Montana wraps up a great ski season.

[Ronbo]

400-500 inches of snow at many resorts this winter. Lot's of powder days. You need to Ski Montana if you get out west next winter. Go to this link and on the map below click on each resort to get info and trail map.

http://wintermt.com/dhski.htm

http://wintermt.com/dhski/images/areamap.gif

Just a few minutes from Missoula there is a new resort under development. It will be a World Class destination Resort with a village, hotels, condos, homes, and a Golf Course. It will be the largest Mountain in North America with a skiable vertical drop of 5,555 feet.

http://www.skibitterrootresort.com/art/Sidebar2Large.gif

[CopperCat]

The guy who is building that new resort needs to take a hike. People like him are the reason that it is so hard to live in Montana. Take that trash back to California.xnonono2x

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

With that much snow, why is the season over? Just curious because we've still got a few places going strong in New England.

[Hansel]

Just a few minutes from Missoula there is a new resort under development. It will be a World Class destination Resort with a village, hotels, condos, homes, and a Golf Course. It will be the largest Mountain in North America with a skiable vertical drop of 5,555 feet.

http://www.skibitterrootresort.com/art/Sidebar2Large.gif

is there a lot of skiable terrain not visible on the map?

Doesn't look like it has nearly as many runs as Big Sky

[AZGrizFan]

is there a lot of skiable terrain not visible on the map?

Doesn't look like it has nearly as many runs as Big Sky

Hansel---not as many runs, but larger vertical drop. IMHO, that resort is a JOKE. There is no friggin' WAY he's gonna get enough snow in Lolo to ski on a regular basis. I think McClay is smoking some serious crack if he thinks that thing is gonna be a money maker. He's essentially ruining the Bitterroot by putting that crap there. I'd REALLY like to know how he got that past zoning....xcoolx xcoolx xcoolx xcoolx

[Cleets]

My Dad thinks it's a great idea... xeyebrowx
and he lives in Missoula

(What gives)

[AZGrizFan]

My Dad thinks it's a great idea... xeyebrowx
and he lives in Missoula

(What gives)

I've got LOTS of relatives up and down the Bitterroot, and they all think it's an eyesore and gonna end up a big white elephant. That area just doesn't get enough snow on a regular basis. Hell, this year he was snow-catting people up to Lolo Peak to get them skiing...that's an expensive proposition!

It'll go belly up, just like Marshall Ski Area did (and for the same reasons---not enough snow!)

[CopperCat]

My Dad thinks it's a great idea... xeyebrowx
and he lives in Missoula

(What gives)

Unless he's a native of MT (which is highly improbable) I would say that he doesn't fully understand the folly of the whole situation.

[DuckDuckGriz]

I have been driving by that now for about three years and it is a major eyesore from Highway 93.

[grizband]

With that much snow, why is the season over? Just curious because we've still got a few places going strong in New England.
Its primarily the insurance costs, which must be renewed longer if the mountains stay open. The number of skiers late in the season does not meet the high costs, so resorts, especially the smaller hills, would stand to lose money.

[Grizalltheway]

The guy who is building that new resort needs to take a hike. People like him are the reason that it is so hard to live in Montana. Take that trash back to California.xnonono2x

Agreed. Big Sky has good snow and some cool runs, but seeing all of those condos and ***** just makes me sick to my stomach. I'll take Bridger any day, especially from a cost standpoint. xnodx

[Ronbo]

With snowmaking on the lower third of the Mountain there isn't any worry about snow. The owner has said he will have deals on season tickets for locals so it will be affordable. I think I read one day tickets will be quite a bit cheaper than Big Sky. More in the Big Mountain/Silver Mountain range. It will be a good source of jobs for the area and that's good for the economy as well as the 1000's of visitors it will bring in to the area. I'll guarantee the restaurant owners, motel owners, and shop owners are behind it.xnodx And the local skiers that are tired of waiting 25 years for Snowbowl to even put in a new lift.

[brownbear]

Agreed. Big Sky has good snow and some cool runs, but seeing all of those condos and ***** just makes me sick to my stomach. I'll take Bridger any day, especially from a cost standpoint. xnodx

Compared to resorts in Colorado and Utah, Big Sky is at least 10-15 years behind in development, and the place will never be as crowded as the Colorado and Utah places unless access to Big Sky is improved. If Bozeman's airport gets bigger and flights get less expensive (they are several hundreds of dollars higher than flights to Denver and SLC), then Big Sky will become like those resorts.

I went to Big Sky in January this year, and I thought it was great. Zero lift lines, tons of snow, giant mountain.