Showdown Ski
Area : Review.gif)
 |
| Showdown
Ski Area, seen from the base lodge |
Showdown
ski area is one of the lesser known ski areas in Montana – at
least to people from out of state. Showdown ski area, like
most of the other ski areas in Montana, draws primarily
local skiers to its slopes – particularly from the
Great Falls area. For those unfamiliar with the location
of the ski area, Showdown is located on the top of Kings
Hill Pass, just off of US Highway 89 – just a bit
south of the small town of Neihart and North of White Sulphur
Springs. Great Falls, the nearest large city, is about
65 miles and an hour and a half drive away.
Showdown
ski area is not a huge ski area – but I wouldn’t
call it small anymore either. A recent expansion and the
addition of a new lift opened up quite a bit more terrain
on the mountain. Currently, Showdown has 2 chair lifts, two
surface lifts and covers about 600 acres. Showdown doesn’t
have a killer vertical, only 1400 vertical feet, but it does
receive a decent amount of snow – on average 240 inches
of snow each year.
| Showdown Vital
Statistics |
| Snowfall
: |
240
inches |
| Acres
: |
600 |
| Vertical
Feet : |
1400
ft |
| #
of Lifts : |
1
Triple Chair,
1 Double Chair,
2 Surface Lifts |
| Terrain
: |
30%
Beginner, 40% Intermediate, 30% Expert |
|
What
Showdown ski area may lack in terms of sheer size and vertical,
though, it makes up for in its wide variety of
terrain. Whether you are an expert or beginner skier or snowboarder,
Showdown has a great trail network to explore – and
at affordable prices, too. And, owing to the out of the way
location of the ski area, crowds (and thus lift lines) are
also generally light to non-existent except for the occasional
busy Saturday during the height of the ski season when groups
from Great Falls can find their way up to the mountain.
Showdown,
like most other ski areas in Montana, is a ski area – not
a ski resort. What this means is that other than a very
nice base lodge and related buildings, there
is no lodging available on the mountain. Indeed, the nearest
lodging is located more than ten miles away, down in Neihart.
 |
| View
from near the summit at Showdown |
Additionally,
before diving into what is important – which
is the skiing of course – a
word should be mentioned about the road that leads up to Showdown ski area. The base
area of Showdown is located at 6800 feet, which is about
3000+ feet higher than the surrounding valleys. As such,
the highway gains a lot of vertical – frequently twisting
around the mountain in the process. Combine that with the
areas snowfall and some occasional high winds and you have
a recipe for an interesting drive up to the ski area. While
the Montana highway department does a decent job of keeping
the road clear – during snowy weather just be prepared
for a longer than normal drive at slower speeds.
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