She’s got some problems, but we’ve been through a lot.
The pass is an ever climbing and winding grade up the side of steep crumbling mountains.
A gorgeous pitch of summer snow laid down the mountain side nearly to a pull off on the switchbacks.
It was a quiet morning when I got my first look at the ski area.
A short but fairly steep face with two poma lifts for access.
Next to me was a man already lounged in his chair, beer in hand next to his dog.
This wasn’t the case as it had been very warm the days before.
The runs go by quick but lie on terrain that is more than enough to keep the people hyped.
While taking a break the weather rolled in and rolled in fast.
It looked dark and potentially bleak as we discussed it’s impact on our plans for the chute.
It wasn’t long before we felt rain, and saw lighting.
The winds picked up, and the rain turned to hail.
The kind of hail that blows sideways and pelts the poor souls caught out in it.
A few people hung around hoping the weather would pass and the skiing would go on.
A van pulled up next to us with friendly faces offering us a much improved shelter from the storm.
The storm did in fact blow over.
The skies dried up, the clouds cruised away, and the golden sun leaked backed into our lives.
All systems were a go.
We jumped in our vehicles and drove down the pass to stash vehicles for the lap.
The spot from which you hike to the chute is a small parking lot at the Wyoming/Montana state line.
A grassy tundra littered with rocks stretches into the blue sky.
We grabbed our gear and headed off.
The landscape in this area reminded me of some of hiking in New Zealand.
The hike itself was more of a steady walk with one hill to climb over at the mid point.
In 20 minutes or so we were at the edge, each choosing our lines.
According to the regulars, the snow was fairly low this season.
Even though the pass had just opened, many spots were burning out.
I went with the larger group down the main chute.
Back from the edge it looked like the end of the world.
A patch of snow that dropped to oblivion with mountains and the winding road as a back drop.
The cornice on this chute was small and entry was easy.
The snow was fantastic until we got nearly to the level of the parking lot.
At that point it became more of a bobsled track littered with the occasional rock or two.
As the days rolled on this sections would get increasingly spicy.
The weather was on point as were the vibes.
This was something that would repeat over the next few days.
There is also a brand new skatepark in Red Lodge if you’re into that.
I dabbled in it a little bit but mostly kept it to the snow.
That said if you like skating Montana has some pretty fun parks and keeps building more.
I checked out 9 on this road trip, 7 of which I’d never been to.
After 7 years of trying to make it to Beartooth Basin I finally succeeded.
If I can swing it this will be a yearly pilgrimage from here on out for me.
If you know you know.
If you’ve never been, don’t sleep on this place!
The sun is hot, the beers are cold, and the vibes are insane!
