Weather Catches Up to our Snowjourn

It’s Thursday, our 25th day on this 3,000 mile circle of northwest US/southwest Canada ski areas. Today, the Idaho panhandle, where Schweitzer Basin is situated, has been deluged with a blizzard. Winds over 50 mph, snow piling up on cars, rooftops, swirling around in a wind whipped frenzy. The lifts closed early; some never opened. We sit and watch from our cozy room – and the twenty foot windows of the hotel bar.

Not much to do today but lament on a lost ski day, read, write, consume comfort food and hot toddies. It’s alright. Reflection once in a while is a good thing. I’m reflecting on how uncomfortable I’d be were I outside in this stuff. Sitting on a chairlift freezing my ass off while being pummeled by stinging snowflakes and piercing gale force winds isn’t on my list. Getting off and finding the run I was intending to ski while not being able to see shit isn’t either. Maybe I’ll hit a tree because I can’t see it coming. Yeah, I’m good right here.

Schweitzer is another really fun ski area, as long as you can hit the weather. Sometimes Lake Pend Orielle (pronounced pon do-ray) exerts it’s influence with mild temps and fog, but the area has great open glade and bowl skiing to satisfy anyone. Too bad we missed out this time. No worries – we’ll be back.

Left – The Schweitzer Basin snowstorm from the Humbird hotel lobby; Right – View from our room down to Sandpoint and Lake Pend Orielle.

So, what’s next? Tomorrow we head to Big Sky outside Bozeman, Montana. Only we’re not staying at Big Sky or Bozeman. Instead, we’re hiding out at one of our timeshares in tiny West Yellowstone near the Idaho, Montana, Wyoming border. Another lovely eight-hour drive through what may be challenging weather. This big storm is hitting everything in the region. I hope the worst is over by the time we look to don our skis and hit the slopes.

Days 26 – 29, Big Sky

The drive of eight hours is uneventful, as we zig zag back and forth over the Idaho, Wyoming and Montana state lines along SR200 and I90 through Missoula, Deer Lodge and Butte. Then we drop onto picturesque US287 for the final leg into West Yellowstone, nestled in the little finger of Montana between Idaho and Wyoming. It’ll be a 60 mile drive from here to Big Sky each day, reminding me of the 58 mile Seattle to Hyak drive we used to make when growing up.

Left – US 287 to Big Sky; Center – Landlocked until summer along Earthquake Lake; Right – the Meandering Madison River along US 287

Saturday morning we head to the Madison Base side of the resort. A tip from a fellow chairlift rider at Schweitzer has clued us into parking on this side of the mountain as much less chaotic. Big Sky is huge. We ride one of the heated 6-pack chairs with a retired corporate pilot for the area owners. He verifies Big Sky is bigger than Aspen or Vail. There are chair lifts everywhere. And the spectacular tram to the very tip top of 11,166 foot Lone Mountain is well, nothing short of breathtaking.

About 5″ of new snow has made the skiing perfect. Even on a Saturday, nearly vacant runs abound. Big Sky boasts an astounding 42,000 skiers an hour uphill capacity. We start with the Madison 8 (!) – yes, an eight-passenger, high-speed, heated, bubble-covered, auto-deploying foot-rest ski lift. Chair lift engineering is really incredible these days. We warm up with a leisurely run on Cinnabar, then hit the Challenger quad and the Swift Current and Powder Seeker 6-packs. This day, Calamity Jane and Lobo are our favorite runs with perfect snow and almost no traffic.

We also try the Ramcharger 8 and Southern Comfort quad, but find the further southwest we go the worst the conditions get. So, back around the corner of the mountain to Swift Current. This area is full of great fall line skiing with consistent slopes – just what every skier loves. From the summit run a couple ridges full of triple diamond chutes into both Bowl and Stillwater Bowls. There’s not much left up there though, as most of them have been skied out. I wouldn’t bother, but there are still some thrill seekers going for what little is left. It doesn’t look worth it to me. But then, not my problem.

Left – the Calamity Jane trail and Lone Mountain; Right – some springtime costume event brings out the goofy looks at the top of Powder Seeker.

I’m still working on little technique things. While most people can’t notice, I still feel rust from not skiing for three years. Self-awareness is helping. I’ve found the toes of my right foot tend to curl a bit during initiating a turn, not allowing my arch and forefoot to cleanly, decisively power the edge set. No problem with the left. Surely, it’s related to naturally turning better with the left foot and the recent right knee replacement. It’s good to have the correct feel on the left to compare; I’m getting through it. And this snow is a blast; soft, grippy powder, so easy to ski.

Just before 3pm the wind and flurries start to roll in, so we make our way back to Madison and by 3:30 are back at the base lodge. It’s snowing pretty hard now and the wind has continued to pick up. Not sure if tomorrow will be up to our fair-weather standards. Haha. You can say that when you’re retired and there are lots of ski days behind you and still a fair number ahead.

Sunday morning the storm is still with us. Hard snow and winds up to 60 with low clouds and fog make it a non-starter. We’ll take our chances on Monday and hope the majority of this has blown through.

Day 30 – Saint Patrick’s Day

It’s still snowing Monday morning in West Yellowstone, but the forecast for Big Sky is slightly more optimistic. So off we go to see what the day holds. The 75 minute drive gets more positive the closer we get until we round the corner to see the full mountain below the cloud ceiling. Plus, it’s not snowing. Six to eight inches new snow have made this our best ski day here. While we didn’t get any full-on sunny days, we still had some great skiing, capped off by today. But it is spring and as with all things, this high, too, is fleeting.

As the afternoon wears on the clouds drop a bit and flurries appear around the southwest side of the mountain. As predicted, the wind also picks up a bit. We look at each other and agree to head back around to the Madison side – but not until we squeeze in a couple more runs on Ramcharger before hitting Calamity Jane twice more and then dashing across mountain to the Madison Base and end our last day at Big Sky. A great mountain with a huge variety of runs and nearly endless chutes and lines for untracked powder. It just depends on how much nerve (and skill) you have. A sunny day with new snow here would truly be ski nirvana. If you get a chance, don’t miss giving this place a shot.

Once back in West Yellowstone we cap this Saint Paddie’s Day with Irish Car Bombs at local hangout Bullwinkle’s before hitting the hot tub one last time. Tomorrow it’s on to Sun Valley. Hopefully, we see some sun there. I am a bit apprehensive about how much craziness will surround the World Cup Finals there. Guess we’ll find out.