Big Sky Advanced Skiing

A glance at the trail map might make advanced skiers head straight to the top of Lone Mountain. In fact there's just one single black diamond trail to be found there—the Liberty Bowl.

The rest of Big Sky's advanced terrain is in the trees on Andesite and on Challenger. For a long bump trail, head toward Mad Wolf from the top of Andesite; the best powder is usually in the Bavarian Forest at the bottom of Liberty Bowl, or in the north-facing Rice Bowl off Swift Current.

Experts can head straight to the top to ski the gullies as a warm up, then try the 1,450 feet (441 m) Big Couloir straight down the cliff-like face of Lone Peak. To gain access you must check in with ski patrol, have an avalanche transceiver, and a partner. Other limited-access areas include the A-Z chutes, Bonecrusher, and new terrain called Elvis and Graceland from the top of Challenger. Although the rest of the double black diamond offerings may not be as seriously exposed, they all deserve their rating. No skier in this league is likely to be disappointed.

Out of bounds lines may not be crossed—it's private property—and there's no heli-skiing available, but Montana Backcountry Adventures (www.skimba.com) offers cat-skiing near Moonlight Basin Ranch on the north side of the mountain. The Ski School offers guide services for all the Big Sky terrain including the most extreme routes.