Big Fun at Big Sky Resort

Last week several friends and I headed west for a week of snowboarding and skiing in the powdery paradise that is Big Sky, Montana. It was my first trip to Big Sky Resort in the winter, having previously been through the Yellowstone National Park area a few summers ago. It was one of the best ski vacations I have ever taken and Montana instantly became a new favorite destination for me. This adventure had so many great times, I can barely summarize all of them.

Travelers in the know and those lucky to have visited - from ski bums to well-heeled vacationers - will certainly agree that Big Sky is indeed "The Biggest Skiing in America."

When you get off the chairlift for the first time and see the vastness of this place it is a striking view. To begin with, the mountain is amazingly uncrowded - and locals that I spoke to on the trip mentioned a claim of "two acres for every skier," which given the sheer size of Big Sky (5800+ acres and 300+ trails) seemed quite realistic to me. There were often times on the mountain that I didn't see anyone else for 20 or 30 minutes - and lift lines were nonexistent. It was quite a change from those crowded Saturday mornings at many Colorado mountains. Wherever you are at Big Sky, you are always in the shadow of Lone Peak - the jagged centerpiece of the resort at 11,166 feet - which on most days was towering high in the clouds. 

But let's talk about the snow! The fluffy white stuff has thankfully been in abundance at North American resorts this winter and Big Sky is no exception. Montana has gotten dumped on this season and the resort boasted deep powder stashes all over the mountain including some delightful tree runs and glades. So far during the 2015-2016 season, Big Sky Resort has seen just over 200" of total snowfall and the consistently freezing temps have kept much of that in place.

The expansive back bowls including Liberty Bowl (my personal favorite) were dusted each and every night - and we were blessed with about 8" of new snow on Thursday shortly after we arrived. Many of the beginner and intermediate runs were groomed to perfect corduroy conditions each morning, only enhanced by the panoramic bluebird skies on 5 out of 6 days we skied.

Expert skiers should spend some time in the bowls - especially given that the longest run on the mountain is the previously mentioned Liberty Bowl run, which eventually connects to the base - a leg-burner at 6.1 miles from start to finish.

What impressed me about Big Sky Resort as well was the variety of their terrain, split between a bunch of beginner/ groomer runs dotted with ski school participants...lots of terrain parks...moving all the way up to serious expert only terrain: unforgiving chutes and some of the steepest runs I have ever seen in North America. Like mountain goats chilling out on the rocks steep...

And on Monday morning, the last full day of our trip, a small group of us skied The Big Couloir - arguably one of the toughest inbound runs at any resort, anywhere. How difficult was it exactly? After taking the Lone Peak Tram to the summit, you must check-in with the ski patrol and speak to them face to face before they let you hit it. The ride up on the tram (1450' vertical) offers a stunning view of neighboring peaks and a momentary respite before you see what lies ahead of you. Upon debarking the cabin, the patroller that I first spoke to asked me "Where are your ski poles?" to which I replied to her that I was on new skis, was feeling them out and was perfectly aware of the risks having spent 30+ years of my life on the slopes.

In most cases when skiing runs this steep, you are also required to have avalanche gear including a beacon, but the risk of slides on this morning was minimal and the patroller assured me of that during our brief conversation. I adjusted my helmet and my earbuds, cranked up Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats and with that, I WAS OFF.

Make no mistake, The Big Couloir is no joke. Dropping nearly 1200 vertical feet in the span of less than a minute with no room for error really gets the blood flowing.

From ski patrollers to bartenders, I was really impressed with how nice everyone was at Big Sky Resort - a hospitable place in the truest sense of the word. Every employee that we came into contact with throughout this trip was a true steward of this place: personable, friendly, professional and helpful. It is a testament to the entire operation and to parent company Boyne Resorts - one of the last family-owned ski companies in the world.

Moreover, one of my goals for this trip was to "vet" the resort as a future destination for my travel clients. In between skiing, I spent nearly two days touring rental properties and meeting locals: hotel GM's, ski instructors, event planners, fly fishing guides and transportation companies so as to really understand the area and have solid recommendations and resources for down the road. In that regard, I consider it Mission Accomplished.

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With our legs burning each day, daylight fading and the mountain winding down just after 4PM, our sometimes rowdy group settled into several of the bars that dot the base lodge for the obligatory après-ski. We enjoyed White Russians, local beers from Bozeman Brewing Company (try their Hopzone IPA!) and delicious food including elk steak flatbreads at Caribiner Lounge and loaded bison nachos at Whiskey Jack's.

However, my absolute favorite place to stop in between runs was at the Moonlight Tavern to warm up and grab a quick cocktail. It is a stunning great room with a beautiful restaurant and bar that blends rugged mountain design (think big timber beams and fieldstone) with country club refinements sure to delight skiers and non-skiers alike. At night, the Moonlight Lodge property looks like something out of a storybook.

I must acknowledge that one of the few drawbacks of the Big Sky experience is the lack of nightlife. Breckenridge this is not. While there are a few places to kick back in the surrounding town, our group was lucky to be in Big Sky during the 10th Annual Big Sky Big Grass festival. We got to see some of the top names in bluegrass and folk music including Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Sam Bush, David Grisman, Keller Williams and The Travelin' McCourys. Seeing that I'm a huge bluegrass fan already and so are my friends, this was a nice treat!

Don't feel like skiing every day? No worries. Opportunities for chilly weather recreation are numerous in Big Sky including zip-line tours and snowmobiling excursions in the nearby Gallatin National Forest arranged through Alpine Adventures, a family-owned business located just 20 minutes from the resort. The winter wonderland of Yellowstone National Park is also 70 miles away and offers the opportunity to see a serene natural place in the heart of winter.

On the accommodations front, we had a great experience working with the folks at Big Sky Vacation Rentals, who arranged a large cabin in close proximity to the slopes for our group. With the exception of me skiing down and getting lost in some of the ultra flat catwalks that dot the resort, the property that we rented was ski-in, ski-out.

Our cabin (Rosebud #7) was ideal for a large group of buddies such as ours, but would be an even better choice for vacationing families. Big Sky Vacation Rentals has both smaller and larger cabins available in their portfolio of properties and the service and amenities were exactly as advertised. There was plenty of firewood, comfortable beds and a back deck & hot tub with stunning views of the mountain.

We were also on our trip during Super Bowl weekend and our cabin had two large living rooms with big screen TV's, not to mention everything you could need in the kitchen to properly cook at home. Roxy's Market - a gourmet grocery store with an exceptional selection for a ski town - is located just a few minutes away. We made enough scrambled eggs, bacon, flank steak, pork tenderloin, chili and appetizers to feed an army.

Now to wrap up this Big Sky review with some quick recommendations:

• Rent a car! Big Sky Resort is just over an hour from Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. We had quite an ordeal flying into Montana because of the Midwest blizzard that cancelled flights around the country and caused long layovers getting there. The transportation that we arranged ran nearly $60 per person, each way and apparently this is a common price and frequent complaint from visitors. Our friends rented a Chevy Suburban in Bozeman for $350 for the entire week with an Enterprise discount. And since this resort is fairly spread out, having a car available is the way to go.
• Travel mid-week for the best deals. We opted for Tuesday - Tuesday and saved nearly $300 on our flights by choosing these dates. Bozeman Airport was super easy to fly in and out of, but direct flights can nearly double the price as opposed to those with two layovers. Changes are very difficult because there are not a lot of flights into Montana and the trip can take up to an entire day. When we left Big Sky at 3AM on the shuttle, none of us were prepared for how tired we would be after crisscrossing the country from Bozeman to Seattle to Atlanta. I finally arrived home in Charleston at 10PM and was totally gassed.
• Consider shipping your skis or snowboards. Prior to leaving South Carolina, I looked into shipping my skis via FedEx, which I have done dozens of times before. The cost was around $30 to get them there. At the last minute, I made the decision to go the demo ski route and rent my equipment at the mountain. Most of the snowboarders in our group unfortunately discovered upon arrival into Bozeman that Delta misplaced their snowboards and subsequently spent the first day in Big Sky waiting on a courier to deliver them.
• Grab a steak or wild game at the legendary Buck's T-4! A Montana tradition for over 50 years, the chefs at Buck's T-4 specialize in amazing steaks and delectable mountain cooking. The wine list has been recognized as the finest in the state by Wine Spectator and the various chefs from Buck's have cooked at the esteemed James Beard House over the years. Just make sure and secure reservations if you plan to dine here. As a bonus: they run a shuttle between Big Sky Resort and Buck's, which is about 20 minutes from the slopes.
  

As a lifelong skier and outdoor enthusiast, I cannot wait to return to this gem of a mountain. I look forward to discovering the many new places throughout the Big Sky and Gallatin Valley area with friends and family for many years to come. I plan to go back this summer with my father to fly fish. As a professional travel planner too, I am happy to answer questions and assist anyone with their Big Sky adventure and appreciate the warm service and stewardship shown to our group during the past week.