The chutes, the snow, the terrain and the size of the mountain all contribute to Big Sky’s allure as a world-class skiing experience. Impossible to capture in a single picture, this peak-a-boo shot through Douglas fir branches provides a glimpse of the Rockies’ ruggedness in the Gallatin Canyon Basin of Montana.
Big Sky’s resort is a mixture of new and old. New includes a tram, opened this year, getting skiers and sightseers to a mountain lodge hanging off Lone Peak’s summit cliff. A cliff featuring a dozen nearly vertical chutes; ski-able for those who sign a waiver. New also includes an 8-person chair lift with heated seats, auto open-and-close safety bars and Plexiglas bubbles protecting riders from wind and snow. Old includes a small mercantile store with quaint ski clothes—no fancy Aspen, Deer Valley or Vail gear with loud colors. Old also includes a modest and sparsely populated lodge at the Madison Base hosting family picnics and a few people waiting in a short line for reasonably priced food.
The experience of skiing without crowds is a throwback to the “old days” before new equipment and the sport’s accessibility put thousands on the slopes. Ski down an uncrowded slope and, like the olden days, ski right onto a lift. Actually (checking notes), ski right onto a lift after RFID chip readers automatically open individual gates, magic carpets perfectly position skis, chairs gracefully slow down and heated seats beckon a warm ride up.
Fun Facts: From 1956 Chet Huntley anchored NBC’s nightly news, until in 1970 he retired to help start Big Sky Resort in his home state of Montana. The resort is located in the beautiful Gallatin Gateway area, which is an entry into Yellowstone and famous for the confluence of three rivers forming the headwaters of the Missouri. Lewis and Clark named the three rivers for the men most responsible for their expedition: President Jefferson, Secretary of State Madison and Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In such a remote Montana location, Big Sky got off to a rocky start (pun done). In 1976, the resort was acquired by Everett Kircher of Boyne Resorts. Over the next 50 years Boyne Resorts, a family-owned and -operated company, shepherded the resort to its present modern-and-old-style blend.
