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Northwest Passage

Blue Great Divide, MT

Steepest pitch12°
Vertical449 ft
Length5,463 ft
Average pitch5°
FacesN
Top6,705 ft

Northwest Passage drops 449 vertical feet over 5,463 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 12° about 1,190 feet below the top. That's steeper than 6% of the 5,615 blue runs we've measured in North America, and the 117th steepest of 123 named runs at Great Divide. It faces north.

How well Northwest Passage holds snow

Snow preservationExcellent

Facing north at an average 5°, Northwest Passage gets about 57% of the winter sun that flat ground at Great Divide does, December through March. That's shadier than 87% of the runs we've measured, and the 42nd shadiest named run at Great Divide. Its top sits at 6,700 feet.

Shaded snow stays colder and drier, so it holds powder longer after a storm and is slower to crust over or turn to slush in spring. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Northwest Passage profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Northwest Passage elsewhere

Nearby at Great Divide

Measured by ZRankings from 1-meter USGS lidar. Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.