Tree lovers rejoice: Montana's Big Sky Resort has been working all summer on four new gladed ski runs that bring the resort's skiable acres to a hefty 5,800. That doesn't quite beat out Whistler Blackcomb (8,171 acres) as the biggest ski area in North America, but it does mean that you can catch some sweet tree runs this winter. The resort has also released a new trail map from mapmaker extraordinaire Jim Niehues and man is it a beauty. A mountain this size is hard to capture in one take, but Niehues does Big Sky justice. We've got the full map and a description of all the new tree skiing, so take a look.
Here's what the new map looks like (click to expand):
And here's the description of the new gladed runs, courtesy of Big Sky:
"The Southern Comfort chair lift, off of Andesite Mountain, saw the most improvement through glading with two new intermediate runs. The new 'Lizette' run is located between the runs Deep South and Sacajawea and the new 'Pomp' run is located between Sacajawea and El Dorado runs. Both runs are named after Sacajawea‟s children. A section of the Ponderosa was also widened.
"Another new intermediate gladed run can be found between the runs, Lower Morning Star and Mr. K, named 'Lois Lane'. A new black diamond run named 'Soul Hole' can be discovered between Lobo and Calamity Jane runs. Both of these new runs are accessed via Swift Current chair lift on Lone Mountain.
"The Mountain Operations crew upgraded the tree run, Tango Trees, below the Lone Peak Triple lift through selected thinning and removal of standing dead trees in the previously gladed area. On the southern exposure of Lone Peak, the crew did careful thinning of select trees on the Dakota Gully run. It will now be regularly groomed, changing its designation to 'intermediate' allowing more skiers/riders to enjoy the Dakota chair lift."
· Big Sky Resort [Official Site]
· 3D Map of Big Sky Shows Off Lone Peak's Epic Steeps [Curbed Ski]
· Behold Big Sky, Montana's Ski Trail Map from 1976 [Curbed Ski]
· The Ten Ski Towns You Absolutely Must Visit This Winter [Curbed Ski]