Montana, Usa · Indy
Lost Trail Powder Mountain
1,800 acres, 69 runs straddling the MT-ID border. Legendary Thursday powder, Indy Pass access.
Season 2025 - 2026
Opens
5 Dec 2025
Closes
6 Apr 2026
Days open
122
Annual snow
25ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Lost Trail Powder Mountain's summit reaches 8,196 feet, dropping 1,795 vertical feet to a base at 6,401 feet across 69 runs spread over 1,800 acres straddling the Montana-Idaho border. Terrain splits 40 per cent intermediate, and 20 per cent each for beginner, advanced and expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 306 inches. The resort carries Indy Pass affiliation. Eight lifts, including five double chairs, serve the mountain alongside three surface lifts.
Lost Trail sits at the junction of US Highway 93 and Montana State Highway 43 at Lost Trail Pass, with Chairlift 1 running approximately along the Idaho-Montana border and terrain to its south, including Chairlift 2, actually located in Idaho. This border-straddling geography, combined with the resort's legendary Thursday powder days, has built a devoted following among skiers in the Bitterroot Valley and beyond. The evenly balanced terrain split across all four ability levels suits a genuinely broad range of skiers.
The ski area traces its origins to 1938, when it began as a modest, volunteer-operated facility on the Continental Divide. The pass itself takes its name from a local rancher's insistence, informed by his familiarity with the Lewis and Clark journals, when US Highway 93 was built through the area in the 1930s. Ownership of the ski hill changed hands roughly every three years through its early decades until the Grasser family took over.
In 1967, local resident Bill Grasser and business partner Chuck Shuland acquired the property, with Grasser buying out his partner in 1975 after operating the resort together from 1969. The mountain is now owned by Scott and Judy Grasser, continuing more than half a century of family ownership. Adult daily tickets run from 45 to 55 US dollars.
1,798ft
Vertical
69
Runs
1,800 acres
Skiable
25ft
Annual snow
Indy
Pass
The Terrain
69 runs across 1,800 acres skiable
Lost Trail Powder Mountain spreads 69 runs across 1,800 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 40%, with 14 beginner runs to find your feet and 28 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
69
runs
69 runs across 4 grades
Beginner14 runs · 20%
Intermediate28 runs · 40%
Advanced14 runs · 20%
Expert14 runs · 20%
Time it right
When to visit Lost Trail Powder Mountain
The 2025-26 season at Lost Trail Powder Mountain ran from 5 December 2025 to 6 April 2026, a roughly eighteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 306 inches. This substantial snowfall total underpins the resort's legendary reputation for deep, reliable powder, particularly on the Thursdays for which the mountain has become known among regional skiers.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions across the resort's evenly balanced terrain. Given the mountain's remote setting straddling the Montana-Idaho border at Lost Trail Pass, the resort draws primarily from the Bitterroot Valley and broader regional skier base rather than national destination traffic, keeping crowds notably lighter than more accessible resorts.
As an Indy Pass resort, Lost Trail draws some visiting skiers holding that multi-resort pass in addition to its core regional base. The resort's genuinely balanced terrain split across beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert skiing suits families and groups with mixed ability levels. School holiday periods bring increased family visitation given this broad terrain appeal.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations and the resort's Thursday powder day reputation is not confirmed in available resort information. More than fifty years of Grasser family ownership, from Bill Grasser's 1967 purchase through to the current Scott and Judy Grasser stewardship, continues to shape the resort's community-focused, family-run character each season. Lost Trail's unusual cross-border geography remains a distinctive point of interest for visitors throughout the winter.
Season 2025 - 2026
5 Dec 2025
Opens
6 Apr 2026
Closes
122
Days open
25 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Lost Trail Powder Mountain, and where to stay
Lost Trail Powder Mountain sits at Lost Trail Pass, straddling the Montana-Idaho border at the junction of US Highway 93 and Montana State Highway 43, with a base elevation of 6,401 feet and a summit at 8,196 feet across a 1,795-foot vertical drop over 1,800 acres in the Bitterroot Range. This remote setting places the resort along one of the more scenic mountain passes in the northern Rockies.
The Bitterroot Valley, to the north in Montana, and the Salmon, Idaho area, to the south, both provide lodging and services within a reasonable drive of the resort. Missoula, the nearest larger city, lies a considerable distance north through the Bitterroot Valley. This remote location keeps the resort's visitor base genuinely regional rather than drawing from major metropolitan areas.
US Highway 93 provides direct access to Lost Trail Pass from both the Montana and Idaho sides, making the resort straightforward to reach despite its remote setting. Winter driving conditions on this mountain pass route can include snow and ice, and the substantial snowfall the area receives means chains or traction tyres are often advisable during storms. There is no direct public transport service to the resort.
Missoula International Airport, a considerable drive to the north, is the nearest airport with substantial commercial service. This distance reinforces Lost Trail's identity as a genuinely remote mountain destination reached deliberately by regional skiers rather than a convenient fly-in resort.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Lost Trail Powder Mountain, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Spain Moves to Ban Smoking at Ski Resorts Under New Tobacco Law
Spain's government has approved a draft tobacco law that would ban smoking across a wide range of outdoor spaces, including sports venues - a category Spanish winter sports media expect to cover ski resorts, potentially extending to slopes and lifts themselves. The rules would also apply to e-cigarettes and vaping devices, even nicotine-free ones. The bill still has to clear the Spanish parliament before any ban, signage, or fines can take effect.
22 July 2026
South Tyrol Approves New 16-Person Ciampinoi Gondola in Val Gardena
South Tyrol has approved a full rebuild of the Ciampinoi cable car in Selva di Val Gardena, replacing the current 12-person gondola with a 16-person cabin and a new mountain-station restaurant. Capacity is capped at 3,200 people an hour rather than the 3,600 the operator wanted, and 250,000 euros must go toward compensatory measures. No construction or opening date has been set, though the upgrade is partly aimed at clearing bottlenecks before the 2031 Alpine Ski World Championships.
22 July 2026
Resort Spotlight: Hoshino Tomamu - Corporate Japan's Mountain Playground Revisited
Hoshino Tomamu is the ski resort equivalent of a conference hotel that happens to have excellent powder. Built for corporate retreats and package tourists, it offers genuine Hokkaido snow on surprisingly limited terrain - 29 runs spread across 585 vertical metres.
21 July 2026
La Thuile's New Cable Car Replaces Two Ageing Chairlifts
La Thuile is spending 38.7 million US dollars on a new 10-person cable car linking Les Suches to Chaz Dura, replacing the La Combe and Chaz Dura chairlifts after nearly forty years of service. Built by Leitner, the new cable car runs 1,950 metres to a top station at 2,576 metres, carrying up to 3,000 people an hour with a six-minute ride. It also improves the connection to La Rosiere in France via the Petit-Saint-Bernard Pass, and is on track to open for the 2026/27 season.
21 July 2026
The Remarkables Adds Scarpa Bowl to Its Inbounds Terrain
The Remarkables is adding new inbounds terrain for winter, bringing the Scarpa Bowl - known locally as the Toilet Bowl - into its lift-accessed network after years as backcountry-only ground. The roughly 500 metre run is reached by bootpacking from the top of the Sugar Bowl chairlift, with a shuttle picking skiers up from the road at the bottom. It's a smaller, faster addition than the resort's planned Doolans expansion, though the new terrain hasn't opened yet due to a lack of snow this season.
21 July 2026
Ski Portillo Cut Off After Storm Dumps More Than 4.5 Metres of Snow
Ski Portillo remains isolated after an extended storm buried the Chilean resort under more than 4.5 metres of snow, with both ground and air access suspended since Tuesday while crews monitor avalanche hazards and worsening weather. Resort officials say further snowfall is expected in the coming days and haven't set a timeline for reopening the mountain road. Once access resumes, the scale of the snowpack could set up a strong season at one of the Southern Hemisphere's most historic ski resorts.
21 July 2026
Resort Spotlight: Lotte Arai - Japan's Corporate Ski Anomaly With 22 Metres of Annual Snowfall
Lotte Arai receives 22 metres of annual snowfall - exceptional even by Japanese standards - but its corporate ownership model and limited terrain create an unusual cost-benefit equation. Here's what the numbers actually mean on the ground.
19 July 2026
Resort Spotlight: Banff Sunshine Village - Nine Metres of Snow and a Season That Runs Until May
Banff Sunshine Village sits at 1,660m base and receives 9.27m of snow annually. Inside Banff National Park, it offers a six-month season and terrain split that skews heavily advanced - though the crowds and lift infrastructure tell their own story.
18 July 2026
Current conditions
Snow Report
Updated 16 Aug 2026
8,199ft
summit
+1in
new snow · last 24 hours
Clear43°F / 68°F · S 11mph
Snowfall
24 hours
1in
48 hours
2in
7 days
7in
Base depth
1in
Season total
38in
Total lifts8
Live open status isn’t available right now.
5 Dec 2025 - 6 Apr 2026
Hour by Hour
Next 41 hours· Updated Aug 16, 2026 at 6:02 AM
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
7-Day Outlook
8,199 ftUpdated Aug 16, 2026 at 6:02 AMOpen-Meteo
Days 1–7
0.0"
Days 8–14
0.0"
Sun, Aug 16
Overcast
Temp68° / 43°°F
Snow0.0"(30%)
Wind11 mph S
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Understanding the Lost Trail Powder Mountain snow report
Track current conditions at Lost Trail Powder Mountain in Montana. This report covers snowfall totals, base and summit depth, and the forecast across 69 runs.
Snow measurements
Our snow reports measure snowfall in centimeters over multiple time windows — last 24 hours, last 7 days, and the season total. Base depth reflects accumulation at the 1951m base area, while summit depth captures conditions 548m higher at 2499m, where snow typically stays colder and lingers longer. Imperial conversions are shown alongside for convenience.
Weather conditions
Wind and temperature swings matter as much as fresh snowfall. Cold, calm conditions hold snow quality well, while wind-loading or a warm-up can change things quickly — especially given the elevation spread between Lost Trail Powder Mountain's base and summit.
Data sources
Snowfall and depth figures for Lost Trail Powder Mountain come from official mountain sources; weather and outlook data comes from independent forecasting services. The mountain is served by 8 lifts in total.
When to check
The biggest swings usually happen right after a storm. Check Lost Trail Powder Mountain's report in the morning for the freshest numbers, and again in the afternoon as conditions evolve.