Best For: Diehard skiers who wear their duct tape with pride (and
beginners who look forward to doing the same someday)
Executive summary by darmansjah
The adventure capital of the Northern Rockies, Bozeman is an old Montana
university town of cowboys and ski bums, pickups and unleashed dogs, and two of
the premier ski hills in America. More of a working town than a traditional
“ski town,” here overpriced lodges and fine dining are the exception, though
there are a few high-end options and classically trained chefs. But being
Bozeman, there’s nowhere you can’t wear blue jeans. You don’t come here for the
restaurants, you come to ski the two wild Montana mountains. Bridger Bowl is
the storied, scruffy little brother, a condo-free, nonprofit ski area 20
minutes out of town and where some of America’s original extreme skiers—Scot
Schmidt, Tom Jungst, and Doug Coombs—cut their teeth and began preaching the
steep skiing gospel. Hardcore skiers flock here for The Ridge, in-bounds hiking
terrain with a murderer’s row of hairball chutes, and the new Schlasman’s Lift
accessing expert-only, backcountry-style terrain (avalanche transceivers required
for both).
An hour’s drive south of town in the majestic Madison Range, Big Sky Resort
is the brash, lusty big brother, a gigantic ski area that offers joint lift
tickets with the adjacent Moonlight Basin to create one of the largest ski
areas in America. The tram to the vaulting, exposed 11,166-foot summit of Lone
Peak opens up a Euro-style world of high-alpine, big-mountain skiing. Beginners
and intermediates will find plenty of terrain at both, with Big Sky the deluxe
option and the smaller Bridger a no-frills, low-cost choice. Yellowstone
National Park, a 60-minute drive away, features back-of-beyond cross-country
skiing and wildlife watching.
Ask a Local
Tom Jungst moved to Bozeman in 1977 to join the Montana
State University ski racing team and soon began pioneering extreme terrain in
the area and appearing in classic ski films by Warren Miller and Greg Stump.
Today he is an educator, machinist, and product designer. Here are his
recommendations.
Best Digs
Swank: The Gallatin Gateway Inn isn’t that expensive, but it’s nice, and
from the inn it’s easy to head to either Big Sky or Bridger before or
afterwards.
Best Eats
Cheap: Watanabe, across from the high school on Main Street, has no liquor
license, but the authentic noodle dishes warm you after a cold day of skiing.
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