Big Sky

Nestled beneath the imposing Lone Mountain, Big Sky in Montana has to be on the bucket list of any adventurous skier or snowboarder.

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15%Easy

25%Beginner

42%Intermediate

18%Advanced

Vertical drop

Pistes

Runs

Lifts

Terrain by difficulty

Getting here might not be easy.

You need to catch a connecting flight to the small airport of Bozeman – but once here, the spectacular Montana scenery, lack of crowds and incredible terrain will make the trip more than worthwhile. Even on the busiest days, every skier or rider is said to each have access to two acres of the 5850 acres of terrain.

Big Sky is a resort that is also going places, with the first couple of phases of an extremely ambitious upgrade programme well underway. Two new chairlifts, both equipped with heated seats and bubbles have been built, the latest of which, Ramcharger, is the USA’s very first eight seater, were built for the 2018/19 season. This season saw two further new three seater chairlifts and next season a further six seater chairlift and a new gondola are planned for construction.

Beginner
Fast lifts
Intermediate
Resort Activities
Advanced
Aprés
Snow
Value

Pros and cons

Vast terrain and some fantastic off piste terrain
Incredibly quiet pistes and the off piste stays untracked
Exciting plans for further resort upgrades

It does take a long time to get here from the UK
Limited off slope activities and some accommodation is isolated
Lone Peak Tram is small and queue prone

On the Slopes

Varied terrain is available across the mountain, with top-to-bottom green, blue and black runs on offer from most of the main lifts. Beginners will love the gentle slopes on Andesite Mountain and the longer greens of Mr K and Cinnabar.

Much of the tree-lined portion of the mountain is then a paradise for intermediates – the slopes are usually deserted, the grooming is fantastic and the new lifts add a level of comfort rarely seen in the USA.

For more advanced skiers and riders, there is some excellent lift-served off piste. Much of this is accessed by the Lone Peak Tram, from which steep gullies, couloirs and powder bowls drop down from the 3398m high peak. If this lift is closed, there are still some great options on the south side of the summit, accessed by the Shedhorn high speed quad, or on the opposite side of the hill down to the Swift Current six-pack.

In the Resort

The purpose built resort base at Mountain Village is the best place to stay, with super convenient access to the slopes. Much of the accommodation is condominium based, but there are some good hotels and unlike in other major US resorts, the cost of lodging here is generally reasonable. Away from the slopes, the resort is mostly quiet but recent investment has improved the post- skiing offering – for example, Big Sky is now home to the longest ziplines in the Yellowstone region.
There are some good restaurants and a few small bars in the Mountain Village, but if self-catering you may want to pick up supplies on the way from Bozeman, as there are limited shopping facilities in town.

Getting to Big Sky

Getting here takes most of a day, with a connecting flight to Bozeman required from all UK airports. From here however, the hour long drive is an easy one.

* Bozeman airport: 1 hour