Big Sky,MT: 02/20 - 02/24/2017

When I skied Big Sky, Montana four years ago, I knew it was a place I'd eventually want to return to with the family. After a great week-long trip to Steamboat, CO two years ago, I know we were ready to make the jump up to Big Sky.

2012-13 ski season wrap-up and highlights

Objective measures like snowfall, temperatures and operating days for the 2012-13 ski season may tally up only to the average mark, but compared to last year’s disappointing ski season 2012-13 was vastly improved. And if timing is everything, this winter really delivered with excellent conditions for the major holiday periods and just about every weekend. It will be interesting to see the official numbers from ORDA when they are released in a few months, but it sure looked like Gore had several days of record-breaking skier visits, particularly around the New Year’s holiday.

What we really missed last year was skiing in the glades, and we were rewarded this year with good tree skiing from late December through the end of the season. Things really got going in the couple of days following Christmas, when two feet of powder fell over a bomber base. And although winter was interrupted by two ugly thaws in January and one in early March, the trees essentially remained in play all winter.

Big Sky, MT: 02/27 - 03/02/2013

We upped the ante for this year’s “guys’ ski trip” and headed to Montana for 3 days of skiing at Big Sky and a day at Bridger Bowl. Although I used to ski out West regularly, it’s been 10 years since my last trip. As much as I love Eastern skiing, that’s a long time for an avid skier to go cold turkey on the terrain and snow conditions that can only be found in the West.