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

VALENTINE'S DAY WAS filled with love on the slopes – cupid hit us with six fresh inches of powder, and skiers were hitting knee-deep pillows off of the Tram.  The snow has stayed soft though the week, and there’s still untracked powder off of favorite groomers like Lower Morning Star.  NOAA is forecasting snow for the next seven days with comfortable temperatures in the low 30s.  Break out your all-mountain and pow skis, it's going to be an awesome President's week.

-  Greer

Get the skinny on all things snow with the weekly Ski Skinny on The Way I Ski It.  It’s a special conditions report with intel on snow quality, where to head on the hill, and expert advice on what to pull from your quiver to get the most out of your day on the slopes.  Fatty pow skis or your groomer go-tos?  Get the skinny here.

Get daily updates with Big Sky's daily Snow Report

DOUBLE-SEAT CHAIR lifts.  A duo skiing perfect powder-eights.  A stolen kiss in the snow-covered trees.  Champagne for two in a private hot tub.  A diamond ring proposal at 11,166-feet.

There’s no question that skiing is for lovers.  Just ask the hordes of couples who get engaged on Lone Peak every year, or have ski or winter weddings on the slopes. 

Better yet, ask a professional.  Renowned sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer says skiing is the perfect romantic Valentine’s Day sport.

“Skiers wiggle their behinds and they always meet new people. That's why it's a good sport for meeting lovers,” she said in a recent ESPN interview. “On Valentine's Day, take a day off and go skiing.  Say to your significant other how fortunate you are that you both share the same sport,” she said.

But couples with varying ski abilities should stick to this rule of thumb: If you love someone, set them free… for a private lesson with a professional ski instructor. 

“I suggest that if lovers don't ski on the same level, they don't ski together,” says Westheimer, warning that quarreling is the sure result of an ill-matched ski duo.  Instead, enroll in two different lesson groups or hit separate areas of the mountain, then share stories of your day’s adventures over martinis in the hot tub.


-  Greer


A Valentine’s gift better than a pink onesie or heart-themed ski gear?  A ski getaway with some quality slope and hot tub time.

Winter weddings at Big Sky often happen on the slopes. Photo by Laura Parker

 
Winter couple fun!  Photo by Laura Parker.

 
Newlyweds kicked off their honeymoon at the 2011 Pond Skim at Big Sky.

The couple that skis together, stays together.  This wedding cake ski topper is for sale online. 

Skid by Choppers Grub and Pub won first prize for it's outstanting launch and crash at Big Sky's Dummy Jump last Saturday.



IT'S NOT EVERY day you see a giant fish soaring through the cool alpine air against a backdrop of snowy peaks.  But once a year at Big Sky’s Dummy Jump, crazier things than fish fly across the sky as they are launched off a huge ski kicker on the Ambush Headwall.

This year we saw a giant cowboy hat, a winged car, and a large roller skate soar to crash landings.  But the biggest flight and most successful jump was a skeleton on a motorcycle – Skid by Chopper Grub and Pub took the grand prize with its long arc and giant crash.

Results:

GRAND PRIZE: The Ghost Rider Award for Most Successful Jump:  Skid by Choppers Grub and Pub

Top Five:

   Best/Worst Combo Dummies:  Bobcat Motorheads and Red Solo Cup by the Bobcat Motorsports 

   Fashion Award – Best tribute to a Jean-Shorts-wearing Local:  Elvis Rides by Connoco

   Fish Out of Water Award:  Flying Fish by Team Fish

   The Wolf in Lambs clothing Award for most secretly hard-core dummy: Hell on Wheels

   Best Smooth Western Landing:  Todd Ashcraft Version 4.0 by The Big Sky Bell Staff

Honerable Mentions: 

   Drunkest Dummy: Mad Chad by Vehicle Maintenance

   Best Premature Climax: Smiley McBackflip by Crystal Images

   50% Award:  The Donkey half of the Donkey and Shrek dummy by 31 North

   The Old Hag Award:  Sweet Thing by True Men

   The Optimus Prime Award for Best Transforming:  Toby Zach Davies McFly by Dan Meyer

-  Greer

 
Dummies get pulled up Andesite.  Photo by Jen Rook

 
Photo by Jen Rook


 
Twinsies!  Photo by Jen Rook

 
Bobcat Motorheads get ready to launch.  Photo by Jen Rook


Skid won this year's event.  Photo by Jen Rook

  
Mad Chad the dummy got the prize for drunkest dummy.  Photo by Jen Rook


The Carnage.

 

SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS always seem to have three distinct themes:  cars, beer, and soda pop.  They’re the thread that runs from thirty-second spot to thirty-second spot, giving a degree of coherence to what for some can be a  confusing couple of hours in front of the TV (Neutral Zone Infraction what? Hand me another Pig-in-a-Blanket and let me know when the next commercial break is).

This year was no different.  The highly anticipated ads were dominated by car companies, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi, wooing us with pithy one-liners, clever plots, and shots of driving the open road and cracking open cold ones.

But another Super Bowl theme popped up this year too.  From ziplining to bungee trampolines, it was clear that the newest American craze is something we’ve know about for a long time in Big Sky: Basecamp Adventure.

For the past five years, Big Sky guests have gone to our Basecamp to try their hand at ziplines, bungee trampolines, laser tag, paintball, tubing, and high ropes.  They’re what we call Basecamp Adventures, and they’ve blown up at the resort, becoming some of the most popular mountain activities.

Now, they’re sweeping the nation, one Super Bowl commercial at a time.

There was the Accura commercial with Jerry Seinfeld, whose ultimate bribe for getting the first Accura NSX was a zipline through New York. 

- Greer

Check out Big Sky's own trendsetting adventures:

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

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