Montana Skies

When our group decided on Big Sky Ski Resort in Montana for our trip this year, I felt butterflies in my stomach.  I was going to be reunited with one of my true loves....the Rocky Mountains.

Breathe it in

Why is it that when I'm in the west I feel so "at home."  I only spent a few years living the high altitude life, yet it just feels right.  We left the kids with family and Scott and I hopped a plane with some friends westward bound.

The home we rented was spacious enough that we weren't on top of one another and also granted us access to the private Moonlight Club (more on that later!).  The room Scott and I stayed in had a Sleep Number bed and I'm now convinced that we NEED one of those (I set my # on 100 for those of you that have one!).  I'm not sure I'll ever sleep the same after this!  

Kissing my husband for the first time in Montana

Weather-wise our timing was perfect.  Our drive thru the canyon to Big Sky was clear as can be.  The next morning as we dressed for skiing, we were greeted with fresh powder on the mountain.  We were shocked by the lack of people on the ski slopes.  It felt as though we had the entire resort to ourselves.     It was perfect.

Coffee by the fire? Yes please!

We skied until the lifts closed an ended our last run at the Moonlight Lodge.  There we were greeted by staff that took our skis and carried them to our car for us.  This pretty much sealed the deal for me to return here at some point in my life.  After our skis were stowed we headed into the Moonlight Tavern for live music, warm beverages and a roaring fire.  I could have sat on that couch all night and enjoyed the picture window framing the slopes, listening to the musician strum his guitar and sipping my warm cup of java...however my ride was leaving and I remembered we had a hot tub waiting for us at the house.  With that I pried myself away from the leather and ventured out into the cold night air.

Our crew

Friday morning we were greeted with a little more fresh snow and the group took the Lone Peak tram up to 11,166 feet.  Visibility was pretty bad and the wind was picking up.  Yet for some reason I decided to experience my first double black diamond ever.  As I made my way down the Gullies, I questioned my decision making ability.  Once I reached the bottom I was so proud of conquering the double black, but I don't think I will ever do it again!

Tips up

The rest of the day I stuck with the less demanding runs and enjoyed areas of deep powder, tree lined paths, and the quietness of ski slopes that I've never experienced anywhere else.  As the lifts were beginning to close, I was slightly sad that I wouldn't be skiing another day here.  The conditions and trails were a dream.

Warming up

We went to Montana Jacks for apps and a drink and to enjoy more live music.  The place was packed and the music was good.  After one round of drinks it was back to the house for dinner and hot tub time.

Nice

Saturday we decided to take advantage of being members of the Moonlight Club.  We had a small hike back to a yurt in the woods. Outside the yurt was a frozen lake, an ice rink, a tubing hill and a fire pit.  Inside the yurt were 2 workers and loads of winter activity equipment.  All of this for use by Moonlight Club members, and we were the only ones there....all day long.  We started out by using the snowshoes.  We took a loop that was a couple miles long and gave us great views of the mountains, frozen lake, and through the woods.  

Snowshoeing....a serious activity

We warmed ourselves up around the fire and enjoyed our packed lunch before gearing up for a game of broom ball.  The workers inside the yurt brought out coffee to help keep us warm.  Once again, I am so coming back to this place.  Broom ball ended abruptly when a few of the players realized they were a slip and fall away from a full blown concussion.  We grabbed the tubes and made our way up the hill.  Even though it's been nice to have a child-free vacation, I would have loved to have took our kids down in a tube.  They would have loved it.  Next time.  We took a couple spins around the rink on a fat tire bike before bidding farewell to the guys in the yurt.

We headed back to the Moonlight Basin to utilize the indoor/outdoor pool and hot tub.  There was a coffee bar and candy bar fully stocked for our usage as we entered and exited the hot tub area.  The water felt amazing and a light snow fell on our heads as we watched the skiers take their final runs of the day down the slopes.  Hot tubbing is always fun but there isn't anything better then a hot tub on the side of the ski slope.

From ski bunnies to warm bunnies

We finally headed back to the house for the night and to begin the unpopular process of packing our bags.  An early flight the next day meant an early night for all of us.  Six years ago when we started these ski trips we would go out about every night and survive on very little sleep.  This trip was the first trip that we didn't go out once, and that was more than alright by all of us.  We joked that we're getting old.  Or maybe we weren't joking.  Either way, it was a fantastic trip and this area is one of my favorites for visiting.

Take me home hotness!

We don't have any plans to head west any time soon, but I'm already daydreaming of our next trip.  There's no place like home...but there's also no place like the mountains.