2/23/2013 6:23:00 PM
BEATING EARLY UPS is a hard thing to do; especially on a powder day. Saturday, luck was in my favor when I was invited along by extreme skiing legend Dan Egan and his Steep Camp for the special opportunity to get first tracks through the Big Couloir with a few eager and fearless first timers.
Put on by the resort’s First Tracks program, we skied the lower mountain off Andesite until 8:45 before heading for the Tram. The fresh snow from overnight was super fluffy and provided a great opportunity to warm up and get our legs under us.
Once warmed up we set sail on Swifty and headed to the Peak. After checking in with Ski Patrol Director Jimbo Humphries and a quick safety talk with Ryan Ayers, we clipped into our skis and ventured around the back of the peak to the entrance of the Big. From the top, we sent groups of 2 down the resort’s most illustrious run. The deep snow that had filled in the Big from the previous few days was unbelievable and was an experience that the group participants (Leslie, Mike, and Scott) were stoked to check off.
After skiing the technical top section, I veered out of the Big Couloir proper and headed for the Secret. Thigh deep fluff awaited me as I dove into my first turn, and every turn thereafter until just above the Cue Ball. Reconvening with our group just above the Triple, we exchanged high fives and pole taps after giving everyone a BIG congratulations.
Live big, play hard: BIG SKY.
-Kipp Proctor
Tags: skiing, montana, big sky resort, yellowstone, yellowstone national park, big sky, technical terrain, tram, lone peak, dan egan, powder, early ups, first tracks, big couloir, ski clinics,
Montana | Skiing | The Way I Ski It | Snowsports
2/19/2013 2:55:00 PM
Big Sky base area vs. Vail
WHEN I GO SKIING I want to ski. Busy trails and endless lift lines seem to always come to mind when planning a trip over a holiday weekend; unless you’re skiing Big Sky Resort. We’re not kidding when we boast about our nonexistent lift lines and the 3,832 acres of nearly private skiing.
Whether you’re a long time local or guest, it’s hard to complain when you take into account what other resorts in the Rockies experience (Vail for example) during high traffic periods. Even with one of our busiest years to date, lift lines at the base area have remained sub 10 minutes and are more often than not walk-on/ski-on. They’re also an added blessing when they fall on weekends (like this last one) that deliver over 16 inches of fresh snow and all you want is get back up top to make another lap. I'd gladly pass on fighting Vail's crowds and helplessly watching my favorite line getting poached.
Short waits and long laps; Big Sky is the ticket.
-Kipp Proctor
Tags: skiing, montana, big sky resort, yellowstone, yellowstone national park, big sky, technical terrain, tram, lone peak, short lift lines, long laps, lift lines, vail, busy resorts,
Montana | Skiing | The Way I Ski It | General
2/15/2013 8:45:00 PM
LONE PEAK WAS at it again today after a difficult to explain combination of fresh snow and wind deposited well over a foot of fresh cold smoke on the south face. If the roughly 18 inches of fresh wasn’t enough, we were also graced with a beautiful bluebird day.
My friend and I headed straight for the tram with the expectation to ski some of Lone Peak’s free refills under the bluebird sky. After shooting a few photos from atop the peak, we headed towards the snow fences above Liberty Bowl and this is when we first came upon the unexpected deep that lay before us.
I was shocked, dumb founded, blown away and surprised. Face-shots were plentiful and seemed to never end turn after turn during our top to bottom run. High fives and pole taps were a given at the bottom as we stared back up at the unexpectedly epic run that fell/hit us in our laps.
Lone Peak: expect the unexpected.
-Kipp Proctor
Tags: skiing, montana, big sky resort, yellowstone, yellowstone national park, big sky, technical terrain, tram, lone peak, powder, liberty bowl, face-shots, unexpected
Montana | Skiing | The Way I Ski It | General
2/12/2013 6:01:00 PM
MAGICAL LONE PEAK was at it again over this past weekend picking up more than just a few additional sneaky inches that were reported at the base. That’s right, Big Sky’s angry inch was at it again and those who sought out the peak were generously rewarded.
While it stormed all day and the visibility was somewhat poor, the snow was great. Despite the fact we correctly reported 7-8 inches around the base and mid-mountain, Lone Peak was once again a different world. My first tram lap down the dictators at 11:30 was one of the deepest runs of the day at thigh deep. Nearly every turn through D2 buried me under a cloud of fresh Montana cold smoke. Lone Peak wasn't the only exception with great turns to be had across the mountain. Dakota/Shedhorn in particular provided their usual private skiing experience with fresh tracks to be had still at 3:00pm.
Good friends, deep powder, and magical Lone Peak once again made for another epic ski day.
-Kipp Proctor
Tags: skiing, montana, big sky resort, yellowstone, yellowstone national park, big sky, technical terrain, tram, lone peak, powder,
Montana | Skiing | The Way I Ski It | General
2/8/2013 8:20:00 PM
Photo Credit: Vladimir Barabanov
SURE, EVERYBODY LOVES a powder day but the real skiing that locals at Big Sky secretly fiend for and is difficult to explain, is the wind buffed conditions found on our high alpine, above tree line slopes. The creamy, hero snow found on the Peak after a good dose of wind grooming produces an experience like no other resort around.
Ask any long time local what’s possibly better than a powder day and the unanimous answer will always be a beautiful wind buffed day off the Tram. The hero conditions make any avid skier fall in love all over. Being able to rip a wide open run such as Lenin or Marx as if it were a groomer off Southern Comfort is like nothing else. Any skeptic will be convinced once they dive into their skis, feel their edge sink deep and are reward with the confidence that they can arc a turn at any angle they wish.
So seek the Peak and arc some epic turns!
-Kipp Proctor
Tags: skiing, montana, big sky resort, yellowstone, yellowstone national park, big sky, technical terrain, tram, lone peak, wind buffed,
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
1/14/2013 8:42:00 AM
FRESH CORDUROY AND private powder were abundant on Sunday and while my friends and I got off to a late start, our experience wasn’t diminished. Wherever we headed we seemed to be rewared to something better at every turn.
We started our late morning (11:15) off by dropping into SoCo skiing fresh corduroy all the way down El Dorado. We continued to explore the lower mountain finding similarly fresh cord on Sacagawea, Big Horn, and Ambush before heading for the upper mountain.
The Tram was walk on so after waiting just 30 seconds for it to arrive back at the lower tram dock, my 3 friends and I loaded onto to our own private cabin. Once we reached the top, we got to see what life above the clouds was like. One of the only mountains poking through was Cedar and after snapping a few photos, we pushed off towards Liberty Bowl.
While the snow in Liberty left something more to be desired, the Dakota territory more than made up for it. The four of us and possibly just 5 other lucky skiers/boarders were treated to our own private powder stash. During our 5 laps on the Dakota lift, the only tracks we crossed were our own while we traversed to different untouched areas. We fell in love with the 5-6 inches of fresh creamy powder and found it difficult to leave when the lift finally had to close.
We finished our day with a great cruiser down Lower Morning Star but couldn’t shake the amazing turns we had just experienced in Dakota.
-Kipp Proctor
Tags: skiing, montana, big sky resort, yellowstone, yellowstone national park, big sky, corduroy, groomed, technical terrain, tram, lone peak, private powder, dakota, above the clouds, cedar mountain
1/9/2013 12:45:00 PM
WITH A FAMILY of mountain goats peeking in from above Castle Rock, the 2nd Annual Smash Life Banked Slalom was held this past Saturday (Jan. 5th). Coming into its 2nd year, the event was held in memory of Aaron Robinson a native Montanan snowboarder who always dreamed of providing an opportunity for under privileged kids to experience the joys of snowboarding. In tribute to his dream, all proceeds from the event benefit the A-Rob Plant a Seed Foundation which was created after Aaron’s untimely passing.
Lead by local organizer Shane Stalling, the banked slalom course was assembled the few days prior to the event with the assistance of the Big Sky Terrain Park Crew and volunteers. It featured banked turns that were larger than the year before with an added straight line to the finish. The day of the race featured eighty-five registered contestants ranging from a junior’s class for the groms to a masters class for the 40 and over crowd. The course was fast and everyone rode hard which made for an exciting event to watch.
After the race, everyone reconvened for an après awards ceremony, raffle and movie screening of A-Rob’s movie brain child, Of Life and Love. Then later that evening, The Riot Act rocked the house at the Scissorbills after party in front of a rowdy crowd of race participants that even the goats on ridge would attest to.
For more images, info and coverage of the event follow these links below:
http://www.snowboardermag.com/exclusives/second-annual-smash-life-banked-slalom-goes-down-at-big-sky-montana/#b8e0bc0aa6
http://snowboardmag.com/stories/smash-life-banked-slalom-goes-down-at-big-sky-mt
http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1000193077/featuresobf/go-boardin-road-update/?pid=48956#ngtop
http://www.yobeat.com/2013/01/05/the-2012-a-rob-smash-life-banked-slalom/
http://vimeo.com/56840350
-Kipp Proctor
Tags: skiing, montana, big sky resort, yellowstone, yellowstone national park, big sky, technical terrain, tram, lone peak, smash life, banked slalom, aaron robinson, a-rob plant a seed foundation,
Events | Montana | Skiing | The Way I Ski It | Terrain Parks | General
