Big Sky 3-7-15

Another Big day at the Big resort. Started with a trip up the Big Tram to Lone Peak. Went early to avoid the any crowd. So we navigate the Rock Garden above Liberty Bowl most successfully for an adrenaline run of firm chalk, icy patches, and flat light. Big rush. Watched some people ski and board The Big Couloir off the peak. Lots of jump turns in very marginal snow where a slip/fall would turn you into a pinball down the rocks. The one boarder showed everyone that a snowboard was not the tool for the Couloir.

The only thing not Big here is the "crowd". Friday and saturday about equally busy which means on the the 2 main chairs out of the base, you might have to wait for one chair. The rest of the mountain filled less than 20% of the chairs. Except the Tram which had a 20 minute line mid-morning and on.

Without the little refreshers we had earlier in the week, the snow off the groomed is grinding down - a lot more wood and rock showing. But we also found a few more treed glades and treed bump runs to work over. Or did they work us over? I think we won. A Big finish to a Big week at the area with the most Big in the US.

Our last day at the Biggest resort. And, it wasn't our private resort today with more people showing up for the week-end. However, not a lift line all day and as CMSkier stated, many lifts not even half full.

Warmest day of the week, but high overcast most of the day kept the slopes firm. Spent the morning and some of the afternoon skiing the steeper terrain off Lone Peak Tram, Lone Peak Triple, and Challenger lift which still had some of the nicest snow on the mountain(s). The second part of the afternoon was back on the hamster wheel on our favorite bump runs. Added Wounded Knee to our repertoire of bump runs today.

We had a hard time quitting today as the sun came out later afternoon and things were skiing great. Thinking of returning to the low snow at our home mountain helped us make several more runs past our normal quitting time for the week.

An excellent ski vacation at the biggest resort.

On a side note, we heard from some locals that they planned to replace two chairs this summer at Big Sky. But, because the other Boyne Resorts on the west coast (Crystal, Snoqualmie, and Cypress) have had such a bad year, they can't afford to do it now. There was even mention of season pass holders at those resorts getting discounts on next year's passes due to the limited operations all year.

Gotta say I havent seen so many big words in reports (other than my to "big" reports)...BIG Sky is big...but other areas might say bigger in lots of other ways...Great reports, sounds like great bump skiing - my kinda world..get ready to get back to reality..yard work in the great "little" Pacific Northwest...