Big Sky, Montana
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The Best Ski Resorts in the U.S. and Canada: 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards
For our 32nd annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey—yes, more than three decades—a record 600,000 registered voters weighed in. They were hot to share their thoughts on the best hotels in the world and best cities in the world, but also on the best skiing. From Montana to New Hampshire, Nevada to Quebec, these ski resorts were picked by our readers as the best in the world for their trails, lifts and lines, and spots for après-ski. Whether you consider yourself an expert on the moguls or someone just there for the scene, these ski resorts ticked all the boxes for you.
23. Big Sky, Montana
It’s called “the biggest skiing in America” for good reason: The first thing you register when you buckle in at Big Sky is the complete lack of crowds. With 5,850 skiable acres (which adds up to about an acre per skier on the busiest day), you almost never see a lift line. The mountain has the most consistent powder dumps in the Northern Rockies, which blanket a drop of 4,350 vertical feet from Lone Peak (there are more than 2,300 acres of beginner and intermediate slopes, too); thanks to the $150 million Big Sky 2025 investment initiative, it also has some of the most technologically advanced chairlifts, with heated seats and weatherproof bubbles. The recent debut of Vista Hall delivers a much-needed upgrade to the base area dining scene with stations for sushi and ramen, tacos, and stone-fired pizza. It might not be the most happening place at night, but you’ll be too wiped from all of that shredding to care. And now it’s easier than ever to get to nearby Bozeman, with nonstop flights from 17 U.S. cities.
Where to stay: Huntley Lodge in Mountain Village is right by the lift area. The Wilson Hotel, Big Sky’s first branded hotel (Marriott) is walking distance to Big Sky’s growing Town Center shops & restaurants. New One&Only and Montage hotels are slated to open at neighboring Moonlight Basin and Spanish Peaks in the next couple of years.
Stats: 38 lifts for 300 named trails. One-day lift tickets range from $55 to $168; on the Mountain Collective Pass.
Montana Platinum: Bode Miller Finds Sweet Elevation in Spanish Peaks
Bode Miller is a new kind of mountain man. He’s way beyond bombing down black diamonds in the blink of an eye, and onto enjoying slower, immeasurably beautiful pleasures. Living his best life as a family man at Spanish Peaks Mountain Club in Big Sky, Montana, he’s evolved beyond “champion” into the most meaningful version […]
Knowing the Mountain by Heart
Jacob Smith is legally blind. That hasn’t stopped this teenager from skiing the toughest lines at Big Sky. In the summer of 2014, when Jacob Smith was eight years old, he started bumping into furniture and having trouble reading. His parents figured he needed glasses. Then his eyesight began to deteriorate rapidly.“In less than two […]
Get That Bunker Shot Over The Lip
When my ball is in a bunker with a big lip, I like to move the ball toward the front of my stance and open the face as much as possible. A big swing with a bunker shot generates a lot of club head speed to power through the sand and lift the ball up […]