2012 Montana Conditions, Stoke and Whatev Thread

[Bunion 2020]

Well... usually there are weather stations in various key areas, and one can look at day-to-day, year-to-date and year-over-year stats. A few data points on a given day might tell you how best to ski a resort — I'm just looking for some consistent year over year data.

I know lots of weather stations in Wyoming and Idaho but not the key ones in Montana. Was hoping someone did.

Thanks again for the help!

This will give you access to a lot of good remote WX info

https://www.mtavalanche.com/weather

For Big Sky, Lobo, Barvaria and Lookout Ridge are the snow total sites the patrol uses to help make decisions on whether or not to come in early. Lobo and LO Ridge track pretty closely, Barvaria gets a bit of wind effect. Timberline at the Y/C tracks well with these 3, is several miles distant and a bit higher.

Unfortunately you cannot get YTD data directly. My impression is that the BS Snow Reporter takes a daily average from the 3 sites and mixes it in with what the 2 hokey web cam snow stakes are showing https://bigskyresort.com/webcams and comes up with a daily total and somehow that is where OTS gets their figures.

Much also depends on pre-season. We received around 6 feet of snow in Oct. this year (not uncommon) and most stuck around and has helped to create our base depth which is kind of high for this time of year on average.

So while YTD totals are helpful, they don't really tell how Lone Mountain is skiing on a given year. In my 30+ years of skiing Big Sky, this years coverage is well above average.

I still hit a lot of rocks.

[yeahman]

So you can get discount lift tickets with an ikon pass but can’t with a BS season pass? That’s kind of stupid.

You get $40 off the window rate, not a huge discount but at least it's something.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

You get 8 buddy passes with a Gold which make it $99/day.

[Bunion 2020]

8????? OK then you can have 7 of mine.

[Climber Joe]

I remember when $60 felt like a lot for a big sky day ticket

[Norseman]

I remember when $60 felt like a lot for a big sky day ticket

I remember skiing for free at BS till age 10 (or 12?).

Now a 7 year old pays $138 at the window.

[yeahman]

I remember skiing for free at BS till age 10 (or 12?).

Now a 7 year old pays $138 at the window.

Yeah my kids skied free there until they were 10. It was a great deal and largely what made skiing BS affordable for us as a young family. That and the fact that we rented the loft space in our friends' condo for $300 a month December-March every winter. Four adults, three kids and a dog in a 660 sq. ft. condo every weekend practically. Great memories were made. We were lucky.

[idahospud]

I remember skiing for free at BS till age 10 (or 12?).

Now a 7 year old pays $138 at the window.

[upallnight]

This will give you access to a lot of good remote WX info

https://www.mtavalanche.com/weather

For Big Sky, Lobo, Barvaria and Lookout Ridge are the snow total sites the patrol uses to help make decisions on whether or not to come in early. Lobo and LO Ridge track pretty closely, Barvaria gets a bit of wind effect. Timberline at the Y/C tracks well with these 3, is several miles distant and a bit higher.

Unfortunately you cannot get YTD data directly. My impression is that the BS Snow Reporter takes a daily average from the 3 sites and mixes it in with what the 2 hokey web cam snow stakes are showing https://bigskyresort.com/webcams and comes up with a daily total and somehow that is where OTS gets their figures.

Thank you!

Much also depends on pre-season. We received around 6 feet of snow in Oct. this year (not uncommon) and most stuck around and has helped to create our base depth which is kind of high for this time of year on average.

So while YTD totals are helpful, they don't really tell how Lone Mountain is skiing on a given year. In my 30+ years of skiing Big Sky, this years coverage is well above average.

I still hit a lot of rocks.

My question was less about how it skis and more about year-over-year data (and YTD for *this* year). A single 36" storm is different than 12x3" events, wind, sun, etc., all factor into how a mountain skis.

If we don't have reliable year-over-year data, though, that's a problem. Without it, we lose the ability to make comparisons — even if the data is chosen from the most favorable spot.

[Bunion 2020]

You are most welcome.

A single 36" storm is different than 12x3" events, wind, sun, etc., all factor into how a mountain skis.

In the 30+ years I have spent skiing on the pile O rocks know as Lone Mountain I have never seen a 36" storm when the area was open. Those happen pre/post season occasionally. Big Sky is a 12x3" mountain if there ever was one. Gets tiresome watching the double digit storm totals from Ghee and JHMR a scant 175 miles away. It is what it is.

[toastybroski]

You are most welcome.



In the 30+ years I have spent skiing on the pile O rocks know as Lone Mountain I have never seen a 36" storm when the area was open. Those happen pre/post season occasionally. Big Sky is a 12x3" mountain if there ever was one. Gets tiresome watching the double digit storm totals from Ghee and JHMR a scant 175 miles away. It is what it is.

There's too many mountains in Montana ruining all of the snow! Thank the tobaccos and bitterroots for that.

Seriously though, I think all of those big dump places have massive basins to the west of them except maybe BCC/LCC.

[The AD]

In the 30+ years I have spent skiing on the pile O rocks know as Lone Mountain I have never seen a 36" storm when the area was open. Those happen pre/post season occasionally. Big Sky is a 12x3" mountain if there ever was one. Gets tiresome watching the double digit storm totals from Ghee and JHMR a scant 175 miles away. It is what it is.

There really is no perfect ski mountain. Everywhere has its plusses and its minuses.

...or maybe there is but the people skiing there are keeping it a secret

[swimmy]

Gets tiresome watching the double digit storm totals from Ghee and JHMR a scant 175 miles away. It is what it is.

Yeah I try to keep perspective but sometimes it messes with my stoke. Hopefully we get back in the flow soon.

In the meantime, I went meadow skippin' today looking for Dad pow. Snow was a bit heavy but felt good to walk around a bit.

[Trackhead]

Seriously though, I think all of those big dump places have massive basins to the west of them except maybe BCC/LCC.

Utah is having a huge year, but their lake effect is at risk as the great salt lake is withering away.

[54-46]

Anyone know how Whitefish has been skiing? Will be there Monday…


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[yeahman]

Great Divide has been skiing way better than it has a right to the past couple days. Two inches of dense snow earlier this week really perked things up. And very few people skiing. My wife and I were the last ones on the lift today and the last ones drinking in the bar after everybody left.

[Trackhead]

Great Divide has been skiing way better than it has a right to the past couple days. Two inches of dense snow earlier this week really perked things up. And very few people skiing. My wife and I were the last ones on the lift today and the last ones in the bar.

I still want to experience Great Divide on a "good year" because in good snow it is a fun place. The tree skiing is super fun.

[yeahman]

I still want to experience Great Divide on a "good year" because in good snow it is a fun place. The tree skiing is super fun.

There's no such thing as a good year. It's all about gauging the small windows of good skiing and dropping everything to go get it. Wait a day or even a half a day and you missed it. I'm not kidding.

[Trackhead]

There's no such thing as a good year. It's all about gauging the small windows of good skiing and dropping everything to go get it. Wait a day or even a half a day and you missed it. I'm not kidding.

True, and I think I had one or two of those last year at GD.

[ski counselor]

There's no such thing as a good year. It's all about gauging the small windows of good skiing and dropping everything to go get it. Wait a day or even a half a day and you missed it. I'm not kidding.

I once skied Great Divide on a 26 inch powder day but it was back around 1993. I'm still waiting for the next one. Actually it was too much snow for the relatively low angle mountain. If you didn't straightline it, you'd come to a dead stop.

[toast2266]

Anyone know how Whitefish has been skiing? Will be there Monday…


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Fairly mediocre. Everything's skiable, but we've gotten like 5" in the last 2 weeks, so it's certainly not "good." But it looks like there's at least a possibility of some moderate moisture trickling through next week. We can keep our fingers crossed together.

[Talisman]

This wisdom can get applied to most skiing in MT.

There's no such thing as a good year. It's all about gauging the small windows of good skiing and dropping everything to go get it. Wait a day or even a half a day and you missed it. I'm not kidding.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Headwaters was skiing really well yesterday. That is all.

[toastybroski]

I actually really like the terrain at GD. I have probably hit every one of their 8+ inch days in the last couple of years. That being said, they’re still only about a foot of a base when you get those days so you can’t go too crazy.

I have heard years like 2017 had the mountain looking like a completely different place.

[singlesline]

Anyone know how Whitefish has been skiing? Will be there Monday…


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Holding up OK for how little snow has fallen in the past 2 weeks, but that's not saying much. There was enough early snow to fill in the trees and make them skiable everywhere, but I don't think they are gonna be soft on fluffy on Monday. Groomers are getting groomed and as of Wednesday were still mostly not ice underneath.

I sacrificed some ptex on my freshly tuned carving skis last Sunday, presumably to some of the unavoidable gravel starting to poke through in some high-traffic spots Recent wet snow patched things up a bit, but by Monday I'd be careful on cat tracks/higher traffic areas.