, Dorothy Rosby, Kory Lanphear, Lauren Johnson

COVER PHOTOGRAPHER

Chapters in Focus

EDITOR

Margi Culhane 605-940-4724 | margi@michelscom.com

REGIONAL MANAGER / GSM

Kevin Culhane 605-661-8509 | kevin@michelscom.com

DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MARKETING

Cory Johnsen 605-951-3567 | cory@michelscom.com

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Melissa Chinn 605-310-7563 | melissa@michelscom.com

CHIEF OF OPERATIONS

Hanna Sitting Crow 605-760-4269 | hanna@michelscom.com

Every month Black Hills Lifestyle showcases local human interest stories along with beauty, fashion, family, home, career, health and nutrition information all with beautiful photography. Black Hills Lifestyle also feature businesses, men and women in the Black Hills region. Want to subscribe to Black Hills Lifestyle and receive a copy in your mailbox every month? One year subscription is only $40.

©Copyright 2026 Michels Communications Corporation All rights reserved. No part of this publication December be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the expressed written permission from the publisher. Black Hills Lifestyle does not necessarily endorse or agree with content of articles or advertising presented.

We’ve always believed that dining should be a social occasion, a time when friends, family, and coworkers can enjoy great conversation over a great meal.

We believe in supporting our local artisans and staying connected to our Black Hills community. At a time when the area is growing and expanding, we’re striving to keep the flavor of the region alive.

Inspired by the history of this area, both the aesthetics of the building and the diversity of the menu are true to our local roots, something no nationwide franchise can duplicate. Certainly, there are other steakhouses out there, but none like ours.

ELIZABETH FREER

A Knack for Problem Solving and a Heart for Adventure

By Tanya Manus; Photography by Chapters in Focus

A passion for problem solving and a heart for adventure have taken Elizabeth Freer around the world. A decade ago, she followed her heart to Spearfish and here, she’s showing other women how to achieve their dreams.

“I like solving problems. I see systems where something could be better and doesn’t work very well (and think) I can fix this. These things just don’t line up. I can’t help myself,” Elizabeth chuckled.

With determination, curiosity, and a willingness to take risks, Elizabeth has built a rich, interesting life that brought her to South Dakota.

Elizabeth grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. She credits her older brothers (pictured below) with shaping many of her early interests. Their entrepreneurial spirit introduced her to the world of business, and one brother’s year living in Switzerland sparked a lifelong desire to travel and experience other cultures.

She’s creative and, growing up, Elizabeth learned to sew and took pottery classes. In high school, she was enthralled by a senior project where she learned basic architectural drawing and designed a cabin

in the woods. What intrigued her most about the project, though, was managing the details to successfully complete it.

She also loved math and enrolled in The College of Wooster as a math major. When a modern architecture course piqued her interest, she switched her major to art history.

“I took classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art as a child,” Elizabeth said. “Between my junior and senior year of college, I did an internship in the Cleveland Museum of Art in the design office doing gallery designs and installations.”

After college, Elizabeth worked as an assistant at the Cleveland Museum of Art design office. Among other job duties, she attended meetings with department heads and was fascinated as she learned more about managing big projects.

“Keeping track of details while seeing the big picture, people ask how I learned that. I don’t think there’s a program where you can learn it,” Elizabeth said. “It’s a way of being able to see the big picture and how all the pieces come together to make that.”

“Your close friends become your family. That’s something that I carried with me here. The people I am closest to are chosen family.”

With support from her boss who appreciated her ambition, Elizabeth worked her way into an internal project coordinator role for the museum’s $350 million expansion and renovation. She traveled with museum leadership and was involved in every aspect of the project.

She loved her work but when a consulting firm in San Francisco offered her a job, Elizabeth took it and lived in San Francisco for about 14 years.

“I’d only been west of the Mississippi once in my life until I moved to San Francisco. It felt like an opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” Elizabeth said. “My family thought I was crazy. They said, ‘You don’t know anyone there!”

She was ready for a fresh start and the unknowns ahead. Living and working in San Francisco opened the world to her. “I was traveling a ton, and because I was traveling for work, I could add trips (to additional locations). Travel is easier when you’re in a major city because you can get to more places without as much hassle,” Elizabeth said.

“I feel like that experience is where I really grew up. It shaped many of my perceptions of the world,” she said. “I truly believe in the inherent goodness of people. When you enter a new community with respect and a desire

very much the same-from Myanmar to Uzbekistan, we are each living our lives and want similar things: a decent meal, good health, and the ability to love and care for our families.”

San Francisco also inspired her creatively. She learned to knit and took up pottery again. Elizabeth learned to cook because she was eating good global food and had access to fresh local ingredients.

“I loved the food. I loved the people who were in San Francisco. I loved to be able to walk on the beach, the fog rolling in and rolling out. … I had a really wonderful group of friends who were my family,” she said. “Your close friends become your family. That’s something that I carried with me here. The people I am closest to are chosen family.”

Elizabeth’s work was managing complex, sometimes life-changing projects in California and nationwide that encompassed design, architecture, construction, science and much more.

Through her work, she also met her husband, Mike Headley, the executive director of the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority and the Laboratory Director of the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead.

The two worked well together and eventually decided to see if their relationship could blossom into a romantic one.

Elizabeth and Mike share a rare trait. Both of them are strongest in what Clifton Strength Finder calls “Arranger.” Arrangers like to determine how pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.

Elizabeth’s and Mike’s abilities to arrange work schedules, travel schedules and lives in two different states was essential. They maintained a long-distance romantic relationship for a year and a half until they married.

The couple still jokes about Elizabeth’s reluctance to leave San Francisco and take another risk - relocating to South Dakota.

“I said, ‘I don’t know if I’ll move to South Dakota.’ I liked the job opportunities I had in San Francisco,’” Elizabeth chuckled. “When we got married, I didn’t change my last name because professionally I wanted to stand on my own and I wanted my own network of professional connections.”

Elizabeth launched a consulting and project management company, Dialogue LLC after her move to Spearfish. She

works with companies in South Dakota and California. Elizabeth also met professional women statewide through the philanthropic education organization, P.E.O.

In 2023, she was selected to be the director of SD CEO West, the South Dakota Center for Enterprise Opportunity West Women’s Business Center in Spearfish. She’s a mentor and role model for women who are navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship.

“It is beneficial to have people who are willing to see something different and have the vision to make it happen. “I am generally pretty good at identifying the necessary steps required to resolve a problem,” she added. “I felt like I could relay that into something that would be helpful to other people,” Elizabeth said. “In my current role, I can help many people get access to (Small Business Administration and other) resources that will help them be successful and not struggle with it.”

“I have always been passionate about project-based collaborations” she added. “It’s rewarding to be invited into someone’s vision and help move their dream forward,” Elizabeth shares. “In the process, you become part of their success and their community. There is great satisfaction in supporting and encouraging other women and watching their dreams become a reality.”

Five Fun Facts About Elizabeth

1 2 3 4 5

Elizabeth has traveled to a myriad of locations worldwide. Her first international trip, besides Canada, was to Uzbekistan. She spent six weeks there on a language cultural exchange while she was in college.

Elizabeth and Mike were married in an intimate ceremony they loved. “We got married on a Monday afternoon at San Francisco City Hall - best thing we ever could have done!” Mike’s young daughter, Alex, joined them in San Francisco for the ceremony. “It was really important to us that she be there and be a part of it,” Elizabeth said. “We had good friends who were witnesses there with us … and then we invited a few close friends to come and join us for a fabulous dinner.” On June 20, 2026, Elizabeth and Mike will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.

Elizabeth rides a motorcycle, but not during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. She prefers quieter spring and fall rides in the Black Hills, when traffic is lighter and she can ride comfortably in full gear. She rides her 2007 Yamaha V Star 650 for pleasure, though in San Francisco it was a practical way to get around. “I could get places more easily, park more easily, and stay nimble in traffic,” she said.

Elizabeth is plant lover. She has a bevy of potted greenery lining windowsills at her home and office. “It’s therapy!” she says. Succulents have been her “longtime love” because they’re easy to care for and propagate. For variety, she’s also growing some leafier plants. Elizabeth’s mix of plants is a vibrant visual delight year-round.

Knitting and sewing are favorite creative outlets for Elizabeth. She makes coiled fabric baskets, inspired by pottery, using batik fabric and zigzag stitching. Friends and family often receive them as gifts. She also enjoys knitting soft yarn socks, appreciating the quicker sense of satisfaction.

THIS IS WHAT MEANINGFUL WORK LOOKS LIKE

From building a business to helping clients build their futures, our financial representatives find meaning in their work every day. Read their stories to see how hard work, flexibility, and passion can push Northwestern Mutual and your career forward.

Luke Pulscher - Northwestern Mutual - Rapid City

With more than 24 years of experience and specialized knowledge in financial planning, Luke has built a career helping individuals and families navigate insurance, investments, retirement strategies, education funding, and estate planning. But if you think his success is defined solely by his work in finance, you might be surprised to learn, Luke is also a world level armwrestler.

Growing up in rural Flandreau, South Dakota, Luke attended South Dakota State University. Alongside his studies, he discovered a natural talent for armwrestling. What began as informal matches in the lunchrooms, dorms, and college bars quickly escalated, culminating in a state title. His early success led him to higher levels of competition, where he experienced his first major defeat.

Rather than stepping back, Luke leaned in. “I decided to get healthy, lost 80 pounds, trained, and went on to win nine national titles,” he says. “At one point, I was ranked sixth in the world.”

Outside of work and competition, Luke also referees matches internationally. His travels have taken him most recently to Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Luke’s active life also includes hiking, fishing, scuba diving, woodworking, crafting everything from custom tables and chairs to charcuterie boards.

“There is so much freedom in this business. The only thing that was important to me other than family was the choice to make better use of my time. If you lay a good foundation-a great career will benefit you and your family for a long time.

Luke has called Hot Springs home for more than 34 years. He and his wife, Carmen, a teacher, have been married for 28 years and have raised three adult children, who remain his greatest inspiration.

“I wanted to impart to my kids to work hard. Work hard and there is nothing you can’t achieve. Discipline equals freedom.”

That same philosophy carries into his work with clients. “I’m a big fan of my clients’ recreational spending,” Luke says. “It sets me apart from other planners. I want people to enjoy their lives now-not just someday. I want you to live today as well as you plan for tomorrow.”

Luke grew his business into a boutique practice called Missing Link Weath Solutions. He and his team take a highly personalized approach, focusing on deep relationships rather than high volume. By working selectively, they ensure each client receives the time, attention, and tailored guidance they deserve, with tactical planning and meeting them where they are and supporting them through every stage of life.

When asked for one of the best pieces of financial advice he can offer, Luke doesn’t hesitate: “Be cautious about financing toys—boats, cars, snowmobiles etc. If that’s the one thing you avoid, you’ll be far better off than your neighbor. Discipline equals freedom.”

Luke Pulscher, RICP®, WMCP®, CLTC® Wealth Management Advisor

909 St Joseph Street, Suite 202 Rapid City, SD 57701 luke.pulscher@nm.com lukepulscher.com

Hill City Turns 150

By Lauren Johnson

On May 23 and 24, Hill City will kick off its 150th birthday celebration with the return of the Heart of the Hills Lumberjack Show and Logging Days. This free, family-friendly weekend is designed to honor the past while inviting the next generation to experience the fun and craft of timber sports.

Erica Layton, executive director of the Hill City Chamber, says the milestone is a chance to honor the logging legacy that helped shape the mountain town. “Mining and logging are what started this community,” Erica says. “So much of who we are, comes from that legacy.”

The commercial logging industry began in Hill City circa 1878, and for generations timber work shaped daily life. “Today, most of Hill City’s loggers have retired, with only a handful still active. Many families living in town are descendants of loggers.” In 1973, Hill City honored that heritage with its first Heart O’ the

Hills timbering show — a festival featuring felling competitions, crosscut sawing, log rolling, parades, ice cream socials, and square dancing-an event that ran annually until 2014.

So, when the Chamber began planning the town’s 150th birthday, the theme became obvious. “What better way to celebrate Hill City’s 150th Birthday than to bring back this nostalgic event?” Erica says.

The Lumberjack Show features 11 unique events each day at 11, 1:30, and 4. Between shows, the spotlight will shift to Hill City’s own history as the community pays tribute to old-time loggers and logging families, presenting them with special Heart of the Hills recognitions.

For kids, two interactive camps held at 12:30 and 3:00 both days, offer hands-on fun. “Kids can try sawing or even get into the logrolling pool,” Erica says. “Parents just sign a waiver, and everything is free.”

Adults can test their skills at axe throwing to benefit local charities. For a $5 donation, participants can throw axes while supporting groups like the ambulance service, firefighters, Lions Club, senior center, and arts council. “If someone wants

to support their favorite charity, they can schedule their session when that group is manning the cage,” Erica explains.

The weekend will also feature a cornhole tournament with cash prizes, live music featuring local legend Brent Morris, Country Band JJ Kent and the Aces and Native American musician Sequoia Crosswhite.

There will be a number of sponsored food booths and a beer garden on Elm Street. Historical photos will also be on display.

According to historical records, one of the first crews to respond was a group of 25 schoolboys from Hill City. Under the leadership of Charles Hare, president of the Board of Education, these boys, including the entire basketball team, recent graduates, and even an eighth grader worked alongside thousands of firefighters and forest rangers to battle the blaze for days.

No celebration of Hill City’s history would be complete without remembering one of its most defining moments. Around noon on July 10, 1939, one of the worst forest fires in the history of the Black Hills started 10 miles northwest of Hill City.

“It’s how the school district got their name, The Rangers. These boys’ efforts also explain how Hill City Schools became the only school district in the United States to have the privilege of using ‘Smokey Bear’ as its mascot,” says Erica. “Hill City is also the only school in the nation that gets to have their graduation ceremonies at Mount Rushmore.”

As Hill City turns 150, the community isn’t just looking back-it’s celebrating the people who continue to make it strong. “This birthday celebration is nostalgic, fun, and it’s ours,” she says. “This is the perfect way to celebrate 150 years.”

visithillcitysd.com

May 23-24, 2026 on Elm Street in Hill City

Fr ee Family Fun!

HILL CITY CELEBRATES 150 YEARS

Festivities Include:

THREE Lumberjack Shows Daily 11:00am, 1:30pm, 4:00pm

• Show features 11 different events, no 2 shows are the same

• Log rolling, boom running, hot saw race, spring board tree topping, obstacle pole racing, stock saw, bow saw, double buck saw, ax throwing, chainsaw carving & more!

• Axe Throwing to benefit Hill City Charities for Adults

• Music, food & drinks!

• Cornhole tournament with cash prizes

TWO Interactive Kids Camps Daily 12:30pm & 3:00pm

• Kiddos get to try sawing and log rolling

Nursing with Purpose

Nursing is often viewed as a fast-paced career, where care is delivered in brief interactions with a rotating, everchanging list of patients each day. At Black Hills Works, however, nursing takes on a deeper meaning – one centered around the building of impactful relationships, trust, and lasting connections.

Learn more about how the nurses at Black Hills Works don’t just provide medical care; they become an integral part of the lives of the people they support, offering compassionate care in a way that’s rarely possible in traditional healthcare environments.

More Than Just a Nurse: A Trusted Companion

Whether it’s helping someone manage a chronic condition, celebrating a personal achievement, or simply sharing a laugh, nurses play an essential role in enhancing the quality of life at Black Hills Works. Like most nursing careers, each day presents a new set of unique experiences and opportunities.

What makes a nursing career at Black Hills Works different is that, instead of treating a new set of patients each shift, care is provided for a case load of adults with varied intellectual developmental disabilities over an extended period. This allows nurses to better understand each person’s specific needs, preferences, and behaviors so that they can anticipate needs and adjust care accordingly.

These connections go far beyond medical care and allow nurses to share in the joys, challenges, and milestones of the people they support. They see firsthand how their compassion helps those they care for grow in confidence, independence, and overall well-being.

Join Black Hills Works in Making a Difference

Take the next step in your nursing career, and transform lives at Black Hills Works. Apply today at careers.blackhillsworks.org!

Why Nurses Thrive at Black Hills Works

Nurses who seek a more fulfilling, relationshipdriven career find that Black Hills Works offers unique opportunities:

R A sense of purpose by making a lasting impact on the lives of the individuals they support.

R A rewarding career where they feel valued and appreciated, not just by the team, but by the people they care for.

R A team-oriented environment where they can work alongside caring professionals who share their passion for helping others.

R Flexibility and a healthy work-life balance that prevents burnout.

R Competitive pay and benefits that include health, vision, and dental insurance; up to 5% 401K match; an Employee Assistance Program; and more!

On the Other Hand: How I Became Ambidextrous

By Dorothy Rosby

For your reading pleasure I will now present a brief history of my elbows. You’re probably thinking you’d rather read a brief history of elbow macaroni and you’re not too keen on doing that either. But stick with me and you’ll never take your elbows for granted again.

I sure don’t. I am right now suffering through my third bout of tennis elbow. If you think I must be an accomplished tennis player since I certainly have the elbows for it you’re right.

Not really. I haven’t even seen my tennis racket in years and I’m not sure I’d know what to do with it if I found it. No, I am living proof that you don’t have to play tennis to get tennis elbow. Tennis elbow is just easier to say than lateral epicondylitis, its official name.

And you know how it sounds more glamorous to say you broke your leg water skiing than it does to say you broke it tripping over the coffee table on your way to the couch? I think it also sounds more glamorous to call inflammation of the elbow tendons tennis elbow than it does to

call it picking up tree branches after a big storm elbow.

I suspect that’s how I got this round of tennis elbow. According to my research any activity that involves repetitive use of the forearm can lead to tennis elbow. That’s why painters, plumbers, cooks and landscapers are all prone to it and why you should avoid painting, plumbing, landscaping and cooking.

As a right-hander, I’m proud to say that I had the good sense to have my first attack of tennis elbow in my left arm. But a few years later I got it in my right elbow. Up until then, I hadn’t given southpaws a thought unless I bumped elbows with one at a dinner table.

Suddenly I had great admiration for them. I learned fast that it’s a right-handed world out there. That’s understandable. Right hands are easier to use. Ninety percent of us think so anyway. That explains why many of the devices we use were designed for right-handed people. Consider scissors, measuring tapes, pencil sharpeners, rulers and ice cream cones. No. Not those. Just seeing if you were paying attention.

The point is, left-handed folks become adept at using their nondominant hands while the left hands of us right-handers hang at our sides like lazy relatives.

But my right elbow screamed at me every time I used it. Or maybe that was me screaming. Either way, I was forced to do more with my left hand. Eventually I saw my injury as an opportunity to become ambidextrous, which is what you call it when both hands are equally useful—or equally clumsy, whatever the case may be.

I thought if my elbows shared the workload in the future, maybe neither of them would succumb to tennis

elbow again. It was a good plan but like all good plans it would have worked better if I’d stuck with it. Alas, as soon as it felt better, I began taking my poor right elbow for granted again.

I regret that now that I’m in the throes of my third round of tennis elbow, and for the second time, it’s in my right arm. I’m back to using my left arm whenever possible, admiring left-handed people and aspiring to become ambidextrous. If you’re right-handed I challenge you to do the same. Take some pressure off your poor, overworked right elbow.

Try brushing your teeth with your left hand. It can be messy, but cleaning the toothpaste off the bathroom mirror with your left hand gives you even more practice using it.

Use your left hand to spray aerosols like hair spray, cooking spray and spray paint. It’s not as hard as you’d think if accuracy isn’t too important to you.

Buy yourself a pair of left-handed scissors. I did and I’m proud to say I’ve only stabbed myself in the leg once since I started using them.

Try moving your computer mouse to the left side of your keyboard like I have. I admit that when I first tried it, my cursor flitted around the screen like a bumblebee. But I keep working at it. And when I can’t stand it another minute, I can just move the mouse back to the right side of my computer for a while. Or toss it across the room. With either hand.

Rapid City local Matt Thomspon was a skier from his youth all the way up to middle school. Then, like so many of us do, he fell away from the sport. In 2020, however, he found the time and motivation to get back to the slopes. This led to the purchase of a ski pass at Terry Peak. Skiing was once again a free-time priority in his life.

As a former Paramedic at Monument Health Lead-Deadwood Hospital, Matt helped plenty of injured skiers. “That was one of the reasons why I wouldn’t even go skiing,” he recalled, “because I went up to Terry Peak when on calls. I was like, it’s been so long since I’ve been skiing, I’m gonna fall down and break something.”

And now, thanks to his own injury experience, he’s gained a new insight into how an injury ripples through the rest of a person’s life.

January 2, 2025 was a busy day at Terry Peak, just outside of Lead. Maybe the busiest day Matt had ever seen, he recalled, especially on the black diamond difficulty run Ben Hur. Matt, 40, and his dad, Mark Thompson, were skiing their way down to the lodge for lunch while trying to stay clear of the crowd.

“I hit a patch of ice, my skis crossed and I went down. I felt a pop in the upper left side of my leg and knew something wasn’t right,” said Matt. “I was able to use my pole and disconnect my

boot from my ski. I could hardly lift my leg up. Ski patrol was called right away. It took quite a bit of work to get me moved because I was on a very steep spot on the hill.”

Matt had a broken leg and was in a lot of pain. The ski patrol got him down off the slope. Matt then called his dad, who, because he was skiing ahead of Matt, was not aware that the crash had happened.

A seasoned Paramedic who is now Paramedic Director of Keystone Ambulance, Matt wasn’t concerned at the time about the damage to his leg. More immediate in his mind was controlling the pain. With the ski patrol’s help, he hobbled to Mark’s vehicle. The two then went directly to Lead-Deadwood Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED).

“We got to the hospital and I went straight for X-rays. They got me into the trauma room, which, I’d been a paramedic and worked in that hospital, so I was like, ‘Oh, this isn’t good,’” Matt said. “Within seconds, the provider came in with a printout of my X-ray showing me how severe the fracture was. I needed surgery very soon.”

The staff started IVs, gave Matt pain meds and performed a CAT scan of his leg, which confirmed the need for surgery. They placed Matt in an immobilizer and moved him straight from the CAT scan table into the back of an ambulance bound for Rapid City.

“This was a new one for me. I’ve been in the back as a provider countless times, but never as a patient,” he said.

Within an hour of arriving at Rapid City Hospital (RCH), Matt was in the operating room, where they placed external fixators on his leg — two in the lower leg and two in the upper leg. These were to remain in place for two weeks to help the swelling go down so he could have the actual surgery to repair the fracture.

Matt stayed in RCH the following two nights. Upon discharge, though, he still wasn’t able to go home. Due to the fixators, he was unable to get out of bed — nor do anything else for that matter — without help, so he spent the next two weeks at his parents’ house.

Surgery to repair Matt’s leg took place on January 15. “When I woke up, the surgeon, Dr. Brady, told me that it was probably one of the most extensive fractures she’s repaired in her career, and it was one of the harder ones that she’s done,” said Matt. “They got everything pinned back together, and I spent another three nights in the hospital.”

The physician, Megan A. Brady, M.D., an Orthopedist with Surgical Affiliates Medical Group, Inc. (SAMGI) provided all of Matt’s surgical and post-operative care. SAMGI is an organization that places surgeons for medical services across the country. The surgeons are Medical Staff members at RCH where they perform surgery and provide pre-operative and post-operative care.

“We’re very fortunate to have the talented surgeons from SAMGI at Rapid City Hospital. SAMGI provides orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons that are available at RCH for emergency and hospitalized patients 24/7,” said Bradley Anderson, M.D., FACS, Urologist, Surgeon and Monument Health Executive Medical Director. ”These SAMGI orthopedic surgeons specialize in trauma care, and they complement the other Monument Health orthopedic surgeons who are then able to focus on their

patients in the office and those that don’t need emergency procedures. This really improves the patient experience for all.”

Spending the next 12 weeks on non-weight-bearing status meant no ambulance work for Matt. In mid-May, though, he went from crutches to using a cane. “I got to the point where I went for physical therapy, rehabilitation and follow up appointments so frequently that my phone would even tell me when I left my house how many minutes it was to Monument Health,” he said with a laugh. “Everything has been great through the whole process. I’ve done every last bit of my care through Monument Health, from the initial Deadwood ER visit all the way through to where I’m at today. With all the different providers I’ve seen, it’s all been great.”

By June, he no longer needed assistance to walk and so returned to his ambulance shifts. From the day of the injury to being back to work was a five-month saga.

“One of my first true trauma calls was when I got back to work in the ambulance was a left leg injury. The patient was in quite a bit of pain. I was able to get the pain under control and say, ‘Having been in your shoes a few months ago, I can tell you, they’ve got an amazing orthopedic and trauma program here. They do a great job.’”

Even after he was back to work, Matt continued with physical therapy to build up his strength and get him back to better than he was before.

Matt’s perspective on orthopedic injuries and pain has shifted a bit, too. “I’ve treated plenty of patients over the years, given a ton of pain meds, and would think, ‘How is that person still in pain with everything I’ve given them?’ And then having had an injury myself, it took quite the cocktail of pain meds to get my pain under control. Because it was miserable to the point that I could hardly sit still,” he said. “To be on the other side, all the way through, it’s been interesting to see just how what seems like just a simple drop off at the hospital isn’t just that simple. There’s a lot more to it. I would have never guessed when I fell that day that it was going to be such a process.”

On Saturday, December 27, 2025 Matt and Mark took to the slopes together for the first time in almost a year. Matt’s leg is still tender, so he took it easy. Otherwise, though, he felt good enough to return to Terry Peak again, just three days later. “I’ll be a lot more cautious than I had been and stick to the easier stuff for a little bit,” he said.

Monday, April 20 | 6:30pm Night One

Experience the largest mountain film tour on the planet! Something for every kind of adventurer!

Tuesday, april 21 | 6:30pm Night Two

Each night showcases an entirely unique set of films drawn from diverse international locations and filmmakers.

Experience unparalleled mountain living in this well-appointed 5-bedroom, 3-bathroom home for sale in Spearfish, South Dakota. Tucked away in the pines on a premier corner lot, this property is a rare find that literally borders 1.2 million acres of Black Hills Forest Service land. This residence serves as a sophisticated basecamp for Black Hills adventures, situated just minutes from the historic charm of Deadwood, SD, and the comprehensive medical facilities and shopping of Spearfish. Whether you are seeking homes near 700 miles of world-class ATV trails or skiing, this location is truly unmatched. Inside, the home features grounded luxury with granite countertops throughout and a sleek wet bar designed for effortless entertaining. Car enthusiasts and adventurers will appreciate the two car plus ATV, heated garage with room for an optional two-car extension, complemented by additional dedicated parking at the rear of the home for guests or large mountain gear. A generator adds year round peace of mind. The outdoor experience is second to none: unwind in the saltwater hot tub while taking in unparalleled panoramic views of the surrounding peaks and the shimmering waters of nearby Belle Fourche Dam. Own a private, well-appointed sanctuary where the Black Hills National Forest is your neighbor and the mountain views are endless.

LORI BARNETT Owner/Broker

460 MAIN STREET • DEADWOOD | THURS-SATURDAY 10AM-5PM • SUNDAY 11AM-4PM WE ARE CURRENTLY STOCKING OUR CUSTER STORE AND ARE EXCITED TO SEE YOU THERE IN MAY! LOCATED BETWEEN HILL CITY & CUSTER

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