Mt. Baker and Big Sky

7 times out of 10 you will have a pow day at baker, but it isn't really "big mountain skiing". If you're looking for the best of both worlds try jackson. howver baker is far cheaper and less crowded. your choice

If you want a different mountain in Montana, hit up Whitefish resort (formally know as Big Mountain). I went there back when I was young. I grew up in MN and we took the Amtrak. Goes right in to the town. Buy ahead and get cheap tickets. It's also a low key place so little cheaper big sky. Not sure if there a hostels any more but I sure you can find some cheap deals. We went on spring break so no powder but it was still sick. That was my first time skiing out west.

http://skiwhitefish.com/

I'm sorry I forgot to mention I will be going the 2nd or 3rd week in March.

montana known for its late season dumps in march april etc. pnw rules , but my opinion is big sky, youll never get board , and its guna be alot cheaper than most places its size. and the lift lines , well, there aint any.

Big Sky is usually amazing the first week or two of March. Had some of my best pow days then. Also there are 0 lines unless you come out for Spring Break and then its only a 10-15min wait max on the main lifts. The back lifts (Shedhorn, Dakota, Challenger) usually never have lines longer than a minute or two.

If you decide to come hit me up and we'll take some runs.

Mt Baker 'powder' would not be called powder in Montana. Just saying.

Not really sure why Whistler did not make this list.

Whistler, Kicking Horse, Revelstoke

Mt Baker only gets rain

Bigsky is the cats pajamas when it comes to march, April. I usually go there for spring break as I am also in minnesota. I'm a sophomore in highschool at Minnetonka. On powder days moonlight is my favorite though. No lines ever. Bigsky and moonlight both have really fun parks as well, especially last season. And in April when moonlight makes super sick huge creative features for park shoots! Can't go wrong with Bigsky/moonlight.

i was confused at the first response. why is baker on this list, it literally only rains here.

Conspiracy.

powder at baker is 33 degrees, raining at the lower lodge and snowing up top. if you dont mind skiing cement come get some.

whistler/whitewater/revy

baker isn't a resort, it's an old school ski area. it's not an easy place to take a family vacation and there's not any lodging at the mountain. there's the town of glacier like 30 minutes down the road, but it's tiny and not really much to do as far as family activities. i'd suggest somewhere else based on what you're doing. how jackson is not on your list im baffled. also revelstoke, whistler or kicking horse if you have a passport.

I spent half of the 2011-2012 season in each place. Baker --> Big Sky. I moved to Big Sky on a whim... and I moved back to Bellingham/Baker after 6 months in Big Sky. I like deep snow. I don't like rocks. I love the PNW for many other reasons. Moving back here also had something to do with a certain boy that I'm probably gonna marry. But that's mostly irrelevant, except for the fact that if he didn't exist, I might live in Bozeman instead. So.... here's my 2cents on both spots. Hopefully this helps you out.


Baker's in bounds is tiny. The backcountry is endless, and often very dangerous due to the amount of snow we get on good years. It snowed 10 feet in a week or something stupid last winter. Also... storms like that are why Baker is fucking awesome. I've skied almost everywhere in the West and I've had seen deeper turns. Glacier, the closest town to Baker, is a crazy little town with barely any jobs and no cell service or gas station. Baker locals are crazy fucking hippies who like to go off into the woods and do mushrooms for days. Bellingham is pretty awesome for the most part, but it's an hour and half-ish to the mountain on a pow day. One of the emcees at the premiere of Jeremy Jones' Further the other night made a comment about how Baker is home to the true original hardcore these days. Like somebody else said, it's not a resort. It's a tiny ski area with a lot of backcountry for whatever you want to accomplish. I'm getting skins this year because I'm pretty bored with in bounds. Also, the premiere of Dream Factory was fucking lame compared to the Jeremy Jones movie. Almost everyone here snowboards, and there's not as much skier stoke as other places I've lived. Just something that bums me out.

Bozeman is fucking awesome. I miss it all the time. The people are rowdy, there's definitely a skier crowd in town, and it's noticeable. You'll have tons of people to ride with. Big Sky is gnarly. It's huge. If you get the Lone Peak Pass or whatever it's called, you get access to Moonlight and BS, and its the largest ski resort in the US, I believe. Endless terrain. I spent three months skiing there and I don't think I skied the same line twice. Even groomers. The trees are awesome. There's a bazillion smoke huts all over the mountain and patrol doesn't give a shit about that kinda thing. The snow is definitely lighter than the PNW, and it doesnt really stick. Locals make jokes about how all your skis are rock skis. Cause you'll hit rocks almost every day unless you're careful. The tram is sick. The A-Z chutes and the Headwaters at Moonlight are pretty rad too. Lots of potential for scaring the shit out of yourself. You can see the Tetons from the top of the tram. 11,000 something feet up there. You won't be bored... but don't live in Big Sky unless you want to be bored and start doing coke to keep up with everyone else. :)

If you have any specific questions, let me know. Also... Whistler and Jackson are far better than either of these. I'm actually trying to move to Canada because its way sicker up North.


Sorry for the novel.

Baker gets more snow than big sky but its small and not "big mountain" unless your willing to tour. (also the locals will always tell you it rains alot there cause they don't want you stealin their pow) If you want best of bosth worls i'd head to Alta and the rest of the cottonwoods cause thiere is lots of snow and some sick terrain.. (right of the tram at snowbird is awsome on a powday, though i usually ski Alta cause the snows better.) Also look at jackson if your willing to break the bank.

baker is so sick though.

jk it sucks

No lines, blower pow, massive terrain, & a solid community. Spend some time here to really get to know the mountain & the people, & we bet you'll find what you're looking for.

This.

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