Montana Snowbowl :
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| Intermediate
Groomed Trail near the Summit |
Montana
Snowbowl, as mentioned, sprawls over 950 acres. Of this,
500 acres are glade skiing areas. Moreover, many
of the ski trails at Montana Snowbowl, especially those that
make their way down from the summit into the bowl, tend to
be quite steep. Thus, if you like to ski in the trees or
on the steeps, Montana Snowbowl is an excellent ski area
to visit. So let’s take a look at the skiing possibilities
at Snowbowl.
See
Montana Snowbowl Trail Map (large
image)
Beginner Skiers
Truthfully,
Montana Snowbowl is not the greatest of mountains to ski
on if you are a beginner skier. While Montana Snowbowl
does have some beginner terrain – along with a true
dedicated beginner area served by a surface lift – beginner
terrain at Snowbowl is very limited. There are no beginner
runs down from the summit – and only one beginner run
down from the top of the Grizzly Chair. And even this trail
isn’t a true beginner trail. In short, if you are brand
new to skiing, Montana Snowbowl may not be the best place
to go. Instead, consider going down the road to Discovery
Ski Area which has a much nicer and larger network of beginner
ski runs.
Intermediate Skiers
Montana
Snowbowl has a fair network of intermediate (blue square)
ski runs that are groomed. Virtually all of the intermediate
ski trails are accessed off the top of the mountain – on
the back side of the bowl which is serviced by the LaValle
Creek chairlift. All of the ski trails on the backside of
the bowl are of the intermediate level and are wide and well-groomed.
Also note that the LaValle chairlift does not access the
base area. It is, for lack of a better word, its’ own
little region on the backside of the huge bowl that the base
area of Snowbowl itself is located in.
A few
other intermediate ski trails are found at Montana Snowbowl.
Only two intermediate ski runs make their way down
from the summit to the base through the bowl. These two ski
trails are called Paradise and Centennial/Longhorn.
Both
of these intermediate ski trails are very nice and challenging.
Unfortunately, to reach them requires a pretty long traverse
along a fairly flat cat-trail. A handful of other intermediate
ski trials are found along the ridge above the base area,
too, although these trails go in and out of beginner terrain
(will be a blue run for a bit, then convert over to a green
run, then back to blue, etc…).
Expert Skiers
While
Montana Snowbowl has good intermediate skiing, truthfully,
the ski area truly caters to the expert skier. The bulk of
the terrain at Montana Snowbowl is expert rated (and virtually
all of the “off- trail” areas are also at the
expert level). And it gets even better if you like to tree
ski – as more than half of the terrain at Snowbowl
is gladed terrain. And, what is also nice, you don’t
even have to go to the summit to pick up the expert level
trails – you can get to some excellent expert terrain
right from the top of the lower chairlift (the Grizzly Chair).
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| Peak
6 - Backcountry "out of bounds" skiing
possibilities |
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Probably
the most popular expert terrain – especially
on a good snow day – is going to be skiing right down
into the bowl from the top of the summit. Numerous trails
and options exist to get down through the bowl. Some of the
terrain is heavily wooded, other terrain is lightly wooded
and a few spots are pretty much wide open. All of the terrain,
though, is pretty steep. Popular routes down from the summit
of Montana Snowbowl include West Bowls (the steepest), West
Ridge and East Bowls. East Bowls is also a good trail to
hit if you like to ski the bumps.
Yet,
other great expert ski terrain exists right off the Grizzly
chair on the lower mountain. The Grizzly trail is
a great ski trail that offers a ton of options to ski through – from
steep open terrain in the bumps and powder to skiing through
the trees. Whatever you happen to be in the mood for (besides
chutes) can be found on the Grizzly trail. You can scout
out the trail while riding the Grizzly chairlift, too, since
the chair more or less goes over the trail.
Another
great expert run on the lower mountain of Montana Snowbowl
makes its way down the very steep ridge that towers
above the base area. The Spartan Headwall trail, which also
has snowmaking on it, is a steep expert level trail that
also is groomed. For intermediate skiers looking to test
their skills on steeper terrain that isn’t full of
bumps or trees, the Spartan Headwall trail is a good place
to do it on.
Summary
Overall,
Montana Snowbowl is a great ski area that is especially
well suited for expert skiers and for those who enjoy glade
skiing. The ski areas location just a short hop away from
Missoula is also very convenient, too. If you happen to be
in Missoula with your skis during the winter, definitely
make a point of taking some time to head up to Montana Snowbowl.
 
Next Page : Montana
Snowbowl Lodging
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