Skiing in Big Sky Country

Last weekend I took advantage of winter in Montana by treating myself to a ski weekend. My grandfather lives close to two different ski areas and I’ve never skied at either so I decided to try both. On Saturday I went to Blacktail Mountain Ski Area.

The drive up Blacktail Mountain was a winter  wonderland! The higher I went up the mountain, there was so much snow that the trees didn’t look real – they looked like they were covered in frosting!

Blacktail isn’t a huge ski resort – there’s a restaurant and bar with a fireplace, but no hotels or shops. It’s a small, more local area with 2 mountains to ski. However, opening day was the day before I went so the powder was fresh (and deep) and the mountain wasn’t crowded. I especially enjoyed going down some of the trails and not seeing another person until I got to the lift at the bottom! It was a great mountain  to remind myself how to ski (it’s been almost two years) and to do so without crowds. It all came back and I (as usual) wish I lived near a ski area – it’s beautiful, it’s fun to be outside in the winter, and it’s a great workout!

On Sunday I headed to Big Mountain. This is a huge ski resort with dozens of runs, a dozen lifts, and plenty of double black diamond runs (which I avoided!). I love to ski, but I’m a bit of a chicken when runs are closed for “avalanche control” or when you can ski off a “cliff area!” 

As the day went on, fog (and some slushy snow) rolled in. It was totally peaceful (but a bit eerie) to ski with only 30 foot visibility!

In the end, I made it home in one piece although I was soaked and exhausted (and was sporting some trendy snow-filled dreadlocks) but I had a great time. I recommend northwest Montana skiing to anyone looking for good runs and lots of powder with fewer people and lower prices! Follow @reneestreet