Moonlight Basin Ski Resort : Skiing

The Elkhorn Run and Castle Peak at Moonlight Basin Resort

The lift-served skiing at Moonlight Basin (during the 2003-2004 season) is pretty good but not spectacular by any means. Once the cat-skiing terrain opens up (hopefully in the 2004-2005 season), the skiing should dramatically improve, I think. For clarity, the discussion on this page covers only the lift-served terrain that existed during the 2003-2004 ski season.

The skiing at Moonlight Basin is essentially divided into three areas – the front side, the back side and the Headwaters. Each of these ski sections is discussed below.

Click to See a Moonlight Basin Trail Map (large image)

Skiing Moonlight Basin : The Front Side

The first area at Moonlight Basin is located in front of the Moonlight Lodge. This ski terrain actually is “shared” with Big Sky Resort. This terrain is accessed by the Iron Horse Quad Lift which begins right in front of the Moonlight Lodge. The vertical on this front part of Moonlight Basin is nothing great – only about 850 vertical feet or so.

Terrain consists of a couple of decent expert level trails, a few intermediate trails that are less than spectacular and some nice beginner runs. Except for the expert skier, the terrain on the front side of Moonlight Basin really isn’t used much except for going “back and fort” between the front side and the back side. The bulk of the ski trails on the front side of Moonlight Basin are also very well groomed.

A second chairlift also exists on the front side of Moonlight Basin. This triple chair, which services exclusively beginner terrain, is called the Pony Express lift. If you are a beginner skier, this is an excellent place to learn – as crowds are virtually non-existent and the terrain is just perfect to learn on.

Skiing Moonlight Basin : The Back Side

The back side of Moonlight Basin is where the bulk of the ski trails are found – and is also where all the expansion terrain at Moonlight is located. Currently, the trail network on the back side is pretty limited – consisting of about a dozen ski runs. The ski runs are an equal mix of beginner, intermediate and expert terrain. Most of the ski trails on the back side are also very well groomed.

The Iron Horse Area at Moonlight Basin

The lift-served vertical rise on the back side is a respectable 1850 feet. As such, the ski runs are quite long. I particularly liked the Elkhorn ski trail – which is a nice mix of steep, groomed expert terrain and more level intermediate terrain towards the bottom. The Meriwether ski run is also an enjoyable intermediate ski trail, although it can be pretty flat in spots. Expert skiers will find good terrain on the Runaway ski trail which also has one of the few bumped up areas at Moonlight.

The back side of Moonlight Basin is served by a 6-person High-Speed Quad, called appropriately enough, the “Sixshooter.” This Quad, which resembles more a moving couch than a chairlift, is very fast – even by high-speed quad standards. It is also very comfortable – with nice padding and just the right “tilt” to take away muscle pressure and fatigue. When riding the quad, you get a great view of the whole Moonlight Basin terrain on the back side – including the cat-served terrain.

Beginners will also find good skiing on the back side of Moonlight Basin. A dedicated beginner chair lift is located right next to the base of the Sixshooter chairlift. Several long beginner runs also snake their way down from Moonlight Lodge as well.

Skiing Moonlight Basin : The Headwaters

Stillwater Bowl at Moonlight Basin

The Headwaters is the “radical” skiing section at Moonlight Basin. The Headwaters is essentially a vertical wall of about 1300 vertical feet. To reach the top of the Headwaters requires a pretty steep walk up to the side of the it. From there, you can then drop down into the Stillwater Bowl through a number of exceptionally steep chutes. All of these chutes are true expert terrain. To ski the Headwaters area, just take the Sixshooter chair up to the top and look up – the massive wall you see is the Headwaters. To ski the Headwaters, Moonlight Basin requires that all skiers check in with ski-patrol.

Conclusion

Overall, Moonlight Basin is a nice ski area that has lots of potential. As things stood during the 2003-2004 ski season, the trail network was fairly limited. However, once the cat-skiing terrain gets converted over to lift served terrain in the near future, the trail network at Moonlight Basin will be significantly larger and will have much more variety. If plans hold, this new terrain should be open during the 2004-2005 ski season.

So, the question must be asked. Is Moonlight Basin worth visiting – especially as it lies in the shadow of the giant Big Sky Resort? My answer would be yes. Moonlight Basin has some nice skiing terrain – which will hopefully be much nicer beginning in 2004-2004. While the smaller size and its location right next to Big Sky Resort will never really make Moonlight Basin a true destination ski resort – it is still well worth visiting.

Moonlight Basin is within easy day trip range of Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley. Thus, if you happen to have your skis with you while in the Bozeman area, don’t pass on the opportunity to ski at Moonlight – if only to say you did it! And, if you happen to be spending some time skiing at Big Sky Resort, it would be silly to not head over to Moonlight Basin for a day – if only for some variety and to explore a new and upcoming Montana ski area.

Next Page : Moonlight Basin Lodging

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