March 10, 2018 Moonlight Basin

Yes, I know that Big Sky owns it and changed the name to Big Sky. But I like saying that I skied at Hyak not Summit East, so I still call it Moonlight Basin. It's about 4 miles from Big Sky Mountain Village so there are usually only locals until the tourists arrive via a long ski and 2 lifts. We woke to a great view of Lone Mt from our camper. Saturday is a tourist change-day so new tourists were coming. It was a beautiful day of sun and packed powder, although it was cold in the morning - in the low teens. We skied off the Six Shooter High Speed 6-pack. It was quiet for about 90 minutes and then people began to arrive. At the top of the 6-pack you have access to the Headwaters Double lift. This is one of the lifts that provides access to STEEP coulours and rock slots. There is no easy way down. To get to the base of the lift you take off your skis/board and hike up to the base from the top of the 6-pack. You can also get to the steep ridge from the Challenger Triple lift. We met an instructor with a group of young girls, probably 8-12 years old, who were attaching their skis to their packs and then climbed up a Closed area. This is a great option for parents to get young kids the skills to ski off piste, and it was especially neat to see that it was a group of young girls. We also watched a group of 8-12 year old boys skiing through steep treed terrain with bumps and obstacles which slowed them down not one bit!

We rode the Lone Tree quad which gives access to the upper terrain. Loong runs with steep, tree-lined trails that have been crafted into the area. Big Sky is enormous and they are having a good snow year.

18BBI@bigskymountain was a total success