Three weeks after opening for the summer, Beartooth Basin ski area is calling it a day on their summer ski season.
And that’s a wrap! The drops are off the Poma lifts and the rocks (counterweights) are on the ground. We thank all the patrons who celebrated the spirit of skiing with us in 2020. Though the season was shorter than normal, the energy y’all packed in was immense and that excitement is summed up in the Beartooth Basin quote-of-the-year: “This has got to be one of the happiest places on earth right now.” Maybe all the world’s problems can be solved by skiing. #beartoothbasin#thespiritofskiing
North America’s only summer-only ski area has been beaten by the warm weather. Despite a couple of recent storms that hit the area, the rocks are showing and it’s time to hang up the skis on what has been a crazy year. Last year they made it through to July, and in 2018 they were forced to close early at the beginning of July due to lift issues.
Beartooth Basin is not your average ski hill. You could describe it as backcountry skiing with a lift. Similar to traditional lift-served ski facilities, the Basin is staffed with professional ski patrollers and skillful lift attendants. And just like other ski areas, it faces extreme economic challenges – aging infrastructure, high equipment costs, expensive insurance policies, and rigorous engineering inspections. All of these obstacles are made even more difficult with the access issues experienced due to its remote location at the whim of multiple surface owner-operators of US Hwy212.
For now though, if you want lift-serviced skiing in North America, Timberline Lodge, OR is your only option.
