Big sky Montana

[Juice]

I’m heading out to big sky in a couple weeks. I have never been there and wondering if the ones that have been had any advice. Looks like I choose the right place this year since the Colorado resorts aren’t doing as good as last year. I can ski anything around here and do most everything out west except the big mogul runs or step colliers.

[Juice]

I know some of you said earlier in the year you have been to big sky. Nobody had any advice?

[porter]

Don't blindly follow a bootpack or random line into the trees without a good degree of caution. Big Sky -- particularly the old Moonlight side -- has what I would call legitimately terrifying ski terrain, and a good number of A-list locals who ski it all rather nonchalantly. At the same time, don't be scared off of skiing what you want just because people are talking about how tough they think it is. Lots of big talkers there.

Sounds silly, but I'd recommend going over the trail map each night to record what you've skied -- there's a lot of terrain there.

I'd recommend knocking off early one day and shooting down to West for a sunset XC tour.

If you can arrange it, it's really worthwhile to ski a day at Bridger.

[Juice]

Is the moonlight side worth going to or should I spend my time mostly on the big sky side? I only have 3 days to ski so I don’t want to waste a lot of time. How steep is the liberty bowl coming off the top. Looks like if I decide to go to the top that will be the route I need to take back down.

[porter]

Liberty is normal steep. Not sure how it falls into the skill set you described above, but it's normal expert terrain for Montana, with a few extra points for being above treeline. Could for sure have moguls on it if there has not been new snow for a while, and could be hard packed in strong winds, too.

I like Moonlight for its endlessly long cruisers. That's also the side you can get to Headwaters from.

[marzski]

With good coverage like they have this year, Liberty is a solid black run, not a western double-black. It's really, really long. So be prepared to leave enough time to work your way down. Check the trail map for the south face. At the bottom, if you go right then there is more skiing with plenty of tree options to get to the Dakota lift. If you are ready to head back to the main base, then head skier's left towards Shedhorn. The Shoehorn Grill is in a yurt and a fun place for a snack or light lunch.

The tip I got from the free mountain host tour was to check out the South Wall first. That's on the far side of the Turkey Shoot traverse in the Lone Peak Bowl, off the relatively new Powder Seeker 6-pack. If the South Wall is fun, then Liberty will be fun too. If the South Wall is scary for whatever reason, then ride up the tram for the view with poles only.

[marzski]

I’m heading out to big sky in a couple weeks. I have never been there and wondering if the ones that have been had any advice. Looks like I choose the right place this year since the Colorado resorts aren’t doing as good as last year. I can ski anything around here and do most everything out west except the big mogul runs or step colliers.

What is the longest bumped up run you have done in the Rockies? What do you consider a "big mogul"?

Big Sky is huge. Getting from the base of Andesite over to Moonlight or vice-versa takes 30 minutes when you know exactly where to go. So makes more sense to stay in one area for while before moving elsewhere. There is challenging terrain if you like trees or bumps off pretty much any of the main lifts that don't serve lodging. The glades on Andesite are good fun if tight trees are not of interest.