By Michael Somerby EBS STAFF
BIG SKY – On the beloved holiday of friendship and
togetherness, a steady flow of Big Sky locals and visitors clamored through Big
Sky Resort’s Mountain Village.
Skis and snowboards slung over shoulders, they talked among
themselves, excited whispers on their tongues; that is until they arrived at
the lines growing at the bottom of the Ramcharger 8 and Swift Current chair
lifts.
There, shoulders dropped and smiles graced faces. They would
soon be on the hill.
“[It’s] really exciting, stoked to be here,” said Big Sky local Dan Whitaker. “Just happy to call this place home. The mood’s high, belly is still full from Friendsgiving last night and it’s beautiful. We’re blessed.”
Such is the ritual of opening day at Big Sky Resort, which
annually coincides with the Thanksgiving holiday. Today, a robust amount of
terrain greeted ticket- and pass-holders—some 600-plus acres shared between
five lifts: Swift Current, Ramcharger 8, Explorer, Powder Seeker and
Challenger.
“The snow is better than I thought,” said local Tobin Ide,
13. “I’m just really happy to be out here.”
Whitaker and Ide’s perspectives were shared by everyone on
the hill, where crowds carved through the soft snow with sheer glee. Hoots and
hollers, the trademark call of the alpinist, were in abundance.
The terrain that the resort made available was near perfect thanks
to above-average snowfall beginning earlier in the fall.
“Since Oct. 1, we’ve received 69 inches of snow, and that is about 117 percent of the average,” said Big Sky Resort Public Relations Manager Stacie Mesuda. “Our base depth mid-mountain is 18 inches and our base depth on the upper mountain, in the high alpine, is 27 inches.”
As of presstime, the resort has received 71 inches.
While much of the opening day experience was familiar for
many, the start to the resort’s 46th season ushered in new amenities
and infrastructure, most notably Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
passes, which allow for seamless access to the lifts while also keeping guests
from pulling off gloves to fish around in their pockets for ski passes.
As the season progresses, new amenities such as those that
can be found at The Exchange, formerly the Mountain Mall, will become
available. Regulars can expect The Exchange to open in stages beginning Dec. 5.
For Mesuda, now in her second season at Big Sky Resort,
there is an honest joy in seeing the facilities come to life, a feeling she
shares with her coworkers.
“We’re just look forward to seeing our community get together,
to seeing lots of smiles and high fives,” she said. “There is stoke and just
general happiness that comes with another ski season. We’ve got about 100-plus
days ahead … of good powder and good times.”
We all have much to be thankful for each Thanksgiving. In
Big Sky, Montana, one such item stands tall at 11,167 feet.
