By: Heather Burke

Montana is not usually lead conversation in skiing circles. It is more of a fly-fishing, bison chasing, bighorn sheep-spotting kind of state. We told friends we were taking the family skiing in Montana, and they gave us that peculiar cocked-head puppy look.

As we flew into Denver, all the skiing families deplaned on their way to the bustling strip of Colorado ski areas. We received more bizarre looks as we told our new in-flight friends we were headed to another gate to catch a puddle jumper to Bozeman.

Perhaps that is what makes Big Sky Montana such an intriguing ski destination it is still a pretty big secret amongst schussers. They call it the last, best place.

I was hooked on Montana since I had heard the free for kids promotion. Big Sky is big on families. Not only do kids 10 and under ski free (and stay free on certain lodging packages), Kids Club is a free daily aprs ski program of the arts and crafts, games, smores and face-painting ilk. All this and its proximity to Yellowstone National Park made it a must see and ski destination for us.

This southern Montana ski resort, 45 miles from Bozeman airport, was started in 1973 by news anchor Chet Huntley. While Huntley was no skier, he saw the potential of this stunningly beautiful Montana mountain range, particularly 11,166-foot Lone Peak that resembles the dramatic Matterhorn of Zermatt.

The Summit Hotel at the base of Big Sky is the place to stay location and luxe (the most expensive building in Montana). I enjoyed watching the cowboy clad bellhops lug our gear to our elegant western-themed suite.

My husband could keep an eagle eye on the slopes from our 8th floor room. Our kids quickly found the hotels outdoor heated pool. From our prime spot, we were an easy stroll to the Resort Villages dozen shops and restaurants and of course the lifts.

Big Skys skiing is huge with 3,600 acres of skiing and 18 lifts, and amazing views as far as Wyomings Grand Tetons to keep us visually stimulated. New for the 2005-06 season, Big Sky visitors can ski neighboring Moonlight Basin Ski Area with a joint lift ticket (Moonlight opened in 2003 but previously required separate tickets). That equals 5,300-skibale acres and 23 lifts between the two. This is Montanas version of Alta/Snowbird.

With all this Big Sky skiing, plus elevations of 11,000-feet, our family got a bit winded and weary. Taking a day off the slopes to take in the phenomenal sites of Yellowstone is a must.

Daily snow coaches leave the resort for full day tours. Our witty and engaging guide Dave explained that the vast majority of the three million annual tourists flow through Yellowstone in the summer. We found the Park spectacular blanketed in sparkling snow, with the bonus of easier tracking of wildlife (and dramatically reduced pesky humans about).

From the comforts of our snow coach van, we spotted big horn sheep, elk, bison (the proper name for buffalo in North America), coyotes, and eagles. Our lunch stop was well timed to Old Faithfuls exciting eruption.  It was education meets recreation as Dave walked us around dozens of steaming geysers, aqua colored thermals, and the quirky bubbling mud pots.

If you prefer, you can snowmobile Yellowstone, but dont expect to buzz around solo on your sled. Snowmobiles are herded single file behind a guide and governed to pokey speeds along the Park roads. Only the wild animals roam freely, natures justice.

After a day of bison counting, followed by bison eating at Montanans favorite eatery Bucks T-4, we were primed to ram-charge down the slopes of Big Sky again.

My husband had heard the adrenaline accolades, that Big Sky has the second longest vertical in North America at 4,350-feet.  He was lured by the Lone Peak Tram, a 15-passenger cable car to the pointy beacon of Big Sky where the air is thin, and ski options include spacious bowls off the backside, nearly perpendicular chutes down the flank, or the infamous Big Couloir straight down the mighty face whispered among ski fanatics as simply The Big.

Even though a few members of our family (I will not name names) were nervous about the steep and deep, we took the ride up the nail-biting summit lift. We assured the kids that anyone could ride back down in safety. Disneys tower of terror has nothing on this ascent, which resembles an elevator shaft up a craggy snow-capped corridor. Amazingly, the kids were gung-ho at the top to ski Liberty Bowl bravery and bonding in Montana for our sea-level living family from Maine.

Another thrill is the aptly named

Challenger chair (without safety bars - yikes), where the core locals hang. Dont be intimidated by all this extreme talk, Big Sky had actually long been nicknamed Blue Square, before the addition of these aforementioned lifts in recent years. We found plenty of gentle cruisers served by high-speed lifts and a gondola just steps from our hotel. Big Sky also offers a topnotch ski school for pointers or all-day ski camps for the kids.

We met ski movie magnate Warren Miller at Big Sky. When I gathered my courage to speak to the famous filmmaker, I managed a two-word question, Why Montana? Miller replied in his iconoclast voice, I was finding Colorado was just getting too crowded for skiing. Montana is where I like to ski now.

There are big plans afoot for Big Sky, including a $23 million new Village Center with shops, restaurants and services in the next year. We were ahead of that wave, and found the resorts aprs ski rather tame. While our kids splashed in the pool, Greg and I saddled up to the Carabiner Bar to unbuckle and unwind with Moose Drool beer, toasting our successful expedition to Montana with our posse.

Big Sky made a big impression on our ski family. One more thing, the sky really is big.

Big Sky Resort in Montana, 1-800-548-4486, www.bigskyresort.com
Yellowstone Tour Guides, 1-888-493-2260, www.yellowstonetourguides.com 
Moonlight Basin, 1-406.993.6000, www.moonlightbasin.com
Bucks T-4, 1-800-822-4484, www.buckst4.com