Big Sky's high-tech fix for a warmer ski season

Big Sky resort in Montana is adapting to less natural snowfall with advanced snowmaking and grooming technology.

BIG SKY, Montana − In early February, Big Sky had not gotten quite its usual snowfall. Although most of the terrain was open, there were a fair number of bald patches. On some days, afternoon highs approached 50 degrees, making for unexpectedly spring-like skiing conditions in early February.  

As a snowboarder from the East Coast, I was expecting more consistent, powdery conditions at a mountain known for its frigid temperatures and expansive terrain, not the usual variability I’m used to at mountains closer to home.

Like so many western mountains this season, Big Sky’s early winter was slightly disadvantaged by higher-than-average temperatures and lighter-than-average snowfall, especially at lower altitudes.   

Nevertheless, mountains like Big Sky are able to stay open and rideable thanks to new technology, even as climate change makes snowfall totals less certain. 

Here’s how Big Sky is making it work.