Big Sky, Montana: A Beautiful Ski Experience

My life as a professional skier and owner of Discrete Headwear takes me all over the world, usually visiting exotic locations in South America, heli-skiing in Canada and Alaska, or cruising around Europe.

When I had the chance to road trip from my home in Salt Lake City to Big Sky, Montana, I was just as excited as when I have the opportunity to travel to crazy spots in the world. The highlight of the trip was being treated to 18 inches of powder from the Montana snow gods. Big Sky Resort has all the offerings you could ever ask for no matter your skill level, from plenty of provided trails for beginners to steeps and chutes and everything in between. We opted to search for powder stashes, located in more extreme locations on the mountain, and we weren’t disappointed. Big Sky’s claim of the “Biggest Skiing in America” delivered. The resort has 3,332 acres of skiable terrain, 4,350 vertical feet, an average snowfall of 400-plus, consistently short lift lines, and the longest run, the 6-mile-long Liberty Bowl. As they say, “The adventure doesn’t end when the lifts stop running!”

Back in our cozy room in the Huntley Lodge, located in the heart of Big Sky’s mountain village, we quickly ripped off our ski clothes, ran to Huntley’s pool and hot tubs, chilled out, and had a beer as it nuked powder down upon us. Lovely.

The next morning we awoke to 18 inches of new snow. We fueled our bodies for a day of skiing hard at the complimentary breakfast buffet served in the Huntley dining room. This buffet offers an amazing spread of delicious food, one to challenge all other buffets. Off to the mountain we bolted for first chair. We fell in love with Challenger chairlift.

After a wonderful day of bell-to-bell skiing—that’s 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. non-stop—we treated our exhausted bodies to a wonderful dinner at Chet’s Bar & Grill, located in the Huntley. Can you say bacon-wrapped meatloaf, impressively sized 1/2 rack of ribs, and crusted salmon fillets? Chet’s can. Not to mention the specialty cocktails and top-notch service. Favorite cocktail of the night went to the Moscow Mule, which is two parts vodka, one part lime juice and three parts ginger beer. I added honey to mine, which was delicious.

An added bonus to this Big Sky excursion was the close proximity of the rad town of Bozeman, conveniently located 30 minutes from Big Sky.

After a killer evening in Bozeman we cruised on back to Big Sky for our last day on the hill. The clouds broke, and we were treated to 800 vert of classic extreme skiing on the Big Coulier, located off the Lone Peak Tram.

To help settle our nerves after tackling this classic line, we treated ourselves to the Solace Spa & Salon in the Huntley. According to the spa, “most of their treatments were designed to sooth the effects of Big Sky’s altitude and dry climate with hydrating properties of many natural elements.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. We opted for the Big Adventure Massage, which “soothes sore muscles, relieves tension, and helps promote range of motion.” Indeed. A huge tip of the cap to the Huntley spa and hotel in general; it was a beautiful experience in every capacity.

Capping off the experience of the road trip to Big Sky were the sights on the drive. Insane.

When you look into booking your Big Sky trip be sure to check the noteworthy upcoming activities, including Dummy Jump, ’80s weekend, and Pond Skim.