Big Sky, MT: 02/27 - 03/02/2013

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Can't friggin wait!!!

Nice report---place looks wicked

I went out there in Jan. That place is the real deal! Loved it. From the looks of it, you guys had quite a bit more snow. Only Marx, Lenin, and Liberty were open when I was out there. Big C, Dictators, etc. were still closed. I was a big fan of BRT's North, Highway, and 17th Green off the Challenger Lift (when Lone Peak was a no go weather-wise).

Did you see the mountain goats on Lone Peak?

Bridger sucks!
It started back in the day before the tram. We had to hike for everything and there were a lot of rules we had to follow. The bridger skiers would show up in the Spring and hike anywhere they wanted, without a fear of losing their season passes. We were bitter. Then the tram was built ( 1995 ) and all these bridger people are making a tram line.There are not enough locals to fill the line.
They don't like us because hardly anyone from Big Sky is from Big Sky. The Bozeman rednecks have a long history of beating up ski bums from BS. But that doesn't stop them from wanting that tram.
So it all comes down to the tram line.
Bridger doesn't suck.... Bridger skiers suck!
Glad you had a good time here. The conditions have been pretty good this season. I'm sure it will be good when Camp gets here next year. They already issued a Winter Storm Warning for early March 2014.

Thanks for the report! Glad you had a great time at Big Sky.

I'm jealous of all the laps you got on the tram during your trip! The terrain off of the tram is certainly a highlight. When I was there a little over a month ago the lines were long, and the visibility was non-existant. It's nice to see what the Dictator's look like when they aren't socked in!

For glade skiing, did you ever make it over to Shady Chute on Andesite? Spend some time in the trees off Shedhorn/Dakota?

Great report..Always want to go , but getting there is a bit of bear..

How was Bridger?

YUKON CORNELIUS wrote

From the looks of it, you guys had quite a bit more snow.

Base was reported at 55-80 inches while we were there, and it had been in that range for at least a week or two before.  I have been told that Big Sky can be quite rocky in low-snow conditions (specifically the tram terrain), but that wasn't the case when we were there.

YUKON CORNELIUS wrote

I was a big fan of BRT's North, Highway, and 17th Green off the Challenger Lift (when Lone Peak was a no go weather-wise).
Did you see the mountain goats on Lone Peak?

We had a blast skiing the steeps off Challenger.  Some great trees in there too.
Didn't see the mountain goats though.

lolkl wrote

So it all comes down to the tram line.
Bridger doesn't suck.... Bridger skiers suck!

Thanks for the explanation Lokl.  I figured there must be some history there.  

takeahike46er wrote

I'm jealous of all the laps you got on the tram during your trip! The terrain off of the tram is certainly a highlight.

Yeah, once it finally cleared, that tram terrain was all I wanted to ski.  There's nothing like it back East.  Well, maybe Tuckerman.   I almost got a fifth lap in.  As the tram unloaded at the top, an attendant announced "the tram line will be closing in about 5 minutes, so unless you're faster than me this will be your last lap."  I saw that as a challenge.  As I clipped into my tele bindings, I saw the guy scream past on his board.  Figuring the fastest way back was Gully 1 > Cron's, I took off.  I certainly wasn't bombing that terrain, but I wasn't dilly-dallying either.  I don't think it took me much more than about 5 minutes to make it back to the tram line.  OK, maybe it was closer to 10.  Anyhow, when I got there I found:


I seriously considered begging, but headed for a final lap off Challenger to end the day and the trip.

takeahike46er wrote

For glade skiing, did you ever make it over to Shady Chute on Andesite? Spend some time in the trees off Shedhorn/Dakota?

I don't think we did Sandy Chute.  On Andesite we skied stuff on the base side, Ramcharger lift.  We did spend some time in the trees in the Shedhorn and Dakota areas, very cool over there.

JasonWx wrote

Great report..Always want to go , but getting there is a bit of bear..

How was Bridger?

Actually not that bad getting to Bozeman.  Flew out of Alb 6am-ish > O'Hare > Bozeman, on the ground just before noon.  Skiing at Bridger by 1pm.  The Bozeman airport is super easy for luggage & car rental.  Big Sky is about an hour from the airport, but more like an hour and a half coming from Bridger.

Bridger was great.  Very low-key, laid back, local type of area but with awesome terrain and effficient lifts.  Very much the kind of place that I think JamesDeluxe would like.  That said, we only skied a half day there.  I beleive they reported 8" the night before, so everything was soft.  Found some untracked without working too hard.  It would have been cool to explore some of the terrain off the ridge, but we didn't have time.  There's a very cool looking poma lift that leads from the top of one of the lifts up to (near) the ridge line.  The lift's not even on the map.  I wanted to ski it but it closed at 3pm.  The poma starts at the top of this lift, on the right, and heads towards the ridge:


One more from Bridger, my friend Howard on his teles (he's usually a fixed-heeler):

Adk Jeff wrote

I have been told that Big Sky can be quite rocky in low-snow conditions (specifically the tram terrain), but that wasn't the case when we were there.

It was pretty rocky everywhere while I was there. There were times where I kicked scree right down the trail during a turn. Other times, within a run or two the terrain would go from covered to having "shark fins" sticking out. All in all, I think the rocks made it more fun. I had to get about 10 core shots repaired when I got home, though.

What I found about Big Sky was that you don't go early, they get thier snow later in the season. It is a great mountain with a ton of terrain. Loved Bridger as well although it is over 10 years since I have been to either place.

Lolkl, I wonder if could add to this for Steve:

Steve: How much terrain required avi gear? Anything in addition to the Big Couloir?

Jeff: Nothing I skied required avi gear. Besides BC, I beleive avi gear is recommended for the A-Z chutes, but I don't beleive they actively police that. For BC you have to sign out with patrol, in that regard it is similar to the slides at Whiteface. Lokl, on the NY Ski Blog forum, can probably give a more complete answer to the avi gear question.

I'll be there in about 2 weeks, can't wait! We're making the Montana circuit. Big Mtn(Whitefish), Discovery Ski, Big Sky, Bridger, Maybe Montana Snowbowl. Knees are starting to quiver!!!  

The backcountry off of Lone Peak ( Big Sky ) is open most of the time without the need to sign out with patrol. Only the Big Couloir requires permission. They want you to have a beacon, shovel and partner. They should require helmets but that is for a different thread. The avi gear will be useless if the Big C rips out. They require it to limit the skier numbers in there. If it starts to get bumps they close it.
You are free to ski everything else around the mountain if it is " Open." The backcountry is not a place to go and explore unless you feel like you're Lewis and Clark. It is very easy to get lost. If you take one wrong turn it could be a long hike out... if you know how to get back. Every year somebody spends a night or two outside making a series of bad decisions.
If you know where you're going, the skiing is the tits. Opps, sorry, I should have said boobs. The really extreme stuff requires hiking back into Moonlight basin and having a ticket to ride. The Big Sky side has some great powder stashes and an easy slide back inbounds. Some of the runs are 3x longer than the Big C and steeper. The really tough shit requires ropes. I'll try to get some photos next time over there.
Like I have said before, I'd be happy to tour any Harvey people that come out.

Good choices. Instead of Snowbowl, I would choose Lost Trail. Better terrain and snow. Disco is probably the best ski area in Montana. You'll love it. When the locals here go on a ski trip we hit those two places. Lift tix for under $25.

lolkl wrote

Good choices. Instead of Snowbowl, I would choose Lost Trail. Better terrain and snow. Disco is probably the best ski area in Montana. You'll love it. When the locals here go on a ski trip we hit those two places. Lift tix for under $25.

What do you know about Red Lodge, it has been on my radar screen for many years but it is even harder to get to?

Rock Dodge doesn't get that much snow for some reason, but when they do, it is usually in the Spring. We wait for Memorial day when the Beartooth Highway opens next to Red Lodge and ski all over the place. It has a Tuckermans kinda feel to it with people camping in the woods along a creek. The town itself is pretty cool but we rarely leave here to ski there.
Another thing about Lost Trail is that they are closed Mon - Wed. That's a good thing because it means Thursdays are powder days. They DO get a lot of snow for some reason.

For some fairly sick footage of the backcountry on the Moonlight side, check out You Tube/lizard control or angry hair piece by Andy Frykberg. I don't like POV stuff but Andy skied some wicked shit.

lolkl wrote

Rock Dodge doesn't get that much snow for some reason, but when they do, it is usually in the Spring. We wait for Memorial day when the Beartooth Highway opens next to Red Lodge and ski all over the place. It has a Tuckermans kinda feel to it with people camping in the woods along a creek. The town itself is pretty cool but we rarely leave here to ski there.
Another thing about Lost Trail is that they are closed Mon - Wed. That's a good thing because it means Thursdays are powder days. They DO get a lot of snow for some reason.

Cool - thanks for the insight. I will save it for a late season trip then.

awesome!  Love some Big Sky!

Lolk,  thanks for the POV link.  That was some skiing!  That wasn't the Headwaters zone right??  Where was that?  

Thanks for all the input Lolkl, I may need to move to Montana.