Big Sky Trip Report
Twenty-seven ski club members were well equipped for the North American cold wave of January 2025, traveling with plenty of cold weather gear and planning to be outdoors to ski and board on the slopes of Big Sky, Montana. The first two days were very cold, not unlike the snow on the Panhandle of Florida and the French Quarter that week! The snow surfaces were top-notch with fresh snow during the week keeping people happy. Our last day gifted us with powdery stuff that many of us rarely encounter.
We loved the upgraded lifts with their heated seats and bubble covers that kept us toasty even when the wind was blowing. The new tram can carry about four times as many skiers as the old tram to the peak of Lone Mountain where on a sunny day you can see four states. Some skied/boarded down while others were able to take a scenic ride up and back to avoid the black diamond-plus runs.
Our slopeside lodging at the Huntley made it very easy to access the slopes each day and the free ski check meant we didn't even have to carry our skis across the plaza and the hot tub was just a few short steps outside the door. The included buffet breakfast at Chet's each morning gave us not only a wonderful meal and a place to meet up with our fellow club members, but great views of the slopes as well.
Several folks took advantage of the resort's proximity to Yellowstone and enjoyed either a snow coach tour or a snowmobile tour of the park.
This trip was part of the Crescent Ski Council's annual Ski Week, totaling 175 participants. We had a welcome dessert reception on Sunday evening where we all received our specially-designed Big Sky t-shirts. Monday evening, we trekked to Riverhouse Restaurant for some traditional Montana food which was a great opportunity to mix up who you had been with the first two days and share stories. Tuesday and Wednesday gave people time to explore on their own, with some heading off to Town Center or the Mountain Village for dinner in small groups. On Thursday evening Crescent hosted the "farewell dinner" which featured a wonderful buffet dinner followed by the distribution of door prizes. A DJ provided the tunes to keep folks busy on the dance floor for several hours. Who knew Steve Adler was a Dancing King?!
On our final day it snowed all morning much to the delight of many. Be sure to check out the videos in the Photo Gallery that Dustin & David created for each day. Dustin & Bill shut down the lifts on Friday and the video for that final day is amazing. That evening the club met at Stone Fired Pizza in the Vista Hall for huge artisan pizzas. Everyone again shared their stories of their week and Friday's amazing snow.
Most of our group had never visited Big Sky before but came away as fans. We'd all love to go back soon!