The Yellowstone Club

The Yellowstone Club is a private ski and golf resort.  The club is adjacent to Big Sky Ski Resort on one side and untamed wilderness on another.  The primary ski runs at Yellowstone Club are carved into Pioneer Mountain which climbs to a peak of 9,859 feet.  The view immediately before you as you ski down the slopes at Yellowstone Club is that of the 11,156-foot-high summit of Lone Mountain.  Though one of the rare ski resorts on the drier east side of the Rocky Mountains, the loftier slopes at the club capture something near 400 inches of snow each winter.

What is most unique about the club is that the entire resort is really a private high-mountain residential neighborhood built and maintained for the very wealthy.  An inexpensive home there will likely cost you at least 10 million dollars.  The main lodge was named for Warren Miller, the famous movie-maker.  Warren has a home adjacent to the ski slopes.  Bill Gates has a home there.  Countless other successful business people and celebrities are property owners and members of the club.

Once each year, on the last day of ski lift operation, the employees of the Yellowstone Club are allowed to ski on the private hill.  They are also allowed to invite a single guest.  The skiing and lunch is free of cost.  Some of the Club members volunteer to serve as employees for the day so the employees might enjoy the resort as a guest for one day.

My friend, Mark, has worked at the club for sixteen years—since the very early days.  Mark invited me as his guest for the employee appreciation day (yesterday).  Today, I am posting a couple of the photos I captured of the Yellowstone Club.  I will continue the series tomorrow.

Thanks Mark!

--Mitchell Hegman