Rocks. Rocks on groomed runs. Rocks on cat tracks. Rocks on side hits. I even saw a rock in the lift line.

This resort is a soulless corporate moneysuck with a pitiful amount of snow, rich tourists, no atmosphere and expensive everything. And rocks.
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I used to love this place, have been coming here for over 20 years. I am here now (Dec 2023) after a week long trip and I can’t wait to leave. Overpriced, pretentious, snotty, trying-be-Disney. They now have a DJ pumping obnoxious heavy bass club music in your head at the base area as the lifts are closing, when all you want is to take off your boots and make a dinner plan, in peace. The corporate greedies have taken something that used to be laid back, all about the skiing and turned it into a gaudy Vail wannabe. With a DJ. Yuck. I won’t be back.
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We took our annual Guys Trip to Montana this year and most of us in our large group of 15 bro’s would agree this was one of the best trips in recent years. Ended up snowboarding at Big Sky for 4 out of 5 days of the trip and was thoroughly impressed with just about everything I saw from Big Sky. The travel day was pretty easy as once you get to Bozeman it’s a short and very scenic 1 hour drive through the canyon to Big Sky. I chose to stay in an Airbnb with my wife and mother in-law down near the new Big Sky Town Center because our unit was right on the XC Ski trail so my wife and her mom could get out for some exercise while I was out snowboarding. Big Sky really kills it with public transportation. Theres a free uber service that picks you up from your condo in that Meadow Village area I was in and takes you to and from the Town Center. From there you can hop on a free shuttle that takes you the 13 mins up to the main base area known as Mountain Village. They even had a very convenient hayride style shuttle system that picks up people from parking lots and condo’s around the base area which I used often. Both the Town Center and Mountain Village have several great dining options and different shops and ski rental shops. And whats great about Big Sky compared to just about every other big Ski Town… There weren’t ridiculously long waits or crazy crowds. We never waited for a table for lunch or dinner which is a huge relief compared to most Vail-owned resorts.

On to the ratings, for Snow I give Big Sky a 5/5. They hadn’t had a significant snowfall in multiple weeks… just small 1-3 inches overnight here and there. Yet on day 1 we were hitting pockets of deep, old snow, 8-10 inches deep in the trees. The mountain is just so big and so empty and stays so cold that snow just simply lasts. We weren’t even working hard to find it. Immediately off of very popular lifts like Ramcharger, Southern Comfort and Swift Current we were finding great snow in the trees. And the groomers held up great. Didn’t experience any icy conditions anywhere in Big Sky during the 4 days.

Uncrowded: 5/5. It was a weird phenomena… every lift appeared to have people on them, yet there was no lift line and when you rode the lift there was never anyone below you on the slopes… and when you were on the slopes you basically never saw anyone else. Obviously the Ramcharger and Swift Current areas were more popular but there was several times while riding in the Dakota area or off of the Six Shooter lift that you’d ride for quite a while and not see another soul. That’s what skiing is all about!

Lifts: 4/5. I was very impressed with Big Sky’s lift infrastructure. Their commitment to improving lifts is obvious with the updated Swift Current and Ramcharger as well as the Six Shooter and Southern Comfort. Only reason I don’t give them a 5/5 here is that making the last 2 bubbles would’ve been nice and there was still a handful of very slow fixed grip lifts like the Challenger or Dakota lifts that access some popular terrain.

Piste Trails: 5/5. Hard to beat Big Skys variety of Piste trails. The mountain is absolutely huge. Theres groomers for everyone. Some are long and rolling blues, some are steeper blacks, and theres tons of terrain for beginners.

Off-piste Trails: 5/5. Big Sky is home to some of the best tree skiing I’ve ridden due to the wide variety of tree tightness, angle, and slope aspect paired with the stashes of old pow lingering around. You’ve got so many areas to explore your guaranteed to find some good off-piste terrain. And that’s just tree-skiing. The double and triple blacks at big sky are legendary. Theres so many hike-to areas that lead to some truly impressive lines. And that’s the stuff I love because it keeps you wanting to come back and try something harder next time. I ended up hiking the Headwaters area on a terrible visibility day and rode the Parachute run. Can’t wait to go back on a sunny day and hit something harder.

Child-friendly: 4/5 I found the resort to be very family friendly. Theres lots of green areas to learn on and the resort is very convenient for families to get around or for dad to come back and check on the little ones. There’s also not a very rowdy clientele there so your not constantly concerned that your little one is being exposed to any shenanigans.

Value: 4/5. My value rating is probably different than everyone elses. The ticket price is over 200$ per day… so how can that be a value. Well its on the Ikon pass which helps… but moreso, to me, if you can find powder weeks after a storm then that is worth its weight in gold. Because the resort is so massive… and the lifts are so fast… It actually feels like your getting your money’s worth every day. Even on the weekends.

Nightlife: 3/5. Im not one for nightlife. However, like most larger ski towns there’s Apres-ski drinks to be had and the bars stay open til 10pm for those that are staying out for it. The choices of food and drink have grown a lot in the last 5-6 years. And the Town Center area is entirely brand new in that time.

So would I go back / recommend it to a friend? Absolutely. Big Sky has become my go-to resort when we decide to start re-hitting resorts that we’ve already visited.
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This place wants to be vail or aspen so bad. The problem is that they miss the mark so bad that they make the evil empires look alright in comparison. Their website was impossible to navigate on my phone and when I did finally get to where I needed to be I couldn't enter in my information. They will charge like the big resorts but they don't have the support like the big resorts have. This place has driven away the locals so the tourists can have more fun.
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We used to enjoy skiing at Big Sky and put up with the thin snowpack, but now that riding the tram is no longer worth it (super long wait the last few years and now too expensive) we will no longer return. There are only so many laps one can do on Challenger and the other terrain (Bowl, Headwaters, Lone Tree) is too short. It has become increasingly more crowded for parking and base area lifts. Maybe the new Swifty lift will help reduce the lines.
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Best parts of the mountain are lift infrastructure, scope of the terrain, length of runs, crowds, and size. Really has something for everyone. If in a big group the mountain does seem to be "segregated" to skiing in a similar talent level. So this provides a ton of opportunity if everyone is at the same level, but much less if the variety of skills are wide. I like this a lot, but that's if I'm traveling with my buddies, not my family.

Main negatives is the lack of dinner options, though this is improving. Another knock would be on mountain food options.
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Nary a mountain host in sight to direct skiers, very few reminders of directions, slow zones, very little to no ski patrol visible on runs to remind people to ski in control. Two out of four people in my party were run over from behind by skiers on the same day. Second time was on a run that probably spanned five semis. An impact that broke my kids helmet. Of course a ticket says skiing is dangerous, I understand that part. However the downhill skier always has priority and any of us has an obligation to ski in control. In twenty years of skiing every week, I have never been hit by another skier. My reckless tourist comment is coming from a visitor! Reminders on lifts about safety or slow zones or ‘ski in control’ across runs help eliminate any confusion and this type of garbage skiing by visitors. Big Sky seems more concerned with maintaining the aesthetics than skier safety. I can’t recall even seeing a host or patroller out actually patrolling. Lots of terrain, just very little focus on maintaining skier safety on it.
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Easily one of the worst resorts I’ve ever ridden. Horrible snow, massive lines, and the fact that every single run seems to funnel down to a flat cat track just ruined the experience for me. Take my advice and just go to Jackson hole or Targhee.
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No lines. Open terrain, great snow, beautiful views. The town of Big Sky is small but has many bars and restaurants. Bucks, and Riverhouse, Michaelangelo, and Lotus Pad are all awesome
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Hasn’t snowed in a while or snow was gone. Waaaay overpriced
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