Monarch Insider's Guide
This is designed to be a short guide to some of the things that the basic trail map wont tell you about Monarch Ski Area. While small, Monarch Ski Area has a lot of folds and hidden faces, and there is a good amount of interesting terrain and features hiding out there. This guide is best used by fairly advanced riders, comfortable on at least single black runs, as many of the things on this map require navigation through trees and advanced terrain.
Glades (green triangles)
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Terrain Features (yellow diamonds)
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1. Little Mo Trees
2. Japanese Trees 3. Shag Chutes 4. Hidden Trees 5. High Anxiety Trees 6. Panorama Trees 7. Turbo Trees 8. Mirage Trees 9. Christmas Trees 10. The Secret Spot 11. Lower No Name Trees 12. Powerline Trees 13. Ditchweed 14. Geno's Trees 15. Short N Sweet Stash (Extra) |
1. Shagnasty Bowl
2. Outback Ridge 3. Dire Straits 4. Panorama Cliffband 5. The Diving Board 6. Pinball Rock 7. Mirage Rocks 8. West Rock Garden 9. East Rock Garden 10. Curecanti Face 11. Curecanti Bowl |
1 - Little Mo Trees
This short group of trees exists between Little Mo and the K2 Organic Terrain Park. Spruce and pine with good lines. Double fall line, and short. 2 - Japanese Trees On the very top of the Breezeway peak, the wind can blow quite fiercely, and the short trees that exist up here get coated in snow and turn into "snow ghosts", a common feature in Japan's ski-rich ski areas. Double fall lines. 3 - Shag Chutes The trees on skier's left of Shagnasty contain some interesting channels through the trees. While they aren't true chutes made of rock, there are some great tunnels through the trees to enjoy. Wait for decent snowpack for this run. 4 - Hidden Trees A tiny patch of spruce trees that require a short walk to get to. As such, there is usually some extra powder here. It also makes a good place to get away for a little while, for food, a safety meeting, or some romance. 5 - High Anxiety Trees The name refers to the trees on either side of High Anxiety. Both are high quality, with long fall lines through the spruce trees, and plenty of hidden drops. Best on fresh snow days. 6 - Panorama Trees
The longest sustained fall line of glades accessible from Panorama lift. Long, with lots of good trees and good spacing. Good run to lap on powder days as it's the best mix of skiing and lift lines. Hidden drops in amongst the spruce. 7 - Turbo Trees
The next group of trees after Mirage Trees lack the exciting terrain features of other nearby glades. However, it still maintains a healthy fall line, and since accessing it from the top requires a tiny bit of side-stepping, there is often a good chunk of nice powder that stays hidden at the top of this. Working towards skiers right of these trees ill reveal more freshies here. 8 - Mirage Trees
Some of the best glades off Panorama Lift, this is a really nice section of steep spruce glades, nicely spaced, with lots of obstacles. These are also some of the first good glades to come in as the ski season gets going. Long fall lines that drop all the way to Pinball make for great laps. 9 - Christmas Trees
The backside of the small mountain Garfield Lift accesses, this run is fun and can often hide good snow, especially if you work the double fall line and keep traversing towards the right. By making some turns, traversing, making turns, and repeating, you can find nice lines all the way to the top of Pinball. Coverage in here can be spotty, resulting in occasional deadfalls and exposed stumps and fallen logs. 10 - The Secret Spot
A true secret Powder Stash. This beautiful slice of snow is located between Christmas Tree run, and Upper No Name. But balancing here is the key to getting good snow. Too far right towards No Name, or too far left towards Christmas Tree will spoil the good stuff. This is a stash best left until later in the day on a pow day, when other stuff starts getting tracked out. 11 - Lower No Name Trees Traversing into the trees off skiers right of Lower No Name results in getting into a group of tight trees that can be fun, and hide some occasional drops and fun technical lines. This section seems to need a bit more snow, and it does have a double fall line, but once it's in it hides snow quite well. 12 - Powerline Trees
On the northeast face of the Curecanti Bowl, there is a good group of trees that is accessed from the catwalk just off the Curecanti Lift. Fall lines drop all the way down to the exit from the Bowl, with some nicely spaced trees, and good snow can be found in here. These trees have also been known to hold some small structures as well. 13 - Ditchweed
Over on Gunbarrel Ridge is a series of runs that spill off from a catwalk entrance on top of the ridge. At the end of said catwalk, where the group starts to go up, you must hike up and over a small hill to get to the ultra-popular Gunbarrel. Skip the crowds and follow a track to the left instead of going up, and follow it into the trees known as Ditchweed. Tight spruce glades with fun downfall features. 14 - Geno's Meadow These trees get tracked out quick but if they open Breezeway lift for a few runs before they open Panorama or Garfield then it's worth it to bomb a lap or two through the double fall lines of these open glades. 15 - Short N Sweet Stash Typically one of the last sections of trees on Panorama Ridge to hold snow after a storm. It's short, and since it's a bit of a trek to get there it holds snow a week after a storm. Cruise this one when everything else is dead but don't worry about hitting it first. You can traverse left after finishing and still hit Pinball Rock. |
1 - Shagnasty Bowl
One of the biggest wide open bowls on the mountain. Can be great with new snow, bluebird days, and spring corn days, but terrible on snowing days with no visibility. 2 - Outback Ridge Just down the ridge from Shagnasty is a small hill that drops down into the trees. Check out the natural halfpipe, and keen eyes will find many interesting freeride features throughout the bowl, including an awesome massive natural hip at the bottom below the last catwalk. 3 - Dire Straits One of the gnarliest chunks of terrain on the main mountain. A big angry knob of rock that juts abruptly out of the ridgeline. It is cut by three chutes, and contains numerous cliffs to launch. On skiers right there is The Wall, a solid 8' cliff, and then Big Chute, which is the easiest to descend but still requires jump turns. Hartman's Chute is the middle one, and the most difficult one, and can be done with good snow and some speed. There are some nice launches off the left side of Hartman's, landing into the bottom of the Left Chute which is easy once the snow covers the rocks inside of it. There is a small launch knob on skier's left of the Left Chute, and about 20 yards further to the left is a small knob called The Grassy Knoll. 4- Panorama Cliff Band
One cliff band crosses several runs, resulting in small drops scattered across several runs. In Zipper Trees there are some small drops that can be combo'd nicely, as well as in the trees of High Anxiety. The star of the area is the High Anxiety Rocks, a collection of large boulders that cross the left side of the run. There are numerous launch spots, and combo moves are easily linked up. 5 - The Diving Board
Named for the main boulder that lies in the middle of the Panorama lift line, this is a group of boulders that provide a few different launch options, including The Shoulder on the right. Moves made on these features usually have an audience (and sometimes a peanut gallery) on the lift. 6 - Pinball Rock
Deep in the bottom section of Mirage Trees, there is a massive rock that towers out of the hillside. It sits directly above the fun ditch known as Pinball, and as such is called Pinball Rock. There are several ways to tee it up, including launching right off the top [beware flat landings], going down the double drop on the side, hop turning into the ledge in the middle, or going off the right shoulder. Those dropping off the left shoulder can traverse over about 10 yards and drop another small drop. Pinball itself is also full of fun features. 7 - Mirage Rocks
Inside the Mirage Trees is a nice line of several small boulders that you can drop easily, providing a fun line all the way down to Pinball Rock. Those who explore around above the Rock will be rewarded with a nice patch of hidden powder, as well as a nice flat area in the sun to relax, collectively known as Stoner's Park. 8 - Rock Garden East Halfway down the fall line of Upper No Name, a road cuts off to skiers left, through the forest to the greens coming off the top of Tumbelina. Just below skiers right of this road, there is a long cliff band that offers up many drops. On the east the drops are bigger and gnarlier, and beware of structures in the trees. These are complicated big time by trees in the landings. 9 - Rock Garden West
Further left along the same cliff band the drops clean up and become more user friendly. There is a nice double drop, as well as a nice line of several small drops that is quite technical. There are a couple other small drops as well. One of the more fun areas for drops as the snow is usually good. 10 - Curecanti Face
On the front side of "Mt. Garfield", there is a smattering of drops and rollers that fall down the side of the mountain. A handful of large boulders are scattered here and there, and creative freeriders will find plenty of natural launches to combo between the rocks. Following the Garfield lift line can yield up some nice multi-feature lines. 11 - Curecanti Bowl
Tucked away in a corner of the ski area, on a bowl hidden from the rest of the resort, is a fun bowl that you can access either from Curecanti Lift, or by sidestepping up a catwalk from Skywalker on the backside. The bowl has a few mediocre cliffs at the top with awkward takeoffs, but the gem of Curecanti is the massive cornice that can be hucked for days. |
Map base Google Earth. Map created by, photographs and videos copyright Kit Davidson.