Big Mountain Ski Resort:
A Mountain As Big As Its Name
While Big Mountain is still a bit of a secret, it has been discovered by skiers and riders drawn here not just by the remoteness, but also by the no-frills, laid-back spirit of its people. Many locals fled other resorts that used to be like this, and they are the guiding force behind helping the ski area develop in ways that compliment its character.
Big Mountain Ski Resort
Montana
Address: P.O. Box 1400
Whitefish, MT 59937
Ski area phone: (406) 862-2900
Snow report: (406) 862-7669
Toll-free reservations:
(800) 858-4152
E-mail: info@bigmtn.com
Internet:
www.bigmtn.com (resort)
www.stayatbigmountain.com (lodging guide)
The resort, in the far northwest corner of Montana near the Canadian border, is as big as its name, especially since it has a generous out-of-bounds policy. The uninhabited territory surrounding it is vast too: Every which way you look, Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, the Flathead National Forest and the Canadian Rockies thrust jagged peaks into the sky, split by wide valleys filled with lakes and rivers. In fact, the combination of mountain protection and the thermal effect of the lakes and rivers mean you’ll find a surprisingly pleasant climate considering the area is so far north. Like most ski resorts near national parks, the majority of visitors come in the summer months, so winter is wonderfully uncrowded.
The mountain is well-balanced for all abilities, particularly now that the resort is overhauling the beginner area. What this means is families will find this resort to be an absolute joy to visit. Mixed groups can ski together, since advanced and expert terrain drops off the intermediate trails and eventually meets back up again. While beginners can’t ski from the summit, they are in an isolated area that friends and family can easily access to check in and share a few runs, even meet for lunch, before heading back to the summit.
The base area, Big Mountain Village, is fairly small and includes hotels, condos, restaurants and bars. It’s a bit of a hodgepodge now, due to the area’s development over time since skiers first cut trails in 1937, but that will change if the new Master Plan is accepted. It would be a real feat to spend an entire visit in the village, simply because of limited services, but even if you could, you wouldn’t want to do that. Whitefish, a quaint historic railroad town just 8 miles down the mountain, is part of the vacation experience. The town is home base for many summer visitors and is well-equipped to handle a broad variety of expectations.
The region’s famous “snow ghosts”—trees laden down with snow and frost—create an otherworldly environment of monsters and giants populating the highest sections of the mountain.
The weather patterns of the Rockies and the Pacific Northwest collide here to create what is coined “inland maritime.” The region’s famous “snow ghosts”—trees laden down with snow and frost—create an otherworldly environment of monsters and giants populating the highest sections of the mountain. Snow is abundant, but sometimes heavy, and you won’t find the sunshine that makes the southern Rockies so popular. It’s not uncommon to have fog, sometimes so thick you could slice it with a knife, but you can usually find an area of the mountain where the visibility is just fine.
The biggest news for 2006/07 is a new, larger day lodge has been constructed on the site of the old Outpost Lodge, where the beginner area is. The 35,000-square-foot, full-service lodge has ticket sales, rentals, the Kid’s Center, the Snowsports Center and a cafeteria (note that at the beginning of this season, the Kid’s Center and Snowsports Center are still in the upper village while construction continues, but that could change later in the season). In conjunction with this development, a new beginner chair and more beginner terrain have been added. This expansion is on top of regrading done in 2005 to make beginner trails here easier and the addition of a moving carpet for first-time skiers and riders. All this development is part of the new Master Plan to create a more unified base village and skier plaza.
Exploring the Mountain
It’s not unusual for the snow conditions on the back side of the mountain, aptly named North Side, to have better conditions and more powder, since the exposure helps preserve the snow. Especially in the spring, when the front side can get mushy or is still crunchy from thawing and freezing, North Side is the better bet. You might even find it’s snowing on the North Side when it’s not on the front side.
The mountain entices the adventurous with its seemingly endless tree skiing and riding.
Big Mountain is a big hit with expert and advanced skiers and riders because of its generous out-of-bounds policy. The boundaries embrace 3,000 acres of terrain and another 1,000 acres are within the resort’s permit area. The mountain also entices the adventurous with its seemingly endless tree skiing and riding. Intermediate trails here follow the ridges and all advanced and expert lines drop off those ridges.
Most experts make a beeline to East Rim, where you also can tackle First Creek and North Bowl Chute (a.k.a. N.B.C.). This area has cliffs, but nothing you can’t get around so there’s no mandatory air unless that’s what you’re seeking. If you want, you could easily spend all day here and not explore it all. Don’s Descent, farther down off Russ’s Street, is heavily treed. The other double-diamond area that’s fun to get lost in is Picture Chutes. It’s not obvious because it’s out of bounds, but shoot up to Radio Tower off Gray Wolf to find deep powder in short steeps that drop you unceremoniously back onto Gray Wolf, then shoot into the trees on and around Bighorn for more untracked steep and deep adventure.
Throughout the entire Good Medicine, North Bowl and Hellroaring Basin areas you’ll find fields of powder and thousands of trees just begging for your attention. Want dense trees that open up into some rollicking powder fields? Try The Back 9, Connie’s Coulee and Fault 2 or Fault 3 into Haskill Slide. If you don’t want to see any wide-open spaces, head to Stumptown, Window Pane or Teepee. When the snow’s right, hop a cornice into the trees of Elephant’s Graveyard. Just know that runs to skier’s right off The Glacier Chaser end up on Russ’s Street, a long cat track back to the front of the mountain.
Hellfire, the resort’s longest trail at 3.3 miles, winds all the way around Hellroaring Basin for a real leg-burner and fabulous views.
It’s tough for intermediates not to have fun here, half the mountain is rated just for you. From The Glacier Chaser head for meandering trails on the North Side, or try Toni Matt, The Big Ravine, Inspiration and MoeMentum (Olympic downhill champ Tommy Moe’s namesake) for top-to-bottom trails cut for arcing big turns. Hellfire, the resort’s longest trail at 3.3 miles, winds all the way around Hellroaring Basin for a real leg-burner and fabulous views.
If visibility is low at the summit, dip into the tree-lined 1,000 Turns, just off Toni Matt, which dumps you back onto the lower part of The Big Ravine. It’s also easier to see on the North Side, off Bigfoot T-bar or in the area around Chair 2, simply because these parts of the mountain are not above treeline.
Lower-intermediates should take a few laps off Chair 2 or Heaven’s T-bar to warm up for the much longer runs off The Glacier Chaser. Then head to the three low-intermediate trails on the south face above Russ’s Street, all served by the Bigfoot T-bar. You should now be ready for the North Bowl. Just beware that the upper part of MoeMentum can develop big bumps later in the afternoon.
Advanced-intermediates should be able to tackle any of the groomed single-diamonds or try dipping into Ptarmigan Bowl, which has easy bailouts.
Big Mountain is making huge improvements to the beginner area, including a new day lodge, a new lift and more terrain.
For 2006/07, Big Mountain is making huge improvements to the beginner area, including a new day lodge—with the Kids’ Center and Snowsports Center—a new lift and more terrain. The bulk of the beginner trails are here and under Chair 3, a bit higher on the mountain. The runs in the beginner area inspire confidence and smiles. If you’re adventurous, work your way over to Chair 3, Easy Rider and Heaven’s T-bar, where you’ll also find the main base village. When you want to return to the day lodge, take the meandering Home Again.
There is no beginner way down from the top of the mountain. If you really want to go to the summit, the meandering Russ’s Street is the easiest blue-square trail down—it has intermediate pitches at the top but turns into a beginner trail near the bottom. On the North Side, Caribou is a lovely beginner run but also requires skiing part of a blue-rated trail that is marked a slow zone (the trail map is confusing as to whether this blue trail is Russ’s Street or MoeMentum, just follow the markers for those trails and you will see the trail sign for Caribou and Chair 7/Big Creek Express).
A wonderful learning area with gentle trails is under Chair 6, away from other skiers and riders. In addition, a moving carpet makes it pretty easy for you to get up the hill during the first few times on skis.
Snowboarders should know that if you’re working your way back from the part of the mountain served by Russ’s Street, you can avoid long flats by dropping down Expressway and either taking Chair 4 or Chair 6 back up the mountain. Beginners will probably have problems carrying speed on the green-circle Home Again when trying to return to the beginner-area day lodge.