I'm going to tell you about the easiest accessed, best-kept back country skiing secrets anywhere in the United States called the Beartooth Pass, so hang on to your hats and get ready to take notes. It pays to call the Montana Department of Transportation ahead of your trip to make sure the Pass is open because several feet of powder can fall up there well in to June. They can be reached at 1-800-226-7623.
Ten miles south of Red Lodge is where the Beartooth Pass begins its climb to the sky. It offers 4,000 vertical feet of big mountain lines when it first opens (check out the photos). If you can't ski all of the steepest stuff that the big names resorts offer then this probably isn't the best place for you. There is a little run off the shoulder of Gardiner headwall that is fairly intermediate but that is about it.
The night before we crashed at a friend's in this really cool, new real estate development called The Spires at Red Lodge and watched the sun set against the 12,000 foot peaks to the west. We couldn't believe that in a ski town where they bordered an 18 hole golf course that they were selling complete cottages for under $200,000 - in this day and age who has heard of anything that affordable in a Rocky Mountain ski town.
We all stayed at this really cool new development called The Spires at Red Lodge the night before and went for a big walk on their trail system marveling at the views of the high peaks to the west. We were amazed by just how affordable Red Lodge Montana real estate is as they were selling complete cottages for under $200,000. We didn't think there was a ski town anywhere where anything left that was this affordable.
With our drop complete we take off up the Pass and are more amazed by the incredible high mountain scenery. Journalist Charles Kuralt called the Beartooth the most beautiful highway in America and we all agree that he got it right.
As we near the top of the west summit we see the head wall we are about to ski. Gardiner head wall is very steep, anywhere from 35 degrees up to 45 degrees, so we are glad that it is 55 degrees outside because the snow should be soft as it faces east in to the early morning light. There is evidence of several small wet slides on either side of the face so we know we need to keep alert.
It is so good that we are all hooting it up half way down like a bunch of owls. After a brief hike we are back at the road and decide to have lunch on the exposed rocks. This had nothing to do with the scantily clad young women who were soaking it up there, honest. It's about a mile drive over to the ridge and then we are looking down at all kinds of sweet big mountain drops that would make the Warren Miller boys salivate.
After a few misfires we found a great line that took us almost to our drop point. I'll let the photo of this line speak the thousand words, but in a word it was AWESOME. Back into the rig we head up to pick-up the rig on the summit so we can set ourselves up to ski yet another big line called the Rock Creek headwall.
The headwall was about the size of most ski areas and dropped straight down to the third to last switchback on the Pass. Cold PBR's were waiting for us and on the trip back we just sat there in stunned silence because we hadn't seen a sole all day long accept for our first descent. - 22873
Ten miles south of Red Lodge is where the Beartooth Pass begins its climb to the sky. It offers 4,000 vertical feet of big mountain lines when it first opens (check out the photos). If you can't ski all of the steepest stuff that the big names resorts offer then this probably isn't the best place for you. There is a little run off the shoulder of Gardiner headwall that is fairly intermediate but that is about it.
The night before we crashed at a friend's in this really cool, new real estate development called The Spires at Red Lodge and watched the sun set against the 12,000 foot peaks to the west. We couldn't believe that in a ski town where they bordered an 18 hole golf course that they were selling complete cottages for under $200,000 - in this day and age who has heard of anything that affordable in a Rocky Mountain ski town.
We all stayed at this really cool new development called The Spires at Red Lodge the night before and went for a big walk on their trail system marveling at the views of the high peaks to the west. We were amazed by just how affordable Red Lodge Montana real estate is as they were selling complete cottages for under $200,000. We didn't think there was a ski town anywhere where anything left that was this affordable.
With our drop complete we take off up the Pass and are more amazed by the incredible high mountain scenery. Journalist Charles Kuralt called the Beartooth the most beautiful highway in America and we all agree that he got it right.
As we near the top of the west summit we see the head wall we are about to ski. Gardiner head wall is very steep, anywhere from 35 degrees up to 45 degrees, so we are glad that it is 55 degrees outside because the snow should be soft as it faces east in to the early morning light. There is evidence of several small wet slides on either side of the face so we know we need to keep alert.
It is so good that we are all hooting it up half way down like a bunch of owls. After a brief hike we are back at the road and decide to have lunch on the exposed rocks. This had nothing to do with the scantily clad young women who were soaking it up there, honest. It's about a mile drive over to the ridge and then we are looking down at all kinds of sweet big mountain drops that would make the Warren Miller boys salivate.
After a few misfires we found a great line that took us almost to our drop point. I'll let the photo of this line speak the thousand words, but in a word it was AWESOME. Back into the rig we head up to pick-up the rig on the summit so we can set ourselves up to ski yet another big line called the Rock Creek headwall.
The headwall was about the size of most ski areas and dropped straight down to the third to last switchback on the Pass. Cold PBR's were waiting for us and on the trip back we just sat there in stunned silence because we hadn't seen a sole all day long accept for our first descent. - 22873
About the Author:
If you go ski the Twin Lakes Headwall Pass stop by Red Lodge, Montana and check out the Spires at Red Lodge and have dinner at the Bridge Creek. You can't beat the small town hospitality in Red Lodge, so make a weekend out of it.
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