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Northern Rockies/Alberta Beartooth Pass basin “resort”
- Thread starter Slim
- Start date
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- beartooth basin
There is a chairlift that's open in the spring when the road is open but no RESORT. I've never skied there but I understand it may be great, at times. The resort opens in the spring because the road doesn't open until the spring.
No chairlift. Two poma lifts, one running about half way up, the other one running from about 1/3 of the way up to the top. Parking and all "amenities" are at the summit. It looks a bit like Tuckerman's Ravine, complete with massive cornices along much of the ridge line.
Fun place, but not for the timid.
Fun place, but not for the timid.
Lots of the higher elevation terrain along the highway between Red Lodge and Cooke City also gets hit once the road opens up in the spring, which may not occur until June. In addition, that highway makes for a great road bike ride pre-summer-tourist season. Plenty of places to free/wild camp on National Forest land not far out of Red Lodge although, on weekends when the weather is nice, large numbers of Billings residents migrate to that area to recreate.
Usually a couple of non-blind entrances to the main slope develop in quick order, which allows the less-adventurous to get into the area. I've been told that it's not uncommon for younger kids doing their first summer camp to need psychological assistance getting to the training lanes (which are lower and not as steep). The training lanes and park are probably the most challenging-to-access blue-square terrain in the country, but I've definitely seen people lapping there who didn't look entirely comfortable on the steep stuff. It's a pretty welcoming scene, because those of us who are crazy enough to pay to ski in June and July on the side of the road in Montana tend to have more in common than not.
But as noted, definitely not a resort. Unless you count parking your camper at the top, there's no slopeside lodging, there's definitely not running water, and it's advisable to have your own backup supply of TP in case the port-a-lets are out. I believe they do have a small F&B and retail operation out of an old concession truck (been over a year since I was out there).
Opening weekend often feels a lot like Tucks, particularly between the Basin and the other roadside, non-lift-served options on the Pass.
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2016
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- 430
Taken june 2014 during the week. Not much of a crowd. Was there end of June this year. (gotta remember to get pics off my camera!) Lot of Red Lodge locals and folks having a good time. Traditional road open is Memorial Day W/E but last year the wyoming side was closed a bunch cuz its thru Jellystone and the Wyoming road boys didnt wanna plow. Didn't open until second week in June or so. The place is cool- Used to be a summer race camp started by Pepi Granshammer,Andreas Molterer and Eric Sailer back in the 60's.
It’s on ! That’s the road today
They've got at least one of those, a wedge plow on a piece of heavy equipment, and then some. At some point, they had posted some discussion of the process, but I can't remember if it was a separate thing or just part of one of the regular videos.
If ever there was a road that invited causing avalanches on the part you just did (down below) this is it. There are 3 or 4 sections of that highway that look something like this.
