Trip Dates: 1/11/2019-1/13/2019 

Author: Matt Kownick 

Where: Big Sky, Montana 

Trip Name: Blue Bird Brews with Views 

Trip in 3(00ish words):

The Big Sky trip started with me taking a rental from Jackson Hole to Idaho Falls, ID. From there, I was picked up by some friends driving from Boise, and we headed north to Montana. I hadn’t been to Big Sky since I took a Lifestyles trip there back in school during my sophomore year. They’ve added quite a bit of investment into their infrastructure. The SuperCharger 8 is a massive lift. Pretty cool engineering feat.

Big Sky was Blue Bird, and both days the snow was excellent. We were able to do a lot of exploring. My favorite area was the Challenger Chair. As we kept skiing, I couldn’t help but think about how big this place is. Big Sky is HUGE. With the addition of Moonlight Basin, they became the biggest resort in America. We were only able to get to 1 run-in at Moonlight Basin, but the area seemed promising. Bummed we didn’t get to ski there more.

Not a ton of pow, tons of views

Even though there wasn’t a ton of new snow, we decided to go up the tram and have a look around. The views were amazing. So clear that we were able to see the Tetons when looking south. Getting down is not for the faint of heart. After navigating some questionable rock groupings, we were able to rip the Liberty bowl and take a moment at the bottom to have a Brew with a View – Name credit to Alaina.

One of my new friends from the trip [Insert Alaina IG] asked us at the end of the day what our High, Low, and Buffalo was. I had never heard of this but loved the phrasing. I’ve grown up talking about best and worst moments but never had a catchy jingle to it. High: What was the best part of the day? Low: What was the biggest bummer? And Buffalo: What was something you learned today? It’s a great way to recap what happened, and everyone remembers the catchy wording.

Remember, when an old lady asks you to take your goggles off for a picture, you do it, no matter how bright it’s out.

20:20 Hindsight:

Understanding how boots break-in. Day 4 on my boots was the point where they finally broke in. Getting the right fit for your boots takes a few days of discomfort. Boots need to pack out slowly. If one custom molds them too wide at the start, your feet may seem snug, but once fully broken in, your feet will be sliding around. Not cool.

Calories:

There’s a soup place at the bottom of the Powder Seeker lift. Small, but excellent ski mountain vibes. Be sure to eat there before the afternoon, or else you’ll be in the shadows rather than working on the goggle tan.

Caught off guard: 

No fresh snow had fallen in over a week. This typically yields adverse ski conditions. Yes, there were a lot of low tides (loose rock and branches) on runs, but the snow was surprisingly soft. I think it’s the fact that a lot of the resort has runs on Northern facing slopes. There’s excellent protection from the freeze-thaw cycles on the southern facing slopes.

Got lost? Follow the trail book here!

To find out more about Big Sky Montana and see it for yourself, start here!