SKI
October 2004

Reader Resort Survey 2005
Big Sky Mont. “Good Snow. No liftlines. No crowds. And this is one huge mountain.”

The tow-county-spanning sprawl of terrain (3,500 acres) at Big Sky often seems even larger because of a marked lack of people occupying it. “Great skiing, not crowded!” crows one reader. Big Sky isn’t just about big spaces. It offers the complete package, with numerous gentle green learners such as Sacajawea and Little Wing, a fleet of finely tuned groomers that ski the way a Mercedes drives and some of the longest, wildest double-blacks in America, including The Big Couloir, The Gullies, and the infamous Dictator Chutes. Add 400 inches of gem-quality snow per season and the empty slopes seem puzzling. But as readers point out (some happily), “Isolation means no liftlines.” While many skiers consider Big Sky too long a trip, the reality is it’s an easy hour’s drive through three beautiful mountain ranges from the Bozeman airport. There are also drive-to amenities: cross-country skiing at Lone Mountain Ranch (five minutes), the all-world cuisine of Rainbow Ranch (15 minutes) or the world’s oldest national park ( Yellowstone, 45 minutes). For all of that, plus blockbuster slopes that are “like skiing on your own mountain!” most people don’t mind the trade-off. “Big Sky has been my favorite for five years. Let’s keep it under wraps.”