Big Sky: Unpretentious. Uncrowded. Unbelievably Great Skiing.
Big Sky is not ritzy. It is not pretentious. It is not crowded.
And, as one of country’s greatest ski destinations, it is not to be missed.
Big Sky is big…really BIG!
With 4350′ of vertical and 5,800 acres, Big Sky justifiably calls itself “The Biggest Skiing in America.”
The last time I skied there was before the acquisition of Moonlight Basin, a smaller adjacent area I always assumed was for beginners.
That assumption was wrong.
A tour of what had been Moonlight revealed a world of interesting black diamonds off Lookout Ridge. I explored a few of them before heading toward Mountain Village, the resort’s commercial heart and onto the blue and black terrain on Andesite and Flatiron Mountains.
At day’s end, gear stashed with ski valet, I walked to Huntley Lodge, one of four hotels a short distance from the lifts.
Named for NBC news anchor Chet Huntley, it was bustling with people there for conferences and skiing. My room was clean and pleasant, and, like me, showing some age. The night before, following check-in, I had walked across the plaza to a well-populated bar and enjoyed a few beers and a surprisingly good meal. This night, I drove six miles to Town Center, where the Lotus Pad‘s curry was excellent and its vibe, big city.
Big Sky is attracting a lot of visitors and permanent residents. The place is booming. In Town Center, construction cranes and hard hats are everywhere. Winter is part of the equation. Other times of year fishing, golfing, mountain biking, hiking, and nearby Yellowstone National Park contribute to the draw. There’s a beautiful new high school and, especially important for seniors, the new Bozeman Health Big Sky Medical Center.
Next morning, following the Huntley’s substantial breakfast buffet, I returned to the lifts with the goal of reaching 11,166′ Lone Peak before the clouds rolled in. On the way I took Powder Seeker, the resort’s high-speed six-pack with blue bubble and heated seats. It’s then a short run to the base of Lone Peak Tram, the canister transporting 15 at a time. Depending on what awaits you at the top, the wait at the bottom may or may not be worth it.
By the time I reached the peak, it was socked-in, and I felt my way down a black bowl until visibility improved. Entering Bavarian Forest, an area of beautiful glades on manageable black terrain, I saw no one until reaching the bottom of the Dakota triple chair.
Big Sky has few on-hill amenities. There’s one permanent upscale restaurant recommending reservations, an over-sized yurt serving brats, burgers, and beers, and two limited-menu food trucks.
Toilets are equally scarce. PortaPotties next to the yurt, required an overly high step onto a slippery floor. They need to take care of that for skiers of any age. The trail map is a good one and will help you know before you need to go.
In the near distance, contiguous to Big Sky but not accessible to the rest of us, is Yellowstone Club, the famed, private resort. An instructor I met pointed out Bill and Melinda Gates’ home.
Seniors (70+) get a break on day passes (5-day advance purchase is best). Season pass options vary and have two senior categories, one 65-79, the other 80+. Big Sky participates in IKON and Mountain Collective.
Numerous direct flights to Bozeman, an hour from Big Sky.
There are a surprising number of non-stop flights from most major cities to Bozeman, about an hour away.
Depending on your skiing preferences, Big Sky is either a very good place to visit or a must place to visit. Its size, scope, and reliable snowfall make it a resort where senior skiers simply can’t go wrong.
It’s Birthday Party Time at Alta.
Hip, Hip, Hooray! Skier Bob Turns 94!
Bob Murdoch celebrates his 94th on skis at Alta. Credit: Harriet Wallis
You might say that 94-year-old Bob Murdoch is a “senior’s senior” skier. He represents many skiers across the country who are skiing into their 90s and enjoying their mountain friendships as much as the slopes.
Ski friends matter. Skiers gave Bob a birthday card that said: Count your age in how many friends you have, not in years.
Bob’s pal, Nick Looser, baked two special cakes
for the party at Alta. Credit: Harriet Wallis
At Alta, Bob is following in the footsteps—in the ski tracks—of 100 year old George Jedenoff who celebrated his milestone birthday on skis in July. Alta’s snow had melted by July, but its neighbor, Snowbird, gathered enough snow to groom a long swath so George could ski on his 100th birthday.
Next to George, Bob is the oldest skiing member of Alta’s senior group, the Wild Old Bunch—and the Wild Old Bunch threw an on-mountain party to honor him. And what a party it was!
Age has its rewards.
Bob, a retired hydro engineer, skis with his good friend Nick Looser, a retired culinary artist, who baked two specialty cakes for the event. He knew there would be a big crowd to celebrate Bob’s 94th birthday.
Bob currently skis three days every week, and his love affair with Alta goes back a long way. He skied the mountain in the 1930s before it was a resort and before it had lifts. He hiked up to ski down.
Skiing has changed a lot since the days of ungroomed snow and long uphill hikes, but we’re lucky we can celebrate with those hardy, early skiers, and we hope we can grow up to be like them.
To read more from Harriet click here for her stories on SkiUtah.
This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (March 23)
60s Ski Songs Available Now, More Pass Wars Comments, Ski New Zealand Soon, Fat Bikes, And More.
Back in the early 60s, folk music was just beginning to become popular. Colleges, concert halls, and coffee houses were hosting a wide variety bands like The Kingston Trio and The Weavers with stringed instruments singing old time music as well as newly written tunes. One sub-genre soon emerged in parallel to the growth of the fast-growing sport of skiing. Oscar Brand, Bob Gibson, and a Navy vet named Ray Conrad created their own skiing songs which spread like an avalanche through the growing, ardent band of skiers.
Ray had a knack for composing clever, funny songs about the new world of the skier and skier wanna-bes. His tunes contain a full cast of caricatures like egotistical ski instructors, skiing cowboys, skiing Casanovas, skiing drinkers, you get the idea. For years, these songs were out of print and only available to those who had saved their decades-old vinyl albums. Now, SeniorsSkiing.com has worked with Ray to make these songs available again.
You can download Ray’s 16-song album, The Cotton-Lickin’ Lift Tower and Other Songs, for $20 from CDBaby. This is a download only. You can listen to short clips on the CDBaby site. Seniorsskiing.com is sharing the proceeds with Ray, who, at 95 years old, is ecstatic people are still interested in his music.
For an earlier article on famous skiing songs of the 60s, click here.
More Season Pass War Puzzlements
Yes, the new editions of season passes and their features are confusing. We are hearing complaints from SeniorsSkiing.com readers about feeling left out by these passes. In this week’s edition, Co-Publisher Jon Weisberg opines on who wins and who loses in the season pass lottery.
And here’s a link to The Ski Diva, our friend and colleague, who writes a somewhat tongue-in-cheek advice column on how to choose between Mountain Collective, IKON, Epic and the rest.
Please let us know how you are navigating these choices. Are you happy? Unhappy? If unhappy, have you complained to the pass vendors to let them know how you feel? Remember, there are lots and lots of senior skiers affected by these pass changes. When we shout together, it’s pretty loud.
Think More Skiing In New Zealand
March has brought extraordinary, mind-bending, other-worldly snow conditions to the Sierras, the Northwest, parts of the northern Rockiers, and, thankfully, New England. Spring snow sports should be over the top. If, however, that isn’t enough for you, and you have the time and curiosity, you can always go to New Zealand, where the ski season will soon be “cooling up.” Here’s a promo video from The Remarkables near the recreation city of Queenstown. You should recognize The Remarkables from Lord of The Rings.
For another review of En Zed skiing, check out last September’s report from SeniorsSkiing.com advisory council member Bernie Weichsel here.
Ski The Remarkables, Queenstown, NZ
This Week
Check out our new Mystery Glimpse. It’s a dashing ski personality who left us too early. Do you know who he is and what he was known for?
Correspondent Tamsin Venn reports on the first annual Ski Museum of Maine Senior Legends Race. This looks like a lot of fun, and congratulations to the competitors, most of whom were north of 70.
Correspondent Jonathan Wiesel has an interesting question: Better to cross-country ski on groomed trails or au naturel? Each has its unique qualities. Your thoughts?
Fat biking is a new-to-us snow country activity although we hear its been around since 2007, starting in Alaska and working into the western US. XCSkiResorts.com publisher Roger Lohr introduces us to fat biking on snow with a visit to Kingdom Trails in northern Vermont. For course, people also fat bike on beaches and mountain trails in the summer, but snow country is an interesting idea.
Discounts For Seniors
Two interesting vendors on our Discounts For Seniors page for this week’s highlight:
FitterFirst, exercise equipment emphasizing balance and coordination, and Injinji, compression socks that also accommodate individual toes.
Please visit all our Discounts For Seniors vendors. There are some interesting deals in gear, clothing, and gifts you should check out.
Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. Tell your friends about us and remember, there are more of us every day, and we aren’t going away.
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