When Dave Stergar started skiing at Montana's Big Sky Resort in the early 1990s, few lifts had safety bars, and most moved at a snail's pace through 15 degree temperatures and 30 mph winds. After offloading, he'd then have to hike an hour to reach the extreme runs off the 11,166-foot Lone Peak. Stergar, a 54-year-old retired middle school teacher from Helena, Mont., was one of the many die-hards happily willing to forgo the comforts of a full-amenity resort to race down Big Sky's 50-degree chutes; narrow, no-mistakes couloirs; and leg-burning, 6-mile bowl runs all by himself. With more skiable acres than Telluride and Jackson Hole combined-and 4,350 vertical feet-it rivaled anything he'd experienced in France or Italy.
展开▼
