Mountain Review: Big Sky, Montana

An in-depth video review of Big Sky, a ski area located in the Rocky Mountains of southern Montana. Filmed in February 2020 and March 2022.

0:00 Intro
0:57 Snow Quality
1:19 Terrain Diversity
1:31 Beginner Terrain
1:58 Intermediate Terrain
2:25 Advanced Terrain
2:57 Terrain Parks
3:06 Expert and Extreme Terrain
4:10 Lone Peak Tram
5:17 Hike-to Terrain
5:42 Lifts
6:21 Crowd Flow
6:51 Ease of Navigation
8:10 On-Mountain Facilities
8:48 Mountain Aesthetic
9:25 Lodging and Parking
10:06 Aprés-ski
10:17 Verdict
10:38 Pricing
11:14 Score Breakdown and Rank

Overall Mountain Score: 72/100 without tram add-on, 74/100 with tram add-on. #13 in the Rockies
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Snow: 9/10
Resiliency: 8/10 without tram add-on, 7/10 with add-on
Size: 9/10
Terrain Diversity: 9/10 without tram add-on, 10/10 with add-on
Challenge: 8/10 without tram add-on, 9/10 with add-on
Lifts: 6/10
Crowd Flow: 6/10
Facilities: 5/10
Navigation: 3/10
Mountain Aesthetic: 9/10 without tram add-on, 10/10 with add-on

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[PeakRankings]

CORRECTION: We accidentally included Mammoth in our Rockies rankings at the end of the video! As @scottbrizzolara8607 correctly pointed out, Mammoth is on the West Coast, and should not have been listed.

[skitnb]

You guys make very informative and good mountain reviews. Glad to lend a hand if it means more informed skiers and boarders out there!

[TheUndergroundbeats]

As a skier of 30 years+, skiing has become way too much of a luxury sport from these corporate owners. I could care less about restaurants and fancy amenities, I care only about the snow and terrain. Ski independent family owned resorts, they keep it real!

[ethanhcomposer]

These reviews are so great, keep up the amazing work!

[bbreede]

I worked at Big Sky in 1992. It was an experience I will never forget. It wasn't glitzy. There wasn't a lot to do at night, but the snowboarding was amazing. People went there for the conditions and the lack of crowds. I went back with my family in 2022 for the first time since 92. It has definitely changed. I know that's obvious. I'm not talking about the tram and overall growth, it just didn't feel like the same place. The cost of everything and the crowds was a bit much. The up-charge for the tram is annoying. Something else that wasn't mentioned in this review is there was also an option to pay $45 extra to get on Ramchager 1 hour earlier. Talk about nickle and diming! Also, when went, there had not been any snow in a while. It was worse than east coast skiing and I am not exaggerating. Exposed rock everywhere. They cannot control the snow though and we got very lucky with snow that started the day we arrived. Overall, my family had a blast. Things change and that' life. For what they charge, I think the problems mentioned in this review could be addressed to justify the cost.

[johnsmeith]

Lets go! This channel is the best account on youtube doing ski resort reviews, and the videos are always great quality and informative!

[carl.s]

Clear & unbiased, my expectations are complete.

[bruhkamp]

Nice review. I'll point out that the places you praise for holding powder are the same ones you critices for being hard to reach. That's precisely why they hold powder and I'm hoping Big Sky never changes this.

[QuietBeats]

0:56 😂😂 "yo you got a camera" wook easter egg

[ericb]

Love these - Such high quality content! I'd love to see one for Sun Valley!

[rubrshrk]

Thank you for your clarity on the pluses and minuses. I enjoy your reviews. Great job.

[wnee]

Great review! I only skied Big Sky once, but was amazed by its terrain!

[dancingcow]

Going there in a few days, great that I now know what to expect

[chrisdaley]

My impression as a senior lifetime skier is Big Sky has what I'm looking for with reliable fresh snow, low crowds and a friendly welcoming vibe, a comprehensive lift network if you do your homework ahead, as I have. I'm near the end of my youth in later years, I want to meet the challenge if a doable expert terrain on top of my Europe, Utah history. I'm psyched!

[ActionXander]

Great review and super insightful! I have Big Sky on my list for February so I really appreciated this video 🙏🏻

[mtadams]

I just got back from Big Sky. We did not get any new snow over the week we were there but we still had a great time. Parking was not an issue at all. The shuttles were very efficient. My favorite area was off the Challenger lift which is a very slow double but it takes you to some very fun terrain. In your video the lift lines look long but the longest we ever waited was 10 minutes. When you’re moving eight people at a time the line moves very fast. If you’re skiing the Challenger lift there will be no line. We were not able to ski from the summit because of poor conditions and weather. Things warmed up and the snow hardened. We needed to stay in the northern facing slopes for softer snow. Lots of bump skiing and trees. You are correct the place is dead at night but then again so am I. We would stop every day at the umbrella bar and have a couple of drinks. We stayed in the town of Big Sky. Driving in from Bozeman every day would be a bad idea. It’s a single lane road and if it snows it would truly suck. Lots of traffic coming in everyday. Workers I assume. I snowed on our way out and the drive was slow. I would definitely return.

[ericmcleod]

Your rankings are missing a "value" category for which Big Sky would receive a 3. It is the most expensive public resort in the US. With the tram ticket it's over $300 a day just for the lift ticket. There is no affordable lodging nearby. The least expensive room anywhere near the resort was $500 a night. Most rooms are closer to $1000 / night. Staying in Bozeman means a hour plus drive if the highway is passable. And of course food is super high at Big Sky, good but really expensive. Yes- other resorts like Deer Valley, Jackson Hole and Aspen are really expensive too. But there are ways to ski at those resorts without dropping $1000 a day on food and lodging. Another thing that should be mentioned about Big Sky is it gets colder than other US resorts. My stay last February the chairs were delayed from opening 90 minutes because it was -20 F. And those lower temperatures don't necessarily mean good snow. Last season, conditions were no better than marginal most of the year. So to sum up Big Sky: Really expensive, really cold and inconvenient big mountain.

[wyomingadventures]

Great job reviewing Big Sky! I totally agree with everything you said about it. Been skiing there since the late 80s. Back when there was just a plain chairlift to the top of Lone Peak. Boy things have changed over the years. Looking forward to seeing more of your channel. Subscribed

[christopher]

Yes yes yes yes yes! I’ve really been waiting for this one.!

[jasono.]

This is the best resort I’ve skied out of 15+ big destination resorts in the Rockies, Sierra Nevada and Alberta, Canada. Huge resort, long and wide trails, good chair lift system, and good snowfall most years. Mammoth Mountain is my 2nd place (so far).

Great review!