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BS Slarver

Making fresh tracks
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@focker feel free to PM me or try @Talisman for the upgraded tour - Talisman would be my first choice :ogcool:
Depending on weather, temps, viz and /or your ski groups goals and abilities a good overview of the mountains vast regions can be done.
Then again with a day like today you may just want to stay put in one area and lap it till your legs drop off
 

focker

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@focker feel free to PM me or try @Talisman for the upgraded tour - Talisman would be my first choice :ogcool:
Depending on weather, temps, viz and /or your ski groups goals and abilities a good overview of the mountains vast regions can be done.
Then again with a day like today you may just want to stay put in one area and lap it till your legs drop off

I definitely want to have enough time to lap a run we really like several times. That's a must. Powder Seeker and Challenger are the biggest must do's for me on this one. Just trying to fill out the day from there to maximize things.

We'll be staying in Bozeman at a condo. Skiing Bridger the days before/after. I'd like to pick where we ski each of those 2 days based on the snow reports but I think to get way better pricing at Big Sky you have to pre-purchase tickets. That would save us like $160.

We're also skiing Red Lodge for a day on the way out to Bozeman.
 

ejj

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I definitely want to have enough time to lap a run we really like several times. That's a must. Powder Seeker and Challenger are the biggest must do's for me on this one. Just trying to fill out the day from there to maximize things.

We'll be staying in Bozeman at a condo. Skiing Bridger the days before/after. I'd like to pick where we ski each of those 2 days based on the snow reports but I think to get way better pricing at Big Sky you have to pre-purchase tickets. That would save us like $160.

We're also skiing Red Lodge for a day on the way out to Bozeman.

It can be tough to make your game plan too far in advance. The runs under Swifty and Powder Seeker can be really nice first thing in the morning, depending on crowds. They often get a little beat up and won’t be your favorite blue groomer by the afternoon. (like upper Morningstar and Calamity Jane.). Moonlight area has some nice blues that tend to ski well all day long.

If you are concerned about liberty bowl, I don’t think you will enjoy Challenger lift much. If you want to ski the back, you can reach it from the top of Swifty. It is a minor hassle But avoids the tram. The backside is very dependent on snow and temp. If it stays cool and you get some fresh, you will love the trees under Dakota.
 

focker

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It can be tough to make your game plan too far in advance. The runs under Swifty and Powder Seeker can be really nice first thing in the morning, depending on crowds. They often get a little beat up and won’t be your favorite blue groomer by the afternoon. (like upper Morningstar and Calamity Jane.). Moonlight area has some nice blues that tend to ski well all day long.

If you are concerned about liberty bowl, I don’t think you will enjoy Challenger lift much. If you want to ski the back, you can reach it from the top of Swifty. It is a minor hassle But avoids the tram. The backside is very dependent on snow and temp. If it stays cool and you get some fresh, you will love the trees under Dakota.

Sounds like doing Moonlight in the afternoon might be a good plan. After watching a lot of youtube last night I'd like to get into the tress on Andersite for sure as well.

Thanks for the tip on Challenger. I know there is some tough skiing up there, but Highway looks really fun so I'd like to get a couple laps of that in at least, and then move on.
 

ejj

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If you get snow, trees on Andesite are good. Moonlight doesn’t get much direct sun.

Have fun!
 

focker

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If you get snow, trees on Andesite are good. Moonlight doesn’t get much direct sun.

Have fun!

Yeah I've heard on a cold day it can be pretty miserable over there...
 

dovski

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I would not rule out Liberty Bowl, that was the one area we did not ski but should have, it really looked amazing. Definitely hitting next time
 

focker

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I would not rule out Liberty Bowl, that was the one area we did not ski but should have, it really looked amazing. Definitely hitting next time

Too much has to go right for that to work. We'd have to get there early enough to avoid the line that forms, and we're driving from Bozeman that morning to get there. Conditions need to be right to even ski the bowl. etc, etc... It's just not that big of a deal for my family with so much other stuff to do there.

I'd hate to spend an hour doing that when I could be racking up runs in another area instead.
 

BS Slarver

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@focker - 3/11 and 3/12 are both weekdays so chances are good you will be able to walk on the tram and or no lift lines at most spots.

Tramfrenze usually only on weekends or when we get fresh snow.
Best thing about BS is ...... it’s BIG !
If one area isn’t skiing good you just move to another peak.
 

dovski

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@focker - 3/11 and 3/12 are both weekdays so chances are good you will be able to walk on the tram and or no lift lines at most spots.

Tramfrenze usually only on weekends or when we get fresh snow.
Best thing about BS is ...... it’s BIG !
If one area isn’t skiing good you just move to another peak.
I will second that. On Tuesday we were able to walk on the tram without any wait. We ended up riding it down which was a big mistake as liberty bowl looked amazing. That said our entire sojourn up and down only took about 20 min and the view was definitely worth it.
 

Lofcaudio

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How challenging is the Liberty Bowl terrain? How does it compare to Rendezvous Bowl at JH? I'll be out there in a month and am wondering if I have what it takes to ski off of the Tram.
 

Jack skis

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When I spent winters at Big Sky Liberty Bowl was a long, pretty steep, exposed (above tree line), bump run with no place to really relax. For me, the day had to be clear, no flat light or storm going on. In my opinion the two disagreeable parts of it were the traverse from the Tram which was most often rocky, and the very last part of the Bowl which narrowed down and could get crowded. G. and I would usually stay to the skiers right there and ski onto the ridge a ways and then drop down (to our left a good pitch and sorta fun) to leave the Bowl. I was just an adequate skier and could ski it, and had a friend or two who skied it with less skill than I possessed. I've not skied JH so can't compare to Rendezvous. My bet is that you'll enjoy Big Sky, including Liberty Bowl.
 

focker

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I have no doubt I could ski Liberty, just having watched many youtube video's of it. My fear is I bring my wife in there and start going down it and she's not having any fun doing it. She doesn't have a ton of experience on bumps or long steep runs. Short steep runs? Yes, but no long ones. If the conditions were right I have no doubt the whole family could do it and have a blast.

Taking the tram up for the view would be cool though. Maybe we'll do the 2:30 deal and get some pics up there if it's a clear day.
 

TonyPlush

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How challenging is the Liberty Bowl terrain? How does it compare to Rendezvous Bowl at JH? I'll be out there in a month and am wondering if I have what it takes to ski off of the Tram.
From my memory (First trip to JH in January last year, first trip to Big Sky in March) they are nearly identical. If you can ski Rendezvous with confidence you should be fine skiing Liberty.

The major difference being that Liberty is about twice as long. Although in my memory, Rendezvous felt steeper overall, but that could also just be because I skied it first, earlier in the season. According to the Fatmap stats, Liberty is actually slightly steeper (38 degrees max vs. 33 max at Rendezvous) but I do seem to remember Liberty flattening out slightly after the first half.

In any case, Liberty is a truly unforgettable experience! And it’s worth pushing yourself for! (Just be sure to hit it in good visibility... after an amazing bluebird run, I went back for round 2 in a whiteout - a horrible decision...)
 

Talisman

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Keep in mind that sun, wind and new snow can make skiing Liberty Bowl fun or not. A refrozen sunscorched Liberty Bowl may actually be more challenging than skiing Marx or Lenin which are steeper and don't face directly south so can have better snow.
 

focker

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Keep in mind that sun, wind and new snow can make skiing Liberty Bowl fun or not. A refrozen sunscorched Liberty Bowl may actually be more challenging than skiing Marx or Lenin which are steeper and don't face directly south so can have better snow.

Was hoping you would pop into the thread again. Any thoughts on how to maximize 1 day skiing BS? Areas to avoid to save time, etc?
 

Talisman

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Any thoughts on how to maximize 1 day skiing BS? Areas to avoid to save time, etc?
PM BS Slarver or me right before you get here to get the an update on where the best snow is located. With the size and various aspects of BS some areas will have far better conditions than others. If I am am around I will show you the best lines.
 

Spnole

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I agree w/ Talisman and Bs Slarver -- both of these fellas were a wealth of knowledge and helped me when I visited -- their taste in beer on the other hand..... ;-)
 

milkman

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Yeah, I was out there this past weekend and hear something similar from a few people - basically the runs off the peak have a base that's not really holding new snow well, so if they're open they're mediocre. Or they're just not open.

But F-S-Sun were great - the 6+ inches on Thursday provided some lovely turns all over the hill. Avoided getting stuck in the Shedhorn shutdown on Sunday - we got to ride the lift to the top and ski out, but others weren't so lucky and had to hike back out to Cow Flats to ski down to the main base. Several people were telling me the old Ramcharger lift was, well, old and a bit wonky.

If it hasn't been said clearly, Swiftcurrent replacement starts the day after they close . . . a race against time, but expectation is the 6 seat bubble will be turning on Thanksgiving (snow conditions permitting).
 
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