Big Sky, Montana

Lone Peak and Big Sky's eastern bowl

In early April, Allison and I spent five days in Montana skiing with my family.  We were joined by my father, brothers Marc and Michael, our sister-in-law Mieko and nephew Abel.

Main Street in Bozeman

We flew into and out of Bozeman, Montana.  This small city, situated in the midst of a cluster of mountain ranges, clearly displays its western ranching roots.  After arriving, Allison and I went grocery shopping to feed our hungry crew of seven.

Herd of bison outside Bozeman

Elk near Big Sky

From Bozeman we drove up the winding Gallatin River Valley to Big Sky.


Approaching the Big Sky Resort

The expansive Big Sky Resort is dominated by Lone Peak (11,166'/3,400 m), but also encompasses several other nearby mountains.  The ski area is so large that it requires two separate trail maps: one for the east side and the other for the south!  We stayed in a cabin which provided convenient, direct access to the resort’s lifts and trails.

Making a snowman

Abel has all of the energy you would expect in a healthy six year old boy, and was thrilled to play in the abundant snow with his aunts and uncles.  We built a snowman and had a vigorous snowball fight around the cabin.


Snowball fight!

The late season snow was excellent for skiing, and the slopes benefited from nearly a foot of new powder which fell while we were there. 

Michael and Abel on a lift

Big Sky offers a good mix of beginner, intermediate and expert terrain.  Abel is learning to ski and progressing rapidly, so we spent quite a bit of time with him on the resort’s broad, groomed intermediate trails.  But I also had many opportunities to enjoy the resort’s more challenging black diamond slopes.

Powdery black diamond terrain

The resort’s expert terrain includes a mix of steep open faces, narrow bump runs and powdery glades.  Especially noteworthy are several extremely steep chutes and bowls on Lone Peak’s south side, accessed via the spectacular Lone Peak Tram.

The Lone Peak Tram

On the final day of our visit my brother Michael and I took advantage of beautiful sunny weather to ride the tram, marvel at the views of the surrounding mountains and ski the challenging Liberty Bowl.   I also made several steep descents into Lone Peak’s eastern bowl.


Me and Michael above the Liberty Bowl

Our visit to Big Sky was both a fitting climax to a terrific ski season, and also a great opportunity to spend time with my family while exploring this picturesque region of Montana.

View from the Lone Peak Tram