MOUNTAIN STATS

Elevation of 11,166 feet, 5512 acres of skiing, vertical of 4350 feet, 220 named runs covering over 110 miles on 3 mountains. Couple that with lift capacity of 29,000 people per hour and you get a mountain with no comparison and no lift lines!

I have been fortunate enough to ski many places in my life and I can honestly say that for pure resort skiing Big Sky is unbeatable. Today I want to share how I ski the mountains at Big Sky.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of staying in the main mountain village and having easy access to the base lifts and the mountain shops, bars and restaurants.  Staying in the mountain village gives you so many options and conveniences to enjoy your skiing experience.  HAPPY SKIING!


HOW I SKI THE MOUNTAIN

GETTING TO THE MAIN LIFTS AND YOUR FIRST RUNS

After the easy skate ski over to the Bareback Poma lift I take a traverse to the base of the Silver Knife run that hooks around the Summit Hotel to the base area. My first chair of the day is always Ramcharger which takes you to the top of Andesite Mountain. From there you circle back down to the right on the cat track under the chair lift.  Skip all the runs off of the cat track and continue until the cat track empties into an open area.  Stay on the right of the run and take your first right onto the blue run called Elk Park Ridge.

Elk Park is the best cruiser I have ever skied.  It is long and has great pitch.  There are even a few places to get some serious air. There are many places to stop and catch your breath or just take in the view. Elk Park is easily viewable as you drive up from the meadow towards the resort. Hopefully, as your legs get stronger, you can top to bottom Elk Park without stopping to catch your breath. If you accomplish this feat please log on to my blog and let me know so I can enter you in the “Elk Park Top to Bottom Club”.

If you want another good cruiser head back up the Thunderwolf Chair (a great chair to see where you just skied and to map out your next run) to Big Horn.  It does not get the great morning light that Elk Park does but it is still lots of fun and plenty challenging since the entire run is sloped. If you are lucky enough to have a powder day go right back to Elk Park and this time after you get about half way down hug the right side of the run and ski Elk Park Meadows. Whether you are an expert powder skier or an experienced novice this silky smooth area helps you carve powder turns like a knife thru butter (some fat boy skis won’t hurt either)! 

AFTER YOU'RE WARMED UP

If you are searching for some early morning leg burn then ski Mad Wolf.  Take a left off the Thunderwold Chair and traverse to the left of Big Horn.  If you want a real challenge enter as far to the skiers left as possible to get some fun steep jump turns, then hug the left side by the trees for the best snow as you empty out into Elk Park Meadows for the remainder of an invigorating run. If you then want some tree skiing try Crazy Raven or Stump Farm.

HEADING TO THE BOWL 

About 10:00a.m. the tram and bowl runs open and it is time to make your way over to Lone Peak. My favorite way to get to the other side of Big Sky is to take the cat track towards Elk Park but stay left and ski past Elk Park and follow Silver Knife to the bottom to access the Swift Current lift.  Silver Knife has incredible pitch which allows you to gain speed where you can feel like you are taking off and soaring over the 20 story Summit Hotel.  It is also nice to access the base this way because it is the quickest way back to the poma lift and the condos for food and refreshments. 

Access the Swift Current lift (re-named “No Current" by many as this is the rookie and tourist chair with frequent stops as beginners fail to mount or decouple correctly). In my opinion, this is the one chair to be avoided or minimized as much as possible.  The Swift Current lift will bring you to a stage of the mountain where you can dismount to the right and follw the cat track around to the opposite side where the Lone Peak Triple Chair can be found.  This chair accesses The Bowl which is moderate black skiing and awesome on powder days. The best time to ski The Bowl is in the morning sun as the light gets flatter and flatter during the day. For some real fun find the “Whoopdedo tracks” that ring the top of the bowl and enjoy the ride over to the far end of the bowl to find untouched powder.  You will find the steepest pitch and the best snow but be careful, and keep your knees bent, as the whoopdedos have been known to toss a few studs!

TIME TO RIDE THE TRAM TO THE TOP

After a few runs on the Bowl it is time that the TRAM starts running for the "A" skiers to get to the top of Lone Peak.  My theory is always to take a look at the line while exiting the Lone Peak Triple Chair and if the line (this is generally the only line ever at Big Sky) is out the corral then take another loop in the bowl, but if not then it is straight to the top.  The Top of Lone Peak is a must for everyone!  The view is spectacular and even if you aren't an experienced skier you can access the top and take panoramic photos on sunny days, don't waste your time if it is cloudy and you aren't planning on skiing down.  If you are not afraid of heights, claustrophobic or you need depends you should pass!  

OPTIONS AT THE TOP OF LONE PEAK

At the top of Lone Peak look west to see Idaho, down to see Montana and south to see Wyoming. The easiest way down is to follow the green posts down a black run called Liberty Bowl. It can be a little gnarly at the top but it really is not that difficult (My friend Matt made it down, maybe some day I will post that video J).  After a quarter mile Liberty Bowl opens up into a beautiful bowl with incredible views.  It is a five mile plus run if you top to bottom from Liberty Bowl. 

For expert skiers, once you get into the snow fence area, start looking for the fence gates that will take you to skiers left. This is a very gnarly track that will bring you to first Lennon and then Marx. They are both great double black diamond runs, steep snow fields with more turns then your legs could ever imagine. Lennon is a little steeper at the top and might have a few more rock outcroppings. Marx is my favorite and might be the best skiing on the top day in and day out.   You can also venture out of Marx and hit the Gullies.  The Gullies will get you back to the tram faster and can be some great skiing (this is a big deal for the locals as they can see their buddies from the tram line and generally brag about how many trams they did that day) but for my money it is not worth losing all the great turns on Lennon, Marx, and the Dictator chutes.

AFTER LUNCH - CHALLENGER!

I usually break for lunch (generally spent at Moonlight Basin Deli and Bar).  After lunch it is time to access the Challenger Chair for some great runs on Moonlight and Midnight.  Sometimes when you get above the tree line it can get visually intimidating, but the skiing is awesome and worth overcoming the mental trepidation. There is a secret entrance to one such area but you will have to buy me a beer for me to reveal that gem to you!

OTHER OPTIONS 

After this I usually go back up to the top for another run or two or back over to Andesite to hit some tree skiing like the Blue Room or maybe even to the Lone Moose Chair which is accessed down below the Thunderwolf chair to ski Grizzly or Bobcat. Oftentimes you can have this entire area all to yourself on a given afternoon. It is nice because it has both black and green runs that all empty out into the same chair on the bottom so skiers of different abilities can still hang out together.

GREEN AND BLUE RUNS

For novice skiers the best place to hang out is on the Southern Comfort Chair. There are 5 different green runs to choose from all with nice length and not too steep. The fact that it is drenched in sun makes it all the more appealing.  Two more fun runs over on the face on Andesite are Africa and Congo.  They are open runs with some trees and some mogels.  They are great places for green and blue skiers who want to stretch themselves a little.
 

I hope this helps. Please feel free to add your own thoughts as the great thing about skiing is there is really no right or wrong. You pick a line and point your skis downhill with a BIG SMILE on your face!

Thanks, Mike