Big Sky 3,
Feb. 6, 2026,
Hi Everyone,
Today was another blue bird day of skiing that you could only hope for at the end of March. I was not in a hurry to get on the slopes today as the snow is rather hard packed until the sun begins to soften it up at around 10:00 a.m. We had sunny skies all day with a temp of 10C and no wind.
I skied only on the groomers as the expert terrain was either closed or had too many rocks showing to make it worth while. Tree skiing was impossible as are the chutes. Nevertheless the sun and warm weather made for a good day of skiing. Half way down the hill is a huge igloo that you can walk through. A band was playing inside and people were dancing. There is a patio outside with sofas and chairs. Everyone was having drinks including white wine, beer and Veuve Cliquot champagne. Imagine that, in the middle of winter. I sat on a sofa, took off my ski jacket, wearing only a fleece and basked in the sun in an attempt to get a sun tan.
America is made up of 45% people of ethnic, non white origin. You would not know that by the crowd at the ski hills. Everyone is white and looks to be very successful. Skiing has become extremely expensive. In American dollars a day ticket costs $250. Hotels start at $600 a night. The ski prices are the same as in Canada except that you pay in American dollars. The ski industry must have been hit hard by the tariffs. Food prices in restaurants are unreasonable. There are beautiful areas with homes starting at $5 million and going up to $20 million. The rich and famous have discovered Big Ski just as the have discovered Jackson Hole.
On the other hand, everyone is very friendly. I have not over heard any political discussion. The chair lifts are for 4, 6 or 8 persons. The seats are heated. A bubble comes down if it is cold and windy. The guardrail pops up automatically when you arrive at the top. On the chair everyone wants to know ‘How are you doing today? Are you having a great day skiing today? Where are you from? Montreal, oh I have been there. What a great city. Do you ski at Mont Tremblant?’ It is really pleasant.
My conference starts tomorrow and I ate dinner last evening with a few friends that I know from previous conferences. We will be about 50 urologists and the staff looks to be excellent as usual. The conference is very family friendly reminding me of the times when I used to take the kids with me. I can remember renting a condo for 7 of us.
Love,
Brian
gobriantravel 