Greetings from the Rainbow Ranch Lodge in snow covered Big Sky, Montana. I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with friends, family, love and laughter. Here in Big Sky we are thankful for the recent snowstorm that allowed Big Sky Ski Resort to open on Saturday.

The resort opened seven lifts accessing popular terrain from the Challenger Chair and the Lone Peak Triple. The upper mountain terrain boasts completely natural snow that mostly fell in October. The three-foot base was then generously frosted with 14 inches of light powder that fell in last week's perfect storm (For the most up-to-date conditions visit Big Sky's online snow report .)

The Rainbow Ranch Restaurant will open for the winter season on Friday, December 14. The winter menu will again feature a combination of farm-raised meats, wild game, and fresh seafood prepared with fresh, natural ingredients that enhance the flavor of each dish.

For dinner reservations contact Karen at Karen@rainbowranch.com or 800-937-4132. If you'd like to host an intimate private dinner in the Bacchus Room contact Karen for availability and to discuss the menu and wine pairings.

This past summer we recorded virtual tours of the lodge to accompany our online photo gallery. Those tours are now online and include: the reception area, lodge rooms, outdoor infinity-edge hot tub, restaurant , bacchus room, and wedding venue.

We hope these tours will assist you in your trip planning by providing a good visual of the property before your arrival. You may also enjoy viewing them upon your return home to bring back pleasant memories of your trip (warning: this may cause you to take more days off work for another vacation).