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

Secrets of the Skim: Big Sky's 2012 Pond Skim Goes All Out

4/17/2012 2:45:00 PM
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POND SKIMS HAVE become a spring staple at many winter resorts – skiers and riders try their luck gliding down a ski slope and then across an icy pond.
 
But at Big Sky Resort, the annual Pond Skim is a ritual in creativity and daring, pushing the boundaries of a ski culture classic.  Last weekend, Big Sky pulled it off again, with these key ingredients for the perfect Pond Skim.

Power Ponds:
Big Sky’s pond is never just a pond.  Every year the shape and approach are a surprise - participants tackle double ponds,  giant kicker entries, and s-curves.  2012 brought the most elaborate pond yet: a tetris-piece shaped pond with two separate entry points, a jump, and endless skimming path combinations.  

Crazy Costumes:
Ballerina, banana, giant ape, beach babe – skimmers don’t skimp on wild attire.  And neither does the crowd. 

Skim Strategy:
Rules are, there are no rules - Big Sky encourages the unexpected.  Daffys, 360s, ski and water ballet moves are all fair game. 

Sheer Volume:
Over 100 skiers and riders skimmed to the tune of thousands of cheering spectators this year.  And every spring it gets bigger and crazier.  There’s just something about standing in a sea of neon onesies that makes you feel like you're part of something bigger.

-  Greer

POnd Skim 2012 pond

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Photo courtesy of Barb Rooney

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Photo by Michel Tallichet

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Photo by Michel Tallichet

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Photo by Michel Tallichet 

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Photo by Miche Tallichet

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Photo courtesy of Milton Menasco and the Big Fiasco (on stage)

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Photo Essay: Spring Skiing at Big Sky

4/10/2012 11:36:00 AM

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WE'VE BEEN WRITING about spring skiing a lot lately - with an amazing mix of blue skies, warm temperatures, and powder days, it's hard not to rave about conditions.  But a picture is worth a thousand words, and with the season wrapping up on Sunday, we asked local photographer and Lone Peak High School student Anna Middleton for a spring recap. 



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All photos by Anna Middleton

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The Ski Skinny - March 30, 2012

3/30/2012 10:20:00 AM
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Conditions on the North Summit have been stellar all week. 


AFTER A BIG snow dump on Monday night and a bluebird powder day on Tuesday, conditions have stayed stellar all over the mountain.  Head to Challenger for smooth, wind-buffed powder, and hit the trees for fluffy stashes.

But for the best snow, sign out for the North Summit Snowfield – conditions have only improved since Tuesday’s powder day, with sometimes bony sections like Rips now nicely filled in with soft and creamy snow.  You’ll need a Biggest Skiing in America ticket (The run is technically on Moonlight terrain, but can only be accessed by Big Sky’s tram), but the upgrade is worth it for perfect turns on the north face of Lone Peak.

The forecast is calling for snow over the next three days with a total accumulation of about 12 inches.  Keep your entire quiver close at hand – all-mountain skis may be great for today, but you could need your pow skis at the drop of a hat.

-Greer

 

Check out the Big Sky Snow Report and the 7-day forecast from NOAA to stay updated on conditions.

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 groomer go-tos?  Get the skinny here.

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Runs off of Challenger lift are smooth and wind-buffed.

 

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Endless Winter - Snow Sticks in Big Sky

3/28/2012 4:34:00 PM
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Lone Peak is still heavily snow-covered in March and April. 


FROM NOVEMBER to April in a ski town, the population becomes overcome with thoughts of skiing and snowboarding.  Visions of freeskiers dance in local’s heads, and every conversation revolves around sick lines and snowpack.  All talk turns to turns, and people talk skiing non-stop everywhere - In a house, with a mouse, in a box, with a fox.  In the Hungry Moose, like Dr. Seuss: Would you ski here or there? I would ski anywhere! Do you like to ride the tram?   Yes, I love it, Sam I Am!

Just don’t pull a real Green Eggs and Ham – if you’re secretly excited for spring, you sure as heck better not admit it!  You’ll risk blank stares and long silences until you break the ice by mentioning the snow forecast and the fact that winter is still in full swing up on Lone Peak.

Because though it may be 60 degrees in Bozeman and unseasonably warm across the country, yesterday Big Sky received 9 inches of snow.  With three weeks left in the ski season, there’s still time for winter fun – on and off the slopes. But you better get it in now, before lifts stop turning and temps start climbing.

 

Skiing and Snowboarding:  There’s a reason Big Sky locals are obsessed with skiing:  it’s really, really fun.  Especially when temperatures are comfortable enough to take off your gloves on the chairlift and enjoy beers in the base-area. 

Pond Skimming:  The perfect winter-meets-spring activity for skiers, riders, and swimmers.  Sign up for Big Sky’s annual Pond Skim on April 14th.

Snowshoeing:  Mountain trails stay snowy up high - strap into a pair of shoes the size of tennis rackets and start hiking.

Ziplining:  Not many ziplines are open in the winter, but at Big Sky it’s an all-season affair. 

Nordic Skiing:  Trails are melting in the meadow, but higher up you can still skate and classic ski routes at Lone Mountain Ranch.

Running:  That’s what YakTrax are for!

-  Greer

 

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Lyndsey Owens kills it on skate skis near Lone Moose.


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Snowshoeing in Big Sky last week.
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The Ski Skinny - March 27, 2012

3/27/2012 9:18:00 AM

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HERE THEY GO again – Mother Nature and Old Man Winter pulling another switcheroo on us overnight!  The past five days have had full blown spring skiing conditions with warmer temps and bluebird skies.  Then this morning we woke up and WHAM!  Winter was back with nine inches of cold fluffy pow on the peak.

Ullr sure is keeping us on our toes – this is the second time this month we’ve done an extra early-week Ski Skinny post due to a big conditions shift.   But when it involves multiple bluebird powder days, we can’t complain.

Hit the mountain all over today – there’s powder everywhere and your fatty skis could use some exercise.

-  Greer


 

Check out the Big Sky Snow Report and the 7-day forecast from NOAA to stay updated on conditions.

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 groomer go-tos?  Get the skinny here.

 

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The Ski Skinny - March 23, 2012

3/23/2012 10:17:00 AM

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Greer Schott, Elizabeth Bruen, and Lyndsey Owens hit Lenin under Wednesday's bluebird skies

 

AFTER A HUGE snowstorm in the beginning of the week with over 20 inches in three days, the sun came out again for some perfect bluebird powder days.  Marx and Lenin have been smooth and wind buffed since, and runs off the top have stayed soft.

With the temperatures creeping into the 30s again, we’re looking at spring skiing throughout the weekend.  Grab your all-mountain skis and stay up high, then catch some rays in the plaza with a brewski come après – the sun stays out until 7:30pm these days!

Enjoy blue skies this weekend, but snow starts again Monday night.  Stay tuned and watch the Snow Report for updates on how much is falling.

-  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 groomer go-tos?  Get the skinny here.

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Blue skies and soft snow!

 

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This Must Be the Place: A Day in the Life of the Shedhorn Grill

3/21/2012 4:36:00 PM
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"…Feet on the ground, head in the Sky…” –Naïve Melody, Talking Heads.  The Shedhorn Grill is located at Big Sky Resort near the Shedhorn Lift.


MY APPRECIATION for “le restaurant sur la montagne” was limited to the quick visits made between morning powder laps off Signal in Le Foret and afternoon couloir hikes on the Grande Balme.  Sure it was cool (and certainly very French) to swing into a cozy café three lifts up, tucked into the cliffside overlooking the vast treeless expanse that is the Espace de Killy for a vin chaud (hot wine)or a croque monsieur (Mister grilled cheese?), but no American ski bum living on a season of odd-jobs (chalet janitor, part-time [illegal] guide) could make it a regular thing.  Still, the simplicity and elegance of dining at the top of a mountain remained an inspiration.   Soon after, I found myself back in the States, basking in the sun with a brat and a beer, views of peaks in the distance - an American version of the French hut experience.  This must be the place! 

The Shedhorn Grill is born of these influences; it’s one of those places that people “get” right away- good vibes, an escape from the expected.  But running an off-the-grid yurt restaurant at 9000ft certainly has its challenges too.  

A day at the Grill begins with a quick check for wind values at the Summit Weather Station.   Strong Southwest winds with 40+ peak gusts generally assures that the Shedhorn Chair that services the Grill will be shut for windhold.  Ultimately, Big Sky Operations makes the safety call, determining whether the Grill will open that day. 

With calm winds, we load up the sled trailer with more than it can handle-- the day’s bison burgers, locally made brats, and microbrews making the daily snowmobile commute with us, boxes bungeed and ratcheted down, the trailer like a tiny super tanker.  On cold days, lettuce rides in a Ziplock on the inside of a jacket to keep from freezing.  

It’s a powder morning, and the line at Swifty looks long and anxious as we speed by.  Halfway up “The Gash” on the Middle Road, the track loses its grip and we begin sliding backwards; a heavy trailer surrendering to gravity with thick trees looming below, my hands cold and heart racing, curses of despair firing off in the chaos, goggles fogged.  But a beautiful morning setting up on the South Face quickly erases that.  We arrive and turn on the radio.  David Byrne croons through the stereo speakers: “…Guess I must be having fun.”

Overhead, little red figures scurry to safe spots on a massive face.  A bomb explodes, the charge shaking the yurt, the sound a second behind the flash.   We watch patrol routes on Lone Peak from the Grill in the morning, fully tuned in on the touchy days.  “…You’ve got a face with a view.”

Though we have propane, the Shedhorn Grill is essentially off-the-grid, without electricity or running water.  We bring all of our water to the Grill daily and cook, clean, and make hot drinks with what we have.  Nightly-charged battery packs power the cash register and our MacGyvered 12V car stereo.  We serve cans and plastic bottles, and recycle.  For heat, a wood stove burns beetle kill standing deadwood cut close by.  Mornings in the yurt start cold: We arrive to find an exploded Coke can, its top blown off, frozen contents plastered to the ceiling.  Setting up, we listen to the patrol radio for lift openings.

Soon the radio cracks to life: “Be advised, Triple on mechanical, Shedhorn having technical problems, Dakota open to public!?!”    Way on the back of the South Face, Dakota is unreachable to anyone this morning but us.  On skis we traverse from the Shedhorn Grill to Mule Skinner, making it to the Dakota Chair in less than ten minutes.  We load the chair with a smile and a nod and make memorable laps on our own private powder lift.  It’s hard holding back my smirk while slinging brats later that day, the lunch crowd grumbling about crowds and broken lifts.

The song keeps playing: “If someone asks, this is where I’ll be…”

Guests arrive from a hard morning of shredding; soon the deck chairs are filled and the yurt is hopping.  Our prices are more than fair: a 100% bison burger, fresh off the grill, served on a toasted ciabatta bun with a fresh heart of romaine, tomato slice, and red onion, paired with kettle chips and a fat dill pickle spear sets you back a mere ten bucks.  PBR pounders are 3.  “At Vail this would be three times the price,” is often the kind of comment we get from visitors conditioned to the typical gauging of poor ski resort fare. 

The lunch rush today is moving along quite smoothly.  Then a guy comes in, sits down at a table, and whips out a giant turkey leg.  It happens to one of the biggest, fattest, juiciest, most ridiculous turkey legs I have ever seen.  Surprised, I approach and let him know politely that we do not allow brown bag lunches.  He opts to leave the yurt and sit in the snow, turkey leg in hand, with his buddy on the other side of the deck rail in one of our chairs, enjoying a burger, which had been purchased, like a normal person.

We’re still laughing about it as we wrap up for the day.  I Look out to the East, Ramshorn, Big Horn, and Electric Peak in the distance, Pioneer and the Hilgards to the South, and Lone Peak uphill.  My thoughts drift to this morning’s powder turns, the sun shines, the wood fire crackles.

The Talking Heads keep the theme alive, ringing happy through the speakers:  “This Must be The Place!”

-  Kevin Daily, Shedhorn Grill Owner
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20 Cents Per Acre, Five Bucks Per Day

3/20/2012 2:30:00 PM
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IT'S BACK.

For the third year running, Big Sky’s early season pass sale is discounting Adult Unlimited Gold Passes by 40%.

And Juniors ages 11-17 can save up to 60% when their 2012/13 pass is bought in conjunction with an Adult Gold Pass.

Prices include a $799 Adult Gold Pass, a $599 College Gold Pass, and a $299 Junior Gold Pass.

At the Biggest Skiing in America, that’s a screamin’ deal. Broken down, adults pay about 20 cents per skiable acre (there are 3,832 at Big Sky alone), around $5 per day if you ski every day of the season, and the break-even point for buying a pass is just 10 ski days.  For Juniors, the breakdown is even better.

The sale only goes through April 30th, but buying now gets you free skiing for the last two weeks of April 2012 as well.  That includes skiing during spring events like the annual Pond Skim on April 14th.


-  Greer

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