I’m back home. I had another great trip and start to the ski season. I’ve written a ton about Montana in the past (easily searchable), and those posts continue to ring true: I absolutely love the place. While snow accumulation has been problematic for many US ski resorts, we lucked out and experienced some decent snowfall during our stay. After last season, I’ve really taken to skiing, and I’m rapidly improving (I think/hope).

My brother, sister, and I drove out to the Big Sky area on the 26th. While the drive is a good 1200 miles, it’s far easier to throw gear, bags, etc. in a car than mess with a bunch of checked luggage. Plus, it only made sense to end 2011 with yet another road trip.

We spiced up the drive with a stop at Wall Drug, where we picked up some appropriate/really not appropriate headwear, depending on how you look at the whole driving-through-a-reservation-in-the-middle-of-Montana thing:

My sister decided that we needed appropriate names. She told us to pick a favorite activity and animal:

Sister: Dancing Hippopotamus

Me: Sleeping Dolphin

Brother: F*****g Antelope

I say no more…

After a long day of traveling, we arrived in Big Sky just in time to meet my cousin at a local hangout. After greeting friends and most likely offending them with our appearances, we took off up the mountain to catch a few hours of sleep before hitting the slopes first thing in the morning.

I haven’t yet sorted through all of my mountain/ski photos, so this post’s pictures will focus on our off-mountain activities:

Related posts:

1. More Yellowstone Club/Big Sky, Montana
2. Road Trip: Iowa-Florida, Part II
3. Montana
4. Backpacking in the Holy Cross Wilderness, Part III