So who will get on a plane to ski this season?

[jbotti]

With the home we bought in Montana, I pretty much have to get a on a plane to ski but other than trips to ski with Harald in Colorado, I rarely get on a plane to go anywhere else to ski. I have skied most of the name resorts in the U.S. and I encourage everyone to hop on a plane and come ski Big Sky. The terrain is unrivaled anywhere in North America (some may prefer JH or Snowbird or Squaw or some other spots but BS has steeps and big mountain skiing that is on par or better than anywhere). But what you also get is an an empty mountain with no lift lines and the snow quality rivals colorado and Utah (more snow than Colorado and similar quality, and less snow than Utah but better quality). The only knock that you can make on the mountain is that there is no 5 star resort to stay in and the area is less built up with restaurants and other ammenities. It also can get very cold for a few days at a time but this happens all over the rockies. You get 4000 vert with some of the best lift accessed sidecountry skiing in the world and it's also over 6000 skiable acres when you include moonlight basin which can be skied on a combo ticket (all connected).

Not trying to be a commercial but Big Sky is 50 minutes from the bozeman airport. You can fly direct/non stop from several cities including SF. From many places you do need to connect to get there (either through SLC. Denver or Minneapolis) but you make up the extra 2 hours of travel time on the first day with no lift lines and that much more skiing.

No one that I know has ever left Big Sky without being blown away by it.

Something to consider when making plans to hop on a plane to ski!!

[jim-ratliff]

  We have been seriously looking at places that we could use the banked RCI points, but have the feeling that if we took off skiing out west for a week, it would negatively affect the quality of the nursing home that the kids chose for us . 
John

Having a great ski vacation now.  Second place nursing home accommodations in 50 years??


Pack the bags, we're goin' skiing.!! 

[Liam]

With the home we bought in Montana, I pretty much have to get a on a plane to ski but other than trips to ski with Harald in Colorado, I rarely get on a plane to go anywhere else to ski. I have skied most of the name resorts in the U.S. and I encourage everyone to hop on a plane and come ski Big Sky. The terrain is unrivaled anywhere in North America (some may prefer JH or Snowbird or Squaw or some other spots but BS has steeps and big mountain skiing that is on par or better than anywhere). But what you also get is an an empty mountain with no lift lines and the snow quality rivals colorado and Utah (more snow than Colorado and similar quality, and less snow than Utah but better quality). The only knock that you can make on the mountain is that there is no 5 star resort to stay in and the area is less built up with restaurants and other ammenities. It also can get very cold for a few days at a time but this happens all over the rockies. You get 4000 vert with some of the best lift accessed sidecountry skiing in the world and it's also over 6000 skiable acres when you include moonlight basin which can be skied on a combo ticket (all connected).

Not trying to be a commercial but Big Sky is 50 minutes from the bozeman airport. You can fly direct/non stop from several cities including SF. From many places you do need to connect to get there (either through SLC. Denver or Minneapolis) but you make up the extra 2 hours of travel time on the first day with no lift lines and that much more skiing.

No one that I know has ever left Big Sky without being blown away by it.

Something to consider when making plans to hop on a plane to ski!!

Sounds like Heaven to me.

To be honest, lack of people is one of the biggest attractions for me me to go anywhere.  I get a fair amount of midweek skiing in at an area that is rarely crowded (or even used at times).  I get antsy if I see one other person on the same trail as me sometimes.  I have little use (or ability to swing) 5 star resorts, and the fact that Big Ski is also the Big Empty makes it my number one future destination. 

I hear, due to the immense variety of terrain it s a great location for a very mixed ability group...do you find that true?  'Cause I have to say, most of the places I've been too are not--they are either tilted strongly towards strong, advenrurous intermediates and experts (The Cottonwood canyon resorts, Taos, JH, Red, Big Mountain) or too attractive to the Pedestrian skiers (Most of Summit county, etc).  Even the places with incredible diversity of terrain like Whistler, are still better for experts because the blue terrain is always so chock full of people!  Anyway, Big Sky sounds like the panacea for a group of mixed ability skiers.

[jim-ratliff]

Not trying to be a commercial but Big Sky is 50 minutes from the bozeman airport. You can fly direct/non stop from several cities including SF. From many places you do need to connect to get there (either through SLC. Denver or Minneapolis) but you make up the extra 2 hours of travel time on the first day with no lift lines and that much more skiing.

Jbotti:  What are conditions like at Big Sky second half of March (or early April). Lynn and I would like to get out there this year, depending on lots of other things.
Or maybe a better question is, "When's the best time to visit Big Sky?"  I would rather have warmer temps in the 20's rather than temps of 5 and below.

[jbotti]

Liam, yes Big Sky has it all as far as terrain. They have wonderful cruiser blues that run forever and some of the best of those runs are over on the Moonlight Basin side. There are also plenty of low pitch green runs as well. It is a great family mountain or as you say for mixed abilities. Obviously for the accomplished skier there is a huge amount of challenging terrain.

Jim, I find March to be the best month at Big Sky. In December, January and Feb it snows some amount 3-4 days of every week, but the amounts are generally small usually 2-5 inches at a time. The storms at this time are usually arctic storms that come down through canada and by the time they hit Montana there isn't a whole lot of precipitation left (and obviously there are some big storms in these months as well but fewer). Usually by late February, we start to get Pacific storms that make their way over. These will dump much more snow and March and early April often bring foot + dumps and pretty regularly. The weather is also warmer. You do run some risk in April that you get some warmer temps above freezing on the lower mountain. usually up high the temps are colder and the snow holds up well until the mid April. Typically temps are upper teens to mid twenties in Feb and March (with some shot for temps above freezing in March at times) and generally flirting 32F in April (and obviously we are talking in generalities as anything can happen in the mountains). In March it is also quite a bit sunnier than in January and 18f and sunny feels very comfortable in March (and usually it is in the low to mid twenties).

If you come out let me know and I will try to make it a point to get out when you are there and we can ski together.

[jim-ratliff]

John:  Thanks.  I was hoping late season would be good. I've wanted to visit Big Sky, but then when Lynn was there for medical conference two years ago I didn't join her. She has been anxious to go back ever since. 
We would enjoy meeting up with you if the stars and work schedules align.

[bushwacka]

I will only fly one way to ski this year.



no planes for me.

[jbotti]

No tree skiing there!!