Thirty-five members of Columbus Ohio Ski club spent a week in Big Sky: March 29 - April 5. As you might guess we had a cross section of skiers; intermediate to expert. The intermediate skiers found lots of beautiful blue groomed runs and the experts found lots of steeps, tree-runs, and moguls. The area is so large with so many runs you never get bored. The best part was no-lift lines. The staff on the hill and off were always courteous and made and effort to give good service. We are all ready to plan a return visit.
Anonymous - February 21st, 2008
1 of 1 people found this Resort Review helpful.
Overall
5 of 5
Family Friendly
n/a
Downhill Terrain
5 of 5
Terrain Park
n/a
Apres Ski
n/a
Big Sky is the BOMB!! Sweet riding and much powder!! Visited Feb 9 - 16. It snowed every night into the morning and sun came out in the afternoon. No matter what time of day it was, there was alway fresh pow somewhere to ride. I can honestly say it was the best riding I've ever encountered in my 11 years of boarding. Big props to a local named Kaila who took me and my boy through the most extreme sweet spots at Big Sky! Nightlife exists, but the local mainly keep to themselves. So if you can find a cool local that trusts, they'll take you to the party and make sure you have a good time.
Skiing in Big Sky Feb 2-9 2008. Very large mountain. Many black or dbl-black runs, which I mostly stayed away from. Very forgiving runs for beginners, plenty of long blue runs to cruise on.
Had a very windy day on the 8th, which closed the highest lifts. One of the bottom lifts closed for a short time and I found the longest lift line of the week - about a one minute wait!
Many times I was on a long wide run with my wife and looked up and down and there were no other skiers anywhere to be seen.
We had at least a dusting of snow every day except one. One day (6th) was 8-10 inches of fresh powder.
Stayed at a condo in the Meadow Village - Firelight Condominiums. From the outside this complex looks like a normal, medium priced apartment building. But inside! The room was fantastic, well appointed, lofted ceilings, hot tub on the balcony, view of the mountains. Full kitchen. We found this through www.vrbo.com, and got an incredible rate for the week.
But the condo is NOT on the slopeside. There are places that tell you there is a shuttle service, and, yes, there is. But the shuttle to our condo ran once an hour. Then it stopped at a transfer point, and we got off to wait for the next shuttle. It was only a 5 minute wait. BUT if the first bus was 5 minutes late...you would miss the second one and wait half an hour. If you stay in the Meadow Village...get a rental car. And do it in Bozeman before you leave the airport. There are rental car agency options in Bozemen, none in Big Sky.
Normally, my wife and I find a new place to ski every year for a week. Big Sky is the first place I would come back to for a second shot, if we ever run out of new places.
Anonymous - January 24th, 2008
1 of 1 people found this Resort Review helpful.
Overall
5 of 5
Family Friendly
5 of 5
Downhill Terrain
5 of 5
Terrain Park
5 of 5
Apres Ski
4 of 5
Went to Big Sky from Jan 16-20, 2008. They got snow every day we were there and at some times we were riding up in deep knee/thigh powder. This mountain is HUGE and very little crowd. You had so much room to ride and enjoy yourself. Lift lines were very short too. Everyone there was very friendly and made us feel welcomed.
We stayed at the Arrowhead Condos. Bruce, manager for Arrowhead, was awesome. He was constantly helping us out when needed and had a smile on his face every time.
We'll def be coming back to this resort in the future.
Anonymous - January 12th, 2008
1 of 1 people found this Resort Review helpful.
Overall
5 of 5
Family Friendly
3 of 5
Downhill Terrain
5 of 5
Terrain Park
3 of 5
Apres Ski
3 of 5
Great mountain.Lots of different terrain. Andrasite Mt has some of the best trees I have ever ridin. Jerry got completely inverted. Nice black eye. Great bowls off lone peak triple and the tram. Awesome steeps off the challenger lift. Lifts are well placed and it is easy to get around the whole mountain. Dakota lift is still not open. When it does it will make the South Face all that much better. This mountain tends to under report snow. One day they reported 1 inch of new snow and I was riding in freshies up to my shin all day. I've been everywhere man! And Big Sky Rocks! Will be coming back
First off, the terrain at Big Sky is unbeatable. The gully and couloir skiing is the best in North America. The terrain off the Lone Peak tram is backcountry terrain without the hiking. Pretty much any side you drop off Lone Peak, your abilities are going to be tested, and you will have a party. To top it all off, Big Sky gets LOTS of snow. As I write this I am looking outside at a foot of snow falling. On those nice clear and windy days when the tram is closed, you can always rely on the lone peak triple to provide you with some great terrain. The ski school is sick. Pretty much the ski school has some of the most legit instructors in the country. Only thing Big Sky is really lacking is nightlife. Nightlife at Big Sky is nothing compared to places like Steamboat or Aspen. Also the park is a little short, but it's decent.
So pretty much if you go Big Sky, you go there for skiing, not for nightlife or VIP treatment. Stay at moonlight, it has more affordable and slightly nicer lodging. The ski school is wicked, but the park is lacking.
If you want to come to ride a terrain park and crowd congestion areas then go to Colorado where that is the norm. If the wife likes to shop while you ski the fam is in trouble. If you whine after hitting a rock go to Utah. If you become miserable with bad weather, uhh...don't come here. If nothing else matters but riding the mountain, this is the place.
Thank goodness both Moonlight and Big Sky are getting along. It used to be the shady neighbor syndrome, but bygones are bygones and now it's a skiers paradise. Albeit the all mountain lift ticket is a little pricey ($90.00) this year. For $79 you can ski only Big Sky and still need another day to ski it all. If you are vacationing for a week, I would suggest getting the all mountain pass for at least a day or 2. With the all mountain pass, you will also want to bring your transceiver, probe and shovel. Without these items you are going to miss out on alot of what the summit has to offer. If you aren't familiar with this equipment, then you don't need it to have a good time. Both areas have been really working on the terrain parks and Moonlight has kicked it up a notch with rail slides galore. If you are looking for a skiers paradise, then look no further. If you want shopping and the other things that are usually associated with skiing, you may want to look into the colorado areas. Carpe Diem
Bikg sky was a truely amazing mountain. The first time i saw Lone Peak it took my breath away. I could not believe i was actaully here. The mountain was terrrific. Every time i took a run with my uncle and cousins we felt as if we had the whole mountain to ourselfs. We rarely saw anyone else out there. There was plenty of fresh snow each day and it was great. I hope to make it back to Big Sky eventually becuase it was an astoundin place.
Skied Big Sky March 25th & 26th. This mountain is massive. You could easily ski 3-4 days and not cover all the terrain. It had lots of terrain for intermediate and expert skiers. The ski area is now connected to Moonlight Basin. This provides combined acreage of something like 5800 acres. Which makes it one of the largest ski resorts in North America.
The resort seemed family friendly. I base that on the fact that there were lots of families there, and there is one centralized base that includes all the hotels, restaurants, and stores. There is a decent level of amenities at the base including a small grocery store. Which is important if you are going to spend a week there.
I saw a massive superpipe, and various rails, and other features as I was skiing the mountain.
The Apres Ski is laid back but good. There are a couple of cool bars that were
pretty busy. The bars were more appropriate for hanging out with friends or meeting new friends, then hooking up.
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