Jason Matthews’ chance to take the Kardashian sisters on a dog sled tour was ditched by television producers who decided they’d rather not pay, but now the Bozeman musher feels like he’s having the last laugh.

Earlier this month Matthews, owner of Yellowstone Dog Sled Adventures, was contacted by television producers who were looking to film an excursion for an episode of E!’s “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” while the sisters were in Montana last week.

It soon became evident that the company wasn’t willing to pony up the $3,900 Matthews was charging, instead offering only “trade” for the television exposure, he said.

The Kardashians’ trip made the local news for a different reason, after a GMC Yukon driven by Khloe slid on black ice and into a ditch outside of Bozeman. Khloe, Kim and a third occupant were not injured, the Associated Press reported Saturday.

Matthews saw the story, and then described his experience in a post to his personal Facebook account.

He called the slide-off “Montana Karmic Justice.”

“They make 60 million dollars a season from the tv show, but wouldn’t pay for a dog sled tour they booked. They wanted 50 dogs, 5 guides, etc ... to work for free,” Matthews wrote. “Glad we didn’t do it!”

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J.K. Simmons won Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars on Sunday for his performance in "Whiplash."

 In the film, Simmons plays fearsome band teacher Terence Fletcher, who continuously abuses young jazz drummer Andrew (Miles Teller) as the student tries to prove his worth. This is the 60-year-old actor's first Oscar nomination and win. He beat out Ethan Hawke ("Boyhood"), Robert Duvall ("The Judge"), Edward Norton ("Birdman") and Mark Ruffalo ("Foxcatcher") for the honor.

 Simmons thanked his wife and children in his acceptance speech, before making a plea to everyone to call their parents.

 "If you’re lucky enough to have a parent alive on this planet -- call them, don’t text them!" Simmons said.

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Jenna Caplette migrated from California to Montana in the early 1970s, first living on the Crow Indian reservation. A Healing Arts Practitioner, she owns Bozeman BodyTalk & Integrative Healthcare. She says, " Health is resiliency, a zest for the journey. It’s about coming awake to the joy of being alive. As a practitioner, its a privilege to facilitate that healing process, to help weave new patterns of health & well-being. “ And by the way, healthier, happier people help create a healthier, happier world.

The magic of sunlight sparkling on new fallen snow transforms the Montana outdoors, enticing us to explore. Made up of tiny ice crystals, as snow warms it goes through various stages of “snow-ness,” from the dry, cold “smoke” skiers love, to hard-to-shovel, heavy, wet “mashed potato” snow, to messy slush and water.

Any of those forms can ruin digital imaging equipment. F-11’s Marsha Phillips explains, “As everyone knows, water and electricity don’t mix. Digital cameras are all electronic. When water evaporates it condenses to the computer boards.”

To prevent damage to your equipment, choose a water and weatherproof bag that has with padded compartments to protect your camera from bumps. Be sure that your bag of choice has a built-in weatherproof cover for a simple and efficient way to keep the day’s powder out of your gear if you fall in a drift, or are caught by an unexpected snow flurry.

The most popular types of bags for outdoor excursions are fanny packs and backpacks. Swing a fanny pack forward, unzip it, and it’s easy to get to your camera or a lens because it doesn’t restrict the movement of your arms and shoulders. A backpack is more difficult to access but it also carries more gear. Since it‘s a good idea to carry extra clothes to be sure you can keep yourself warm and dry, a backpack may be best for longer winter outings. Many include a place to vertically attach your tripod so it won’t get smacked in to trees or rocks as you bushwhack.

Create a first aid kit for your gear. Phillips recommend including zip lock bags, a ground cloth of some kind, a light pair of running or BMX gloves, and a microfiber towel. Storing things in zip lock bags will help keep them dry. The ground cloth comes in handy if you need to spread out your gear to locate essential accessories or dry something off. Gloves with rubber grips prevent the “whoops” of dropping something in to a snowdrift. If you do drop something – your camera, a lens – immediately dry it off with the microfiber towel and you may save it from water damage, or outright ruin.

Also include a packet of Rainsleeves™ to keep your camera dry while shooting an image if it begins to snow, or rain. Brilliantly simple, these clear, plastic sleeves protect your camera and lens, and will even work when you’re using a tripod. Made by Op/Tech USA®, a Belgrade company, a package of two costs only $6.95 (still true?)– an incredible bargain

Cold saps batteries so have extras on hand. When you get ready to head out, put these in a pocket, next to your body, where they will stay warm. Bring extra memory cards as well, protected by something to keep them both clean and dry — a wet card can damage your camera and your card reader.

Phillips recommends two filters that will greatly improve the quality of your winter images. First, a polarizer filter minimizes snow glare and makes clear winter skies pop. A high quality UV filter will protect your lens from the weather and reduce excessive blue at high elevations.

Now, when you have that chance for the shot you want, your equipment will be ready to work with you. Enjoy yourself and good luck capturing the magic!

When it comes to well-being, Alaskans nabbed the top spot in the United States, according to an annual ranking.

West Virginia, however, came in dead last for the sixth time in six years, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

Hawaii and South Dakota followed Alaska in spots two and three. And Kentucky stayed in the 49th spot, where it's been for a number of years.

The 2014 rankings, released Thursday, are based on over 176,000 phone interviews with people in all 50 states. The Index measures how people feel about and experience their daily lives, and looks at their health across five categories: purpose, social, financial, community and physical.

Over the past seven years, Alaska has ranked in the top 10 four times. And Alaskans are having a good year for a reason, according to Dan Witters, research director of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

"They do a lot of the blocking and tackling, as far as taking care of themselves and making good choices, but also demonstrating good holistic well-being in ways that extend beyond the conventional physical wellness," Witters said.

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