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 A scant 65 miles from Billings, Montana"s largest city, Red Lodge beckons with 1600 acres of terrain and 2400 feet of vertical. With no mountain passes to negotiate and the historic and charming old mining town of Red Lodge just four miles from the slopes, skiers and riders from Billings and its satellite towns keep the scene lively. Red Lodge obliges with an efficient lift system - two of the eight lifts are detachable quads - and, unusual for Montana, a snowmaking system that covers 40 % of the terrain and extends to the summit. Beginners can ride the nearly mile-long triple chair from the main base area and happily spend the day here, occasionally dropping into the handful of blue trails that cross this section. The Miami Beach double serves more beginner terrain but offers shorter runs. From the top of the triple, intermediates and up have several choices. North 40 leads to the Cole Creek detachable quad, which runs to the summit of Nichols Peak at 9390 feet. This is mostly single and double black diamond territory, but a blue cruiser, Latigo, swoops back to the lift. Continue if you wish down the Meeteetse Trail (named after an old Army supply trail in the region) to the other fast quad, Palisades, which serves some fast GS-style trails. The Grizzly Peak double serves an interesting mix of tougher intermediate trails, wide-open blacks, and double black glades. The only drawback here is that most of the terrain to skiers" right of the lift requires you to take two lifts to get to the top of it again. But if your route down includes, say, Intimidation to Drainage, then you might need a couple of lift rides up to recover. There are backcountry access gates near both summit lifts. Local knowledge is essential here if you plan to go out of bounds. A long terrain park on Hancock is regularly groomed, and every couple of weeks its features are changed. The main base lodge houses all customer services, rentals, and the ski and board school. Here you"ll find a 300-seat cafeteria and a big fireplace, vending machines, and more. The base area is also home to the Bierstube, a full-service restaurant and favorite après-ski spot. At the top of the Willow Creek and Midway Express doubles is the Midway Lodge, with cafeteria dining, beer and wine. And there may be no better place to brown bag than the lodge at the top of Grizzly Peak. (Facilities are limited, so pack out your trash.) The view takes in the Absaroka Range and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness to the west, and the Yellowstone Valley to the southwest. The town of Red Lodge offers an eclectic mix of interesting shops, crafts, and restaurants, as well as lodging. Dining choices range from family-friendly Hank"s, serving breakfast and lunch, to the upscale Bridge Creek.
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Ski Report
Montana
