Northern Rockies/Alberta Big Sky 2017-18

[focker]

Another advantage of Bridger is, if given enough notice, I usually can meet up on a Saturday or Sunday (and sometimes during the week) to give my infamous 10 cent tour of Bridger complete with hints on where to find the good snow during your stay.

It's a year out, but I may take you up on this. We'll most likely be skiing weekdays however.

 

[skidrew]

The thinking by the resort is Everett's is the deluxe dining option for the masses now.

Was the privatization (or, really, limiting it to club members) decided by the resort? I thought they were separately managed and the Moonlight property folks decided that creating an "exclusive" club was better than trying to make a go of the open-to-the-public restaurant (which I enjoyed a few times in past years).

 

[Rio]

Was the privatization (or, really, limiting it to club members) decided by the resort? I thought they were separately managed and the Moonlight property folks decided that creating an "exclusive" club was better than trying to make a go of the open-to-the-public restaurant (which I enjoyed a few times in past years).

I hated the Moonlight Lodge restaurant. Their food was very good but their portions were too big. We'd go there for lunch and my ski buddies could barely move when they were done eating. You could forget about talking them into skiing Challenger afterward.

 

[skidrew]

^No problem with large portions at dinner!

 

[SShore]

Was the privatization (or, really, limiting it to club members) decided by the resort? I thought they were separately managed and the Moonlight property folks decided that creating an "exclusive" club was better than trying to make a go of the open-to-the-public restaurant (which I enjoyed a few times in past years).

It was Moonlight's decision to go completely private.

 

[Talisman]

It was Moonlight's decision to go completely private.

My understanding it was Cross Harbor's decision to make the Moonlight Lodge private with big membership fees as Moonlight, Big Sky and Spanish Peaks are all one area with Boyne managing operations and Cross Harbor managing real estate. The story was something like the golf course members wanted a ski to version of the private golf club and the yurt at Ullery's Lake didn't cut it.

 

[Rio]

The local weatherman covered the NOAA predictions for Western Montana in last night's broadcast. March, traditionally our biggest powder month, is suppose to be wetter and colder than normal. April, which can be iffy, is suppose to be wetter and colder, also. Sounds like this is a good year to ski Whitefish or Big Sky over spring break.

 

[skidrew]

The local weatherman covered the NOAA predictions for Western Montana in last night's broadcast. March, traditionally our biggest powder month, is suppose to be wetter and colder than normal. April, which can be iffy, is suppose to be wetter and colder, also. Sounds like this is a good year to ski Whitefish or Big Sky over spring break.

Here's the NOAA outlook for March:

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/30day/

 

[Sibhusky]

I recommend you all hit up Big Sky.


They're open later and they have more acreage.

 

[Rio]

I recommend you all hit up Big Sky.


They're open later and they have more acreage.

But Whitefish has much better après-ski.

 

[Tytlynz64]

What is the betting line on close date this year? I like to do a ski/trout fishing trip in early April and would like to try Mt.

 

[SShore]

The Pond Skim, usually closing weekend, is April 21st. With the snow we have and the wet, cold forecast for March and April there should still be plenty open then.

 

[Doin1]

Definitely delivered...Tim Mitchell was my guide...great guy, and I think the ratio of guiding to instruction was great...no going on and on about PSIA blah blah, just a few pointers here and there.

Tim can get it done. Can't he. He knows that mountain.

 

[Gentry]

But Whitefish has much better après-ski.

But don't they also have Nazis?

 

[Sibhusky]

But don't they also have Nazis?

OMG. You must be kidding. One guy, whose mom and dad live here and gets his mail here (some of my daughter's mail comes here but she lives three hours away) gets his name in the damn papers and the next thing you know there are these ludicrous statements. His base isn't here. He wasn't raised here. He wasn't schooled here. His parents aren't from here. He doesn't LIVE here. Every town in America has at least one racist in it. But Whitefish is one of the few voting precincts that went for Hillary. The town has an anti hate ordinance. The police chief hung a Mezuzah on the station door. We are not a hot bed of Nazis.

 

[Talisman]

We are not a hot bed of Nazis.

Good to know! On another topic does the Whitefish ski patrol use avalanche dogs as part of their post slide search protocol?

 

[Sibhusky]

I've seen dogs in the past. They are using them to look for Torgerson according to the papers. But since we've had no inside slides involving people here I'm not sure if Ski Patrol itself has dogs. I'd like to say there's been no inbounds avalanches, but since I almost got caught in one a few years back while @Pacobillie was here, I can't say that.

We are fairly treed so the avalanche zones are pretty limited, and they enjoy their blasting.

 

[skidrew]

Probably too early for the Big Sky 2018-19 thread, but coming next winter is an 8-seat bubble chair to replace Ramcharger lift:

http://bigsky2025.com/biggest-alpine-experience.html

And looks like the Ramcharger lift will be moved over to Shedhorn, which will be a 4-seat detachable quad:

http://bigsky2025.com/speed-at-shedhorn.html

 

[Talisman]

Probably too early for the Big Sky 2018-19 thread, but coming next winter is an 8-seat bubble chair to replace Ramcharger lift:

http://bigsky2025.com/biggest-alpine-experience.html

And looks like the Ramcharger lift will be moved over to Shedhorn, which will be a 4-seat detachable quad:

http://bigsky2025.com/speed-at-shedhorn.html

Good to have more of the lift replacement plan implemented. Interesting that Swifty reliability/redundancy isn't being addressed. An 8 pack on Andesite seems like overkill, like the 6 pack Powder Seeker. Big Sky clientele suffers when Swifty of the 6 Shooter have issues. Sheddy is long in the tooth having been a recycled lift and suffered avalanche damage, but a detachable quad seems like it will be more prone to wind holds. On with the new!

 

[skidrew]

Good to have more of the lift replacement plan implemented. Interesting that Swifty reliability/redundancy isn't being addressed. An 8 pack on Andesite seems like overkill, like the 6 pack Powder Seeker. Big Sky clientele suffers when Swifty of the 6 Shooter have issues. Sheddy is long in the tooth having been a recycled lift and suffered avalanche damage, but a detachable quad seems like it will be more prone to wind holds. On with the new!

Yeah, Swifty definitely should be more of a priority. But my guess is that they have a plan to build a gondola to replace Explorer in the next 3 years (it will go up to Tram with midstation(s) maybe at top of current explorer and near Powderseeker - not exactly clear). So they figure they can get 2-3 more years from current Swifty, then they'll have redundancy, and can replace it after that. Meanwhile, this change gets them both a new Ramcharger and a "new" lift at Shedhorn.

I suspect the 8-place is a promotional effort by Dopplemayr - wouldn't surprise me if Big Sky originally planned a 6-place and DM said "we'd love to introduce this 8-place product in US"