Good golly, we just came back from one hellava ski trip to Big Sky.  That place is incredible.  The views from the top of the lifts were stunning.  That new 8 pack bubble was pretty neat and those heated seats came in handy a couple days.  Fun Fact - they take each chair off every night and store them in a garage next to the lift.  Maybe that's old news but I thought it was cool.

We had a group of 9 stay in a house near the main village area with a short walk to the lifts.  My only regret was not taking the tram to the top of Lone Peak.  It was overcast the first few days and when it cleared up on our last day the line was pretty long for the tram so some of us took a pass.

My favorite area was Moonlight Basin.  There are several blue runs twisting around that were a blast to ski at my skill level.

Below are some pics of the area.

Blue Don 1982 wrote:

Good golly, we just came back from one hellava ski trip to Big Sky.  That place is incredible.  The views from the top of the lifts were stunning.  That new 8 pack bubble was pretty neat and those heated seats came in handy a couple days.  Fun Fact - they take each chair off every night and store them in a garage next to the lift.  Maybe that's old news but I thought it was cool.

We had a group of 9 stay in a house near the main village area with a short walk to the lifts.  My only regret was not taking the tram to the top of Lone Peak.  It was overcast the first few days and when it cleared up on our last day the line was pretty long for the tram so some of us took a pass.

My favorite area was Moonlight Basin.  There are several blue runs twisting around that were a blast to ski at my skill level.

Nice pics!

You'll just have to go back some day to see the view from the top of Lone Peak.  I learned from the free mountain tour to take poles even if opting to leave skis behind.  It was our first day at altitude but a very clear day.  But we wanted to warm up before skiing Liberty (easiest way down the back of Lone Peak that is wide open, steep, and looooong).

I'm headed back to Big Sky next week.  Last time was in 2013, well before the plans for recent lift upgrades and replacements were announced.  Moonlight Basin was still a separate lift ticket.  Looking forward to the bubble lifts given that temps may well be in single digits.

I remember reading about the process for storing and re-hanging the Ram 8 chairs.  Quite automated I think.

Looks very nice.  Always looking for a new place to try out west.  The I-70 corridor traffic in CO is getting kind of old.  Is it easy to get there?  Where do you fly into?  Reasonably priced? 

itdoesntmatter wrote:

Looks very nice.  Always looking for a new place to try out west.  The I-70 corridor traffic in CO is getting kind of old.  Is it easy to get there?  Where do you fly into?  Reasonably priced? 

The prices for flights to Bozeman, MT have gone down in recent years.  There are plenty of VRBO/AirBnB condo options but need to rent a car to make that practical.  Big Sky is about an hour from the airport.  Relatively easy drive, all flat except the last bit near the mountain.  Even that is nothing compared to the canyon road to Alta/Snowbird or Taos.

While I've flown to Bozeman, since I have both the time (retired) and a ski buddy (also retired) who prefers to drive than fly (from Albuquerque), we drove from SLC in 2013 and are about to do the same next week.  Then I can fly Southwest.  We build in extra time to ski Grand Targhee on the way to Montana.  I also like to have a few days at Bridger when going all the way to Bozeman.  Non-profit so lift tickets are reasonable but not small . . . 2000 acres including the expert-only Ridge.

My daughter did a Christmas week trip to Big Sky with a family from DC.  Plane fares were very pricey.  But that was the only time the kids (middle school) could go.  There was more than enough open terrain for them to have a very good time.  She and the other teen who was also an advanced skier did Liberty with a friend of the family who was a local.

Can you tell I liked Big Sky based on previous experience?  May be my #3 favorite after Alta and Taos, definitely in the top five and above Jackson Hole since I don't need a ski town to be happy on a ski trip.

itdoesntmatter wrote:

Looks very nice.  Always looking for a new place to try out west.  The I-70 corridor traffic in CO is getting kind of old.  Is it easy to get there?  Where do you fly into?  Reasonably priced? 

We flew PIT - BZN RT for about 450 plus bags.  We opted for a shuttle from the airport and back approx $40 each way.  There's a free shuttle around the resort.

Great to see someone else love their time there as much as I did.

Came across an article about Ram8 that includes some video that shows how the loading conveyor can be raised if a group has kids.  May be spending a fair amount of time riding it when I'm at Big Sky if temps stay under 5 degrees during the day!

https://www.cnet.com/news/take-a-ride-on-the-most-high-tech-ski-lift/

marzNC wrote:

itdoesntmatter wrote:

Looks very nice.  Always looking for a new place to try out west.  The I-70 corridor traffic in CO is getting kind of old.  Is it easy to get there?  Where do you fly into?  Reasonably priced? 

The prices for flights to Bozeman, MT have gone down in recent years.  There are plenty of VRBO/AirBnB condo options but need to rent a car to make that practical.  Big Sky is about an hour from the airport.  Relatively easy drive, all flat except the last bit near the mountain.  Even that is nothing compared to the canyon road to Alta/Snowbird or Taos.

While I've flown to Bozeman, since I have both the time (retired) and a ski buddy (also retired) who prefers to drive than fly (from Albuquerque), we drove from SLC in 2013 and are about to do the same next week.  Then I can fly Southwest.  We build in extra time to ski Grand Targhee on the way to Montana.  I also like to have a few days at Bridger when going all the way to Bozeman.  Non-profit so lift tickets are reasonable but not small . . . 2000 acres including the expert-only Ridge.

My daughter did a Christmas week trip to Big Sky with a family from DC.  Plane fares were very pricey.  But that was the only time the kids (middle school) could go.  There was more than enough open terrain for them to have a very good time.  She and the other teen who was also an advanced skier did Liberty with a friend of the family who was a local.

Can you tell I liked Big Sky based on previous experience?  May be my #3 favorite after Alta and Taos, definitely in the top five and above Jackson Hole since I don't need a ski town to be happy on a ski trip.

Pretty impressive if you put it above Jackson Hole.  I went to Jackson Hole last year and loved it (along with a snowcoach tour into Yellowstone one day).   Sounds like a place I need to check out after I retire this year. 

itdoesntmatter wrote:

Pretty impressive if you put it above Jackson Hole.  I went to Jackson Hole last year and loved it (along with a snowcoach tour into Yellowstone one day).   Sounds like a place I need to check out after I retire this year. 

JH is a victim of it's success at becoming a full-fledged destination resort that's become relatively easy to access.  Joining the MCP was a factor.  The amount of lift improvements in recent years to improve access for intermediates is another.

Big Sky is a bit more difficult to reach.  7000 acres goes a long way to spreading people out.  So Big Sky doesn't have the same issues with lift lines as JH when the snow is really good.  Similar situation to Telluride.  On a powder day at JH, the locals are competing with a fair number of travelers these days.

Can also do tours of Yellowstone starting from Big Sky.  Haven't done it yet but talking with a friend about doing a tour next week.  High temps are predicated to be around Zero degrees in the middle of my planned week of skiing at Big Sky.  Might be a good day to take a break from skiing.