Big sky

[bsskier]

Second the recommendation for Shedhorn lunch. Plus lots of good skiing to be had in that area before and after lunch, usually without any crowds. Last season our Diva group had one lunch at Everett’s 8800 cabin at top of Andesite. Good, but not great, in my opinion. I heard from others that dinner was better. Reservations required

Shedhorn is one of of the last non Boyne operated safe spaces for those who want value and amazing soup! Everett's finally has opened the outdoor deck bar where you can order drinks and listen to a DJ. It's been a nice change but the inside sit down experience fails.

 

[bsskier]

Even the first week of March? I've always liked that week--no one is on break and there's usually plenty of snow.

The end of February and into March used to be quiet, but every year, especially since joining IKON, the resort has become busier pre spring break. Mondays are the new Fridays and despite a few days with no new snow, this past week was very busy, as was Sat-Mon the week before. This was also the case in Vail as I was between both resorts. The Landings restaurant at One & Only had table reservations about 32 reservations on Sunday. By late lunch they served 140 + tables.

 

[Christy]

@bsskier I meant generally, in response to santacruz skier bringing up Tahoe and the Rockies, rather than at Big Sky (where I've only been once), but point taken--everything has gotten busier and maybe it's not a good time anywhere anymore.

 

[steepsanddeeps]

These detailed replies are so helpful! I foegot to check back in after I posted so thanks to everyone who replied. Any opinions on if a guide to orient us the duration day is worth it? We are going this Friday for a week so may have to bear spring break crowds. We will have two family members who may be more challenged on double blacks with us the first 3 days. Personaly, I like steep bowls but not trees or chutes. If a guide is a good investment if anyone has personal recommendations Id love names . Lastly, planing to bring only my santa ana 98 underfoot rather than my 102 or my stockli 76. Thoughts? Thanks Divas!

 

[MsWax]

We did a "free mountain tour" our time out there, and didn't love it. They were not allowed to take us on anything besides greens and groomed blues. The signage on the mountain is actually pretty good, so that combined with the app means you can probably figure it out on your own. Paid guides are $$$, so unless you want to check out some crazy terrain, I wouldn't go that route.

I skied on my Black Pearl 82s out there for 2 trips out there, so I would expect you to be fine on the 98s. Things can get firm after a thaw/freeze cycle, but as long as you are good with those conditions on the santa anas, you should be fine.

 

[marzNC]

Whether or not a free mountain tour for Big Sky is helpful depends on the guest(s) and the host. Note that no tip is expected or accepted. Can always bail after letting the host know if a tour is not working out.

The tour I did years ago during my first trip to Big Sky was Blue-Blue with other seniors from the northeast who were all fast skiers on groomers. The host was an older woman who was very knowledgeable. Once she confirmed that all of the group could ski at speed on blue groomers, we covered a lot of ground. We could ask questions about off-piste terrain at every stop she made.

Learned about the Moonlight bump run from that tour. Also that going father out on the Lone Peak bowl to the steeper terrain is a good way to find out if Liberty off the top of the tram could be fun or scary. She also suggested taking poles up for a scenic ride. With the small unloading area of the old tram, that was very helpful advice.

On a later trip I almost joined a tour by a host I had chatted with at the base earlier that day. He was a retiree from New York City who had been an instructor at Vail for a while. Needless to say he was a very good skier. I happened to see him with a tour group at the trail map at the top of Ramcharger. I was skiing solo so decided to join. He led the group down one of the blue groomers . . . which has several inches of fresh snow after grooming had finish the night before. I had a good time. But some of the other guests were struggling a bit. Of course, he stopped to wait for them at the bottom of the groomer. At that point while waiting with him I spotted a friend so didn't stay with the tour.

 

[steepsanddeeps]

The One & Only, Lone Mountain Ranch and Montage are hitting on all cylinders this season. Your unit will have a full kitchen at Shoshone. Small market in the building next door called Hungry Moose sells enough to keep kitchen stocked. Favorite blacks are the whiskeys on Moonlight Basin side. You will also find powder stashes there, especially off Lookout Ridge. There’s no gondola, there’s a tram. You’ll see the charge throughout the day on the screens or in the app. Mid March is a great time to ski Big Sky, although it’s spring break. It’s been incredibly busy this season. I’ve been up numerous times, I’m here now, and surprised at the number of people. Still, once you leave the base you can get away from crowds. Message me if you have questions.

Suoer helpful! Thank you!

 

[marzNC]

Hi i can't find the other big sky thread from my phone so I hope it's ok if I pop in to say we had great fun today on blues with powder this morning on ramcharger. I'm loving the resort and the bubble chairs are everything on a storm day. Can anyone share wharves like to ski down from the tram? While i have the ability to ski anything and inlike steep runI don't like chutes and jumps turns so single black works for me but I ski thru a gear of heights and want to know if the top is scary from that POV. I had to download from the tram at vernier because I was afraid. Any details appreciated

Have you gone over to the Shedhorn and Dakota side? Was there enough visibility to look up to see Liberty? That's the easiest way down, rated black. It's wide open and very long.

The advice I heard from a mountain host during my first trip was to go all the way out the traverse in the Lone Peak bowl and ski down. If that was okay, then the pitch of Liberty would be okay.

 

[steepsanddeeps]

Have you gone over to the Shedhorn and Dakota side? Was there enough visibility to look up to see Liberty? That's the easiest way down, rated black. It's wide open and very long.

The advice I heard from a mountain host during my first trip was to go all the way out the traverse in the Lone Peak bowl and ski down. If that was okay, then the pitch of Liberty would be okay.

Thanks.inloved dakota friday but mayve we disnt traverse enough. I'm totally fine with steep pitch I'm afraid of being at the top of mountains where it feels like you can fall off.

 

[MsWax]

Have you gone over to the Shedhorn and Dakota side? Was there enough visibility to look up to see Liberty? That's the easiest way down, rated black. It's wide open and very long.

The advice I heard from a mountain host during my first trip was to go all the way out the traverse in the Lone Peak bowl and ski down. If that was okay, then the pitch of Liberty would be okay.

I think marzNC means traverse to the end of the powder seeker bowl, which Iis good advice, but the pitch is definitely steeper than Liberty Bowl and probably more equivalent to Marx or Lenin.

The top of the mountain is intimidating, and both my husband and youngest son decided to download rather than ski. The trail and/or traverse to get to the summit trails is almost scarier than the trails themselves, but I found that once I got moving it was ok.

 

[marzNC]

I think marzNC means traverse to the end of the powder seeker bowl, which Iis good advice, but the pitch is definitely steeper than Liberty Bowl and probably more equivalent to Marx or Lenin.

The top of the mountain is intimidating, and both my husband and youngest son decided to download rather than ski. The trail and/or traverse to get to the summit trails is almost scarier than the trails themselves, but I found that once I got moving it was ok.

Correct, it's the Powder Seeker bowl that that mountain host suggested as a test simply for comfort level on a steep pitch. At the time of my first trip to Big Sky, I wasn't skiing off-piste that much I general. The advantage of the bowl is that I could always traverse back if I started on a pitch that I decided was too steep.

With low visibility, getting to the top of Liberty is hard much harder than skiing down the open slope. Even with the snow fences as guides for the route with multiple switchback turns.

With the new tram, the unloading zone is MUCH friendlier than with the old tram. It's a large platform with wide steps down. The max for people going up with skis or boards is 30. The capacity is 75. Riding back down is straightforward if someone decides not to ski down.

There are few people who do a scenic ride during the winter so there is never a line to do that. Scenic ride passengers go in a different line. When I did that ($10 in March 2024), I heard the liftie counting . . . 27, 28, 29 . . . "Are you single? No, then you'll have to wait." 30 . . . and then he let me board. I took my poles with me. Didn't need them that much but I like having poles to hike around on snow. I spent about 30 minutes up top before riding down. Had the tram to myself. Great for taking in the view in the short 4 minute ride. Had a nice chat with the tram operator.

Big Sky tram loading zone view from the side, March 2024 (note man on the platform)

 

[marzNC]

Thanks.inloved dakota friday but mayve we disnt traverse enough. I'm totally fine with steep pitch I'm afraid of being at the top of mountains where it feels like you can fall off.

The idea for Dakota and Shedhorn is to look up at Lone Peak when riding the lifts. The cat track that is the upper return to the main base is the bottom of the tram terrain on that side. Need to be able to see people skiing down in order to get a sense of scale for how long the runs are. Very hard to get a sense of the pitch from below, per usual for steep runs.

 

[steepsanddeeps]

I think marzNC means traverse to the end of the powder seeker bowl, which Iis good advice, but the pitch is definitely steeper than Liberty Bowl and probably more equivalent to Marx or Lenin.

The top of the mountain is intimidating, and both my husband and youngest son decided to download rather than ski. The trail and/or traverse to get to the summit trails is almost scarier than the trails themselves, but I found that once I got moving it was ok.

Thank u!