Skiers rejoice: Montage Big Sky unveils more details about its December opening

Montage has revealed new details about one of the most anticipated hotel openings of 2021.

The highly anticipated Montage Big Sky will open on December 15, 2021, in Big Sky, Montana, just in time for the winter ski season .

And while spots like Aspen, Colorado, and Park City, Utah, brim with luxury stays, this opening will be the first luxury resort in the Montana mountain town (no doubt full of luxury vacation rentals) known for excellent skiing, hiking, fly fishing, golf and other outdoor pursuits.

Guests who come to ski get the slopeside benefit of ski in/ski out access on more than 5,800 skiable acres at Big Sky Mountain Resort, with ski lockers and other ski services onsite at the resort.

Located about five miles west of Big Sky Town Center, on the eastern side of Big Sky Mountain Resort, the Montage Big Sky is bringing year-round amenities to the table that include an indoor lap pool with a minimalist mountain aesthetic, a Powder Park with snow tubing and snow biking plus direct access to Spanish Peaks Mountain Club’s 18-hole golf course, designed by Tom Weiskopf.

Renderings show the 150-room property looking every bit the modern mountain resort, with lots of glass, wood and stone and soaring windows that let in views of the surrounding Spanish Peaks mountain range.

And if you’re coming for wellness, the Spa Montage’s 10,000-square-foot alpine-inspired digs include 12 treatment rooms (including couples rooms), a lap pool and heated plunge pools and steam rooms within his and hers relaxation lounges. There’s also full service salon onsite.

And the gym, as you’d expect, promises to leave no muscle group untoned with the requisite Peloton, Technogym and TRX equipment as well as free weights and group classes on offer.

If you’ve stayed at the Montage Deer Valley or other Montage properties, you likely already know the brand excels at balancing family-friendly amenities with edgy design that makes it an adult-favorite, too.

And the Montage Big Sky will follow suit for family fun. The property will have an indoor bowling alley, family swimming pool and the brand’s immersive children’s program, Paintbox, available in half or full-day sessions for kids between the ages of 5 and 12, with locally inspired arts and crafts and outdoor recreation on tap.

Outdoors, the resort’s Powder Park recreation area and fun zone will have a designated area for beginner skiers and snowboarders to get comfortable before moving to the slopes in addition to the 450-foot-long snow tubing run.

Big Sky is one of those mountain towns that locals like to say people come to for winter–then end up staying in for the summers.

In short, there’s almost no bad season in this western wonderland.

During the warmer months of the year, favorite mountain activities include hiking and mountain biking as well as fly fishing a short drive from the resort on three rivers world-renowned for the sport.

You’re also roughly an hour’s drive from Yellowstone National Park, and the resort concierge can help arrange guided tours and wildlife excursions to the park in any season.

The resort’s six onsite restaurants, open to non-guests, too, will offer a range offerings spanning Italian food, casual pub-style eats and locally-sourced Montana ingredients.

Cortina, the property’s signature restaurant, pulls from rustic Northern Italian fare for inspiration — much of it finished in the open-hearth wood-fired oven. Located near the hotel’s arcade and bowling alley, Beartooth Pub & Rec goes more casual, with ice cream sundaes for the kids, wood-fired pizzas and local craft beers served in casual surrounds.

During apres in The Living Room and Alpenglow, look for a “roaming raclette cart” (which clearly needs to become a thing everywhere this winter) with all the accoutrements to go alongside the sizzling cheese, including pickled veggies and hearth-baked sourdough bread.

The hotel’s grab and go option is Wildflower Market, with baked goods, picnic provisions, coffees and the like.

And Montana’s ranching culture gets a nod at Backcast Bar & Grill (opening late-January 2022), an open-air dining concept likely to become both an apres-ski and summer evening hotspot with fire pits, craft cocktails and “ranch-inspired sandwiches” (whatever those might be) in addition to heartier winter fare.

As of early August 2021, the resort’s website was showing several sold out days in January and February, with wider inventory available in December and March.

When TPG called the resort on August 3, 2021, to ask about rates we were told there’s a two-night minimum stay in December and January, and an eight-night minimum stay required during the busy holiday period, between Dec. 25 and January 1, 2022.

We were quoted starting rates of $1,595 per night (before taxes) for a resort-view room that sleeps three people (king bed and pullout sofa) on Dec. 16 and 17, while January starting rates (Jan. 3 and 4) were $1,845 per night for a similar room with a better view.

If you plan to check out the new property, it seems booking sooner rather than later might be wise — a current offer on the website shows 15 percent savings on the best available rate when you book at least 45 days in advance of your stay.