Showdown Ski
Area : Review.gif)
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| The
base area of Showdown Ski Area |
Showdown
has a surprisingly wide variety of terrain. Expert skiers
and beginners skiers alike all have a wide variety of runs
to choose from. Combine that with good grooming and some
nice tree skiing and you have a recipe for a good day on
the slopes.
For
beginner skiers and snowboarders, Showdown is an excellent
place to learn the basics. Two dedicated surface lifts service
terrain for brand new snowriders, while several beginner
runs also traverse down from the summit of the mountain.
As such, beginner skiers and snowboarders will have a fun
time learning the basics at Showdown. Additionally, several
of the intermediate runs are wide and are not real steep
in most spots (such as Quicksilver and Silverhorn) – allowing
for more advanced beginner skiers to hit some additional
terrain.
The intermediate
blue runs at Showdown are excellent, comprising
some of the better intermediate skiing in Montana outside
of the big and expensive resorts. The intermediate runs are
generally well groomed, have many twists and turns and also
have some pretty nice steep spots thrown in for variety.
Some
of the blue runs are also spared from the grooming machines – allowing for some great bump terrain to
develop. These intermediate bump runs have a nice but not
too steep of a pitch – and can also of course have
some sizeable bumps. If you want to learn how to ski bumps
on less than death defying terrain, these runs are a good
place to start. Upper Ripley in particular is a good place
to learn the basics of bump skiing on provided the grooming
machines haven’t flattened them out.
 |
| Looking
up at the steeper terrain at Showdown |
The
expert skiing at Showdown is primarily located off the
Prospector Double Chairlift, which is located on the southern
portion of the ski area. In this area of Showdown, the top
half of the mountain is quite steep, while the lower half
has a gentle – and at times almost flat gradient.
A word
needs to be said about the double chairlift that serves
this terrain. First, the chair is very long – from
top to bottom it is a twelve and a half minute voyage. As
such, it can take a while to make it to the top. Happily,
this chairlift also has a mid-station. For expert skiers,
the general plan should be to ski down the trails located
on the upper half of the mountain which are steep, then hopping
on this chairlift at the mid-station. Doing so will save
you a fairly long and gradual ski run to the bottom while
also saving you about 7 minutes of ride time on the chair
as well.
Secondly,
and maybe it is just me, but the design of the actual chairs
on this lift is less than spectacular. For
whatever reason, every time I rode this chair I felt like
I was on the verge of falling out of it – as the chair
seemed to have a slight tilt forward and also lacked a safety
bar (which is not uncommon in Montana, by the way).
 |
| About
to head down a bump run |
Well, enough about the chairlift. For experts, the terrain
on this side of Showdown ski area is excellent and is all
accessed off the Silverhorn trail (an intermediate trail
that forms the ski areas boundary on that side of the mountain).
The Dynamite and Gun Barrel trails are excellent ski runs
for those who like to ski or snowboard in the trees. Right
next door to these two trails are the Glory Hole, Geronimo
and Good Luck trails, which are equally steep (if not steeper)
and loaded up with bumps.
These
are the primary expert runs at Showdown, and they are good
ones. A few other expert ski trails are also found
at Showdown although they are relatively short. Two of these
trails, Muley and Speculation, drop down from the summit
on the north side of the mountain – just off the Payload
Triple Chairlift. These two trails are nice ski trails – but
once down them it requires a pretty long, flat voyage to
the bottom of the mountain to get back on the triple chair.
Summary
Overall, Showdown ski area may never become a destination
ski resort. Its location out in central Montana well away
from the popular winter gateway towns and its smaller size
in relation to more well- known resorts probably means Showdown
will continue to receive the bulk of its skiers from nearby
Montana communities. And for me, that is just fine. I personally
love skiing in Montana for just this reason.
Yet,
for the more adventurous skiers from out of state, visiting
Showdown ski area is a very worthwhile trip. Showdown
has a nice variety of terrain, a scenic setting and makes
for a great place to learn how to ski or snowboard. And,
while Showdown does sort of lie out a bit from other popular
winter areas in Montana, Showdown itself is quite close to
Great Falls – giving anyone visiting Great Falls a
great excuse to hit the slopes.
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