Family-friendly Montana Snowbowl ski resort is located to the north of Missoula and is built on two peaks rising from the Wyoming plains. Snowbowl has a huge snow domain with a big vertical drop and plenty of winding runs for all levels. Short lift lines and beautiful scenery are the norm and there is also a ski jump and snowboarding.

The ski area has an array of amenities, including a very nice and functional base lodge, with a few smaller buildings housing the ski patrol and ski rental facilities. The atmosphere is friendly and laid-back at Snowbowl, and the restaurant/café, ski shop and a ski school make up the facilities.

Montana Snowbowl has a selection of inns and motels available, while the fantastic Gelandesprung Lodge, at the base, is a small and affordable European style hotel with an outdoor hot tub. If you can’t find a bed at the resort, nearby Missoula has over 2,000 rooms and scores of restaurants, as well as a theatre, music and dance clubs, and casinos and cinemas.

Montana Snowbowl has 35 runs along gladed and tree-lined slopes, the longest of which is the 4.8-kilometre-long cruiser known as Paradise; while Grizzly rolls down 600m through steep terrain. Four lifts, including two double chairs, one T-bar and a rope tow, have an hourly uplift capacity of 3,400 people.

Away from the slopes, Missoula, set in a beautiful valley along the Clark Fork River, has a vibrant downtown and numerous activities connected with the great outdoors, including fly-fishing on Rock Creek, and hiking in the Selway-Bitterroot.

The ski season at Snowbowl generally runs from the end of November to early April, and the best way to get here is to fly to Missoula International Airport and hire a car or catch a free ‘Lewis and Clark Trail Adventures’ shuttle bus (weekends and holidays only).