Skiing the Wild West at Great Divide.gif)
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| The
Wild West Area at Great Divide Ski Area |
The
Wild West is a new addition at Great Divide Ski Area and
opened up a ton of terrain – much of which is gladed.
The Wild West section at Great Divide Ski Area is served
by its own chairlift, the Wild West double chair, and has
a vertical of 1,200 feet. The terrain in the Wild West area
is pretty much a 50-50 mix of intermediate and advanced terrain.
There is no dedicated beginner runs in the Wild West area – although
some of the intermediate trails such as Trail Drive shouldn’t
give most beginner skiers too much trouble.
The
terrain in the Wild West section is excellent for anyone
who enjoys off-trail skiing. Few of the runs back here are
groomed. As such, if you enjoy skiing in open terrain or
in the trees, you will love the Wild West – particularly
right after a storm. There are so many lines to take down
to the bottom in this section that you should be able to
find very nice powder stashes many days after a snowstorm.
As mentioned,
the terrain back in the Wild West consists of open terrain
and gladed skiing. Now, the glades back here
are a bit different from other gladed areas you will find – as
is the open terrain. You see, the trails in the Wild West
consist of countless “open lines” down to the
bottom. The trees are generally pretty widely spaced apart
back here. Thus, you won’t find tight tree skiing in
most places - although some of that does exist.
See
Wild West Close Up Trail Map (large image)
That
said, you won’t
find true “open
bowl” skiing
either – as there are more than enough trees to make
you keep your eyes in front of you so as to not end up hugging
a tree. In short, the terrain back in the Wild West is just
plain different
than
what you
will find at other ski areas
in Montana. You can truly ski where ever
you want to, picking your own line down through the trees
and
open
areas.
In the
end, I think the Wild West area offers the best skiing at
Great Divide during good snow simply because it has such
great diversity.
 |
| Typical
ski run in the Wild West Area - this one is a bit
more forested than most |
I won’t recommend any trails back in this area. Why?
Because there are so darn many of them, that’s why.
And also because you really do create you own trail back
here. While the ski runs are indeed marked, it is awfully
easy to create a line down to the bottom using a multitude
of ski runs, and then some.
As for
crowds, the Wild West area is very lightly used – except
during good snow, of course. Generally, most people tend
to stick to the front side of the mountain – and not
often getting over to the Wild West area. The lack of grooming
also helps to keep use of this area down a bit, too.
Summary
of Great Divide Ski Area
Overall,
Great Divide Ski Area is truly one of those undiscovered
gems in Montana - and located just a hop, skip and a jump
from downtown Helena. The ski area itself is huge – covering
more than 1600 acres – virtually all of which is skiable.
While the ski area is a bit lacking in snow – more
than enough snow falls during the year to provide good if
not always excellent snow conditions. Additionally, intermediate
and advanced skiers should really enjoy Great Divide, as
not only is the price right – the ski area provides
for some truly wonderful terrain.
 
Next Page : Great
Divide Ski Area Maps
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