Montana Skiing Guide
Big Sky Ski Resort

Big Sky Ski Resort : Review

The Entrance to Big Sky Resort, with Lone Peak rising above it all.

Big Sky Resort today is the premiere downhill skiing destination in Montana. People come from all over the United States to experience the skiing and accommodations at Big Sky. And no small wonder – the downhill skiing is incredible, the views are great and reaching Big Sky resort is relatively simple in comparison to other Montana ski areas.

Big Sky ski resort is located in South-Central Montana, 7 miles off of Highway 191 which connects the Gallatin Valley to West Yellowstone. The nearest major town, Bozeman, lies to the north – about an hour drive away depending on weather conditions. West Yellowstone is also close, lying just about an hour to the south on Highway 191.

Big Sky is located in a mountainous area known as the Spanish Peaks. The Spanish Peaks are beautiful mountains by any measure and also happen to contain some of the higher peaks (elevation wise) in Montana, as well as containing some of the higher vertical rises when measured from valley floor to mountain peak.

Moreover, the location of Big Sky just happens to be in an excellent place to receive lots and lots of snow – most of which is fairly light and powdery. The ski area itself is blessed with an average annual snowfall of 400 inches, the highest amount of any resort in Montana.

So, exactly what is Big Sky? This seems like a rather odd question but is good to ask it. You see, unlike most other ski areas in Montana, Big Sky is not just a ski area but is also a resort. In many ways, Big Sky is quite similar to many of the other well-known ski resorts that are found in Colorado. This is probably not surprising since Boyne Mountain Resorts, the owner of Big Sky, also happens to own several other resorts in other areas out west.

As such, Big Sky has sprawling housing developments all around the ski area – with thousands of condominiums, townhouses and large trophy homes dotting the landscape. Slopeside lodging and entertainment is abundant, too, allowing for a huge variety of activities once the lifts close. (see listings of Big Sky Hotels for more information about slopeside lodging)

In short, unlike most other Montana ski areas, Big Sky resort is a “destination ski area”, a place where you come to not only ski during the day but to also spend the night as well. Moreover, as a destination ski resort, Big Sky caters to the out of state skier. Everything a traveling skier could ever want is located in Big Sky, from a fairly vibrant night life, luxurious hotels, gourmet dining and more.

Yet, despite all the development, glamour and glitz found in Big Sky (none of which is in short supply), the resort hasn’t overlooked the fundamentals – which is, of course, the quality of the skiing.

To put it quite simply, Big Sky has by far the widest variety of downhill skiing terrain in Montana – spread over more than 3600 acres. Moreover, Big Sky Resort provides ample skiing and snowboarding terrain for all levels of skiers. No matter what your skiing ability may be, a skier will be hard pressed to get bored at Big Sky Resort – there is just such a huge variety of enticing terrain to explore.

The Mountain Village area and Lone Peak Summit

This guide to Big Sky ski resort will cover this terrain in depth. Unlike other ski guides on the net, this article was actually prepared by someone who has skied there. After reading this guide to Big Sky resort and looking over the more than 40 on-slope pictures, you should hopefully have a good understanding of Big Sky and where you want to ski once you arrive at the ski area.

It should also be noted that this article is a “ski guide”, not a “where to eat or stay guide.” All pictures were taken by myself too – they weren’t swiped from the resort website or any place else (before thinking about swiping any of these pictures for your own use, please read our photo use guidelines!). Visit our Big Sky Resort photo gallery to sell all pictures.

So, enough said. Let’s get into exploring the downhill skiing and snowboarding opportunities available at Big Sky.

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