Mountain Layout—Skiing

Big Sky is excellent for most skiers and snowboarders; however, it doesn't have vast beginner terrain. The black-diamond runs here are solid black, so be careful not to get in over your head. Big Sky gets high marks for no lift lines, magnificent scenery and grooming that isn't overdone. This is a great mountain for groups with members of varying abilities. The lower-level trails are lots of fun for everyone. Bring your camera for those spectacular views.

Here are trail maps viewing the Southern Exposure and the Eastern Exposure.

Expert, Advanced: Most of the runs from the Lone Peak summit are rated double-black diamond—none are easier than a single diamond—and justifiably so. Lone Peak and the immense bowl beneath it beckon skiers and snowboarders looking for powder, chutes, steep pitches and wide-open terrain. Take Lenin into wide-open Liberty Bowl to Dakota Gully to the trees of Bavarian Forest. This makes a long run with lots of challenges. Hippy Highway then funnels you back from the boundary edge to the Shedhorn lift. You must register with the ski patrol to challenge the A-Z Chutes, the Pinnacles and Big Couloir, all formerly out of bounds on the Moonlight Basin side of Lone Peak. (The latter is 42 degrees steep and half-a-mile long). If you want to try this terrain, you have to bring a transceiver, a shovel and a partner. If the tram line is long, take Turkey Traverse and explore South Wall to your heart's content. The vast area on Lone Mountain's north side is where many locals play. The Challenger chair climbs 1,670 steep vertical feet to open hair-raising in-bounds terrain—some of the toughest in-bounds skiing in the country. Steep, long pitches drop down Big Rock Tongue, trees pepper narrow chutes on Little Tree and Zucchini Patch and untracked lines are often found as you traverse toward's Ray's Ridge and the boundary line. Andesite Mountain is a gem of a secret for advanced and expert terrain. It's all below treeline, so you'll find glades like Rock Pocket, Snake Pit and Bear Lair, as well as some bump runs like Mad Wolf and Broken Arrow. For more trees, drop off Pacifier into The Congo, which eventually ends up on Safari. When hunting for the last of the powder, try the glades off the Challenger lift, head to Andesite, especially off the Lone Moose Triple, or leap into Buffalo Jump and Rice Bowl under the Swift Current lift. [TOP]

Intermediate: Big Sky has two mountains, Lone Mountain and Andesite, that connect at the base. The blue-rated trails on both have a wide range in pitch and grooming. Some are kind and rolling, but others—such as the blues in the Shedhorn area—lean toward black. Not all the blue trails are groomed, and some have cat-track runouts or are short. On Lone Mountain, try the groomed cruisers under the gondola and the Swift Current chair, such as Calamity Jane, Huntley Hollow and Lobo. If you want some bowl skiing, head to Upper Morningstar. For advanced-intermediates, trails off the Shedhorn lift are south-facing and get plenty of sun at times when the lower mountain is in the shade. Upper Sunlight to Sunlight is delightful. Views of the backcountry take you a world away from the rest of the resort. On Andesite, skis run fast and long on Big Horn, Elk Park Ridge, Elk Park Meadows and Ambush. The manicured slopes of Tippy's Tumble and Silver Knife have some steep sections. During the spring, hit the trails off the Thunder Wolf quad early in the day before the sun has turned them into heavy mashed potatoes. [TOP]

Beginner, First-timer: The south side of Andesite Mountain is great for beginners because of the wide, gentle slopes and because it gets a lot of sun. Enjoy runs such as Sacajawea, El Dorado and Ponderosa from the Southern Comfort chair. On the way back to the base village, the winding Pacifier lets you admire awesome views. On Lone Mountain, reach gentle rollers such as Mr. K, White Wing and Lone Wolf via the gondola or the Explorer chair. Mr. K gets high traffic as the lifts close down for the day, but it's nice and wide. Though not physically isolated from the rest of the terrain, the learning area, at Lone Mountain's base, is away from high traffic until the end of the day. A moving carpet transports you up the slope to learn your first turns. For the youngest ones, a smaller moving carpet is in a fenced-off area in the base area used by children's ski school. [TOP]