Northern Rockies/Alberta Big Sky 2020-2021

[sparty]

Just factor it in to the cost of your ski trip. Life is too short to be skiing old skis. Lone Peak is a giant pile of rocks; you will enjoy yourself (and the mountain) more if you relax your ptex standards.

You'll also do far less damage if you stop giving a damn when you do it. It seems a little crazy, but I think part of it is realizing that once you're completely screwed on line choice, just go with it—don't try to turn or stop after you realize you're in a rock field, unless you absolutely have no other choice.

 

[ejj]

I’m surprised the deck at Everett’s isn’t open. Wouldn’t take much staff and offers another location.
Holiday sized crowd at lower elevations in BS today.

I think anytime we get snow these days the slopes will be more crowded. Plus weekend. Plus people are already there for ski week.

I suspect the outdoor grill at Everett’s relied too much on interior support that isn’t available right now? As a consumer I’d love to have a burger or brat on the deck nearly everyday. My only real complaint at BS is food options on the mountain. Miss the burrito shack.

 

[Tiki]

I think anytime we get snow these days the slopes will be more crowded. Plus weekend. Plus people are already there for ski week.

I suspect the outdoor grill at Everett’s relied too much on interior support that isn’t available right now? As a consumer I’d love to have a burger or brat on the deck nearly everyday. My only real complaint at BS is food options on the mountain. Miss the burrito shack.

Lack of staffing is what kept Everett’s closed this season. Even in high cotton years, Boyne never took advantage of the deck’s ease of access and appeal in winter after they bought it. Forcing an additional 200+ people per day to an already packed base in search of food and beverage seems ridiculous in light of the public health crisis. Accessing the resort owned food options is a dismal experience.

 

[skidrew]

I think anytime we get snow these days the slopes will be more crowded. Plus weekend. Plus people are already there for ski week.

I suspect the outdoor grill at Everett’s relied too much on interior support that isn’t available right now? As a consumer I’d love to have a burger or brat on the deck nearly everyday. My only real complaint at BS is food options on the mountain. Miss the burrito shack.

Yeah, they definitely need to work on that. And closing the burrito shack didn't help (though I heard the problem was staffing it - or the owner had a problem staffing it).

As for Everett's, seems like they want to make that a "premium" experience, which means having a crowded deck (in non-Covid times) isn't in line. That said, there's no reason in my mind it couldn't operate as both. The indoor dining room can remain "premium" (whether just for dinner or also lunch) while they can have a deck, and perhaps even space around it, for more casual fare. Same kitchen can serve both (the Summit has one kitchen for both the restaurant and the bar).

Big Sky 2025 promises better on-mountain dining options, but clearly this isn't the year for introducing that. But hopefully they can do some more Shedhorn Grill type places soon. The area near Powderseeker where the bathrooms are would be great for something more significant - they already have water up there - and is accessible of course from Swifty and probably would be once they install the Explorer gondola replacement that's supposed to land somewhere up in that area. Though I would guess that's in the plans for a comprehensive development of that area with ski school as well.

 

[dbostedo]

The area near Powderseeker

A little restaurant off Powderseeker with those views would be awesome.

 

[skidrew]

A little restaurant off Powderseeker with those views would be awesome.

Tho I realize would suck on a windy day where it's whipping snow up the hills.

Would also be cool for après ski - keep it open until 4:30 or 5 (later in season) and let folks ski down Mr. K (close the rest to make it easy on patrol).

 

[Talisman]

In non-food related Big Sky news the last few snow events have filled in most of the mountain and I haven't clacked scree or thumped wood in a few days. So come get some.

 

[amjgt]

Moonlight eats will be at Headwaters at Madison Base. There’s outdoor seating there. If you paid for access to Moonlight Lodge with your rental, there’s an outside deck to use there too. Vista Hall at Big Sky base has upstairs outdoor seating regardless of your feelings about Vista Hall, it is still outdoor space. As mentioned, Everett’s (and Andiamo) are closed for the season.

I'm staying near Moonlight Lodge starting next weekend, and with Covid, it's restricted to only members. No condo renter day passes this season

 

[amjgt]

As for on-mountain food options, the last time we were in Big Sky 2019 we did Yeti Dogs for a couple quick lunches. Both the kids and adults enjoyed it. It's at the main base, I think right next to the demo rentals, and looks like it's operating this winter.

 

[BS Slarver]

In non-food related Big Sky news the last few snow events have filled in most of the mountain and I haven't clacked scree or thumped wood in a few days. So come get some.

Come and get some scree or wood, you bet!
Skipping off the top of the fence rails on south glades, does that count
What’s up in Dakota Tman ? When that spins again its going to be amazing, no tracks in 4 days and 3’
From my house it sounds like they are pounding that zone again.
Anyone around to hear the 10 bombs in succession Sunday ? Man what a cycle and for those willing to get out in these temps you will be rewarded with windy refills. Yesterday in broken femur, aka broken heart it’s like no one skied it at all over the weekend.

 

[mdf]

A rarity to see three people in the Big at the same time . . . !

Different rules seem to apply for Dan. His camp had gone earlier in the day the same day I went.
Actually, I wonder what the normal rules are for instructors... a pair plus an instructor, or is the instructor part of the pair?

When I went we were called back into the waiting shack because the group ahead of us was unclear on how following instructions works. They seemed to have abandoned their place in line, and then suddenly there were four people in the couloir (would have been 6 with us).

 

[OnEdge]

We can hear the charges in the Meadow this morning. Couple of big ones just went off...

 

[skidrew]

I haven't skied the BIg, but thought the rule of 2 was a balance of safety (someone to help) and allowing people to do it without too many restrictions (i.e., don't need 3+), combined with a limited number of slots so folks have enough time to get down before the next group skies up their backs.

I would think with an instructor there's no real reason a larger group couldn't do it, following the same protocol - ski down to the dogleg and wait until all are down, then go one by one to the bottom. Obviously a practical limit because it's presumably not a lot of fun to wait at the dog leg for 5 people to come. And just block out a bit more time for everyone to complete it.

 

[Talisman]

Skipping off the top of the fence rails on south glades, does that count
What’s up in Dakota Tman ?

Ha! I have all the horizontal wood in South Glades memorized from hiking season.

Dakota not running was a wind direction issue for the past 4 days. Today (9 Feb) about 1:00 PM Dakota opened.

The weekenders didn't get too far off the runs near the lifts based on what I have been seeing. Once it warms up a bit, I will be out to chat with lift ops and continuing the quest for fresh.

 

[Beartown]

Was at Big Sky all last week. Low tide to start, but all the snow really made for a great week!

 

[amjgt]

Was at Big Sky all last week. Low tide to start, but all the snow really made for a great week!

Nice. Good video. Looked like a great group. I'll be out there all next week, just as it's warming up out of the deep freeze.

 

[dbostedo]

Was at Big Sky all last week. Low tide to start, but all the snow really made for a great week!

Aw... dammit. Now I want to go back to Big Sky and I can't.

 

[RJS]

Saw this in the WSJ, figured folks on this thread might enjoy reading it. Nothing you haven't heard, or more likely experienced first hand, but it's getting national attention:

Remote Workers Spur an Affordable Housing Crunch in Montana
Bozeman has become a haven for coastal refugees as the pandemic drags on, intensifying a housing crisis for existing residents of the town.

For the white-collar worker fleeing a pandemic-ravaged metropolis, Bozeman has a lot to offer. The Montana city of just under 50,000 is an hour’s drive from the award-winning Big Sky ski resort, and local businesses like the Rocking R Bar and Cactus Records radiate small-town charm. The one thing newcomers won’t be able to escape: big-city prices.

The average rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in Bozeman hit $2,050 a month in early February, a 58% surge from a year earlier, according to rental site Zumper. The cost of a home also jumped by almost 50%, fueled in part by an influx of office types who switched to remote work when cities locked down — and ultimately decided to relocate when it became clear they wouldn’t go back any time soon. “People who can afford it are buying housing sight unseen and driving the cost of housing up,” says Amanda Diehl, a Bozeman native who returned in 2018 and now runs Sky Oro, a women-focused coworking space.

Remote Workers Spur an Affordable Housing Crunch in Montana

Bozeman has become a haven for coastal refugees as the pandemic drags on, intensifying a housing crisis for existing residents of the town.

www.bloomberg.com

 

[skidrew]

^ Link seems to be to a different article. This one?

Remote Workers Spur an Affordable Housing Crunch in Montana

Bozeman has become a haven for coastal refugees as the pandemic drags on, intensifying a housing crisis for existing residents of the town.

www.bloomberg.com

And I had seen one this past fall with much of the same.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/coronavirus-montana-escape-property-gold-rush/2020/10/20/9e36e858-0340-11eb-a2db-417cddf4816a_story.html

Maybe a couple cold winters will clear things out?

 

[AmyPJ]

We took a sleigh ride at the 320 Guest Ranch, and one of the other guests called it "Bozangeles". Further discussion revealed that it's actually Kansans who are taking the #1 spot as those who are moving there. California was like 6th or 8th.