I learned that I’m a pro…..at falling.
You guys…I’ve only been skiing like once in my life and I didn’t have the best time, SO I decided I wanted to do something different and try snowboarding. Was I probably crazy? Yes. But I wanted to do it anyway 🙂
Did I bust my ass 100,000 times? Yes.
Did I end my week bruised and my body hurting? Yes.
Did I make the best of it and enjoy amazing company? Yes 🙂
Travel
Flying to Big Sky is easy with direct flights from over 20 major cities. The closest airport to Big Sky is the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, located just 50 miles from Big Sky Resort along the scenic Gallatin Canyon. Book a rental car for pickup at the Bozeman Airport, or book airport transportation with a trusted local driver.
David and I drove from Alabama to take a direct flight out of Atlanta. We flew into Bozeman, MT, and then had an hour drive to our Airbnb in Big Sky. If you’re traveling to Big Sky (or anywhere in the midwest lol) during the Wintertime, I’d suggest getting a 4-wheel drive vehicle. We had a group of eight people and rented two Ford trucks. The roads were pretty slick at times and even though we drove cautiously and slowly, we had some “oh sHiT!” moments.
Big Sky Resort is easily accessible off of Montana Highway 191, connecting to Bozeman and I-90 in the north and West Yellowstone and I-15 in the south. Find Big Sky Resort (50 Big Sky Resort Road, Big Sky MT, 59716) in your preferred map service to get directions. If you drive to Big Sky in the winter, make sure you have appropriate winter tires and feel safe driving in snowy conditions.
You WILL need your own vehicle because, per the Big Sky Resort website, there are no ride-sharing services like Uber and Lift.
Accommodations
One of the couples we stayed with booked an Airbnb in Big Sky, which was about a 10-minute drive from the resort.
*Note – we booked this house a year out! It may not be necessary to do so that far out but if you’re going with a bigger group or during a popular time of year, I’d start planning ASAP.
The house was super cute and as a bonus, you had the option to ski in/ski out if you wanted to! Most of our group drove down to the resort each day (mostly because I could barely stand up on my board LOL).
Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort is located in and has 5,580 skiable acres, 38 lifts, and 320 runs for both beginners and more experienced riders.
Picture taken from Big Sky Resort website
Gear Rental
If you don’t already know, skiing is an expensive hobby LOL. If you aren’t an avid snow sports person (ahem, like me), I recommend renting your gear. Psst – this also means you don’t have to take a bunch of crap on the plane 😉
Most of our group rented ski/snowboard gear from Christy Sports. You can book directly through Big Sky Resort, but I believe it was a little bit cheaper to book through the place we did.
Christy Sports has two locations in Big Sky. One at the base of the Big Sky Resort and the newest location, Grizzly Outfitters just down the road from the resort in the Town Center. Both locations offer a wide selection of top ski and snowboard gear for daily rentals and demos.
I believe both locations accept walk-ins so you have the option to rent your gear on the day of, however, we rented ours a couple of weeks out just in case! I would call the store and double-check to be on the safe side.
Lift Tickets
Be prepared to drop some $$$$ on lift tickets. You can book through the Resort or, like our group, purchase passes through Icon Pass. You can choose where and how many days you want to ski. For example, David and I purchased a 3-day pass for about $600 apiece. I believe it was slightly more expensive to purchase tickets through Big Sky Resort but do your research and compare! It also depends on how many days you want to ski. In addition, if you want to purchase tickets using Icon Pass, you will need to purchase these in advance because they sell out.
If you go on the Big Sky Resort Website, you can also purchase both half-day and beginner lift tickets. I didn’t know about the beginner lift tickets and I would have purchased those because, on my first day snowboarding, I spent most of my time on the magic carpets at Mountain Village (bunny slopes) and the Explorer lift.
1 p.m. Half-Day Lift Tickets are available for lift access from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. for a discount off the day’s window ticket price. 1 p.m. Half-Day tickets are available for same-day purchase starting at 12:30 p.m. at lift ticket windows. Half-Day tickets will not be available on days when full-day tickets are sold out.
Beginner Tickets are perfect for learning to ski or ride. Beginner tickets include access to the magic carpets at Mountain Village and Madison Base, plus the Explorer and Derringer lifts. Note that the two beginner lifts are in different base areas and you cannot access one from another.
Other things to do
The start of the show in Big Sky is snow sports, however, some local shops, restaurants, and activities are worth trying out if you want to get out of the house!
Guided Dog Sledding Tour
To break up some of our ski days, we opted for a guided dog sledding tour through Spirit of the North.
Now…I’m going to be completely honest and say we were a TAD let down by the experience and here’s why…
When my husband initially called, he was told that there may not be enough snow to take the sleds out, but they would attach chains to a 5-seater “sled” if that were the case. What we weren’t told was that the 5-seater “sled” was actually a Polaris ATV (*sigh*). Basically how things were set up was the dogs were attached to the front of the Polaris and imitating the “pulling” of a sled (they weren’t actually pulling it).
If we had known this ahead of time, we probably wouldn’t have gone, BUT, it was cool seeing the dogs do their thing and they had a blast just being outside! The whole excursion was about an hour and a half. We helped hook the dogs up on the sled, stopped about halfway through to have some cookies and hot cocoa, and then unloaded the dogs before leaving.
With all that being said, if you choose this excursion, call ahead and make sure there’s enough snow on the ground to use the real sleds 🙂
Visit Yellowstone National Park
Visit Big Sky Town Center
Big Sky Dining (that I actually went to)
Yummy bar located in Town Center! They have shuffleboard, corn hole, arcade games, and a casino.
This is the only place that won’t have my praises 🙂 The food was mediocre and, in my opinion, way overpriced. David and I spent ~$100 on four tacos, 2 drinks, and one nacho app (split between the table).
We basically lived here on our ski days lol With a casual environment, they have a good-sized menu of traditional American food like burgers, wings, salads, etc. and everything we tried was good. Montana Jack has over 30 beers on tap and is located right at the base of the mountain in The Exchange.
Some of the food I tried and enjoyed were the Jack Wings, fried pickles, cup of Jack’s Three Bean Chili + Grilled Cheese, Nachos, and the Cobb salad was popular with the group as well. You also NEED to try the Tipsy Mick 😉 we were obsessed with these!!
Small batch, artisan coffee roasted locally in Bozeman, MT. We often grabbed coffee here on our ski days, as it’s right at the base of the resort!
I had the best hot dog here! Also located at the base of the resort, this is a great place to grab a quick snack!
Michaelangelo’s Ristorante Italiano
We all wanted to have a nice dinner for our last night. It was a little on the pricier side but the food and ambiance were great! We dressed up a little nicer for this meal. I wore jeans and a turtle neck top with heels and most of the guys wore jeans and button-up shirt.
You get bread with dinner, but I also got the Minestrone soup for a starter and then the Pollo al Prosecco con Polenta for my entree. It was delicious!
Other entrees that the group enjoyed included:
– Ravioli Di Bufala Con Funghi
And one of our friend’s got the seasonal Elk special
Portions were a little on the small side for most dishes besides the pasta, so I recommend ordering an appetizer!
You can make reservations on their website. We called the day of and got a reservation but it was only because they had a cancellation.
Overall thoughts
Montana is an absolute beauty and there’s nothing negative I can say about Big Sky. If you’re looking for a serene getaway for hitting the slopes or just enjoying nature, this is the place!
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