Home to the National Powder 8 Championships for the second straight year, Big Sky Resort evokes memories of other large western playgrounds, right before development ran amuck. Everything in Big Sky is about quality, from the blending of homes into the natural environment, to the abundant amounts of light dry powder snow (referred to as "Cold Smoke" by the locals) to the sandwich at the Lone Peak Café and to the exceptionally high level of skiing talent among the ski school instructors.

Opened in 1973 as the brainchild of the late Chet Huntley, of NBC news fame, and then purchased by Boyne USA in 1976, Big Sky has seen the addition of 13 lifts in the past ten years, raising them to a total of 18 lifts servicing some 3,500+ acres of skiable terrain. Yes folks, this is a BIG mountain. In fact, Lone Peak, serviced by a tram built in 1995, provides somewhere in the vicinity of 4,180 to 4,350 vertical feet of riding, depending upon who you talk to. Big Sky actually consists of three mountains, Lone Peak, Andesite and Flatiron Mountain. Lone Peak offers a mix of choices, but it is the extended vertical and abundance of steep and deep terrain that caught our eye. Small wonder so many Big Sky powder 8 skiers have won events on tour. We skied run after run, choking on light, dry powder that left magnificent billowing trails of snow behind us. We even managed to scare ourselves several times after launching way too far off cornices and over other "obstacles." This place is a thrill seeker's delight!

Next, is Andesite, aka "cruiser central," with heaps of great cruising, south facing beginner runs, the Super Pipe and terrain park, as well as some delightful tree runs. Spending an afternoon over here was just the thing to wind it down a gear after the morning on Lone Peak. Flatiron simply takes up where Andesite leaves off, providing yet another sampling of choices to suit all skiing tastes and desires. Choices, it is always nice to have choices.

As the mountains have grown, so too has the Village. The Mountain Village sits at the foot of Lone Peak and is now dominated by two major developments, the Shoshone/Huntley/Yellowstone Conference Center and the new Summit at Big Sky. Combined, the two offer nearly 500 hotel rooms, suites and condominiums. With the high level of service there and the comfortable appointments, you get what you pay for. It's not cheap, but the value exceeds the cost. Development has reached Big Sky, as a matter of economic survival, but is not yet out of hand or at odds with it's environment. Let's hope it stays that way. For more information on Big Sky Resort, write us at synchroski@vermontel.net or just write to give us your thoughts on Big Sky, this month's Resort Review.