Moolight Basin, MT

Skiing at Moonlight Basin was exceptional. I cannot even fathom where to start. Montana is a very special place. Once I touched down in Bozeman (the airport about an hour drive from Moonlight/Big Sky) I saw something I had never before encountered in my travels. More on this in a bit…

I will no doubt get everything I would like into this post, but since there is not a whole lot to be had right now in New England I figure I would get this out there for everyone. Obviously, there will be more on Montana to follow, it was grand.

the A 2 Z shoots in the backdrop at Big Sky

First Impressions: You only get one shot at them and when I arrived in MT; at an unreasonably late hour, I was thrilled to be only one step away from the bed I would call home for the next four nights. What I saw on the ride from Bozeman airport to Moonlight Basin was awesome, in Montana they have combine the gas station, family restaurant and casino into a single enterprise. Is this brilliant or what? I knew things where going to be just fine when I saw four of these establishments within a mile. Between them there was a Walmart and a store called Stoves and Stuff. That is living.
deep pow at the top of the North Summit Snowfield

The reason I went out there was to attend a Ski Clinic run by Dan Egan. I highly recommend that any skier looking to sharpen their skills on the snow sign up for one of these Ski Clinics. Best bet if you are not looking to board a plane would be next weekend at Sugarbush, if they are not sold out…check the website for more information www.skiclinics.com. These clinics are a first class operation, undoubtedly attending a session will be one of the most memorable ski experiences you have ever had.
It was the first time Mr. Egan operated one of his clinics out of Moonlight Basin. The destination was chosen for several reasons. The foremost is that the resort has one of, if not the, loosest (a very good thing) terrain policies around.
The clinics are all about extreme skiing. Moonlight allows their guests to ski stuff on which other areas will only let you look at. You are required to be well equipped with avalanche gear and knowledge of the mountain before you drop in, the ski patrol will be more than happy to help you. I have never visited a ski area before where they (the patrol) had such a strong presence. It will not be hard for you to hook up with any of them on the hill.
case in point the Headwaters, beautiful terrain

The Resort: Moonlight Basin has teamed up with Big Sky and combined (you can buy a Lone Peak pass which get you access to everything they both offer) the two are one of the best skiing destinations in the country, dare I say world! The place is massive and has more than enough trails for every type of skier. There you will also discover a ton of excitement off the slopes, nothing over the top, but a great night life and it is considered one of the last ‘true’ places to really ski bum.
Tip – first timers, talk to the shuttle bus driver, they will let you know what is up or rahter down.
The accommodations at Moonlight were exceptional. The ski in and out condominium I stayed at was top notch. The unit was a 3 bedroom with 3.5 baths and easily a couple thousand square feet. It had everything you could put on the list for a ski condo; hot tub, laundry, full kitchen, fireplace, decks, a grill, state of the art electronics, etc…
Waking up to the Montana sunrise in luxury is really the best way to begin a day on the mountain. The base lodge was insane, brand new timber construction with 60 foot ceilings and some of the best food I have ever had at any ski area. Never made it to any of the health club facilities, but from those I spoke with that did, they are on par with everything else the resort does, and it is all exceptional.
sunrise from the condo

The Ski Clinic: When you enroll in one of Dan Egan’s Ski Clinics bring you A game. What you can expect is individual instruction from some of the best free skiers on the planet. These coaches have resumes that would make most skiers envious. From Warren Miller films to first descents of mountains all over the planet, the real deal. They make their living skiing.
The Clinic is a far cry from any type of lesson you would sign up for with a ski area. In fact the guys that coach them are brought into mountains all over the country to advise ski schools on better teaching techniques. One of the things we worked on at Moonlight included self arresting in different types of situations (one ski on, no skis on, sliding down a steep pitch on your back). We also focused a lot on skiing steep, challenging terrain and how center your balance in variable conditions. Dropping cliffs and skiing trees were also covered extensively. Mostly though, the coaches focus on individual’s technique and work with that person to reach skiing goals.
For me one of the coolest and most rewarding parts of the program is the video session. For a portion of the day ever skier, including the coaches are captured skiing on film. Later in the evening everyone reconvenes at which point you watch yourself and everyone else ski. This is a blast, people critique one anothers form and style. It very positive. You would be surprised to see yourself making turns if you never have. It is natural for your perception of yourself to be different than reality.
this dude is 15 years old, his father and uncle brought him to the clinic and here we see him hucking a drop in Lone Tree

These Ski Clinic’s are well worth attending and I promise that you will emerge a better, smarter and stronger skier.
The Mountain: WOW! Big, Steep and as impressive as any I have ever skied. Honestly, Moonlight combined with neighbor Big Sky is not taking a back seat to anything else out there. If I had to take a guess I would estimate I skied somewhere around 65,000 vertical feet in the three days. My legs were whipped. It was awesome! The snow was fantastic and it snowed every day I was there. Conditions were epic the first day and continued to improve throughout the weekend.
On Friday we took a run from the top of Lone Peak to the bottom of Moonlight Basin. The ski patrol opened the terrain specially for the group participating in the clinic. Starting at an elevation of 11,166 feet we made our way down the North Summit Snow field and into The Rips (sick terrain) followed by a couple thousand feet of tree skiing and powder laden trails. At the bottom we all realized we had just taken a 4,000 plus foot run of vertical in conditions that were surreal. It was a whiteout at the top and the wind was driving the snow as hard as you can imagine, it was also cold. But it was one of the best runs I have ever been on in my life.
whiteout on the summit of Lone Peak

If you have the opportunity to go West and ski I would highly recommend Moonlight as a destination. It is not the easiest place in the ski world to get to, so take an extra day or two out there, and enjoy. The place is wonderful. If I ever win the Lotto and need a place to relocate for a few winters, it would be on the top of my list.
Think Snow!
photos ~ S.G.