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Big Sky Montana
Family Ski Trip to Big Sky Montana
by Celeste Lipford and Terry Lipford - last updated on 7/24/2024
This was a family ski trip, where had we decided to try yet another "non Colorado location". This
was because the snow in Colorado continued to be very erratic, and because Big Sky would not have the
same altitude (7,218 feet) issues that Colorado has. The average snow fall at Big Sky is over 400 inches, so we were excited!
We flew into the Bozeman-Yellowstone Airport, rented a 4WD vehicle and drove to the Big Sky Resort. It is 51 miles from the airport, and the road is well maintained and kept clear of snow & ice. But the cold ! Wow, flying into that cold from Florida was an eye opener !
Big Sky Resort Trail Map 2020/2021 Resort View from the Gondola
We had never been to Montana before, having spent all of our ski trips in Colorado. So we decided that we needed to mark that check box off, and flew into Bozeman, MT. Picked up our rental vehicle, and drove down to Big Sky.
We had decided to rent a 4WD, and it proved to be a fortunate decision the very first night we were in the condo! We wanted "first tracks" and departed the condo early only to find the parking lot was knee deep in snow, but our 4WD allowed us to roll out with no problems.
Our Big Sky Condo Rental Unit
The condo was nice sized, sufficient room for everyone to be comfortable, get their ski equipment on, etc. However, the very first night, the condo heating unit did not function. We called the condo owner, but he could not get anyone to come out and repair it until the next day. Overnight was a full tilt blizzard, and the wind howled all night long as the condo temperature dropped like a stone.
The next morning, when we got up, we found that it had snowed 17 inches overnight! We had the only 4WD vehicle in the condo parking lot, and were able to drive out without any problems.
Deep Powder Skiing
Chelsea and I waving at Mom as she glides over all that powder! It is difficult to adjust one's snowboarding riding stance to clumps of fresh powder, but once you adjust, riding becomes fun again. We had some initial issues dealing with snow that deep, and each of us had different issues, as Celeste and I were on our snowboards and Chelsea was on skis.
Deep Powder Skiing Discussion
Chelsea is explaing to everone how much work it is to ski on fresh powder. Celeste and I were on snowboards, and we had some difficulty with it at first too, but soon found a rhythm.
Deep Powder Everywhere!
See how deep the powder is on the table tops? The powder has stacked up everywhere. As cold as it was that morning, something warm to drink hit the spot.
Weather was Perfect!
It was such a beautiful day, that we wound up taking a lot of pictures. As this picture shows, it did remain cold outside which made the occasional hot cocoa feel really good! You can see by the crowd that most people felt the same way.
Gondola was Warmer than Outside
I think Chelsea & Jeremy were laughing because it was nice and warm in the cable car, compared to outside conditions! Seriously, why were we ever riding the 2 or 3 person chair-lift when we could be riding in this warm gondola?
Yellowstone National Park Map
We took a day off from skiing, and drove down to Yellowstone Park. Here we are after waiting for a new snow cat to come and get us. The one we were on for our tour of the park, broke down and we had to wait for an hour for a new cat to arrive.
Trip Summary
And like all good vacations, this one came to an end and we flew back to Virginia. This was a fun trip, and we all came away with the feeling that Montana was a great place to recreate at. Because the altitude is not what you find in Colorado, there were no altitude related issues!
In fact, we liked it so much that we decided that we were going to go to Whitefish, MT at some future date.
Big Sky Resort Statistics
| Location: | 44 miles from Bozeman, MT airport |
| Base Elevation: | 7,500 feet |
| Average Annual Snowfall: | 400+ inches |
| Summit Elevation: | 11,166 feet |
| Vertical Drop: | 4,350 feet |
| Chair Lifts: | 24 |
| Surface Lifts: | 12 |
| Skiable Acres: | 5,800 acres |
| # Terrain Parks: | 7 |
| Marked Trails: | 300 named runs on 4 connected mountains |
| Snowmaking: | 364 acres/148 hectares |
| Longest Run: | Liberty Bowl to Mountain Mall: 6 miles |
| Beginner Ski Trails: | 15% |
| Intermediate Trails: | 25% |
| Advanced Trails: | 42% |
| Expert Trails: | 18% |
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