3/15/2013 9:52:00 AM
EVERYONE LOOKS FORWARD to the joys of spring skiing. When tackling the Biggest Skiing in America there are multiple faces and aspects to deal with. Think about finding the good snow early and chasing the sun is key to having a great experience. While the weekend forecast is calling for more snow and cooler temps, the last few days of spring like weather encourage a quick overview of how to follow the sun around our giant Peak.
First thing in the morning (9-10:30am) seek out fresh groomers, head for either Southern Comfort or Mr. K and Upper and Lower Morning Star. These fresh groomed runs will offer a great opportunity to get your legs under you before heading elsewhere. The sun will be shining almost directly on the runs and the snow will still be fast, enjoy.
Mid-morning (10:30am-noon) start heading for more groomed runs down either Elk Park Ridge (off Ramcharger/Thunderwolf) or venturing into the Bowl/other off-piste areas around the Triple Chair. By this time, the sun have softened the snow up enough to be playful and carvable and is the ideal spot to get your legs going just a bit more before venturing up the Tram.
Early afternoon (noon-2:30pm) is a great time of day to head for the The Lone Peak Tram or tackle some of the gladed/back bowls in the Shedhorn and Dakota areas. When the weather permits, the southern facing aspects off the tram will “corn up” and provide an unmatched soft snow experience with over 1,500 vertical feet of above tree line skiing.
Late afternoon (2:30-4 or on a Saturday, 5pm) head back to the lower mountain to finish the day off playing around once again on Andesite and Swift Current. Be sure to head for Andesite on Saturdays when you can ski Ramcharger until 5pm and celebrate the extra hour of daylight.
While spring kindly poked its head in to say hello, winter weather is once again in the forecast so pack some layers because she’s coming back for an encore. See you on the hill!
-Kipp Proctor
Tags: skiing, montana, big sky resort, yellowstone, yellowstone national park, big sky, lone peak, snow, biggest skiing in america, southern comfort, spring skiing, andesite, the bowl, shedhorn, tram, dakota, sunshine, sun,
Montana | Skiing | The Way I Ski It | General
1/21/2013 6:00:00 PM
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
Tags: skiing, montana, big sky resort, yellowstone, yellowstone national park, big sky, technical terrain, tram, lone peak, southern comfort, liberty bowl, challenger, groomers,
Events | Montana | Skiing | The Way I Ski It | Yellowstone | General
