2013 EpicSki Gathering: Big Sky Montana! - Page 6

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noodler 

Just thought I'd point out that Easter Sunday is March 31st in 2013.  I think that any week we select can't have Easter Sunday on the beginning or ending weekend or we stand to lose a bunch of people.

Just FYI, Big Sky does have a non-denominational sunrise Easter Service at the on-hill chapel at the base of the Lone Peak Triple... so don't worry about missing church.  If you're worried about not being with your family, that may be a legitimate concern.

Quote:

Originally Posted by qcanoe 


What I was expecting was.... some crack about Mainers calling the kettle black.

That's right where I was gonna go.  Glad you beat me to it ;-)

See this thread started on April 2 with rates for two proposed dates.  Also includes a poll.

http://www.epicski.com/t/111768/big-sky-gathering-dates-prices#post_1451708

Thanks!

Do prices continue to increase as you move earlier in March?  The price difference quoted is modest and might be worth it 3 weeks earlier, if not necessarily only one week earlier.

I believe we'll find that it gets more expensive as we approach MLK Day, which is when most resorts kick into high season prices. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by qcanoe 


What I was expecting was either "people actually live IN Montana," or else some crack about Mainers calling the kettle black. (I LOVED Montana, the one time I was there, btw.)

Aaaaaaaaaaaayuuuuuup. Maine's a nice place, but ya cain't get dere from here. (Probably typing the accent wrong.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnL 

Aaaaaaaaaaaayuuuuuup. Maine's a nice place, but ya cain't get dere from here. (Probably typing the accent wrong.)

 

It's more like "they-ah from he-ah" (emphasis on the first part,not the 'ah')

Thank you! That's what I was looking for.

I've been down in the Mid Atlantic so long, I'm forgetting my New England.

"While wild life is ONE of the attraction of Yellowstone, it's not all. Equally important is hotspring & geysers (Old Faithful etc.). Probably more so for many others. I've been there in the summer, I wouldn't miss either half of it"

"Snowcoach and snowmobile travel ends March 15, 2012."

"I did not find a phone number to ask the Yellowstone question directly.  Perhaps some of the local people know that date for sure."

I can't get the quote mechanism to work, but here is an answer to the three above:

ALL road travel ends in Yellowstone in mid March!!! (the 15th this year). Over the snow travel, snowmobiles and snowcoaches, stops and they begin plowing, but no over road travel is permitted. Yellowstone is CLOSED after the snow travel ends and it doesn't open until it opens for BIKES ONLY (April 1st this year). The Park remains open for bikers for several weeks and then opens again for motor vehicles about the 20th (of April) or so.

So, please, don't plan a Late March trip with Yellowstone as a big factor in your plans!

Quote:

Originally Posted by skibearll 

"While wild life is ONE of the attraction of Yellowstone, it's not all. Equally important is hotspring & geysers (Old Faithful etc.). Probably more so for many others. I've been there in the summer, I wouldn't miss either half of it"

Winter is the best time of year to experience the hotsprings and geysers because the colder, moister air emphasizes the steam. Areas that seem dead in the summer come alive in the winter as every little vent is visible. The summer experience is nowhere near the winter experience.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rio 

 

Winter is the best time of year to experience the hotsprings and geysers because the colder, moister air emphasizes the steam. Areas that seem dead in the summer come alive in the winter as every little vent is visible. The summer experience is nowhere near the winter experience.

You missed my point, Rio, and the quote about the geysers wasn't originally mine. My point was that Yellowstone isn't open in late March!

So, please, if you're counting on a side trip to Yellowstone, your trip needs to be before the 15th of March!

I know it is a SKI gathering, but Yellowstone in the winter should not be missed.  We took a day off to go while at Big Sky in Feb. and it was well worth a day off of skiing.  With no lines at Big Sky or Moonlight, even over President's weekend resting the legs a day was worth it.  Below are a couple of pictures from Yellowstone this winter.

Yes, we rode THROUGH the herd of Bison...a little scary but exciting.

Old Faithful.  Very overcast so not as spectacular as it could have been.

A thermal feature

Oh yea, there is skiing

And the view from the top.

While it is true that the interior of the park closes around mid March, the park road from the north entrance through the park to the northeast entrance is open 365 days a year. Along this road you can soak in the boiling river, tour the mammoth hot springs on skis or foot, see many of the parks wildlife including, Bison, wolves and elk. The road south from Big Sky to West Yellowstone (west entrance) goes through about 20 miles of the park allowing for great ski touring and closer to West, you have a good chance of "driving through a Bison herd" or at least some close viewing. A ski tour along the Madison River from the west entrance gives excellent wildlife viewing.

For me, if I'm going to take a few days off and ski to ski with everyone, it will be best to be late March. 

We had a dry and sunny visit to the park yesterday. The Boiling River was an easy hike on a wide path, but the river itself is treacherous. For those of us not inebriated, it was amusing to watch those who were. We drove up to Mammoth Hot Springs to take a look. The road to Cooke City through the Lamar Valley is open all winter, weather permitting. That's a spectacular trip in any season. The argument about when to visit Yellowstone is like when to visit Camelot, "spring, summer, winter or fall?" It's all just different flavors of goodness. 

But this conversation has drifted somewhat from our purpose: We're planning a group ski trip to Bridger/BigSky/Moonlight Basin. The Yellowstone trip is not on our itinerary. It may be on yours and it may be factor in your decision, but obviously we have narrowed the window to March 16 - March 30. The question is which week, not whether we should entertain another bid. I am sorry that we can't make everyone happy all of the time. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by nolo 

...but obviously we have narrowed the window to March 16 - March 30. The question is which week, not whether we should entertain another bid. 

Does that mean we should ignore the advice in your signature line???  

Even though I would prefer the later week for weather purposes, I think we should stay away from Easter.  Flying gets more expensive around most holidays and we would likely lose people wanting to get home before Saturday (30th).  With that said, I will be there which ever week is chosen.  If the flying gets too difficult, I will drive and make a couple stops in CO and JH.  (BTW - for those who knew about the luggage problems in Tahoe, the Delta flight home took two days.)  Although Delta offered to look for discount lodging for me because they cancelled my morning flight from Reno, they did get me to SLC by late night and I chose the SLC airport carpet for my lodging.  On the positive side, Starbucks makes a great cup of Java.

Quote:

Originally Posted by garyskr 

Even though I would prefer the later week for weather purposes, I think we should stay away from Easter.  Flying gets more expensive around most holidays and we would likely lose people wanting to get home before Saturday (30th).  With that said, I will be there which ever week is chosen.  If the flying gets too difficult, I will drive and make a couple stops in CO and JH.  (BTW - for those who knew about the luggage problems in Tahoe, the Delta flight home took two days.)  Although Delta offered to look for discount lodging for me because they cancelled my morning flight from Reno, they did get me to SLC by late night and I chose the SLC airport carpet for my lodging.  On the positive side, Starbucks makes a great cup of Java.

I've flown Delta a lot because of the major hub in Michigan. In my experience, there can be mishaps, but they usually try to do a good job of fixing things as good as possible.  

As for staying cheap in Reno, I know of a place that you could have stayed REAL cheap........just saying.  

At any rate, see you at Big Sky, or before!!

Why?  I have yet to see a demonstration that the first half of March will cost significantly more.  The odds of good snow conditions ARE better first half of March and the Geyser basin in Yellowstone is open.  We should not be swayed by anecdotal comments from a few people whose personal schedules happen to be more open in late March.  After all 50+ people showed up at Tahoe this year at the beginning of March.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Crocker 

 

Why?  I have yet to see a demonstration that the first half of March will cost significantly more.  The odds of good snow conditions ARE better first half of March and the Geyser basin in Yellowstone is open.  We should not be swayed by anecdotal comments from a few people whose personal schedules happen to be more open in late March.  After all 50+ people showed up at Tahoe this year at the beginning of March.

There ya go, gettin' all data-y again. 

All joking aside, you guys might want to pay attention to Tony regarding snow. And also note that whether or not they have surfaced in this thread yet, lots of folks will hit an assortment of spring break related issues in the 16-30 zone. Ranging from flight issues to family scheduling conflicts...

Late March sounds good to me, my season is almost over then. About time for a colonial inspection tour!

Quote:

Originally Posted by madMads 

Late March sounds good to me, my season is almost over then. About time for a colonial inspection tour!

It would be great to meet you face to face and make some turns!  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Crocker 

 

Why?  I have yet to see a demonstration that the first half of March will cost significantly more.  The odds of good snow conditions ARE better first half of March and the Geyser basin in Yellowstone is open.  We should not be swayed by anecdotal comments from a few people whose personal schedules happen to be more open in late March.  After all 50+ people showed up at Tahoe this year at the beginning of March.

Tony,

Go look at Nolo's Poll thread.  Data shows, of those who voted and plan to attend, late March is preferred in a ratio of close to 3 to 1. That's not anecdotal, not hearsay. You've had your input and your arguments do not seem to sway the voting. Ya gotta know when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Living Proof 

Tony,

 

Go look at Nolo's Poll thread.  Data shows, of those who voted and plan to attend, late March is preferred in a ratio of close to 3 to 1. That's not anecdotal, not hearsay. You've had your input and your arguments do not seem to sway the voting. Ya gotta know when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em.

 

 

The poll had no bearing on Tony's question. Between the last 2 weeks of March, there's a strong preference of the second one. But Tony is asking about first 2 week of March, which the poll did not have as an option.

Well perhaps we could get, dare I say it, a comparison to early March?

As for the comments on Big Sky, it has excellent beginner and intermediate terrain. There is no need for avalanche beacons and probes unless you want to go into the chutes, and you'll know if you do or not, it's not something one is on the fence about. It's fairly serious. It's also one of the easiest big mountains to get around I've ever been to. It's more like a Vermont place where it's set up sort of like a cone and you end up at the base where you started without much difficulty. It is not easy to get lost, though you might not know exactly where you are, you'll get back. Of course, one could use a trail map or even an app, but that's pushing it for many of us.

(I did manage one afternoon to get mildly lost, but we were wandering in search of powder, then ended up literally skiing on a road, through a few yards, then to a lift running but seemingly abandoned...)

Not quite this uncrowded, but almost:

Moonlight Basin is almost this uncrowded though:

Never been to Bridger, but they like their Ridges and Snorkels:

Posters from White-Creek

Photography, Printing, Vintage Posters.

Made in Montana

http://whitecreekart.com/p/posters/g/88/ski-posters

I have asked for prices on the week starting March 3 so everyone can feel comfortable about our decision. 

Nolo,

while Yellowstone would be a cool bonus, IMO the first priority should be ski conditions and the second should be pricing (including airfare pricing/availability if there are big differences from week to week).

Later would generally be better for me, but if I end up spending significant time out West next winter, my regular schedule will be out the window...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthias99 

Nolo,

 

while Yellowstone would be a cool bonus, IMO the first priority should be ski conditions and the second should be pricing (including airfare pricing/availability if there are big differences from week to week).

 

Later would generally be better for me, but if I end up spending significant time out West next winter, my regular schedule will be out the window...

I am in agreement with this but I would add consideration of guide/local Bear availability.  I think one of the best aspects of the Gathering is getting to meet the locals and then benefit from local knowledge.  It would be a shame for us all to converge on the place two weeks before a bunch of the locals would be able to make the party.

Do we have a list of locals? Tahoe did benefit from many who knew the area. It's always fun when they start arguing, particularly about the traffic/roads.

Rio

Nolo

Ridge Hippie

Little Bear

Quote:

Originally Posted by bumpfreaq 

 

I am in agreement with this but I would add consideration of guide/local Bear availability.  I think one of the best aspects of the Gathering is getting to meet the locals and then benefit from local knowledge.  It would be a shame for us all to converge on the place two weeks before a bunch of the locals would be able to make the party.

Excellent point, as usual coming from bumpfreaq.

Although I personally would very much prefer first part of March in order to combine it with Yellowstone. But if the locals aren't around those weeks, it loses all the attraction of a gathering entirely!

So if the 2nd part of March is when the locals are available, those of us who can't make it just have to suck it up and ski on our own while the gathering will be happening onn the second part...
 

As for condition vs. price, that's a balancing act. Some of us comes from far away are spending a ton just to get there. So naturally would prefer to shoot for the window that has the best potential for good condition. Others, however, spend so much just getting there, would like to keep the total package tolerable by going at at least shoulder season with some discounts. Wins some and lose some.