My family (DH & 3 boys, ages 11, 9, and 6) and I took our very first ski trip "out west" and skied at Big Sky over the kids' February school break. With the Ikon pass we were blacked out over the weekend, so we flew out on Sunday and skied Monday-Friday. We stayed at the Shoshone Condos and were out before first chair every day. Our first 2 days were cloudy, with 3-7" of snow overnight. We went up the Ramcharger for our first run and took Ambush down. The snow was SO NICE I had the biggest smile on my face, which pretty much stayed there for the rest of the trip! We did another run on the Ramcharger before moving onto the Swifty. We took Calamity Jane down and went in for a quick warm-up before joining a mountain tour. Our lovely guide Gary showed us all over the mountain, with a bit more stopping and history than the kids were up for. It was good to familiarize us with the place, but it was almost 2 hours long, and the kids were HANGRY by the end. We went in for lunch and the younger 2 were done for the day. My hardcore 11-year-old was still going strong, so he and I went out to check out the Bowl. We did a few runs off the Powder Seeker with an old college friend I ran into (very coincidental and timely), and then did a couple more off the challenger before my legs were toast. He did a couple more with my friend before the lifts closed.
Day 2 we spent the morning skiing off the Powder Seeker, with the 9 and 11-year-olds skiing all the way to the exit gully and even doing some of the cliff jumps! The rest of us stuck to the tamer lines. After lunch we headed to Moonlight Basin and explored a bit over there. I loved the Horseshoe trail that skates the boundary of the resort. Just a beautiful trail with a different perspective of the mountains! Made it back to the Mountain Village just before 4 and called it a day.
Day 3 we started on the Challenger, which was rather firm in the morning, before going back to the bowl off the Powder Seeker...as East Coast skiiers it was such a unique terrain we couldn't get enough of it. After lunch the 9 & 11-year-old and I headed up the tram for a run on Liberty Bowl. I was a little nervous, but the snow was nice and after the first couple turns I was in love! We met up with DH and the 6-year-old at the Shedhorn and did some crazy natural terrain park (Marmot Ninja?) and a few more groomed runs.
Day 4 DH took the older boys over to the glades in Shedhorn and Dakota while I explored Moonlight Basin more with the 6-year-old. After lunch we all went up the tram to ski Liberty Bowl, but the 6-year-old got really scared at the top (the entrance to the traverse is SCARY!), and went back down with DH (who I think also got a little scared). The rest of us skied Liberty Bowl and a few more things off the Shedhorn and Challenger before calling it day.
Day 5 started at the Bowl on the Powder Seeker, where I was determined to ski off the south wall, to convince myself I could ski one of the double blacks off the Tram. The 11-year-old had been begging me all week to take him down some of them, but I was scared! We did 4-5 laps in the bowl and then a few groomers before lunch. After lunch I took the older boys up the tram and we skied Marx, filling the 11-year-olds desire to ski harder terrain, but only left him wanting more! The kids skied like champs. I was terrified and probably at my limit of skiing ability. The top section was a bit crunchy, but as east coast skiers, that was fine. I struggled more the softer snow a little further down, but I made it to the bottom unscathed. We then headed over to Moonlight for a few runs, and got back to the village in time to catch last chair on the Swifty.
Aside from Day 1, we all skied open-close (minus a quick lunch at the condo) every day. We all went to bed early and slept hard every night, and we had a GREAT time. The only lines were at open (before the lifts were open), and the tram. Days 3-5 were beautiful bluebird skies with view for miles and miles. We fell in love with mountain and will definitely be back sometime. A big thanks to @marzNC , @bsskier, and especially @Skisailor for all the advice and recommendations! It was @Skisailor who talked me through what I needed to do to ski Marx, and I don't think I would have had the courage to do it without her!
Day 2 we spent the morning skiing off the Powder Seeker, with the 9 and 11-year-olds skiing all the way to the exit gully and even doing some of the cliff jumps! The rest of us stuck to the tamer lines. After lunch we headed to Moonlight Basin and explored a bit over there. I loved the Horseshoe trail that skates the boundary of the resort. Just a beautiful trail with a different perspective of the mountains! Made it back to the Mountain Village just before 4 and called it a day.
Day 3 we started on the Challenger, which was rather firm in the morning, before going back to the bowl off the Powder Seeker...as East Coast skiiers it was such a unique terrain we couldn't get enough of it. After lunch the 9 & 11-year-old and I headed up the tram for a run on Liberty Bowl. I was a little nervous, but the snow was nice and after the first couple turns I was in love! We met up with DH and the 6-year-old at the Shedhorn and did some crazy natural terrain park (Marmot Ninja?) and a few more groomed runs.
Day 4 DH took the older boys over to the glades in Shedhorn and Dakota while I explored Moonlight Basin more with the 6-year-old. After lunch we all went up the tram to ski Liberty Bowl, but the 6-year-old got really scared at the top (the entrance to the traverse is SCARY!), and went back down with DH (who I think also got a little scared). The rest of us skied Liberty Bowl and a few more things off the Shedhorn and Challenger before calling it day.
Day 5 started at the Bowl on the Powder Seeker, where I was determined to ski off the south wall, to convince myself I could ski one of the double blacks off the Tram. The 11-year-old had been begging me all week to take him down some of them, but I was scared! We did 4-5 laps in the bowl and then a few groomers before lunch. After lunch I took the older boys up the tram and we skied Marx, filling the 11-year-olds desire to ski harder terrain, but only left him wanting more! The kids skied like champs. I was terrified and probably at my limit of skiing ability. The top section was a bit crunchy, but as east coast skiers, that was fine. I struggled more the softer snow a little further down, but I made it to the bottom unscathed. We then headed over to Moonlight for a few runs, and got back to the village in time to catch last chair on the Swifty.
Aside from Day 1, we all skied open-close (minus a quick lunch at the condo) every day. We all went to bed early and slept hard every night, and we had a GREAT time. The only lines were at open (before the lifts were open), and the tram. Days 3-5 were beautiful bluebird skies with view for miles and miles. We fell in love with mountain and will definitely be back sometime. A big thanks to @marzNC , @bsskier, and especially @Skisailor for all the advice and recommendations! It was @Skisailor who talked me through what I needed to do to ski Marx, and I don't think I would have had the courage to do it without her!
