Moonlight Basin Ski Resort :
Skiing.gif)
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| The
Elkhorn Run and Castle Peak at Moonlight Basin
Resort |
The lift-served skiing at Moonlight Basin (during the 2003-2004
season) is pretty good but not spectacular by any means.
Once the cat-skiing terrain opens up (hopefully in the 2004-2005
season), the skiing should dramatically improve, I think.
For clarity, the discussion on this page covers only the
lift-served terrain that existed during the 2003-2004 ski
season.
The
skiing at Moonlight Basin is essentially divided into three
areas – the front side, the back side and the
Headwaters. Each of these ski sections is discussed below.
Click
to See a Moonlight Basin Trail Map (large
image)
Skiing Moonlight Basin : The Front Side
The
first area at Moonlight Basin is located in front of
the Moonlight Lodge. This ski terrain actually is “shared” with
Big Sky Resort. This terrain is accessed by the Iron Horse
Quad Lift which begins right in front of the Moonlight Lodge.
The vertical on this front part of Moonlight Basin is nothing
great – only about 850 vertical feet or so.
Terrain
consists of a couple of decent expert level trails, a few
intermediate trails that are less than spectacular
and some nice beginner runs. Except for the expert skier,
the terrain on the front side of Moonlight Basin really isn’t
used much except for going “back and fort” between
the front side and the back side. The bulk of the ski trails
on the front side of Moonlight Basin are also very well groomed.
A second
chairlift also exists on the front side of Moonlight Basin.
This triple chair, which services exclusively beginner
terrain, is called the Pony Express lift. If you are a beginner
skier, this is an excellent place to learn – as crowds
are virtually non-existent and the terrain is just perfect
to learn on.
Skiing Moonlight Basin : The Back Side
The
back side of Moonlight Basin is where the bulk of the ski
trails are found – and is also where all the expansion
terrain at Moonlight is located. Currently, the trail network
on the back side is pretty limited – consisting of
about a dozen ski runs. The ski runs are an equal mix of
beginner, intermediate and expert terrain. Most of the ski
trails on the back side are also very well groomed.
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| The
Iron Horse Area at Moonlight Basin |
The
lift-served vertical rise on the back side is a respectable
1850 feet. As such, the ski runs are quite long. I particularly
liked the Elkhorn ski trail – which is a nice mix of
steep, groomed expert terrain and more level intermediate
terrain towards the bottom. The Meriwether ski run is also
an enjoyable intermediate ski trail, although it can be pretty
flat in spots. Expert skiers will find good terrain on the
Runaway ski trail which also has one of the few bumped up
areas at Moonlight.
The
back side of Moonlight Basin is served by a 6-person High-Speed
Quad, called appropriately enough, the “Sixshooter.” This
Quad, which resembles more a moving couch than a chairlift,
is very fast – even by high-speed quad standards. It
is also very comfortable – with nice padding and just
the right “tilt” to take away muscle pressure
and fatigue. When riding the quad, you get a great view of
the whole Moonlight Basin terrain on the back side – including
the cat-served terrain.
Beginners will also find good skiing on the back side of
Moonlight Basin. A dedicated beginner chair lift is located
right next to the base of the Sixshooter chairlift. Several
long beginner runs also snake their way down from Moonlight
Lodge as well.
Skiing Moonlight Basin : The Headwaters
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| Stillwater
Bowl at Moonlight Basin |
The
Headwaters is the “radical” skiing section
at Moonlight Basin. The Headwaters is essentially a vertical
wall of about 1300 vertical feet. To reach the top of the
Headwaters requires a pretty steep walk up to the side of
the it. From there, you can then drop down into the Stillwater
Bowl through a number of exceptionally steep chutes. All
of these chutes are true expert terrain. To ski the Headwaters
area, just take the Sixshooter chair up to the top and look
up – the massive wall you see is the Headwaters. To
ski the Headwaters, Moonlight Basin requires that all skiers
check in with ski-patrol.
Conclusion
Overall, Moonlight Basin is a nice ski area that has lots
of potential. As things stood during the 2003-2004 ski season,
the trail network was fairly limited. However, once the cat-skiing
terrain gets converted over to lift served terrain in the
near future, the trail network at Moonlight Basin will be
significantly larger and will have much more variety. If
plans hold, this new terrain should be open during the 2004-2005
ski season.
So,
the question must be asked. Is Moonlight Basin worth visiting – especially as it lies in the shadow of the
giant Big Sky Resort? My answer would be yes. Moonlight Basin
has some nice skiing terrain – which will hopefully
be much nicer beginning in 2004-2004. While the smaller size
and its location right next to Big Sky Resort will never
really make Moonlight Basin a true destination ski resort – it
is still well worth visiting.
Moonlight
Basin is within easy day trip range of Bozeman and the
Gallatin Valley. Thus, if you happen to have your
skis with you while in the Bozeman area, don’t pass
on the opportunity to ski at Moonlight – if only to
say you did it! And, if you happen to be spending some time
skiing at Big Sky Resort, it would be silly to not head over
to Moonlight Basin for a day – if only for some variety
and to explore a new and upcoming Montana ski area.
 
Next Page : Moonlight
Basin Lodging
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