Montana Vacation
We spent the last week vacationing with family in the Bridger Canyon of Montana and at Big Sky resort.
We started with a day at Bridger Bowl, one of the few remaining non-profit ski mountains, with two of my nieces and a nephew. The day was beautiful and it was so much fun skiing with the “little ones” (who are teenagers now- eek!). They are thoughtful, athletic, and fearless, and it is just the coolest thing to be part of their lives. I could not be any more proud of them!
My loves, stuck in powder. Good problems to have.
Perfection
Later in the week we headed to Big Sky where up to 18 of us were there to ski. We were graced with (mostly) bluebird days, surprise snow, and lots of Cold Smoke (one of my favorite beers that is only distributed in MT).
The Boy and I decided to break off for a day or two and do some more difficult skiing in the bowls. I’ve skied the bowls off the Lone Peak Triple, skied Challenger for the first time, and that only left The Tram.
Ski selfies on sunshine-y days
The tram holds 15 people and goes to extreme terrain that offers views of three states on a clear day. I’ve always heard about the skiing off the tram, notably because of the time that our special forces friend nearly killed himself when he lost control, and honestly, I was scared. I even googled “How many people die on Big Sky’s Tram” but didn’t find an answer. I’m a competent black skier, but mostly because I like trees and bumps. I do not like steep and I do not like speed. The Boy gave me lots of pep talks, taught me how to self-arrest, and after a few solid runs lower on the mountain, it was time to conquer the tram. It was super windy and the snow was horrible, but I was able to realize my hard work on the slopes and had a great run. I can’t believe how far I’ve come in just two seasons of skiing!
The views at Big Sky are unbelievable
Skiing. The views to my right were insane
Because he’s married to a psychologist, The Boy promised me that if we did the tram, I’d get a picture at the top (here), an Elk Brat from the yurt off the Shedhorn lift (didn’t happen) and a Cold Smoke (definitely happened). I also got a kiss and a high five. Yay for positive reinforcement!
By the end of the week, we were pretty fried and taught my littlest nephew, and second littlest niece to ski, which was so much fun. We staggered the family across the bunny hill and then made a giant game of plinko where the kids had to ski down and hug one of us (to keep their arms out and their weight forward).
All the cool girls ski in purple bibs!
Tia Mary caught our little nephew!
Only 51 weeks until next year’s family ski vacation!