A ski area atop the Beartooth Pass, between Red Lodge and Cooke City, has been listed for sale. The Beartooth Basin ski area opened in the 1980s as a summer ski racing camp. But intrepid skiers have been sliding off the mountains’ snow-covered chutes ever since the road was built in the 1930s. What makes Beartooth Basin different is it provides a tow back to the top of the mountain, and it only operates in the spring. The ski area’s short season makes profiting off the venture difficult. The highway doesn’t open until Memorial Day weekend. In a good year, snow lasts into July. In a bad year, the ski area never operates. The owners are hoping a new owner will have the financial wherewithal to keep the operation open to the public, which started in 2003. To learn more about this historic and unusual site, check out my story at TheBillingsQizzette.com
By The Outdoor Editor of the Billings Gazette Brett French
