Big Sky, Montana. It's true: the sky really is big.
Close your eyes and imagine the best skiing you can with breathtaking and infinite views of mountain ranges, no lift lines, bluebird days and endless powder. Now open your eyes: you're in Big Sky, Montana.
Getting here: Don't expect to land in Bozeman and quickly make your way over to the resort.
From the airport, Big Sky is about an hour drive along curvy mountain roads. I'd recommend renting a 4-wheel drive car. It's a beautiful drive during the daytime along the Gallatin river, but can be tricky at night if there's recently been some snow. Take some time to make pit-stops along the way and use the pull-offs to check out the scenery... watch for moose along the way!
Trails to ski: Everywhere you possibly can. Because even with consecutive days skiing the same mountain, you're not going to be able to shred it all. I mean, there are 306 trails which amount to 5800 skiable acres; it's a lot of mountain. Expect long trails that can wind you from top to bottom and from side to side. The mountain is mostly advanced (black diamonds) and expert (double black diamonds). It's broken down as 15% beginner, 25% intermediate, 42% advanced and 18% expert. Want some of my favorites across all the peaks?
Easy beginners (O): Mr. K and Sacajawea
Intermediate cruisers (▢): Lizette, Africa and Ski Time
Advanced steeps (♢): Liberty bowl (which is the easiest way down from the top of Lone Peak), 'The Bowl', Bavarian Forest
Expert steeper (♢♢): Dictator chutes, specifically Marx and Lenin which are super fun on a powder day for more adventure or if you're feeling daring, sign out at ski patrol to ski Big Couloir. Avalanche Beacon and gear recommended.
Want some more insider knowledge? Start up a conversation with a local while on the chairlift; most people who ski Big Sky truly are locals.
Lift advice: Take the tram, even if you're not comfortable skiing down from the top...the views are out of this world! You can see 3 states (MT, ID, WY), 2 national parks (Yellowstone and Grand Teton) and countless mountain ranges. It has been said that the Lone Peak Tram is coolest ride in USA. It holds 15 passengers and was built in 1995 by the help of 3,000 helicopter flights and hundreds of specialized high-altitude workers. Even heavy construction equipment had to be torn apart and reassembled at the summit for construction. It travels 1,450 vertical feet over a distance of 2,828 feet with two cabins alternating directions. If you
want to ski Lone Peak, I recommend jetting up to the tram first thing in the morning to avoid lengthy lines. If you're there within the first few chairs, you'll be up within 30-40 minutes easily. As the line grows throughout the day, you can wait longer than an hour. From the top, the tram allows endless access to terrain. it’s 6 miles to ski from the top of the tram to the Mountain Village via Liberty Bowl. If you're not as adventurous to ski from the top but want to check out the views, head over to the tram around 2:30pm, as they only allow scenic viewing after then.
Lunch suggestions: Many options!! Big Sky isn't a typical resort where the cheapest menu item is $15 chicken tenders. You can find just about anything to suit the needs of your family/group from cheap and quick cafeteria style food, like the Lone Peak Cafe, to more luxurious mid-mountain restaurants with wait staff, such as Everett's 8800 at the top of the Andesite mountain with great views of Lone Peak. I suggest to pack lunch a day or two and if it's nice, eat anywhere on the mountain for a quick lunch break or sit at the Mountain Village base area at a picnic table on a warm afternoon to enjoy the views. We picked up some water and chips from The Hungry Moose right inside the base area for our outdoor picnic. Other suggestions include M.R. Hummers where the locals eat for a nice burger, or Montana Jacks for a delicious chicken sandwich.
Places to stay: My crew opted for a rental house, as there were 11 of us. I found the best places on VRBO.com and highly recommended the properties managed by Running Bear,
Big Sky Rentals. Our caretaker was incredibly responsive and answered all questions before and during our stay. One important thing to note is that most rentals in Big Sky report they are 'ski in-ski out' due to the plethora of lifts and the vast amount of trails, but it is best to speak with the owner/management company before booking to know what you're getting into. For example, our house was easily 'ski out' but much more difficult 'ski in'. My group didn't mind it at all, but just double check what you're getting yourself into. Expect to have the alarm clock of avalanche bombing in the mornings, which is awesome to wake up to. There are also a variety of resort-run hotels (e.g., Huntley Lodge), townhomes (e.g., Saddle Ridge Townhomes), condos (e.g., Beaverhead Condominiums), cabins (e.g., Cowboy Heaven Cabins) and homes (e.g., Moonlight Mountain Homes) to rent; find resort-run places here.
Good eats: If you want some of the best local game, opt for Buck's T-4. It has phenomenal cuisine, great log cabin atmosphere, friendly wait staff and the restaurant is very
accommodating to small and large groups. They will even individualize checks for large parties without question. Some other recommended restaurants (which I did not try myself yet!) include Gallatin Riverhouse Grill, Andiamo Italian Grill and the Sleigh Ride Dinner at the Lone Mountain Ranch. Find more info from Trip Advisor :)
Après: There are limited après ski destinations in Big Sky, if I'm being honest with you. Don't expect a raging crowd and lots of popping bars. Most days, my crew skied back to our rental home and made our own après ski with a nice hot tub party and music. If you want to check out a local spot, check out my blog post about it here.
Other adventures: Although you may want to ski your buns off with the incredible amount of terrain, remember that you're in an amazing part of the country with a variety of other breathtaking adventures that await you. Try something like snowmobiling Yellowstone or fly fishing in the Gallatin River, I promise it's worth it. In the winter, you can only access Yellowstone if you are a part of a guided tour. This, in turn, makes the park less crowded overall and ready to be explored by snowmobiles. If you decide you'd like to snowmobile Yellowstone, I highly recommend Backcountry Adventures. They provide an amazing and reasonably priced full day guided tour through the park that will have you experience everything from wildlife (lots of Bison, elk, eagles, etc) to incredible scenery (like Old Faithful, the paint pots, sapphire pools, etc) to excitement with riding/driving a snowmobile. They offer snowmobile group tours, private tours and snowcoach tours. If you go, make sure to ask for Bron as your guide..he will not disappoint.
The 'Big Sky' take-away: Big Sky is a resort like no other. It has out of this world terrain that can't be described, it can only be experienced. You'll understand once you've ventured there. Life is good, make it great at Big Sky.
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