Time at Montage Big Sky
While my view north to the Spanish Peaks reveals they are snow covered already, it’s far too early in the season to earn your turns. The colors, crisp air, and cobalt blue skies of autumn call us to linger in the outdoors as long as possible before the early, clear nightfall of winter is upon us. Before the ski lifts open, it’s quiet in and around Big Sky Village. That means a shoulder season of staycation activities are plentiful.
I throw on a warm wool top and cap and hit Founders Loop, a series of trails that meander beneath the conifers below the Lewis & Clark lift at Big Sky Resort. From this elevated perspective, the views of the Spanish Peaks are spectacular. Wilson and Gallatin peaks and the trails leading up to Beehive Basin dominate the scene. Other than the occasional calls of birds, the solitude of the trail is calming. My heart rate rises with my running pace, but my breath deepens and spirit settles.
I exit the woods back out under the bright sunshine and blue skies to witness the active hustle of staff at Backcast, the outdoor bar and grill at the resort Montage Big Sky. The mountainside restaurant is completely open to the autumnal afternoon air. Firepits and comfy chairs skirt the edges of the establishment, and the chef and team are busy in the pass-through kitchen prepping for a lunch crowd. I pass by, greeted with broad smiles from the staff. There’s a bar and multiple beer taps that catch my eye.
The menu at Backcast highlights a decidedly Asian mix of colorful dishes. After my trail run, the idea of a healthy and filling lunch full of savory umami flavors has my mind spinning with possibilities. I wait just a few minutes to let other diners around me order first; I want to see what comes out of the kitchen.
As plates are finished and brought to the tables, every dish seems to explode with colors, brimming to the edges with crunchy, crispy, simmered meats and vegetables. There’s relatively familiar miso soup, as well as a favorite starter of mine: shishito peppers, blistered on the grill and served with a simple garnish of lemon, sesame, salt, and furikake, a seasoning of slightly seafood flavors. I am also tempted by the chicken and lemongrass gyoza, the Japanese version of dumplings, stuffed with fillings that include ponzu, toasted sesame, and scallions, which are then finished to a crispy brown.
Ramen is considered by many a solid litmus test for a Japanese kitchen, and Backcast’s Tonkotsu ramen is a version specific to the Kyushu island of Japan where the broth is made from pork bones, which adds a dimension of complexity to the flavor and satisfaction to the belly. The Tonkotsu emerges from the kitchen with pork belly, bamboo shoots, Wood Ear mushroom, bok choy, and a soft-boiled egg that positively glows with a golden yellow yolk.
I had first considered getting the 8-ounce Wagyu double smash burger that sounded spectacular with plum ketchup, Kewpie mayonnaise, caramelized onions, white cheddar, and shredded lettuce, but after the filling ramen—savory umami dishes have the reputation of satisfying hunger—I take a rain check on the burger. Now that I’m quite sated by lunch, it’s time to relax a little before some spa time when I’ll get the kinks and soreness from my run worked out of my system.
The Spa at Montage features massage therapies, facials, skincare, sound healing, and more. The spa calls them “alpine-inspired treatments designed to soothe your mind, body, and soul.” With that in mind, and feeling the stiffness in my aging body and joints post trail run, I select the CBD Mountain Ritual, a full-body massage using an organic, full-spectrum hemp oil promising to “regulate overall wellness, stress, sleep, pain, and inflammation.” After 90 minutes of deep massage bliss, I’m regulated all right. I wake from a light slumber to a cup of warm rejuvenating tea.
As crisp air lends drama to the day’s shift from afternoon to evening, I prepare for dinner with my wife. We elect to stop at Alpenglow, Montage’s fireside dining area and cocktail lounge, prior to our dinner reservation at Cortina.
Alpenglow is framed entirely by a tremendous, towering view of the conifers and lower slopes of Big Sky Resort. Tonight, and most nights, there are local musicians, regional beers on draught, a brasserie-inspired bar menu, and mixologist craft cocktails fit for a more urban setting than the cozy plush leather seats and sofas of this welcoming, woodsy lobby centerpiece.
I indulge in a spirit-forward signature cocktail, the Ranch Hand, a Montana-inspired version of what is sometimes referred to as a Black Manhattan—a twist on the bourbon-based Manhattan which in this case highlights the richly flavored Amaro Nonino, an Italian bitters made of an herb infusion. Nonino is typically enjoyed as an aperitivo before dinner to whet the appetite, but here in the Ranch Hand it lends additional depth and complexity to the dizzying delicious drink. The menu at Alpenglow changes with the seasons but is served throughout the day and into the night. Behind us, the sun sets to a glowing pink-hued alpenglow. After chatting with a few friendly locals at the bar, we make our way toward our North Star Montage experience: dinner at Cortina.
The menu at Cortina is inspired by the cuisine of Northern Italy, prepared with ingredients local to Big Sky and Montana more generally. The dishes lend themselves to rustic alpine fare, like long-roasted meats and handmade pasta, designed to satisfy after a long day in the mountains. We’re enjoying the company of some friends at the table, so we decide to try the menu with a family-style approach: We’ll share plates so that we can sample as wide a variety of choices as possible.
House specialties include grilled mountain trout in capers and shallots as well as a Montana version of the famous Northern Italian mountain favorite Vitello Milanese, a pan-fried breaded veal chop.
As an intermezzo course between the heftier wood-fired menu choices, we select several toothy, rich, handmade pastas: bolognese on pappardelle with a ragu and parmigiano reggiano cheese and cacio e pepe, a classic and simple pasta of bucatini with pecorino romano cheese and black pepper. As the main course, a handful of hearty dishes from the wood oven shine brightly: a whole roasted fresh fish Branzino, venison loin, and a12-ounce bison rib eye are all table favorites.
After a full evening of stories and laughter, we retire to a nightcap of home-grown Montana sipping whiskies back at Alpenglow, relaxing in soft leather couches, reminiscing about our mountain adventures by the roaring fire.
Cortina also hosts a breakfast, so the next morning, after a workout in the full gym for me and a yoga class for my wife, we make our way back to the open glass and high ceilings of the previous night’s setting, now fully illuminated by the morning’s sunny glow. The coffee at Cortina is strong—the kind of strong that’s measured by cream disappearing into the black abyss of your cup. And I love it. One of my favorite breakfast dishes, Shakshuka—a Mediterranean dish—comes to the table hot from the wood oven with heirloom tomato, roasted red peppers, caramelized onion, a soft-poached egg, and feta cheese with a side of grilled sourdough toast.
Satiated, we prepare for our return to Bozeman. Before departing back down through the twisting turns and views along the Gallatin River, though, I welcome in the sight from the resort’s stunning windows once again. Perhaps best of all, virtually everything at Montage is open to the public; you don’t have to be a guest of the hotel to take advantage of the dining, quiet relaxation, indoor and outdoor activities, or just about any of the entertainment amenities. So, while the winter’s snowfall remains a twinkle in the eye, there’s a great destination vacation right up the road: Montage Big Sky.
