Closing Out Big Sky

My friend, Charlie, and I went to Big Sky and Moonlight Basin for the last weekend of the year. We were rewarded with fresh tracks, cool ski companions, and the pleasure of watching idiots pondskim. 

This trip was on the opposite end of the spectrum apris-ski. We slept in my suburban. We were supposed to meet up with the other ski bums, but the first night we got lost in a blizzard and ended up pulling over on a little mountain road only to be woken up early in the morning by the man telling us we were on private property. That was ok since my suburban doesn't do wake-up calls and we wanted to get an early start (blizzard = powder). We skied all day, met up with some cool cats from Utah, and then followed Charlie's friends to the secret campsite - the parking lot. 

Sitting around the campfire in the Moonlight Basin parking lot. We slept in my suburban. Others were more pimped out with motor homes.

Fresh snow + Blue-bird skies = sore grandpa.

Groomers shimmering in the early morning light as we are on our way to the beauty in the distance.

Headwaters. Don't they look nice.

We got up pretty early to get first tracks. Not quite, but lots of space for those few in front of us.

It looks so much scarier from on top. You start to wonder how much those rocks will hurt at 40 mph.

Pond skimming. How much do you have to drink before this is a good idea.