Showdown is an alpine ski area located in the Little Belt Mountains in Central Montana , United States . Created in 1936 and originally called King's Hill Ski Area, Showdown is a small-scale ski area that is often closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, receiving most patrons on the weekends during the season. An office in Great Falls, Montana has also been known to be available for ticket sales
23-634: Early Years (1936–1973) Originally created in 1936, Showdown is Montana's oldest operating ski area, as well as one of the oldest in the United States. It was originally called King's Hill Ski Area, and was operated by the Great Falls Ski Club. In 1940, the ski area opened its first Rope Tow, donated by Great Falls businessman Charlie Bovey. In 1957, the ski club along with members from the Great Falls Ski Patrol formed Ski Lift Inc. to manage
46-403: A 3.8-mile (6.1 km) concurrency through Browning and at a roundabout on the western end of town, US 2 heads southwest towards East Glacier and provides an all-weather link to the western end of Glacier National Park. US 89 heads west for 12.2 miles (19.6 km) and then turns north at Kiowa and travels north for 18.9 miles (30.4 km) to St. Mary where it intersects
69-510: A bar, and soon after came up with a proposal to purchase the ski area. In 1973 the Ski Area changed its name from King's Hill Ski Area to Showdown Ski Area. The name was changed to Showdown, due to the fact that every time you ski, its a Showdown with gravity! In 1974, the basement of the lodge was excavated, completing the final additions to the main lodge. In 1978, the T-bar was removed, and replaced with
92-457: A base day lodge, which contains food services, ski shop, coffee shop, ticket sales, and a bar. Also located at the base is the rental shop, ski patrol, and ski school. Showdown also provides a warming hut at the top of the mountain known as the Top Rock. It has been known to serve food on busy weekends. Showdown has three aerial lifts and one surface lift: The Ski Area is near Kings Hill Pass in
115-417: A beginner chairlift, mainly serving green and blue runs. The Poma that was previously used to access this terrain was removed in the process. In 2020, George sold the business to his daughter Katie Boedecker. Boedecker Ownership (2020–Present) In 2020, Katie Boedecker assumed ownership of the ski area from her father George. In 2020, the area began an aggressive inbounds logging project to begin to open up
138-636: A high elevation area of the Little Belt Mountains. The ski area sits on Porphyry Peak (elev 8200 ft.), one of the tallest mountains in the range. One of the most difficult runs is Glory Hole and one of the easiest runs is Teds Tumble. Porphyry is a Remote Automated Weather Station located near the summit of Porphyry Peak within the Showdown Ski Area. Porphyry Peak has a subalpine climate ( Köppen Dfc ), bordering on an Alpine climate ( Köppen ET ). Kings Hill Pass Kings Hill Pass
161-592: A short, unsigned concurrency with I-315 before reaching I-15 . US 89 and MT 200 follow I-15 for 11.5 miles (18.5 km) to Vaughn , where they exit the Interstate and travels 7.9 miles (12.7 km) west to Sun River , at which point US 89 turns northwest and MT 200 heads southwest to Missoula . US 89 travels 32.4 miles (52.1 km) to US 287 in Choteau and another 68.8 miles (110.7 km) to US 2 . US 2 and US 89 share
184-476: Is at an elevation of 7,393 feet. There is an observation tower that offers views of the Lewis and Clark National Forest that is popular with visitors. Deadman Creek is a SNOTEL weather station situated near the southern base of Kings Hill Pass at an altitude of 6450 feet (1966 m). "Kings Hill, MT" . Western Regional Climate Center . Retrieved November 29, 2015 . </ref> This article relating to
207-581: Is part of the Kings Hill Scenic Byway which passes through the Little Belt Mountains in the Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana , United States . The route is home to a wide variety of wildlife and provides many recreational opportunities for travelers on the route. The Byway is a 71-mile route that begins on U.S. Highway 89 at its junction with U.S. Highway 12 . From the junction
230-671: The Canadian border at Port of Piegan where the road continues into Alberta as Highway 2 towards Cardston . When US 89 was first created, it ran as far north as Spanish Fork, Utah . This was the case until 1934, when it was extended to more or less of its current alignment up to the Port of Piegan. North of Great Falls, US 89's route was originally part of the US ;87 corridor until 1934. US 87 ended in Great Falls until 1945, when it
253-508: The Canadian border . US 89 is an important tourist route within Montana as it connects Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park . The section of US 89 located between US 12 and US 87 is known as the Kings Hill Scenic Byway , which passes through the Little Belt Mountains in the Lewis and Clark National Forest , and is home to a wide variety of wildlife and provides many recreational opportunities for travelers along
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#1733104595262276-742: The Going-to-the-Sun Road , a seasonal scenic mountain road that traverses Glacier National Park. US 89 travels 12.9 miles (20.8 km) to the Chief Mountain Highway (MT 17), a road that travels through the northeastern corner of Glacier National Park and provides seasonal access to Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park by way of the Chief Mountain Border Station and Quarters (the only road that connects Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park ). US 89 travels 6.2 miles (10.0 km) to its northern terminus at
299-529: The United States Numbered Highway System is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Montana road or road transport-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kings Hill Scenic Byway U.S. Highway 89 ( US 89 ) is a north-south United States Numbered Highway in the state of Montana . It extends approximately 400.5 miles (644.5 km) from Yellowstone National Park north to
322-530: The Byway travels north through the Lewis and Clark National Forest through the communities of Neihart and Monarch Montana and on to its junction with U.S. Highway 87 . The route offers access to the ski area at Showdown, Montana and Sluice Boxes State Park . The route travels over the Kings Hill Pass near Monarch Montana which snow removal crews work to keep open throughout the winter season. Kings Hill Pass
345-596: The Kings Hill Scenic Byway. From US 12 the byway travels for 71.4 miles (114.9 km) through the Lewis and Clark National Forest , through the communities of Neihart and Monarch , and on to its junction with US 87. The route offers access to the Showdown Ski Area and Sluice Boxes State Park . The route travels over the Kings Hill Pass which snow removal crews work to keep open throughout
368-511: The Prospector Chairlift from WSO Stadeli. At the time, it was the longest chairlift ride in the world. Prior to the installation of the chairlift, runs off of the ridge had no exit point except for a rope tow that took skiers from the bottom of Second Thought, up Dicks Ditch, ending at Arkansas Traveler. Willet Ownership (1973–2020) In 1973, George Willet and Ted Cogswell purchased the ski area from Ski Lift Inc. The two partners met in
391-606: The South Entrance. US 89 travels north along the Yellowstone River for 52.9 miles (85.1 km) to Livingston , where it heads east along a 7.5-mile (12.1 km) concurrency with I-90 / US 191 . US 89 heads north for 56.7 miles (91.2 km); the route joins US 12 (which heads east towards Helena ) for 8.4 miles (13.5 km) before entering White Sulphur Springs , and for another 3.0 miles (4.8 km) east of town, where it turns north and becomes
414-488: The WSO Stadeli Payload triple chair. The chair ran up a new alignment that better served the mountain. In 1986, a new maintenance shop was built. In 1997, a new addition was built onto the lodge, which added a bar, administrative offices, more seating, and gave dedicated space to ski school and ski patrol. In 2006, Showdown purchased the old Collins Lift from Alta, was renamed The Sluice Goose Caboose, and installed it as
437-484: The interior of the resort to gladed skiing. This project is expected to last a number of years. In the winter season of 2020-21, Showdown began seeing skiers come from other resorts in the state who restricted access due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This has continued since due to the areas consistent snow, and family atmosphere. In 2022, Showdown celebrated its 85th anniversary, making it the oldest ski area in Montana, and one of
460-529: The oldest in the country. In honor of the 85th anniversary, some runs at Showdown were renamed in honor of the original backers of the resort, as well as other important figures in the history of the resort. In the summer of 2022, the resort purchased the former All Seasons Inn and Suites, and renovated it into the Edith Hotel. Future plans for the area include on mountain accommodations, new guest services buildings, new lifts, and summer activities. The ski area has
483-468: The operations of the area. The company sold stock, and purchased a Poma lift that traveled up The Hall-o, and ended at the top of the mountain. The company also began adding additions to the lodge, with the last addition to the main lodge completed in 1968. In 1964, the Poma was replaced with a T-bar. The Poma was relocated to the far Northside of the mountain as a learning area lift. In 1970, Ski Lift Inc. purchased
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#1733104595262506-633: The route. US 89 enters Montana at the North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park, on the southern edge of Gardiner at the Roosevelt Arch ; it is one of two entrances opened year-round (the other being the Northeast entrance on US 212). Some commercially produced maps show US 89 going through Yellowstone National Park; however, it officially has a gap inside the park and resumes in Wyoming at
529-420: The winter season. At the northern end of the byway near Armington , US 89 joints US 87 , Montana Highway 3 (MT 3), and MT 200 ; the four-route concurrency travels northwest for 22.7 miles (36.5 km) to Great Falls . As it travels through Great Falls along 10th Avenue South, US 87 branches north at 14th Street South, I-15 Business joins the route at 6th Street South, and it follows
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