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

SNOWSPORTS INDUSTRIES AMERICA (SIA) is the crème de la crème of ski industry tradeshows; you name it, SIA has it. Every pro, magazine, film company, ski manufacturer, and outerwear company you can possibly think of and then some are present making it the go to place to check out the latest and greatest coming to ski shops near next fall. It’s held at the end of January/early February every winter and this year will be held in Denver Jan. 31st – Feb. 3rd.

Word on the street is that there are already a few game changers coming down the pipeline like Rossignol’s Soul 7 which will be the newest addition to Rossi’s top selling 7 series lineup. It’ll feature a honeycomb insert in the tip and tail similar to what is already seen in Salomon’s Rocker 2 series. The insert will be a welcome addition to the series, lightening up the tip and tail to provide lower swing weight and will likely dampen some of the tip chatter. Other notable additions will be Atomic’s new ARC technology on its Nomad series. The proprietary integrated ski/binding technology will allow the ski to fully flex through the entire turn and will do away with the dead spot underfoot where the binding doesn’t allow the ski to fully flex. This will provide excellent edge grip throughout the entire turn and will rusult in improved feel.

Upon my return, I’ll provide a detailed update with photos of product and insight on what’s hot. Until then, keep the drooling to minimum.

-Kipp Proctor

DEEP BLUE SKIES, breathtaking sunsets, incredible skiing and uncrowded runs were the standard this past weekend at Big Sky Resort. No matter where your skis took you, it always seemed like they were finding great snow underneath the sunny skies above.

It didn’t seem to matter who you spoke to; friends, co-workers, guests, patrollers and locals all seemed to all agree that the skiing was great! Reports from Liberty Bowl, Challenger, Southern Comfort, the bowl…you name it, were off the charts and I couldn’t agree more.

Running from shadows and chasing after fast-carvable-sunny-cruisers kept me occupied. Two spots that my friend Dylan and I found to be skiing particularly well were El Dorado and Upper Morning Star where you were able to lay-out high speed turns with plenty of grip underfoot. Then as if the skiing wasn’t good enough, we were graced with stunning sunsets each evening that set the sky on fire with reds, oranges, purples and blues.

Awestruck and thoroughly worked, it was another weekend to add to my continuously growing Big Sky highlight reel.

-Kipp Proctor

Ski Photo Credit: Anna Middleton
Skier: Dan Bartzick skiing Liberty Bowl

 

MANY YEARS AGO Broomball made its way to Big Sky, MT. In this strange off-shoot sport combining hockey, soccer, and maybe field hockey, players run around on the ice in their sneakers holding lacrosse sticks with little plastic triangles on the end that are supposed to resemble brooms. With the above in mind, you can imagine the beer drinking spectacle that is prompted.

Broomball was formerly played just below the Summit Hotel on a small snowy ice rink. Back then players were tough and most were no-helmet-wearing-bruisers that would slash and push each other into the snowy banks. The spectacle was awesome and the banks were consistently lined with rowdy fans. With the new ice rink located in the meadow, broomball seems more professional (until you see the players and realize not much has changed).

While it might not be quite as rough and tumble, you get some hilarious broomball action. Players have gotten better and smarter over the years. They all wear helmets now (a sudden change prompted by five head injuries in one evening) and in addition to head protection, many players have also adopted shin and knee guards. But even with the added protection, it’s still a rough game, and should you participate you will get bruised even if you are not playing the Brewzer’s. It is incredibly entertaining to watch a new player on the ice go for a big slap shot only to miss the ball and splat like a pancake…instant bruise. Now that the games are on a real ice rink, the races to the boards are also an instant crowd pleaser.

There are six teams this season but there is still room for more. The returning champs are a combo team composed of the resort rental shop employees and mountain services now called the Facemelters. They've started the season undefeated again and will be the team to watch out for. Other hot returning teams are Tramdangle and Bangarang who might place 2nd and 3rd respectively if they are lucky. If you are interested in getting a team together please contact Jasyon Meyers (jdmbigsky@hotmail.com).  Jason has been instrumental in holding the league together and running the show for years. Hope to see everyone Tuesday nights at the meadow ice rink.

The Teams: The Facemelters, Brewzers, Bangarang, Top Shack Whackers, Tramdangle, and Rufio

-James  Sullivan, Co-captain of the Facemelters

FRESH CORDUROY AND private powder were abundant on Sunday and while my friends and I got off to a late start, our experience wasn’t diminished. Wherever we headed we seemed to be rewared to something better at every turn.

We started our late morning (11:15) off by dropping into SoCo skiing fresh corduroy all the way down El Dorado. We continued to explore the lower mountain finding similarly fresh cord on Sacagawea, Big Horn, and Ambush before heading for the upper mountain.

The Tram was walk on so after waiting just 30 seconds for it to arrive back at the lower tram dock, my 3 friends and I loaded onto to our own private cabin. Once we reached the top, we got to see what life above the clouds was like. One of the only mountains poking through was Cedar and after snapping a few photos, we pushed off towards Liberty Bowl.

While the snow in Liberty left something more to be desired, the Dakota territory more than made up for it. The four of us and possibly just 5 other lucky skiers/boarders were treated to our own private powder stash. During our 5 laps on the Dakota lift, the only tracks we crossed were our own while we traversed to different untouched areas. We fell in love with the 5-6 inches of fresh creamy powder and found it difficult to leave when the lift finally had to close.

We finished our day with a great cruiser down Lower Morning Star but couldn’t shake the amazing turns we had just experienced in Dakota.

-Kipp Proctor

AT THE HELM calling the shots on when to open terrain over the past 30 years is Bob Dixon.  Who better to talk to about snow and what makes Big Sky the Biggest Skiing in America?  We took a minute to sit down with him; here is what he had to say about snow and what he likes best.

What do you think about this year, is the snow going to be good?
NOAA is calling for EL Nino, which is not good for the Northwest. Big Sky Resort sits on the cusp of the Northern and Southern weather patterns. An active Atlantic hurricane season has shown a more active La Nina, where an active Pacific hurricane season a more active El Nino. Mother Nature is cyclical. A dry summer means that precipitation needs to come sometime and winter will bring some snow. I don’t really want an early season, however here the winds keep the skiing good.

Are there any patterns you have seen for winter conditions on Lone Mountain?
The end of November to December is the worst for avalanches. There are deep slabs and lots of instabilities in the snowpack. Then the Christmas crowds come and help the snowpack with skiing it in (compaction). Around January 6th the buses are leaving and a storm rolls in for the locals. January is good and March picks up more and April is great for snowfall. The coldest of the cold snaps come in November and early December. The coldest day ever was in 1988 and it was 62 below.

What is your favorite run on the mountain?
It’s all about the right day. Consistently 1st Gulley, especially when the upper pockets are open. It has a consistent fall line and I enjoy the hoots and hollers from the chair when I do it right.

What is it about Big Sky Resort that you love the most?
Lone Mountain. No such thing as a bad snow year. That mountain gives you good skiing somewhere. The ski culture has changed, the mountain hasn’t.

What does the Biggest Skiing in America mean to you?
The ski experience. That mountain offers so much different terrain. Southern Comfort for world class beginner terrain, to the Tram with great vertical descents, to the Couloir for the ultimate adrenaline rush. There is no waiting in line. The ski experience is more available, with so many acres per skier, this is what it is all about. We have the best ski experience, anywhere.

What has been the best snow year ever at Big Sky?
Consistent snow years add up great snow totals. But it’s the epic days that I remember that outshine all those numbers. In 1986 we received 200” in two weeks. In 1994 we had a storm cycle that delivered 150” in a week and a half. I couldn’t make a turn down little tree. That was an epic storm cycle.

-Lyndsey Owens

WITH A FAMILY of mountain goats peeking in from above Castle Rock, the 2nd Annual Smash Life Banked Slalom was held this past Saturday (Jan. 5th). Coming into its 2nd year, the event was held in memory of Aaron Robinson a native Montanan snowboarder who always dreamed of providing an opportunity for under privileged kids to experience the joys of snowboarding. In tribute to his dream, all proceeds from the event benefit the A-Rob Plant a Seed Foundation which was created after Aaron’s untimely passing.

Lead by local organizer Shane Stalling, the banked slalom course was assembled the few days prior to the event with the assistance of the Big Sky Terrain Park Crew and volunteers. It featured banked turns that were larger than the year before with an added straight line to the finish. The day of the race featured eighty-five registered contestants ranging from a junior’s class for the groms to a masters class for the 40 and over crowd. The course was fast and everyone rode hard which made for an exciting event to watch.

After the race, everyone reconvened for an après awards ceremony, raffle and movie screening of A-Rob’s movie brain child, Of Life and Love. Then later that evening, The Riot Act rocked the house at the Scissorbills after party in front of a rowdy crowd of race participants that even the goats on ridge would attest to.

For more images, info and coverage of the event follow these links below:
http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/second-annual-smash-life-banked-slalom-goes-down-at-big-sky-montana/#b8e0bc0aa6
http://snowboardmag.com/stories/smash-life-banked-slalom-goes-down-at-big-sky-mt
http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1000193077/featuresobf/go-boardin-road-update/?pid=48956#ngtop
http://www.yobeat.com/2013/01/05/the-2012-a-rob-smash-life-banked-slalom/
http://vimeo.com/56840350

-Kipp Proctor

AFTER A FULL day of work, Big Sky’s New Year’s Eve festivities were here before I knew it. I excitedly headed home where I reconvened with my girlfriend to prepare for our evening's endeavors.

Once cleaned up, we set our sights on the mountain to meet our friends at M.R. Hummer’s for dinner. We joyously shared memorable stories of the year that was over a delicious dinner with great company. One story that highlighted the evening was our friends’ recent engagement and how my buddy’s planned proposal seemed to be foiled at every turn until the perfect opportunity arose for the taking.

We were joined by a few more of our friends and continued to celebrate at Hummer’s until the countdown to midnight was upon us. Just before the start of 2013, we ventured out to the base area to take in Big Sky’s incredible fireworks display with the first round going off right on time.

Friends in tow, we made our way to Whiskey Jack’s to finish off the evening with Way Alt West Fest. The Ben Rice Band delivered a great performance mixing original tracks in with Oasis and Tom Petty covers. We parted ways at the end of the night sending our friends home with a sober ride and memories of an amazing New Year’s Eve.

-Kipp Proctor

 

OUR DAY STARTED early Christmas morning with our neighbor’s children excitedly awaking in wonder of what Santa had brought them. There is no better alarm than a preschooler and 2nd grader exclaiming “Santa” at the top of their lungs as they run down the stairs. After their gracious reminder that Santa had come, we awoke to find that he had brought more than just gifts, but also a fresh blanket of snow making for the start of an amazing white Christmas.

Like our friend’s children, my girlfriend and I couldn’t hold back our eagerness to share the gifts we had carefully hunted down and chosen for each other. While sipping coffee, we excitedly exchanged gifts and tore into our presents as shreds of wrapping paper fell around us.

After our first course of coffee and gifts, the morning only got better with a delicious homemade breakfast. Eggs, chorizo, oatmeal bread (specially flown in from my Grandma Ruth in Missouri), and mimosas rounded out our hearty Christmas/pre-skiing breakfast.

We ended our morning before skiing with a Google+ hangout that included my whole family. After we overcame a few minor technical difficulties, the hangout mostly went off without a hitch. Clown faces, pirate hats, and snorkels were among a few of the effects used to spice up the conversation in addition to sign language from my speech pathologist sister in times when the sound was disabled (1 of the minor technical difficulties).

Clad in my new base layer and R1 fleece, I set our sights on Lone Peak and were on the slopes before we knew it. Heading straight for the Tram, we navigated our way through the top of Liberty and around the Yeti Traverse to Marx. Santa had truly treated us well as we delighted in the fresh blanket of snow that lay before us. After making a lap through Chicken Bowl, we proceeded to make a holiday tour around the mountain before finishing our ski day off with a high speed groomer lap down Hangman’s.

When we finally arrived back at home, we began to prepare our Christmas feast with the uncorking of a nice bottle of wine. While pre-heating the oven we put the finishing touches on our soon to be eaten prime rib roast, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, and delicious dinner rolls. Once the roast was in the oven, we began to dine on our deliciously assembled cheese plate and laughed as we watched and quoted National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (“And why is the carpet all wet Todd?! I don’t know Margo!”).

After the feast and once we were able to move again, we ended our evening with dessert and the all-time classic: A Christmas Story. Now, if I could only get over this nasty cold.

-Kipp Proctor