When the forum had its annual meet-up at Big Sky two years ago (go here to read about it), I vowed I’d be back.
And why not? The variety of terrain is fantastic. You want groomers? Check. Tree skiing? Check. Bowls? Check. Steeps? Check. You can ski for days without doing the same thing twice. Plus I love the character of the place. For a huge resort, Big Sky doesn’t have the commercial feel of a resort like Vail or Park City. It’s big, but it has a warmer, more community ski hill vibe. Perhaps that has to do with its location; it’s not that easy to reach. Big Sky isn’t near a huge population center, like Denver or Salt Lake. And as a destination resort, well, we flew in from LaGuardia, and it was a pretty long — and indirect — haul. Which probably keeps a lot of people away. But that’s part of its charm. Low crowds, great skiing, fantastic terrain. All in all, it’s hard to beat.
So when I decided to come out west for this year’s Ski Diva meet-up, I figured I’d get an early start. I returned to Big Sky, where I visited SkiSailor. SS moved here from Pennsylvania not too long ago, and she’s now a Big Sky instructor. It’s always great to have a local guide.
Here we are over in the Dakota section of Big Sky.
As you can see, our first day was glorious. Blue skies, bright sun, and moderate temperatures — a combo we don’t get too often in New England. I love Vermont, but I can’t say I’m sorry to be out of the deep freeze (they've had below zero temps lately. Argh).
Here’s Lone Peak, the centerpiece mountain of the resort. Yes, we went waaaaaaay up to the tippy top and skied the Liberty Bowl:
And here’s a view, looking out from the top of the Challenger lift:
While that made for a lovely day, Big Sky needs more snow. Don’t get me wrong — it’s not suffering on the same level as Tahoe. Coverage is good, but like much of the west, it’s been drier than normal, and we did encounter a rock or two.
Then, on Wednesday, something magical happened: It snowed………….
and snowed…………….
which made me very, very happy:
We spent most of Wednesday in Moonlight Basin, which was recently acquired by Big Sky, making it the biggest ski resort in the country. Moonlight is somewhat mellower than Big Sky, and we fell in love with the trees over there.
Speaking of trees, here's a pic of the Wounded Knee glade after it snowed. Doesn’t this look delicious?
The weather has been fabulous. Temps all week in the 20's, though it felt a lot warmer, thanks to a steady diet of blue skies and sun.
Here are some other pics from the trip:
I think it's safe to say that Big Sky may be my favorite western resort. So much terrain, so much great skiing. I'll definitely be back!
And why not? The variety of terrain is fantastic. You want groomers? Check. Tree skiing? Check. Bowls? Check. Steeps? Check. You can ski for days without doing the same thing twice. Plus I love the character of the place. For a huge resort, Big Sky doesn’t have the commercial feel of a resort like Vail or Park City. It’s big, but it has a warmer, more community ski hill vibe. Perhaps that has to do with its location; it’s not that easy to reach. Big Sky isn’t near a huge population center, like Denver or Salt Lake. And as a destination resort, well, we flew in from LaGuardia, and it was a pretty long — and indirect — haul. Which probably keeps a lot of people away. But that’s part of its charm. Low crowds, great skiing, fantastic terrain. All in all, it’s hard to beat.
So when I decided to come out west for this year’s Ski Diva meet-up, I figured I’d get an early start. I returned to Big Sky, where I visited SkiSailor. SS moved here from Pennsylvania not too long ago, and she’s now a Big Sky instructor. It’s always great to have a local guide.
Here we are over in the Dakota section of Big Sky.
As you can see, our first day was glorious. Blue skies, bright sun, and moderate temperatures — a combo we don’t get too often in New England. I love Vermont, but I can’t say I’m sorry to be out of the deep freeze (they've had below zero temps lately. Argh).
Here’s Lone Peak, the centerpiece mountain of the resort. Yes, we went waaaaaaay up to the tippy top and skied the Liberty Bowl:
And here’s a view, looking out from the top of the Challenger lift:
While that made for a lovely day, Big Sky needs more snow. Don’t get me wrong — it’s not suffering on the same level as Tahoe. Coverage is good, but like much of the west, it’s been drier than normal, and we did encounter a rock or two.
Then, on Wednesday, something magical happened: It snowed………….
and snowed…………….
which made me very, very happy:
We spent most of Wednesday in Moonlight Basin, which was recently acquired by Big Sky, making it the biggest ski resort in the country. Moonlight is somewhat mellower than Big Sky, and we fell in love with the trees over there.
Speaking of trees, here's a pic of the Wounded Knee glade after it snowed. Doesn’t this look delicious?
The weather has been fabulous. Temps all week in the 20's, though it felt a lot warmer, thanks to a steady diet of blue skies and sun.
Here are some other pics from the trip:
I think it's safe to say that Big Sky may be my favorite western resort. So much terrain, so much great skiing. I'll definitely be back!
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And that completely unpredicted little Wednesday snowstorm took the cake. It was so much fun skiing with Ski Diva and Mr. Ski Diva! And I was very happy that I could guide them around. Except . . ahem . . . when I took them on a "death traverse" instead of taking the obvious groomer that went to the same run . . . . . ooops. 
It's SO big, I'm still learning the place myself! 
But DO rent the one piece suit even if you are confident you've got warm enough clothing. You need it to avoid having your clothes smell like snowmobile exhaust for the rest of the week!
