Big Sky Family Ski Trip

Big Sky is ideal for a family skiing! In Montana – long a big secret among skiers – picturesque Lone Peak was like a private ski mountain for skiers. Big Sky has grown – so has its popularity, since its origins under news anchor Chet Huntley in 1973. Big Sky Resort now offers skiers 5,800-acres with the acquisition of Moonlight Basin and Spanish Peaks, and its making its way onto most skier’s bucket list with some of the biggest and best skiing in America, hi-capacity hi-speed lifts including a new summit tram, six and eight-pax chairs, big snow, and beautiful on mountain lodging at Big Sky’s Summit and Montage. Big Sky is awesome for a Montana family ski vacation, larger than Vail, with great groomers to extreme steeps. Its as close to The Alps as you get in the US for vast terrain, awesome scenery, and a plethora of off-piste skiing. Big Sky has plenty of high elevation, high adrenaline (scare yourself silly) skiing like the Dictator Chutes and Big Couloir from Lone Peak at 11,166’ served by a Tram. But there’s plenty of beautiful Blue Square cruisers too if you prefer, with swift six and eight pack bubble chairs. The scenery is gorgeous of the Grand Tetons and Spanish Peaks. Big Sky’s lodging is posh and perfectly slopeside at The Summit in the Mountain Village, The Montage or in a private luxury mountain condo or cabin on the ski slopes.

Big Sky is surrounded by three private clubs, Yellowstone Club, Spanish Peaks Club and Moonlight Basin Club – so the wealthy have their mansions in these mountains, but there is still a cowboy frontier feel to the ski community as well, and Big Sky skiers can ski the slopes of Moonlight and Spanish Peaks, just not the private lodges. Lone Mountain is the pinnacle of Big Sky, this towering Alps like peak at 11,166′ is spectacular. You can see three states – Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, and two National Parks, plus the exclusive slopes of Yellowstone Club across the valley. Definitely ride the new-in-2024 Tram up Lone Peak, now a 75-passenger pay-per-ride marvel with huge windows. You can ride up for the view, a photo opp, and download, if you don’t wish to ski the steeps!

Pedestrians, non-skiers, can ride the Explorer Gondola to the Tram to the summit to see the amazing glass Kircliff -a two-story glass observation deck overlooking the Tetons, its spectacular – something you’d see in The Alps but not stateside. Everything off the Lone Peak Tram is un-groomed double black diamond including steep chutes like the legendary Big Couloir, Dictators, and North Summit Snowfield – which I deem the best run in North America. Another challenging handful of trails are off Challenger, which brings skiers to wide open snow bowls, glades, and the Headwater chutes. Big Sky also offers plenty of tame blue and green scenic runs served by the Ramcharger 8-pack, and the Swift 6-pack bubble, locals call it “Swifty”. Next up, ride The Powder Seeker 6 six pack (also with heated leather seats and signature blue bubbles) to the Lone Peak Tram, or the Challenger Triple chair for more advanced terrain. On Big Sky’s Andesite Mountain, served by the Ramcharger (an 8-pack bubble chair) and Thunder Wolf quad, you will find gorgeous long groomed blues, like Elk Park Meadow, Ambush and Tippys, to glades and bump runs. Southern Comfort to Big Sky’s furthest south is novice heaven with gently pitched wide boulevards abutting the Yellowstone Club mansions and Spanish Peaks ski lifts and trails. You can ski Spanish Peak, but the Yellowstone Club entry is gated and guarded – to protect its prestigious members.

Big Sky and Moonlight are interconnected, so be sure to ski to Moonlight for perspective on just how huge this Montana skiing is. Moonlight has wonderful northern exposure terrain, once just accessed by cat skiing. Now great groomers are accessible like Lookout, glades like Single Jack and the daunting Headwaters chutes, served a new 8-pax Madison chair – the resort’s third eight-person high-speed chairlift. Moonlight Lodge is for members only, along with the new One&Only Moonlight Basin Private Homes, but the skiing here is part of your Big Sky ticket, often softer snow given its north face. Big Sky is America’s Alp, very European in its extensive ski terrain, with impressive Lone Peak – the Matterhorn of America. Families will love Big Sky’s learn-to-ski programs, kids happy hour activities, ziplines, and tours of Yellowstone National Park during your family ski trip. Did we mention kids 10 and under ski and stay free with paying parents? Aprés ski Big Sky Resort has live entertainment, just enough shopping, bars and restaurants. You are a short drive to some cool ranches for authentic western dining, at Bucks T4 and Lone Mountain Ranch. See our Best Dining and Apres Ski at Big Sky.

Big Sky’s parent company Boyne USA manages sister Eastern ski resorts Sugarloaf, Sunday River, and Loon plus their western resort portfolio of Brighton in Utah, Crystal and Summit at Snoqualmie in Washington, and Cypress in British Columbia. Big Sky owns neighboring Moonlight Basin and Spanish Peaks, with partnership from Yellowstone Club owner CrossHarbor Capital – making it the Biggest skiing in America with 34 lifts, an 11,166′ peak and 4,350′ vertical. Big Sky Town Center 6 miles down the Mountain Road is growing with new services, brew pubs, the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center, a Marriott, an ice rink and medical center. Visiting Big Sky for a ski week, stay at The Summit, or the Montage, take a day off from the snowy slopes of Big Sky to visit the first national park, Yellowstone National Park, where you can snowmobile or ride a motorcoach and see bison, wolves, elk and thermal geysers – and of course, Old Faithful. Or go Nordic skiing at Lone Mountain Ranch. If you are looking for the ultimate in private deep powder (and you have deep pockets) then check out the private ski resort Yellowstone Club.