The Way I Ski It: Big Sky Resort's Blog

GOODBYE, NEONS, hello, metallics and jewel tones.  It was the theme of last weekend’s SIA Snow Show, where the best in snowsports fashion and retail gathered for a yearly season preview.  While Fair Isle did have its fair share of runway looks this year, and sober, concrete-inspired tones clearly permeated many looks, it was the teals, magentas, and golds that dominated.  The best in design was “Macaroons meets Super Heroes,” as fashion trend company Stylesight described the emerging looks.

But beyond color and print, there’s function and structure.  Combining these elements makes for the best gear in snowsports, and while big names like Obermeyer dominated the show floor, several SIA first-timers stuck out as truly industry-forward.




O-Range:

I was excited to check out these Italian-made bags even before I hit the show – their sleek, welded seams make for a modern look that immediately stands out from other products, and I couldn’t wait to see how they measured up in person.  The product didn't disappoint – O-Range is a home run in backcountry functionality meets minimalist aesthetic.  Take the waterproof, seamless, Thin S-08 Freeride Backpack 3D, made specifically for the slopes.  With the addition of an integrated, super-light O-Range solar system, the backpack charges your GPS or smartphone as you go. 

Footbalance:

Ever since the International Ski Federation underwear debacle earlier this year, the snowsports industry has been fixated on undergarments.  But I’m not just talking base-layers.  It’s what’s underneath that counts, and especially what's underneath your foot - ever gotten a charlie-horse in your arch in the middle of a ski run?  Footbalance has taken this underwear obsession to the next level, bringing customizeable insoles from the running trails to the slopes and making ski boots tolerable even to the most sensitive of feet.  In my short 15 minute visit to the Footbalance crew I got a full foot profile analysis and walked away with custom orthotics on the spot.  Fast, easy, and (sort of) inexpensive - the soles go for $79.99 retail, clocking in at the low end of the orthotic pricing spectrum.

Soul Poles:

I know, I rolled my eyes too: Soul Poles? Really? But eco is in, and these surprisingly strong bamboo poles are made entirely from the ultra-renewable resource.  They’re also the creation of two former U.S. Ski Team members and a coach, and it’s clear that performance hasn’t been sacrificed for greenness– the specific bamboo species was picked for its resistance to cold temps, maintain proper stiffness and flex even when the thermometer plummets.

-  Greer

Phase 4 Imports featured this lineup of O-Range backcountry bags


O-Range also makes a range of lifestyle products including iPad and iPhone cases


While bigger brands like Obermeyer helped set the tone for the 2012 Snow Show, smaller brands stood out as industry-forward


Color schemes and style were "Macaroons meets Super Heroes."

Fair Isle is still in Style, making appearances across more classic brands

YESTERDAY THE SUN, snow, and wind all aligned for one of those legendary ski days you talk about for years to come.  Yesterday I skied 26 perfect tram laps in a row.

Before you get too excited, 26 isn’t the record. The record, I hear, is closer to 30, and it wasn’t me.  Still, even on a good day skiers don’t usually get in more than a handful – uncontrollable factors like weather, fatigue, waiting time, and conditions can all get in the way of double digit numbers, even if you set out with a goal.  Before this weekend, my personal best was 20 - it was over 10 years ago, and even then my legs started aching around lap 17 and it took me took me 3 full days to recover.

This time, I didn’t set out with an agenda - I even slept in. But luck, timing, and wind were on my side.  I met my ski pal Ben at the base of the triple chair, really not knowing what we were getting ourselves into.  We knew we were going to ski the peak because conditions had been incredible, so we skied down to the Tram just as it opened at about 10am.  As we skied off the top I suggested we spin a quick one as there wasn’t a line yet, and there still wasn’t when we cruised back down to the Tram Dock. As we were loading the next cabin up to the top we overheard that the Triple chair, the only lift access to the tram, was going to be closing due to wind.

This, folks, is how 26 Tram laps happen. 

Knowing that we weren’t going to have to wait in line for as long as the wind-hold lasted on the Triple, we signed out for the Big Couloir and hit the Gullies again, lapping them three times before our turn on The Big.  Run after run, the Triple stayed closed and the line stayed empty – we walked on each tram car like it was our own personal helicopter to a deserted powder paradise.

But taking advantage of this opportunity did come with some sacrifice – to be able to make it back to the Tram each time, we had to ski shorter laps that didn’t require skiing below the closed Triple chair.  Every time we skied across the top of Liberty Bowl and Lenin, runs leading away from the base of the Tram, we looked down at the creamy goodness and were tempted to drop in.  But we traded one 2,500 + vertical drop off the West and South sides for 20 1,400 vertical drops above the bowl. We had to put off that long incredible run until it was our last, hoping that our legs would hold up that long.  It would be like the icing on the cake or the cherry on top of the sunday.

So we continued our quest, first hoping to make it to 15 runs.  But we were skiing so many laps, it was hard to keep track of what number we were on.  Enter Big Sky Replay.  Lucky for me, I had just downloaded the new ski tracking app on my phone, and had turned it on that morning.  We were able to check the app to see what run we were on and how much vertical we were getting.  Our goal of 15 turned to 20, then 25 as we kept lapping the Gullies; third shoulder, first all the way through, back to third, over to Crons.  As a day like this unfolds, a skier starts by trying to be first out of the tram cabin.  By the end, we wanted to be first into the tram cabin for one of the few precious tram seats in an attempt to save our legs.

After we reached our goal of 25 laps, we had to do one more just to make sure.  The cherry on top - that last, long, 26th run – was the most delicious end to a Sunday I’ve ever had.



-  Dave Stergar, Big Sky skier and TWISI guest writer

Check out where Dave Skied on Big Sky's interactive trail maps, and download Big Sky Replay on your iPhone or Android to track your own ski day.

Big Sky Replay tracked Dave's path on a satellite map, showing his descent down the Big Couloir and multiple runs in the Gullies.




A Big Sky Replay screen shot of Dave's ski stats for the day shows calories burned, distance, and vertical drop.

 
Lyndsey spent her powder day digging snowpits and learning avalanche safety.

UNLIKE ALMOST EVERY other Big Sky skier last weekend, I did not spend my Saturday and Sunday skiing the 25+ inches of fresh snow at Big Sky Resort.  Instead, I got my face shots digging snow pits and practicing shoveling techniques in an American Avalanche Association Avy I course instructed by Tom Thorn of Big Sky Snow Safety.  

But when the trade-off for your ski day is a deeper knowledge of the deep powder, you realize first tram is overrated, and the truly snow savvy don’t need to rely on an early alarm for fresh tracks. 

Let me explain.

Yes, there’s the geeky snow science aspect of an avy course. It was fascinating learn about snow and how that frozen state of H20 falls and congregates to form an ever-changing layer cake we call our mountain snowpack, and how these layers represent stability or lack there of.  

But it’s this kind of nerdy snow stuff that translates directly to the slopes, and there are fundamentals any passionate powder junky should be thinking about. 

But just finding deep snow isn’t enough – a good ski day can turn bad quickly, and you need to be prepared should something go awry. Besides knowing about snowpack, I need to know the condition of my avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel, and how quickly I can effectively use them.  Vigilance and practice are key here, and I know that I will be checking the batteries in my beacon and taking the extra time once a week to stop in to Beacon Basin to race the clock with my transceiver and probe. 

Friends are key too, because despite popular belief you really do need friends on a powder day.  But choose wisely who you go with.  The friends who I am thinking of traveling into the slackcountry or backcountry with- are they avy savvy like I am? What’s the plan, where are we going, and what are the safe routes out if it’s not picture perfect?  

Here in Southwest Montana we are fortunate to have many great resources at our fingertips to help us stay safe in the backcountry.  Ultimately it’s up to us to not let the stoke override our sensibility the next time someone in the Tram Line asks “Hey, you want go out the gate?” Think risk, then reward.   If you’re avy savvy, the reward could truly be huge.  

-  Lyndsey Owens

Lyndsey Owens lives in Big Sky, MT where she rips the front- and backcountry alike. Besides being Avy Savvy, Lyndsey is also the reigning Big Sky Groomer Skier of the Year.

Backcountry Avalanche Awareness from Big Sky Search and Rescue on Vimeo.  

 
Avy I students dig snow pits and practice using their tranceivers


Lyndsey uses a Tracker2 avalanche beacon

PEOPLE SAY TRAVELING is about the journey, not the destination.  But when the journey is on a modern airplane and the destination is your Montana vacation, most would rather, well, skip the journey part.

It’s why I’m so excited the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport is adding direct flights to Portland, Oakland, and (!) New York.  That makes 13 major cities and hubs with direct access to Bozeman.  Faster, easier travel time, longer, quality Big Sky time. 

If you’ve ever been to Big Sky, you know location is Big Sky’s best aspect and worst misconception.  While Montana and Yellowstone National Park may conjure images of roaming bison, stunning peaks, and Brad Pitt fly fishing the Gallatin river (A River Runs Through It was filmed next to Big Sky), it also may conjure images of never-ending rides on dirt roads, possibly in a covered wagon, and days of travel time.  People are never quite sure just where Montana is, but they’re sure as heck it will be hard to get to.

Well, only half of those images ring true - the wild-west scenery we’ve got, but the remote-looking landscape is surprisingly accessible .  And yes, while Montana has traditional ranchers and a wild-west feel, we also have cars, running water, the whole modern works.

Still, I get it.  Because in the age of GPS, every time I look at a map of the United States, I’m slightly surprised.  And I’m always surprised that I’m so surprised – didn’t I spend all of 4th grade learning the names, locations, and capitols of each of these states?  Apparently, it didn’t stick, because my own notions of where each state is never seem to match up with the picture, no matter how many times I look.  I still somehow revert back to my pre-4th grade concepts, when everything past the Mississippi constituted as “Out West,” a vast and mysterious world of big mountains and animals - very, very far away.

Luckily, that’s not the case.  Big Sky, while in a huge and largely unpopulated state, is 45 minutes from Bozeman, MT, where direct flights currently fly in from 10 major cities and hubs.  Most recently, Alaska Airlines and Allegiant Air added Portland and Oakland, respectively, to the list, and a New York direct is on the horizon too, possibly starting this summer. 

Besides my New Yorker parents, who love another excuse to visits to their far-flung daughter who happens to live in a ski town (convenient, eh?), skiers on both coasts are rejoicing – especially when ski conditions have been dismal at most resorts but Big Sky so far this winter. 

But you want to know the best part?  Oakland flights start at $79.98 round trip.  Under 80 bucks!?!  Pack your bags, Lake Tahoe, and come find out where Montana really is.  Jet setting and snow chasing just got a lot easier.

-  Greer

Flights between Bozeman and Oakland International Airport (OAK) on Allegiant will begin April 27, 2012.

Flights between Bozeman and Portland on Alaska Airlines will begin June 4th or 5th and operate daily through Aug. 25th, 2012. 

Dates and carrier for flights between Bozeman and New York are expected to be announced soon, and will be made possible by a government transportation grant supplemented by community-raised money.

So will this years show see more neon and fair isle, or take a whole new, futuristic direction?  We'll find out soon.  For now, keep raiding your mom's closet for old ski sweaters and caps - her snowflake-print long underwear and bright pink socks are so out of style, they're back in vogue.

-  Greer

 
Products like this sleek Italian-made O-Range backpacks will debut at this years SIA

MUSIC.  SNOW.  ICE LUGES.  Glowsticks.  Flashyblinkylights. 

SnoBar, held the next two Saturdays at Big Sky, is the ultimate winter party.  Some might even say it’s the coolest bar they’ve ever been to – literally:  Big Sky’s SnoBar is held in an outdoor venue made completely of snow and ice.  Dancing, puffy coats, and jager luges keep partiers warm – a must when the bar you’re bellying up to is well below freezing. 

Other bars have tried to simulate the effect. Most famously, IceBar in London is an indoor bar kept at -5 degrees year round, and guests are given thermal capes for their 40-minute time allotment in the all-ice venue. 

But in Big Sky, we don’t fake this stuff.  Our ice the real deal, sent to us by Old Man Winter and crafted into a dance club by the Big Sky Terrain Park Crew each January.  We don’t hand out stylish capes, but we do hand out glowsticks, and we’ve braved party temperatures colder than a balmy -5 degrees.  Come on, Londoners – Big Sky knows what a real winter party looks like.

-  Greer

SnoBar will be held Saturday Jan. 14th from 6pm-8pm in the base area of the Mountain Village.  21+, $5 cover.

The Jamie Pierre SnoBar, in honor of the late Big Sky pro skier, will be held Saturday, Jan 21st  from 6pm–8pm and benefit the Pierre family.  21+, $5 cover.

WITH LESS-THAN-EPIC ski conditions in Colorado, and Colorado’s Epic Pass being honored at Big Sky for the month of January, skiers and riders are making their way to Montana.  And even though there are 35 direct flights between Denver and Bozeman each week, chasing snow calls for the time honored ski bum tradition of hitting the open road.  It calls for an Epic Road Trip.

I’ve taken my fair share four-wheeled adventures, and between cross-country jaunts and half-baked long-weekend college getaways, I’ve driven the stretch between Denver and Big Sky more than once.  Most would stick to I-25 and I-90, making for the fastest route at 11-and-a- half hours (a leisurely cruise for any seasoned snow-chaser or road tripper).  But a truly epic road trip calls for scenery, adventure, and quirky rest stops in podunk towns, and we’re calling for an alternate route via Western Wyoming.  The extra hour is worth its weight in scenic and small-town gold.

7am: Denver, CO  

Lock your skis in the rack, hit I-25, and don’t stop until Colorado is behind you.  At Cheyenne, take I-80, and head towards Breakfast in Laramie.

9:30am:  Laramie, WY

While Big Sky local, food connoisseur, and West Virginia expat Chad Jones recommends the “great food and pies” at Perkins, skip the sit-down chain and pull in for a quick coffee and made-from-scratch baked goods at Coal Creek Coffee in downtown Laramie’s historic district.

2pm:  Boulder, WY

Gas station snacks and stunning mountain views can tide you over until a late lunch near Boulder, WY, population 75.  Keep your eyes peeled for Wyoming’s own Brigadoon: a tiny diner oasis filled with Carhart-clad ranchers that only reveals itself to hungry road trippers on their way to Montana.  Without proof of existence from any phonebook or webpage, you'll just have to take my word that this no-name place exists; I stumbled across the roadside gem on a trip through Wyoming in 2010.  You'll know you've made it when you spot the stand-alone log cabin eatery - it's the only building around.  Sit at the swiveling stools at the low countertop and order a burger - in meat country like this, sampling the beef is a must. 

5pm: Jackson, WY

Two hours later, you’re in Jackson.  Stretch your legs with a lap around the town center with its iconic antler archways, but don’t get sidetracked when you spot fellow skiers – the free skiing, a fraction of the crowds, and three times the terrain await you in Big Sky.

7pm: Island Park, ID

In the summer months we’d lead you through Yellowstone National Park, but roads close to vehicles there come winter, and instead you’ll head northwest to Island Park for dinner.  A little fancier than your average ski bum haunt, Last Chance Bar and Grill at the TroutHunter is true fine western dining.  Relax in the high-ceilinged dining room and enjoy gourmet game before hitting the road for the final stretch.

10pm:  BIG SKY, MT! 

Pull into the Huntley Lodge for check-in and hit the heated pool with a Lone Peak IPA from Chet’s Bar and Grill to unwind.  Then head to Whiskey Jack’s to dance the night away to live music.  Skiing the best conditions in the Rockies and over 3,300 acres of terrain is on the agenda for tomorrow, but you don’t have to worry about waking up early to catch first chair. This is Montana, where “lift line” isn’t in the vocabulary, and good snow sticks around long after the lifts open.  After a whirlwind Epic Road Trip, you’ll have all the time you need for truly epic skiing.

- Greer

 
Stopping at a Wyoming rest stop on an Epic Road Trip from denver to Big Sky of my own; Views along the route rival any western vista

 
 

Stop near Boulder, WY, population 75, for lunch at the no-name Brigadoon of Wyoming - just look for the cozy-looking joint that stands alone on the side of the road.
 
Arrive in Big Sky by moonlight, and get ready for epic skiing after your epic road trip

While the rest of the west suffers bleak ski conditions, Big Sky Resort has gotten plenty of pow.  Now, we're sharing the love by inviting Epic Pass holders to ski free at Big Sky through January.
  

COLORADO SKI CONDITIONS have been less-than-epic this season.  In Montana, that’s not the case - with several large snowstorms and 3,381 acres open so far this season, Big Sky Resort has the best ski conditions and most open acres in the Rocky Mountains.  With such good Montana conditions contrasting with Colorado’s distinct lack of snow, Big Sky Resort is spreading the love by inviting Epic Pass holders to ski for free throughout the month of January.

“Big Sky has about twice the open acreage that Vail and Breckenridge do right now, plus we’ve had some great powder,” said Chad Jones, Big Sky Resort Public Relations Manager. “And with other Epic Pass resorts like Heavenly at under 200 acres, we decided to share the wealth.  We’re a skier’s and rider’s mountain, and no one should miss out on good snow just because they live in Colorado or California.”

The home of the Biggest Skiing in America, Big Sky Resort is currently open with 3,381 skiable acres, 4,350 vertical feet, and 100% of lifts running.  From rolling groomers to chutes off of the Lone Peak Tram and Big Sky’s 5 new gladed runs, 131 out of Big Sky’s 155 named runs are currently open.  

Epic Pass holders are now able to take advantage of these great conditions and join in the fun throughout January: Big Sky Resort will honor Epic Passes by allowing holders to ski free for the duration of their stay when they book lodging with Big Sky Central Reservations and ask for the Epic Package.  Big Sky Resort will extend the Bring a Buddy Coupon to holders as well, allowing friends in their reservation without Epic Passes to ski for $74/day.

So stop praying for snow, and just come find it.  See you soon, Coloradans!

 -  Greer

Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport offers 35 direct flights to and from Denver and 14 to and from San Francisco each week, as well as direct flights to and from eight other cities and hubs.  Visit bigskyresort.com/epic or call Big Sky Central Reservations at 1-800-548-4486 for more information.


Don't believe just how great the skiing at Big Sky is?  Take a look for yourself in the latest video from BSPN:

 
Vail's back bowls have been left dry so far this season; Big Sky's slopes have had great early season coverage

 
A December 2011 powder day at Big Sky; The first big snow at Big Sky this season - October 2011.

Big Sky