"What Montana is today isthe Colorado of 30 years ago" –Warren Miller

Montana has 16 ski resorts, second only to the state ofColorado.Both celebrate the sport of skiing, but the experience is very different.Colorado resorts boast extravagant dining, nightlife and shopping as key componentsin the ski experience. Montana represents a more nature-centered skiexperience.

Colorado ski resorts have outgrown themselves. For example, in the tinyarea between East Vail and Edwards the population is bigger than Bozeman, Montana,the largest and closest metropolis to Big Sky. Bumper-to-bumper traffic onI-70, the interstate from Denver to Summit County, Colorado, has created anunprecedented real estate demand for parking ($500,000 Parking Space for Sale, Vail Daily, November 2008).

 Montana is the least populatedwestern state and the skiing experience is equally uncrowed. To ski Big Sky inSouthwestern Montana is to experience an average 400-inch snowfall on 5,700acres with 23 lifts, 220 runs, 4,350 feet of vertical drop and less than oneskier an acre a day. Big Sky has the largest ski terrain in the country. Yes,more than Vail. More than Aspen's Ajax, Buttermilk, Highlands and Snowmasscombined. Big Sky’s high-speed lifts, grooming equipment, capacity andon-mountain amenities are on par with Colorado’s resorts. However the ritzypretense of the Colorado ski towns is not. You’ll just find genuine Montananspassionate about fun, challenging skiing.

 In the first days of Colorado’s ski-boom, 40 years ago, $32 worth of lifttickets were sold; now on any given day there might be 32,000+ people skiing eachresort. Montana may be the last best place or the next best place, but it hasbeen discovered in the last 10 years and represents tremendous value andopportunity. Real estate isn't as expensive as you might think and new, uniqueproperties are available— ski-in/golf-out at The Club at Spanish Peaks.

 Why Montana? “I was findingColorado was just getting too crowded for skiing. Montana is where I like toski now” said Warren Miller.

 I agree. Personally I would takea day skiing at Big Sky, Montana over a day skiing anywhere in Colorado…and Iwas born and raised the Colorado mountains.

Rivers To Peaks is your source for Montana Real Estate