Pacific NW/AK/BC Pro Big Sky sentiment

[dovski]

It is really easy to rag on resorts when they get things wrong. I am sure collectively we have written several novels on Vail, but often we forget to celebrate resorts when they get things right and go the extra mile for their customers not because they have to buy because they want to. With this in mind I want to share my Big Sky story .

we booked our Presdidents Day ski week back in August. We always like to book our trips early so we can snag choice slope side rentals at reasonable prices. This year with COVID that was even more important as our rental would also be our lodge. So we booked a Powder Ridge log cabin that was right on the hill. This place was nice and the location was great. We booked through Big Sky resort to ensure that no matter what happened we would have ski access for our entire stay.

About a month ago I got an apologetic call from the person who manages Big Sky’s vacation rental pool and he let me know that the unit I had booked, signed a contract for and given a deposit on was no longer available. Long story short the owner pulled it and Big Sky no longer managed it. Even worse almost everything in BigSky was completely booked. Needless to say we were not happy.

Well Big Sky figured out a way to make this right and then some. First they tried to get us a penthouse suite at the Summit hotel but that didn’t work for our dates. So they found us a Cabin in Moonlight Basin near Cowboy Heaven. This Cabin was not part of their rental pool so there were not a ton of details and I was pretty skeptical especially when they gave me an additional discount without us even asking for one. Was this even ski I and ski out, how were the amenities.... etc.

Big Sky really went the extra mile on this one. The Cabin is really a Chalet and this place is absolutely amazing. It is owned by one of the founders of the Moonlight Basin Club and clearly every detail was thought about when building this place. It is absolutely beautiful with lots of hardwood and stone finishes. Heated floor, heated garage that fits our SUV with sky box, everyone has their own room with private bathroom, large jacuzzi soaking tub in master and really nice hot tub on the deck .... the list goes on but simply put this place is amazing. Location wise we are able to ski to Iron horse and six shooter ... ski trail is ten steps from our front door and there is also a trail that lets us ki back just as easily.

Needless to say we are thrilled. Big Sky went above and beyond not just to make this right but to ensure we as customer felt appreciated. They took a bad situation and turned it into a moment of truth and in doing so made us customers for life. I am sure they could have found us a condo or a cabin that would have met our needs, but they went over the top not because they had to but because they could and we really appreciate it. Now if they can just do something about this polar vortex that would be even better

 

[Mike Rogers]

Have fun, and stay warm!

It's got to be warmer in Montana than Alberta right now. Sunshine hasn't been able to open this week!

 

[Jersey Skier]

It is really easy to rag on resorts when they get things wrong. I am sure collectively we have written several novels on Vail, but often we forget to celebrate resorts when they get things right and go the extra mile for their customers not because they have to buy because they want to. With this in mind I want to share my Big Sky story .

we booked our Presdidents Day ski week back in August. We always like to book our trips early so we can snag choice slope side rentals at reasonable prices. This year with COVID that was even more important as our rental would also be our lodge. So we booked a Powder Ridge log cabin that was right on the hill. This place was nice and the location was great. We booked through Big Sky resort to ensure that no matter what happened we would have ski access for our entire stay.

About a month ago I got an apologetic call from the person who manages Big Sky’s vacation rental pool and he let me know that the unit I had booked, signed a contract for and given a deposit on was no longer available. Long story short the owner pulled it and Big Sky no longer managed it. Even worse almost everything in BigSky was completely booked. Needless to say we were not happy.

Well Big Sky figured out a way to make this right and then some. First they tried to get us a penthouse suite at the Summit hotel but that didn’t work for our dates. So they found us a Cabin in Moonlight Basin near Cowboy Heaven. This Cabin was not part of their rental pool so there were not a ton of details and I was pretty skeptical especially when they gave me an additional discount without us even asking for one. Was this even ski I and ski out, how were the amenities.... etc.

Big Sky really went the extra mile on this one. The Cabin is really a Chalet and this place is absolutely amazing. It is owned by one of the founders of the Moonlight Basin Club and clearly every detail was thought about when building this place. It is absolutely beautiful with lots of hardwood and stone finishes. Heated floor, heated garage that fits our SUV with sky box, everyone has their own room with private bathroom, large jacuzzi soaking tub in master and really nice hot tub on the deck .... the list goes on but simply put this place is amazing. Location wise we are able to ski to Iron horse and six shooter ... ski trail is ten steps from our front door and there is also a trail that lets us ki back just as easily.

Needless to say we are thrilled. Big Sky went above and beyond not just to make this right but to ensure we as customer felt appreciated. They took a bad situation and turned it into a moment of truth and in doing so made us customers for life. I am sure they could have found us a condo or a cabin that would have met our needs, but they went over the top not because they had to but because they could and we really appreciate it. Now if they can just do something about this polar vortex that would be even better

Jealous of that setup even with the cold weather. Don't knock Vail. I'm sure they would have found you a Motel 6 a few miles away for an extra $k.

 

[BS Slarver]

Sounds like The accommodations were worth all the hassle you went through, I know it wasn’t easy.
With 10 days straight, some office work today and the fact that it’s F-ing chilly, perhaps some laps tomorrow or Saturday, we’ve got some snow coming in.
The Iron horse region is becoming one of my favorite spots lately with a lot of unnamed trails and gullies and you might find some untracked still hiding.
Look to skiers left of bad dog in the woods and skiers right of dogwood affectionately known as dead wood. These will keep you sheltered from the wind and close to your accommodations when you need to make a break to warm up.

 

[DanoT]

Have fun, and stay warm!

It's got to be warmer in Montana than Alberta right now. Sunshine hasn't been able to open this week!

At Lake Louise's web site I couldn't find the actual temp in real time as they only list the expected high temp for the day. Not the first time that LL has played fast and loose with the weather/snowfall report.

 

[dovski]

Today at Big Sky it was around-20 F with the wind chill. We skied from 10:30 to 2:30 without a break and are grabbing a late lunch at the unit now. Original plan was to head back out, but I think the new plan is to head to the ski shop for some hotronics. Even with thicker socks and boot gloves on warmed boots our feet were still frozen.

 

[Sibhusky]

Sounds balmy. I skipped today here because they really only had one lift (Chair 2) open. It's been like this since the weekend.

 

[dovski]

Quick update for this that are interested. Had the Hotronics installed at Lone Mountain Sports in Big Sky. What is really nice about these guys is that the sell them fully charged. This means no 72 hour trickle charge needed. Here’s to warm feet while skiing tomorrow.

 

[pchewn]

Quick update for this that are interested. Had the Hotronics installed at Lone Mountain Sports in Big Sky. What is really nice about these guys is that the sell them fully charged. This means no 72 hour trickle charge needed. Here’s to warm feet while skiing tomorrow.

Yet ANOTHER thing to charge, along with your ABOM goggles. Sending warm electrons your way, that is too cold for enjoyable skiing.

 

[skidrew]

Good to hear they made the experience right. Kind of weird that the Powder Ridge owner could back out, though maybe they just decided to squat through the year after signing up to make it available and Big Sky couldn't persuade them to honor the contract.

I've found that BS tries to make things right and work with you. We've had a couple of bumps and it's worked out, not like yours. They have a pretty tough cancellation policy, but we couldn't get there as planned because of snow on the east coast - flights were cancelled and couldn't reschedule for two days or something. They let us rebook for later that year, or would have allowed us to carry the credit to the following year. No penalty. (Memory dim, but this may have happened two different years.)

And I thought they handled COVID really fairly last year - I was there when they shut down. Got a full refund for the unused days/nights within a week or two (reasonable time to sort it all out).

 

[dovski]

Good to hear they made the experience right. Kind of weird that the Powder Ridge owner could back out, though maybe they just decided to squat through the year after signing up to make it available and Big Sky couldn't persuade them to honor the contract.

I've found that BS tries to make things right and work with you. We've had a couple of bumps and it's worked out, not like yours. They have a pretty tough cancellation policy, but we couldn't get there as planned because of snow on the east coast - flights were cancelled and couldn't reschedule for two days or something. They let us rebook for later that year, or would have allowed us to carry the credit to the following year. No penalty. (Memory dim, but this may have happened two different years.)

And I thought they handled COVID really fairly last year - I was there when they shut down. Got a full refund for the unused days/nights within a week or two (reasonable time to sort it all out).

We had this happen to us once many years back at Sun Peaks. The owner sold their place and the fine print in the contract said the new owner could cancel all the bookings.

This year when booking Big Sky they had a great COVID cancellation policy for summer but none for winter and were still figuring out their ski policy for reopening. A supervisor got on the phone and assured me that if there was a COVID related issue impacting the trip we could cancel and that we would have ski access during our stay even though they did not yet have a policy. Unlike some other resorts which shall remain nameless I trusted them and made the booking. My trust paid off as we did have an issue and they went the extra mile to make it right.

I think having local staff based in BigSky handling bookings, customer service, etc makes a big difference. I think Boyne in general empowers the resorts they own to operate like local hills. We see this at Alpental our local hill also owned by Boyne. So clearly corporate culture is customer service focused. Regardless we are appreciative of the extra effort and personal touch, it really does make a difference.