Well, what do you know, a travel post! I know I expressed a desire to start incorporating more travel into the blog, but wouldn’t you know, going to school full-time really gets in the way of that! A couple of weeks ago, I did manage to get away to Big Sky, Montana with my fiance and some of our close friends to do a little skiing. Skiing in Big Sky, Montana is so incredible, I can’t shout its praises enough. This is the second year we have all gone skiing in this gorgeous corner of the world, so I wanted to share some of my favorite things to do, see, eat, and drink during your stay in Big Sky.
Ladies and gents, do not adjust your screen. Those are the actual color of my friend Simon’s pants. We dubbed him the “Human Highlighter” but there is no doubt he was the easiest to spot!
Obviously, hitting the slopes is the main event when you visit Big Sky during ski season. This resort calls itself “The biggest skiing in America,” and that is no joke! Because it is so massive, Big Sky has something for every level of skier. I feel most comfortable on blue and groomed black diamond slopes, but there are definitely some crazy double black diamond slopes you can hit at the very top, and on the flip side, plenty of beginner-friendly slopes as well. One thing I love about this mountain is their oh-so-reasonable lift ticket prices. In general, an adult ticket for the day will set you back $119, but if you’re a college student (like moi) or military, you can save $20, which means more beer on the slopes! 😉 You can also buy your tickets in advance on their website and save even more.
One discovery we made while skiing this year was Everett’s 8800, which is a gorgeous restaurant and bar that is on top of one of the peaks. The weather was so gorgeous the day we stopped by, so it was great to enjoy some beers in the sunshine on their deck.
What was even more incredible…they carry my favorite beer EVER from Goose Island, which is a brewery out of Chicago. Such a plus!
We were fortunate to stay in an amazing cabin at the Spanish Peaks Mountain Club. If ever there was a more bourgeois skiing situation, I have never known it. One of the major pluses of staying here is starting your day on the slopes at their clubhouse for breakfast, and then stepping out in the snow where your gear is waiting for you:
Spanish Peaks has a couple of their own lifts which you traverse over to get to the main skiing area at Big Sky. One of my favorite places to warm up and grab a bit to eat is this cozy little yurt at the bottom of the Southern Comfort lift:
They have some really good chili on the menu, (my skiing lunch of choice) although I have to warn you, its a tad spicy! Adjacent to the restaurant, they have this cute little room where you can relax and stock up on some snacks and sweets to fuel you for the rest of your afternoon on the slopes!
Once the lifts close, its time to head back to the club for that Apres Ski time. The enormous fireplaces at Spanish Peaks will warm you up in no time!
Of course, it isn’t apres ski without some drinks!
Their s’mores martini was a group favorite, plus you can’t beat that presentation:
While we’re on the topic of s’mores, I MUST point out the fact that Spanish Peaks has an apres ski s’mores bar, complete with gourmet marshmallow flavors and all different kinds of chocolate. I was totally in heaven every afternoon.
After the s’mores and cocktails have been consumed, we had back to the cabin for the next phase of apres ski: hot tub time. Nothing feels better after a day of skiing than soaking your tired muscles and sipping on some vino. The views aren’t so bad either!
Obviously, when you’ve been skiing all day, cooking dinner is far from your mind. Here are a couple spots that we really enjoyed eating on our last trip:
This was by far the fanciest dinner we had while in Big Sky. I had the scallops with black truffle polenta it was DIVINE.
This is apparently THE place to go eat in Big Sky. I can’t tell you how many times I overheard people on the slopes talking about either making or having reservations to eat dinner at this spot. Obviously, we had to give it a try. I have to say, its probably the best Thai food I’ve ever had. The “Drunken Noodles” were my particular favorite. Make sure to make a reservation here, because it is poppin’!
If you are a BBQ fan, Gallatin Roadhouse Grill will be right up your alley. Their brisket is legit, and its just a fun environment to be in. Again, this is a place you’ll want to make reservations for because they seem to always be busy. If you must wait, then you can do so in their bar that has arcade games and, on occasion, live music.
What to do on your day off of the slopes…
Let’s face it, skiing every single day back to back can be tough, so sometimes its a good idea to take a day off and do something a little bit more leisurely. We decided to drive to West Yellowstone and check out the gorgeous scenery, try to spot a geyser, and get really up close and personal with some wildlife.
We visited the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, which is sort of like a conservatory for bears and wolves that have struggled in the wild for one reason or another. They have actually done a lot of work to reintroduce the white wolf back into the wild in Yellowstone. 🙂
This is probably the closest you’ll ever get to a wolf, so it is really cool to get to see these beautiful animals so up close and personal! They also bring two bears out every 30 minutes or so, and although you aren’t as close to them as you are to the wolves, its still such an awesome experience to get to watch them roam around and play with each other.
I hope you enjoyed this post, I definitely enjoyed my trip! Big Sky is a must if you’re a ski lover who isn’t a fan of crowded resorts. We were there on a “busy” day and the longest we waited for a lift was probably two minutes. Even if skiing or boarding isn’t your cup of tea, Montana is still such a gorgeous state and such a beautiful place to slow down and unwind. I wish I’d have been there for another week because going back to reality after that was rough!
I’d love to know what your favorite spots to ski and snowboard are! Let me know in the comments, I’m always looking to try new places! Happy Friday!
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Ah! Looks like so much fun! Was it cold coming out of the hot tub?!
Briana
http://beyoutifulbrunette.blogspot.com/