2012 Montana Conditions, Stoke and Whatev Thread

[skiJ]

Ahhh Whitefish
Attachment 409270

downhill ?
Saturday afternoon ?

my reaction is...

you asked for it --

( and hey,
you could be in Bozeman. or I-70. or LCC )


FknA. skiJ 🌞

[Trackhead]

Yup…wasn’t too bad. Waited until 5:00

[total_immortal]

Get adopted by an early 50s cougar?

Trust me, I tried. I must have given off poor person vibes. I was solo all day and the only people who acknowledged me were the lifties. Fun skiing and no lift lines, but absolutely no soul at that resort.

[Talisman]

Fun skiing and no lift lines, but absolutely no soul at that resort.

I have skied the YC twice during "evacuations" when Sheddy was down. Maybe the place has no soul, but lots of untracked snow.

[yeahman]

Great Divide just added 3 free days at Snow King to their season pass. So for $330 you get not only an entire season of windfucked low tide awesomeness at GD but also these other indy mountains:

3 FREE days at Whitefish Mountain Resort
3 FREE days at Snow King Mountain Resort (Jackson, WY)
3 FREE days at Bogus Basin (Boise, ID)
3 FREE days at Mount Bohemia (Mohawk, MI)
3 FREE days at Lee Canyon (Las Vegas, NV)
3 FREE days at Powderhorn Mountain (Mesa, CO)
3 FREE days at Ski Cooper (Leadville, CO)
3 FREE days at Sunlight (Glenwood Springs, CO)


Helluva deal if you are able to take advantage of it.

Really fun soft snow up there yesterday, but the base is so thin it's crazy. Not sure how we'll make it to spring break if this continues. Wild West turns were good amongst all the sketchball coverage.

[Bunion 2020]

Fun skiing and no lift lines, but absolutely no soul at that resort.

True, Big Sky has so much more soul......

[Trackhead]

Great Divide just added 3 free days at Snow King to their season pass. So for $330 you get not only an entire season of windfucked low tide awesomeness at GD but also these other indy mountains:

Too bad they couldn't have kept Red Lodge or some other mom/pop MT hill on the pass. The Whitefish deal almost covers the price of the pass though.

[Trackhead]

Speaking of traffic and crowds, I haven't skied Bridger since 1994 when I lived on Bozeman.....considering getting a pass there for my kid/myself next year and driving the extra 20 minutes. What's it like there nowadays on weekends?

[toastybroski]

Scored a day at the not Ikon resort in Big Sky. Conditions weren't bad.

Attachment 409190

Attachment 409192Attachment 409193

There's a freeride comp this weekend but I couldn't figure out how to register.
Attachment 409194

How do you even score a YC solo ticket? I am surprised they let a peasant in with a camera.

[Bunion 2020]

Sneak in from either So-co or Shedhorn and act rich...... Duh.

[yeahman]

Too bad they couldn't have kept Red Lodge or some other mom/pop MT hill on the pass. The Whitefish deal almost covers the price of the pass though.

Yeah it's kind of a bummer, not that I ever went to Red Lodge to take advantage of it. We had lodging reservations there after Christmas this year, but they had like 12 inches total snow for the season at the time so we bailed. I think Red Lodge went on the Indy Pass, which is why they dropped out of this partnership. Lost Trail and Blacktail are on Indy too. Snowbowl, Disco, etc., probably figure being only a couple hours away people from Helena will come and buy a ticket regardless. I would actually like to see more Montana hills go on the Indy Pass because then I would consider buying one.

[Talisman]

Other than the poach or when Sheddy breaks, I am told if an eager snow enthusiast waits with boots and skis/board at Four Corners around midnight on a full moon a limo will stop and for your soul old Lucifer will give you a day ticket to the YC.

How do you even score a YC solo ticket?

[Shredeagle]

Saturdays at Bridger get pretty crazy, especially Jan 15 to end of February. If you don't mind getting up there early you avoid the parking hassle. If you like to have a chill morning, I think the parking is a nightmare. Sundays are better. PK and Bridger lifts usually pretty crowded, especially 11 - 2:30. Pow days are too much for me on the weekends. Otherwise, I still really enjoy it as much as I ever did (first season was '96). More gapers, but still lots of really good skiers. But, yeah, if you get up there early, and don't mind going where the crowds aren't, it's still pretty fun. I just like skiing though - others find much more to complain about then me. So I may have some rose colored goggles!!

Had a fun weekend this weekend. Killer turns Saturday morning:




Then I built the kids some kickers and took pics - super fun. Nice soft landings made a good time for learning tricks:











^^^My older one landed his first cork 5 - he was stoked. Took a couple of crashes working up to it - but it was pretty awesome seeing him land backwards.

Then we headed down to Big Sky Sunday - good snow and a fun crew. My homie Big Dog got the pic of the day. I've been picking up this guys explosions and giving him grief since he was 5.



Fun weekend. Feels like the season of making the best of it.

[jeremiahyawnson]

Couldn't tell ya. I was hiking solo and shooting photos. If you know him, ask if he was up today in a light green coat. I'll be happy to e-mail the full size photo to him if he wants.

Oh here's one more.

Thanks for taking the great pics swimmy! (pm sent w/ email info)

Had some fun storm riding with the mrs yesterday. I will be working the leashes with the lil' guy today.

So does the bottom of Bridger smell like poo for the same reason that the Alpine Bathrooms were closed or is it just because the lagoon doesn't have a frozen layer of ice on top of it like normal for this time of year? Either way, couldn't help but crack a couple of "we need you bowl patrol!" jokes at the car yesterday.

[Trackhead]

Yeah it's kind of a bummer, not that I ever went to Red Lodge to take advantage of it.

We went late January and used the comp passes, kid had fun, so it was a success. Dirt bagging in parking lot in camper makes it realistic. Regardless, the Whitefish comp passes pay off 75% of the GD pass.

[total_immortal]

I have skied the YC twice during "evacuations" when Sheddy was down. Maybe the place has no soul, but lots of untracked snow.

Very true, it was fairly tracked up but mostly because it hasn't snowed significantly in some time, but you could sniff out soft turns pretty easy.

True, Big Sky has so much more soul......

Hahaha, as a BB skier for the last 20 years that makes me chuckle. I guess it's just strange to ski a place that has no "core" skiers. The only people who were decent skiers were the instructors, all the rich folks were middling at best.

How do you even score a YC solo ticket? I am surprised they let a peasant in with a camera.

It's not what you know but who you know
That instructor was definitely grilling me when I took a picture of the events board.

Pretty sure Shredeagle's kids would have crushed the YC freeride comp based on the talent level I saw up there.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Very fun morning at BB, lots of wind fluff in the trees. Just enough to cover the reef in most places.

[Bunion 2020]

Hahaha, as a BB skier for the last 20 years that makes me chuckle. I guess it's just strange to ski a place that has no "core" skiers. The only people who were decent skiers were the instructors, all the rich folks were middling at best.

There use to be a good group of "core" locals at Big Sky, some excellent skiers and riders. Most have aged out or moved to where they can afford it.

[total_immortal]

There use to be a good group of "core" locals at Big Sky, some excellent skiers and riders. Most have aged out or moved to where they can afford it.

That's too bad to hear, back when I was able to ski there semi-regularly there was a healthy group of local rippers, end of an era if they've been pushed out/moved on. Do they still crown a dirtbag king/queen up there? Those old dirtbag parties would get rowdy.

[yeahman]

That's too bad to hear, back when I was able to ski there semi-regularly there was a healthy group of local rippers, end of an era if they've been pushed out/moved on. Do they still crown a dirtbag king/queen up there? Those old dirtbag parties would get rowdy.

Yeah they do. There is still a local ski/party scene, and I've been to a few rowdy shack parties this year with a good group of folks who've been around for years and still rip. I'd actually say that the old knock on Big Sky not being a "community" is sort of dated. There is a community of locals there, working and skiing, but they all got in before the boom made everything completely unaffordable. So what the future holds, I don't know. And I'm not a local so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I just know a lot of people who live there and still scrape by.

[swimmy]

Speaking of the Big, I grabbed first tram this morning. Unfortunately only Liberty Bowl was open so I had to make a choice. Wait up top for the rope drop or go ahead and grab first tracks.

I decided to ski Liberty as I needed to be back early afternoon. It was dope.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

Like I said, your photos are as clean as a safeway chicken.

[yeahman]

Hell yeah swimmy, that looks nice.

[Bunion 2020]

Fine decision making.

[S_jenks]

Took 2 years, but finally managed a visit back to hallowed grounds.

That hike is always a great reminder why some zones should never have a lift. Earning for turning can be a beautiful thing.