Ski in Montana's Unspoiled Beauty

If the thought of standing all alone looking down at a 4,350-foot vertical drop covered in fresh powder is appealing, it's worth the trek to Big Sky, in the southwest corner of Montana.

At the center of the community is Lone Mountain, an 11,166-foot peak that anchors 5,300 acres of skiable terrain and the modest tally of about 5,500 skiers daily during the peak season: roughly one per acre. It's not unusual to be halfway down the mountain, stop, turn around, and not see another soul.

Big Sky, an unincorporated community straddling Madison and Gallatin counties, sits just off Route 191 about 45 miles from Bozeman's Gallatin Field Airport. Tucked amid the astonishing natural beauty of half a dozen national forests, 50 miles from the northern edge of Yellowstone National Park, the community is likely to get busier in the coming years, but caps on growth make it likely to remain an appealing destination for skiers and snowboarders looking for some elbow room.

"Nobody wants Big Sky overtaken by development," said Marne Hayes, executive director of the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce. "The people who live here like to see more opportunity come in, but not cost of character of community." ...