Editors’ Note: This project was filmed and written in January 2020. If you’re planning a visit to any of these amazing locations in Montana, first read these travel & safety tips.
Last winter, the FREESKIER crew, along with professional skier Drew Petersen, made the journey to Montana for a road trip around The Treasure State. Park to Park had us traveling across Montana from Glacier National Park to Yellowstone National Park, stopping at some amazing ski areas and down-home Montana towns along the way.
Our journey brought us first to the Flathead Valley to ski at Whitefish Mountain Resort and Blacktail Mountain Ski Area, then south to Maverick Mountain and finally west to Cooke City. Meeting with locals at each location, we immersed ourselves in the Montana lifestyle, experiencing the cowboy culture and welcoming nature of each community.
The Flathead Valley: Whitefish Mountain Resort and Blacktail Mountain Ski Area
The trees are completely white, caked in a mix of rime and fresh snow. They look like ghosts floating on the mountain, one of the many things for which Whitefish Mountain Resort, just outside of Glacier National Park, is well-known. These magical trees, known as snow ghosts, offer a welcoming beauty, and provide a sense of place in today’s stormy weather…
Maverick Mountain: Falling in Love with Skiing All Over Again
Ski areas that can restore one’s faith in humanity, and the power of skiing, still exist. Places where you can experience the gathering of the community, the pride of their mountain and surrounding valley, and the welcoming smiles and genuine interest of everyone saying, “How are you today?” to one another. Maverick is the perfect place to foster meaningful connections…
Cooke City: A Mecca of Backcountry Skiing at the Edge of Yellowstone National Park
In the winter, Cooke City is the end of the road—the only way to reach this wild little hamlet is by driving through the North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. In the summer, you can pass through and keep driving east over the famous Beartooth Highway; but, in wintertime, Main Street dead-ends at a mountain of plowed snow…
