Smellytele
Well-known member
Red lodge, Jackson Hole, snow king and Kelly Canyon.
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Big Sky intel?
- Thread starter ss20
- Start date
That's an interesting collection of destinations.
I've been hearing that Montana has had more snow than Utah, but looks like Big Sky has a 41" base right now. Still a ways until you all arrive. I will be interested to hear how you like the new Tram and new Moonlight Basin 8-bubble.
skef
Active member
It’s dynamic pricing: “The per-ride cost ranges between $10 and $40+.” So, $20 today. January 25…? Who knows. That “$40+” is a really fun/classy way of saying “no limit.”
skef
Active member
I’m back! I have some intel to share, which I’ll do in a series of small posts (over several days) instead of one big one. I focused more on skiing than photography, but did get a few pix to provide some color.
That’s the Powder Seeker 6, one of the oldest Dopp bubble chairs at Big Sky — no conveyor, manual bar down, manual bar up. At Big Sky you can see the evolution from this all the way to the Madison 8 — w/ conveyor, auto bar down, auto bar up. Yes, they have everything in between.
That’s the Powder Seeker 6, one of the oldest Dopp bubble chairs at Big Sky — no conveyor, manual bar down, manual bar up. At Big Sky you can see the evolution from this all the way to the Madison 8 — w/ conveyor, auto bar down, auto bar up. Yes, they have everything in between.
Smellytele
Well-known member
Keep them coming!
Heading out to Montana on Friday! Bring the stoke!
Heading out to Montana on Friday! Bring the stoke!
skef
Active member
Logistics
There are no non-stop flights from BOS to BZN until February or March. So I flew Delta through MSP, which was a mixed bag. On the way out, I was delayed in Boston long enough to miss the connecting flight. Delta gave hotel vouchers to all of us connecting passengers. Rather than waiting for the hotel shuttle to the DoubleTree, I sprang for a cab, which cost > $40 w/tip, but put me ahead of everyone else checking in. Worth it, given the late hour. I took the free shuttle back to MSP in the morning, got some work done at the airport, and had an uneventful, on-time flight into BZN.
I didn’t expect I’d be driving much once I was on-mountain (in the “Mountain Village” base area) so I opted for shuttles between BZN and Big Sky rather than renting a car. Peak Shuttle served me very well ($72 each way, booked in advance). They are easy to find at the airport, and drop off and pick up from your choice of locations in Big Sky. They texted me when en route, removing any guessing. One tip: their confirmation/receipt email messages do not include the reservation time, so make sure you take note of that yourself.
The flight back was early — leaving BZN 6:10 AM, requiring an overnight close to the airport. The BZN EVEN hotel is a new, shiny place, staffed by friendly, good-meaning folks who are desperately learning how to run a hotel. (Picture above is the epic view from my fourth floor room.) It was fine, really. I needed to get to the airport earlier than their shuttle ran, so they arranged for (and paid for) an Uber. The connection through MSP was tight — we got into the terminal maybe 10 minutes past scheduled landing time, and I literally ran to the gate for the BOS to make my boarding group. Flight into BOS landed 45 minutes early.
I brought my East Coast skis with me (Ripstick 88s), which turned out to be a good call given the snow (a moderate 4”-8” dump my first day out, then nothing). I taped an Air Tag in the ski bag to keep track of it, but encountered no baggage handling problems whatsoever. (I saw that the skis spent the night at MSP on the way out, and that they made it onto the plane to BZN when I did.)
skef
Active member
Acclimatization
My original plan was to spend a night in Bozeman (5K feet elevation) and another on the mountain (7.5K feet) to acclimate before my first ski day. The flight delay that left me in MSP the first night threw a wrench into that.
I live and work at something like 0.3K feet. With fewer than 24 hours above 5K (16 of which at 7.5K), I felt the elevation acutely the first day of skiing — stopping four or five times to catch my breath on my first several runs from mid-mountain to the base. Things improved steadily each day; by day three, the main reason to stop (at most once per such run) was quad soreness.
The first few ski days started below zero F at the base. I had heard that one doesn’t feel the cold at dry elevation as deeply as we feel it back east, and that proved completely true. “It’s a dry cold.” Garb that would work for 15-20 F in the east was the right call for single digits at Big Sky.
Top pic: Day 1 (Jan 24, first trip down at Big Sky: from Swift Current 6, in fresh powder)
Bottom pic: Day 5 (Jan 28, final run down from the peak, under bluebird skies)
skef
Active member
The Dakota 3 lift (note lack of restraint bars). Good trees in this pod.
Apres in the Mountain Village. DJ spinning tunes from the white igloo-like thing on the left.
Liberty Bowl.
Looking up at the Challenger 3 lift.
Assorted Tips
Traverse tip: There is a right way and a wrong way to get from the South face back to the North. Skittles Road is the wrong way. Duck Walk, from the top of the Shedhorn lift, is the right way. If by taking this advice you never find yourself on Skittles Road, you’re welcome. (Once was enough for all of us.)
Rock tip #1: There are a surprising number of loose rocks kicking around skiers right immediately off of the Swift Current 6. If you’re headed toward Calamity Jane, Lobo, or anything in that general direction, ski ahead for a bit before cutting right.
Rock tip #2: If you see a vast expanse of untouched snow in between tracked out runs, you’re looking at a rock garden. (Lesson learned on Upper Morningstar.)
Rock tip #3: The most conservative paths through the fences at the top of Liberty Bowl have surprise rock bonuses.
Rock tip #4: If a trail advertises “unmarked obstacles,” expect rocks poking out the back sides of moguls. Especially in the trees.
Mountain Village tip #1: The Exchange has lockers and cubbies. It even has cubbies on the main floor, in what is basically a hallway amongst retail establishments (faint Wachusett base lodge vibes, but higher end). If you overdressed, and need to peel a layer or two off, those cubbies can come in handy.
Mountain Village tip #2: If you’re staying in the village (and, if you want to be car free, I think you want to be there), you can take advantage of the Ski Valet. It’s steep compared to some places ($14-minus-possible-discount per night vs. something like $2 last time I was at Whistler), but I found it worth it not to lug the skis and poles up and down the hill to the condo. When you pick up in the morning, the guys will walk the skis out toward the lift lines and set them down for you.
Challenger 3 top terminal: starting point for my last run of the trip.
