2012 Montana Conditions, Stoke and Whatev Thread

[totaliboard]

hell yea leverich is tight

[Bunion 2020]

Wife rode Emerald and then Leverich today, said both were super fun.

Nice. Emerald is a classic. Anyone here doing the Mystic 40?

http://mysticrace.com/

Racing down the Wall of Death.....

[totaliboard]

shot in the dark, but any of u mags been up t fork recently? specifically, im interested in knowing how that north couloir on imp is looking. any beta is appreciated. if u can show me a photo (of the n clr) taken in the last two weeks ill buy you a beer.

[skiburgher]

Any word on what is going to happen to the hole in the ground that Montage is developing at SP? Or the Pinnacle?

[Stuck in Limbo]

Any word on what is going to happen to the hole in the ground that Montage is developing at SP? Or the Pinnacle?

1) probably a hotel

2) returning for the 14/15 season - bigskyresort.com/things-to-do/dining-options/pinnacle-at-big-sky

[yeahman]

Now the sobering part.

I have lived in the area a long time and have never seen a summer like this.

Big Sky is on the map of everyone who is disenchanted with their little piece of paradise and they are going to be moving to Montana.

The plans for the Big Sky area are quite grandiose and from what I have experienced living in several other pieces of paradise, meaning that if you loved what made Big Sky, it will soon be very different.

The goal for this winter is 600K skier days.

Vail/Park City here comes Montana.

I am beginning to plan my exit strategy.

This is interesting. I have to say last year's tram lines bummed me out. I'm mostly a weekday skier and even then the lines seemed longer than ever. I guess the upside was having the Headwaters chutes to ski, pretty much always empty (although not in great shape until February). But that tram line last year...I don't know, maybe it was my imagination, but it just seemed long all the time, especially after January.

It's hard to say what the future of Big Sky is. I originally moved to Missoula back in '83 and never would have imagined then what it's become now, with the population doubling and real estate skyrocketing. If I'd only seen it coming I would have asked my dad to loan me some dough and bought up a bunch of cheap houses. I'd be rich and retired now. Houses were SO cheap back then. I know friends who paid 80k for nice houses in the university district. Damn. Half a million now or more. I eventually ended up in Helena where your money still gets you a pretty decent place.

Anyway, we can only hope that your predictions do not come true. I've been watching the condo market last spring and this summer at Big Sky and it doesn't seem to be going crazy by any stretch. So who knows. I just wish that tram had double the capacity or something. Whatever happened to all the talk last year about the lift to the summit on the Liberty Bowl side? Not happening?

[Stuck in Limbo]

This is interesting. I have to say last year's tram lines bummed me out. I'm mostly a weekday skier and even then the lines seemed longer than ever. I guess the upside was having the Headwaters chutes to ski, pretty much always empty (although not in great shape until February). But that tram line last year...I don't know, maybe it was my imagination, but it just seemed long all the time, especially after January.

It's hard to say what the future of Big Sky is. I originally moved to Missoula back in '83 and never would have imagined then what it's become now, with the population doubling and real estate skyrocketing. If I'd only seen it coming I would have asked my dad to loan me some dough and bought up a bunch of cheap houses. I'd be rich and retired now. Houses were SO cheap back then. I know friends who paid 80k for nice houses in the university district. Damn. Half a million now or more. I eventually ended up in Helena where your money still gets you a pretty decent place.

Anyway, we can only hope that your predictions do not come true. I've been watching the condo market last spring and this summer at Big Sky and it doesn't seem to be going crazy by any stretch. So who knows. I just wish that tram had double the capacity or something. Whatever happened to all the talk last year about the lift to the summit on the Liberty Bowl side? Not happening?

1) from what i can tell, housing and condo prices to own have gone up considerably. i'm sure it will affect rent, which will be interesting to see how big sky responds. employee housing is a huge, huge issue right now.

2) there was talk of a couple lifts - one to replace explorer, and one to aid with the congestion with the tram. it looks like both of these projects are on hold, as the other resorts seemed to have a rougher year (late start due to conditions, etc) which affects projects across all resorts.

[Bunion 2020]

Housing for the people who make the lifts turn and the resorts run is a problem everywhere. No easy solutions to that one at all.

As for the lift replacement it was a double edged or even triple edged sword. Tons of late season snows here would have slowed any high elevation construction, yep some other areas that are connected did have less than stellar years. I also think there is still no master plan for what will happen next between the areas in terms of lift improvements so this summer wasn't a reality.

And then there is the boom going on. One project I am working with needs lots of concrete. And I mean lots. They are lucky to get 50 Yds a day.

Trouble is the concrete suppliers are so busy they can pick and choose who they will supply and with how much and for how much. All that makes lift construction frighteningly expensive and difficult to plan for.

Maybe next year.

[montanaskier]

They should sell and become EPIC

[tarrl]

This is about mountain biking, of the non-lift-served variety.

I checked out the new single track the forest service built at Bridger. It's pretty much a traverse across the ski area from Schlasman's base, along the midline of PK, Bridger, and two new Alpine lifts to the northern boundary, where it connects up with trails headed to Brackett creek and beyond. Pretty fun, but could use some more tire tracks to pack it down and smooth it out.

This is from well above the new trail, but you can see it in the middle-right part of the frame, cutting away from the double track:

[hick]

Wow, haven't looked at this thread in a while. Fuck, is it ever depressing. Plenty of MT does not suck, but SW MT is really starting to suck these days (I know it is far behind other fucked in half places, but it sucks to watch it come apart before one's eyes). Big Sky is sooo depressing. Sorry, nothing to add besides that worthless tidbit.

[Bunion 2020]

Wow, haven't looked at this thread in a while. Fuck, is it ever depressing. Plenty of MT does not suck, but SW MT is really starting to suck these days (I know it is far behind other fucked in half places, but it sucks to watch it come apart before one's eyes). Big Sky is sooo depressing. Sorry, nothing to add besides that worthless tidbit.

Well, here is a different slant. I did yesterdays inspection for Stormwater on the Uplands/Hummocks trail by MTB. (Trying to save the BSCC some money by cutting the time involved).

You and Ted did a real nice job, good flow, some stiff but totally doable climbs and a great descent.

So, there is that.

[Scrubadub]

Heard a couple days ago at the PBR in Big Sky that Moonlight Lodge will soon be "private" and not open to the public for food/drinks/hanging out. No idea if this is true or not.....as I said heard it from some folks that have a place there that are friends with the in-laws....anyone else hear anything like this or is it total BS? I hope its not true...

[hick]

Well, here is a different slant. I did yesterdays inspection for Stormwater on the Uplands/Hummocks trail by MTB. (Trying to save the BSCC some money by cutting the time involved).

You and Ted did a real nice job, good flow, some stiff but totally doable climbs and a great descent.


So, there is that.

Thanks Bunion, it was nice to build something that won't just grow weeds in the tread a disappear for once from lack of use.

[Bunion 2020]

Heard a couple days ago at the PBR in Big Sky that Moonlight Lodge will soon be "private" and not open to the public for food/drinks/hanging out. No idea if this is true or not.....as I said heard it from some folks that have a place there that are friends with the in-laws....anyone else hear anything like this or is it total BS? I hope its not true...

Well, the Moonlight Lodge has always been "private".

It is owned by its owners which is different from Moonlight Basin/Big Sky.

See it is basically a Condo Association, so they can pretty well do as they please.

Been hearing the same thing for some time.

[regct]

We have CrossHarbor cash to thank for the new MLB flow trail, and the Spanish Peaks connector. $$$ riding right there. What it should be.

Sounds like mountain ops aren't going to touch the lift access trails though. WTF? They rebuilt the swifty jump line, then closed the trail to glade trees that nobody skis. Solid use of resources.

Its great to have one awesome trail to ride, and I love the technical downhill on the resort, but if Big Sky Resort doesn't get on the free ride bandwagon its off to teton pass we go, or Jackson, or Disco, or Whitefish...along with all of Bozeman.

Heads up asses.

[yeahman]

Here's something I just noticed that doesn't have much to do with anything being discussed. If you have an 11 or 12 year old kid and you buy him/her a gold season pass today at Bridger for 2014/15, the cost would be $140.

At Big Sky, $469.

This is of interest to me because my oldest will turn 11 before the 15/16 season, and the other one is right behind her. After this season it could be time to switch allegiances for a couple years if Big Sky can't figure out that they need to get these age cutoffs in sync with Bridger.

Okay, now back to pre-season football.

[whitesmoke]

Well, the Moonlight Lodge has always been "private".

It is owned by its owners which is different from Moonlight Basin/Big Sky.

See it is basically a Condo Association, so they can pretty well do as they please.

Been hearing the same thing for some time.

From reliable source.
The deli and retail shop will be turned into a private lounge area. Bar will be moved to the large window inlet where the couches are and current bar will be turned into more hightop tables. Restaurant essentially stays the same except a large expansion in the kitchen with a ton of new equipment. Possibly the parking lot will be private forcing Pony Lot parking for us low lifes. That is just what I heard but no one will really know until the september take over.

I'm actually really excited for some money to be poured into that already insane lodge.

[Bunion 2020]

Sounds like it would have been a smooth move to have bought a life time gold pass.

MLB tried the Private paid Parking Lot setup and it didn't function very well. OTOH the Private Lot over by the Mall seems to work pretty well.

[Stuck in Limbo]

they got their website back.

http://www.moonlightbasin.com/

social too.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Moonl...15414405290038
https://twitter.com/MoonlightBasin

[Harry]

We have CrossHarbor cash to thank for the new MLB flow trail, and the Spanish Peaks connector. $$$ riding right there. What it should be.

I love that new flow trail to Moonlight, did it again this weekend, but I need some beta on that Spanish Peaks trail. Does it go across Elk Park and Bighorn ? And were does it start, Tippy's ?

[NWFlow]

Yeah holy shit "the economy" must be back. What a fucked summer. Getting to be time to look elsewhere.

[Viggen]

Harry, the best option for finding the Spanish peaks connector is following the signs for the cool Ridge trail around the back side of the summit and behind LMS. Just keep going on the road past the turn on to the Cool Ridge single-track. Should run into the trail coming on to the road right around the first switch back. It does head across war dance, elk park, and big horn before wrapping behind lone moose and down towards southern comfort. It is not totally connected to Spanish peaks via single track yet, but old access roads get you to the base of So Co. Following the access road down into Spanish Peaks will take you to another new loop. More is being constructed there in Spanish Peaks and the connector from the poop shoot up to the top of lone moose should be starting soon.

It was fun to finally link Moonlight to the meadow via mostly single track on sunday.

[Bunion 2020]

Viggen, and the rest of the crews building trail. Thanks for the efforts.

[Bobcat Sig]

Viggen, and the rest of the crews building trail. Thanks for the efforts.

I'll echo that sentiment. Thank you.

On that, if any of you local to Bozeman are free this evening, there's a sizeable crew headed out to Shafthouse to fix the 'work' done by the MT Conservation Corps. I use the term 'work' loosely. If you have tools; bring 'em. If not, show up and lend a hand.

The details:
Two carpool meetings at the fairgrounds: 2 pm, and 5 pm for those with real jobs.

There will be beer.

See you there!