A Trip to The Big Mountain

vdrifter11 · Joined: 09 Dec 2011 Posts: 2034

@ Whitefish, Montana..
We took the free tour..I'm not much on organized
touring but it was fun and informative, and
considering the hideous fog and tricky snow
conditions, it was worthwhile..Basically, you ski
the blue ridges on most sides of the mountain with
the tour "ambassador" who informs you regarding
terrain and safety issues yada yada..It only
takes 1.5 -2 hours tops..GF took my adjustable
poles. Very Happy

The mountain is about the same
size and terrain as Schweitzer, if that helps.

Was chilly @ the summit (6800ft) , with a
brisk wind and no
shortage of fog until the late afternoon..
We skied the "swing shift" ( 1 to eight) cuz we got
there about 1..The weather comes in from
and breaks in the SW, very common for this region..
The sun was just a tease until about 3 the first day.

Looking down @ the shallow end of Whitefish Lake..

The whole lake..Notice the shallow end was still frozen..

Looking straight @ Flathead Lake in the sunshine.. Laughing

Flathead and the valley, again..The mountains
on the east side (left) of the lake are unreal, but
hard to get with a cheap cam when the weather
is against you.

This boarder is lined up with Blacktail, a small resort
just to the west of Flathead..If you go and it's foggy,
just wait it out and ski Blacktail..It's cheap (30 bux)
and easy to get to. It has a northern aspect so it holds
soft snow well and, as you can see, it has little fog issues.
A guy I work with grew up in Kalispell, and he skied and boarded Blacktail long before it ever was a resort..He and
his buddies claim to have "started" it..It's an upside-down mountain. You park up top and ski down to all lifts.

Hellroaring Basin..That trail runs over 3 miles
down into the basin..My gf loved it, so we skied it 3 times.
The skiing was difficult off the trail ..There was some fresh snow but with a funky crust on it. That side closes soon,
for the sake of the Grizzly bears who will soon awaken. Shocked

Random alpine friend.. Laughing

Late afternoon sunshine!..The snow softened
as the weather changed and
had a lot of fun after sundown..

It was chilly up top..Second say we got more sun..

Looking off the back side into Glacier..

Found Jesus skiing in the dark , and
he's missing a hand.
Here's the full and amusing story of how
Jesus got there.
http://www.flatheadnewsgroup.com/whitefishpilot/article_ba7b5336-4c3e-11e1-9f91-0019bb2963f4.html

A few summit ghosts..
Big Mountain would take along time to really
get down..It's a great place, but overcrowded
@ times, too expensive and it feels a bit hurried..
Drinks and food are overvalued as is lodging,
and all the line cutting and other rudeness that comes
with crowds can really by bothersome..Sundays
are much slower than Saturdays, so choose your days
carefully.

_________________
Speak and remove all doubt..
No one cares that you CAN'T tele!

jmedslc · Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 993 Location: BRightOn, UT

LOL

thanks for this.... Idea

_________________
--
'you sound like an english major baffled by simple engineering.'
- Carl

Grant · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 7:15 pm Post subject:

You skied the 3 mile long cat track 3 times! She must be something special.
_________________
Vermont, Canada and Venezuela all offer you the opportunity to live in the socialist, big government paradise you long for.
-Marco Rubio

vdrifter11 · Joined: 09 Dec 2011 Posts: 2034

vdrifter11 · Joined: 09 Dec 2011 Posts: 2034

jonesinski · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 7:24 pm Post subject:

Nice work, Ron. Seriously!

See, you can be a reasonable guy! You look reasonable in that pic (assuming it's you). I would never guess that guy in that picture writes some the stuff which is written in your name!

Are there actually two Rons? Does the devil you speak of take over after dark? Should I write a poem about that?

vdrifter11 · Joined: 09 Dec 2011 Posts: 2034

jmedslc · Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 993 Location: BRightOn, UT

vdrifter11 · Joined: 09 Dec 2011 Posts: 2034

SoulMan · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 8:49 pm Post subject:

I'm headed there next January with my Alpine Skiing buddy. Got a condo for a week for $313.00!

(Been there 4 times now. It's EZ on the train from Edmonds, WA.)
_________________
"That's better than Juicy Fruit with crack rolled up in it." (as I said to my ski buddy after a particularly good powder run.)

vdrifter11 · Joined: 09 Dec 2011 Posts: 2034

SoulMan · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 9:50 pm Post subject:

HOTUNA · Joined: 10 Sep 2011 Posts: 178 Location: 10K

....
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you do stupid shit when you're f*#ked up....Mike Tyson

GoggleTan · Joined: 02 May 2008 Posts: 387 Location: Victor, ID

Nice little TR ya got here ronald. Thanks for sharing.

vdrifter11 · Joined: 09 Dec 2011 Posts: 2034