Big Sky Resort : Skiing Lone Peak

Looking up at the Lone Peak Summit from the Tram station.

On the previous page, an attempt was made to provide a general overview of Big Sky Resort. As mentioned, the mountain is divided into two main areas (the Lone Peak area and the Andesite Mountain area), each of which have several different types of sections. On this and following pages, we shall take a much closer look at the skiing possibilities in each of these sections.

So, let’s get started by looking at the most challenging skiing that is found at Big Sky Resort – the ski trails that head down from the summit of Lone Peak.

Skiing the Lone Peak Summit

The summit of Lone Peak rises to a lofty 11,166 feet. Both the skiing and the views from the summit of Lone Peak are nothing short of fantastic and are discussed on this page. It should be noted that there are no beginner or intermediate trails off the summit of Lone Peak.

Getting to the summit of Lone Peak is an adventure all by itself, as it requires using three lifts. From the base area, you first head up about mid-way up the mountain using either an express quad (the Swift Current Express Quad) or a Gondola (Gondola One). Either way, these lifts deposit you about half way up (distance wise) the mountain.

From there, you then hop on a fixed grip triple chair (the Lone Peak Triple). The Lone Peak triple takes you up to the top of “The Bowl”, which is where some of the finest downhill skiing at Big Sky is located (and is discussed later). “The Bowl” is aptly named – it is a huge expanse of snow surrounded on three sides by the towering summit of Lone Park and the ridgelines that reach up to the summit. For those who like open terrain skiing and are at the advanced intermediate level or higher, “The Bowl” is a MUST place to go.

Yet, if the enticing open bowl skiing found at the top of the Lone Peak Triple chair isn’t enough for you, you can hop on the Lone Peak Tram for a ride to the very summit of Lone Peak. It needs to be noted that this is a tram, not a gondola. What this means is that the Lone Peak Tram has very limited lift capacity. Each tram car (and there are only two of them – one on each end of the cable) has a capacity of 15 people, in theory. The ride time from the bottom tram station to the summit tram station takes only 3 minutes, although after you allow for loading and unloading, it takes closer to 6 or 7. As such, the Lone Peak Tram has a lift capacity of only about 120 people or so an hour. In other words, on busier days or days with fresh powder, be prepared for some lift lines (or get there early).

View from the Lone Peak Summit. Ennis Lake is the body of water in the valley.

Yet, for those patient enough to wait in the line, or lucky enough to avoid it during slow periods, a trip to the summit of Lone Peak is well worth the wait. The views from the summit of Lone Peak are absolutely outstanding. On clear days you can see well over a hundred miles in all directions – with countless mountain ranges (including the far off Tetons) visible everywhere.

Thus, if the weather is clear and you like spectacular views, do yourself a favor by visiting the summit of Lone Peak – even if you have no intention of skiing down it (you can ride the tram back down if your skiing abilities are below what is needed to ski down from the summit – read on for this!).

The skiing off the summit of Lone Peak is not for beginner or intermediate skiers. All trails off of Lone Peak are double diamond (advanced) in difficulty except for one trail (Liberty Bowl), which is single diamond trail (expert). In short, there is no easy way down from the summit of Lone Peak. If you are an intermediate or beginner skier hoping to go to the summit to find a simple traverse down, you’ll be sadly disappointed! Thankfully, you can always take the tram back down if you find the skiing a bit over your head.

The double diamond trails off of Lone Peak are true “double diamonds”, too. Some of these trails approach a gradient of 50 degrees and make their way down through chutes that even mountain goats might be loathe navigating. There is also no going back from these trails – once you are on them, that’s it, you’re committed. And, if the double diamond and “death sign” at the summit isn’t enough of a warning, one mistake on these double diamond trails is likely to lead to some very painful if not fatal falls.

If you plan on skiing down from the summit of Lone Peak, you can go one of several directions. The first route is right back beneath the tram. The second route is to go down the South Face. And the third route is to ski down Liberty Bowl. Each of these routes is discussed below.

Route 1 : Skiing Under the Tram

Looking up at the Crons Pocket and Big Couloir (chute to the right) Ski Trials off the summit of Lone Peak

The first route from the summit is to go right back down underneath the Tram that brought you up to the summit. This is by far the most difficult route down. One false move on the Big Couloir trail can very easily lead to very unpleasant consequences. Thankfully, you can get a good view of the trails and lines on this side of the mountain since they are both easily visible from “The Bowl” and because the tram goes right above it.

There are only two designated trails on the tram side of Lone Peak summit. The first, as mentioned, is Big Couloir, probably the most difficult trail of them all at Big Sky. The second is another almost equally hairy trail called Crons Pocket. What make both of these trails so difficult are the steepness as well as the fact that they are very narrow chutes. These trails are also quite long, too. As such, one fall or bad turn can easily lead to some extremely unpleasant encounters with rocks – so skiing with care sort of goes without saying. And don’t even think of venturing out onto these trails if you are less than a fully accomplished skier or snowboarder.

See Map of Trails Under the Tram and in "The Bowl"

Happily, if you are an advanced skier and want to hit the appealing terrain that is all so visible from the bottom of “The Bowl” or most other places at Big Sky resort for that matter, there are easier – and far safer - ways to get at it.

Next Page : Skiing Lone Peak Summit : Continued...

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