Great Divide Snowsports
Encyclopedia
Great Divide is a ski area located northwest of Helena in Southwestern Montana
near the Continental Divide
. Great Divide is a locally owned ski area known for being the first ski area in Montana to open each year.
, and Mt. Edith. The ski area was owned and operated by the non-profit Belmont Ski Club from 1941 thru much of 1985 when it was sold to the Taylor family who have developed the ski area and operated ever since. The first chair lift, Mt. Belmont chair, was built in 1986 and went to the top of the mountain http://skigd.com. Since, Good Luck, Meadow Mountain chairlifts have been added to mid-mountain areas and a recent expansion of the area added the Rawhide and Wild West Chairlifts.
The mountain has five lifts and one rope tow that access over 140 trails covering 1500 acres (6.1 km²). There are paid and/or volunteer patrollers on duty at all times. The area is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, except holidays, and offers night skiing on Fridays. Adult daily lift tickets are $36 each. Great Divide offers lessons daily from 9 a.m. til 3 p.m., with free instruction taking place in the Backyard Beginner's Area. There is an all-mountain ski team that is a 7 week program for kids aged 7 to 19, an average of 130 kids participate each season. Great Divide hosts the Montana Park Riders Round-Up each spring with a cash prize of $1000 for Montana's top freestyle skier / rider..
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Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
near the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
. Great Divide is a locally owned ski area known for being the first ski area in Montana to open each year.
History
Mt. Belmont's first trail was built to accommodate the 1942 Northern Rocky Mountain Ski Races, and was selected amongst other surrounding mountains including Elkhorn Peak, Red MountainRed Mountain
-Canada:* Red Mountain , a mountain near Rossland, British Columbia** Red Mountain Resort, a ski resort on Red Mountain in Rossland, also known as Red Resort* Mount Price, a volcano in British Columbia, Canada formerly known as Red Mountain...
, and Mt. Edith. The ski area was owned and operated by the non-profit Belmont Ski Club from 1941 thru much of 1985 when it was sold to the Taylor family who have developed the ski area and operated ever since. The first chair lift, Mt. Belmont chair, was built in 1986 and went to the top of the mountain http://skigd.com. Since, Good Luck, Meadow Mountain chairlifts have been added to mid-mountain areas and a recent expansion of the area added the Rawhide and Wild West Chairlifts.
Current operations
This mountain makes the largest terrain parks in the area. There is a fairly powerful snowmaking system which allows early openings and construction of five terrain parks. Great Divide is well known for its Terrain Parks and hosts a variety of events featuring those parks.The mountain has five lifts and one rope tow that access over 140 trails covering 1500 acres (6.1 km²). There are paid and/or volunteer patrollers on duty at all times. The area is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, except holidays, and offers night skiing on Fridays. Adult daily lift tickets are $36 each. Great Divide offers lessons daily from 9 a.m. til 3 p.m., with free instruction taking place in the Backyard Beginner's Area. There is an all-mountain ski team that is a 7 week program for kids aged 7 to 19, an average of 130 kids participate each season. Great Divide hosts the Montana Park Riders Round-Up each spring with a cash prize of $1000 for Montana's top freestyle skier / rider..
Location
Great Divide Ski area is located about 22 miles (35.4 km) west-northwest of Helena, off Highway 279 (Lincoln Road), and seven miles (11 km) up Marysville Road past the Silver City Saloon and Marysville, MontanaMarysville, Montana
Marysville is a small unincorporated community in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, United States. In the 1880s and 90's it was a bustling mining town of three thousand residents, and was the center of gold mining in Montana. A few buildings remain, including a baseball field with bleachers...
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