If you're bummed about the ski season coming to a close, things are looking up as Montana's Beartooth Basin is actually ramping up for opening day. Beartooth Basin is a 600-acre summer ski area at the summit of Beartooth Highway, a National Scenic Byway that looks out over the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains and serves as an access point to Northeast Yellowstone National Park. If weather conditions allow, the highway digs out from under heavy snow to re-open over Memorial Day weekend. The switchbacks culminate in a breathtaking summit plateau, which is where you'll find Twin Lakes Headwall, the setting for Beartooth Basin Ski Area.
The unconventional and unexpected resort was established in the mid 1960s by Austrian's Pepi Gramshammer (yes, that Pepi of Pepi's Bar & Restaurant In Vail), along with Eric Sailer and Anderl Molterer and has been reincarnated over the years as a private ski training camp and now a public ski resort. Two poma lifts bring riders up the cornice crowned cirque with moderate to extreme ski terrain including park features.
The season runs from May 23 through July 5 weather depending. Tickets are offered for full day, half day, and a "power hour" option at $45, $35 and $20 respectively—cash only. So if you're planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park this summer, consider packing your skis or snowboard.
· Beartooth Basin [Official Site]
· Beartooth Basin Ski-Fest [Powder]
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