High Altitude Altoona Ridge Lodge

Perched on the mountainside at the end of a 10 mile dirt road, on a private 70-acre property in an undeveloped, undiscovered, unexploited mountaintop at an altitude of about 8,000' is a back-country ski lodge where the sound of silence is the only sound for miles.  The Ski House of the Day is the Altoona Ridge Lodge, located in Maxville, Montana, in the heart of the Flint Creek Mountains.

The lodge is actually three separate small structures...

....connected by an elevated wooden walkway / bridge with a soaring view of this pristine mountain terrain:

The three structures are "cabins" each with their own identity and function.  The Lupine Cabin, with a cozy wood-stove in the corner, kitchen area, and lots of windows revealing the view,  is the place for cooking/dining/lounging:

...the Bear Den Cabin houses the bedrooms (the lodge can accommodate six people):

...and the Wild Rose is a bathhouse containing the toilet, two showers, and an amazing 8-person wood-fired sauna with a view:

One of the two showers is called the "Vertigo Shower" because of its floor to ceiling window that is 15 ft off the ground which then plunges into the 120 mile distant vistas below:

I'm not big on window treatments anyway, and with the closest neighbor about 6 miles away, I think this shower-with-a-view is great!

Altoona Ridge and the surrounding area look like a back-country skiers playground.  First tracks?  Nope,  here it's more like only tracks!

The owners are avid outdoors people, and operate the off-grid lodge with a philosophy of sharing nature with all of us;  so Altoona Ridge Lodge is available for rentals (self-guided and fully-guided) as well as various events including Avalanche certification courses.

Here's something else I notice about Altoona Ridge Lodge...it's named after the mining claim that it was built on, which was (presumably) named after the Latin word Altus for high / altitude.  This was the site of gold mines in the 1800's, and the ravages of that mining activity are apparently still visible here, at least during the summer months.  In the words of the owner, "Scars left by the miners...are a testament to how fragile the Earth is, how long a mark will last, and how slowly the environment at 8,000' recuperates from such activity."  So it seems to me that now the meaning of "altus / high" has been reinvented by the current owners to signify "higher use" (as in the return of this land to its natural state, a "higher" use, indeed).  So the name, Altoon Ridge, fits the site in more ways than one.

Getting to the Altoona Ridge Lodge is a 5-mile ski trek (or snowmobile, if you have to).  But I suspect that along that way you'll be leaving a lot more baggage behind than you'll be bringing in with you (and I'm not necessarily talking about the physical kind)...

It seems to me that along with the hiking and spectacular back-country skiing on the site, this ski house offers a glorious place for solitude, peace, nature, and rediscovery.

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Montana Copper in Moonlight

Montana is one of those special states...with spectacular national parks, vast national forests, and really fantastic ski areas.  Even though I've only spent about ten days there, I (like many other Americans) feel a kind of kinship connection with Montana;  I guess that's because of the all of the beautiful public land there.  That's why, after this week's US Supreme Court decision regarding corporate campaign financing in Montana, I had to turn my attention to that state...for a history lesson as well as a ski house.  I learned about the corruption of the "Copper Kings" who used their vast fortunes to control lives, livelihoods, and politics in Montana's copper mining heyday, and about the (recently-rendered powerless) Montana state law wherein Montanans reined-in that corruption for the past 100 years.  Montana copper was the stuff of many things--among them wealth, power, and corruption.  Whatever you think of the recent court decision, there's no denying that copper is a rich part of Montana history.

So, where's the Montana copper of today?  Check out the ski houses!  Numerous Montana ski houses are adorned with beautiful copper features....many with hammered copper sinks, and a few with copper counters, but here's one I couldn't resist:  a Montana ski house with a copper claw-foot stlye soaking tub!

I've heard of the health benefits of wearing copper jewelry...and whether or not copper has that magical power, I think there would definitely be an emotional health benefit of an apres-ski soak in this unique, stunning tub!  The copper tub is part of the gorgeous Reed Lodge, today's Ski House of the Day.  The house is located directly on a ski trail in Montana's beautiful Moonlight Basin:

This lodge seems to me to be a wonderful combination where the old West meets modern ski style, and where lavish luxury meets the rustic great outdoors:

(Hey, is that actually a copper down-spout from the rain-gutter?).

The average annual snowfall at Moonlight is 400 inches, so this ski house is blanketed in snow much of the time:

When I skied at Moonlight a few years ago, I thought it was a spectacular place (and it was dumping snow!), with many wonderful trails.  This ski house is situated along one of those trails so it has a great ski-in /ski-out location.  (This lodge is available for rent...but, according to the rental listing, you'll need 4-WD to get to it!).  The views all around this great lodge are gorgeous:

It's hard to describe the vastness of the skiing opportunities here...since Moonlight connects to its neighboring ski area, Big Sky, the number of trails and size of the terrain is staggering (not to mention all those chutes up top for you daring experts).  The skiing choices here are unbelievable.

This luxury ski house also has a bit of a rustic feel...with features like a large stone fireplace outside on a covered deck, and the beautiful and very large stone fireplace in the living room:

(Hey, are those copper accents on the hearth?)

The kitchen looks like a perfect place to whip up some comfort food after a full ski-day!  The many natural elements in this kitchen (like the rough edges of the granite counters) enhance the rustic luxury feel:

(Hey... is that a copper hood over the red stove?...And, are those copper sinks?)

Look at the beautiful view and the luxurious furnishings in the master bedroom...like the beautiful brass bed:

(By the way, brass consists mostly copper!)

The lodge has 4+ bedrooms, including this lavishly furnished one:

...and this bunk room for the kids:

And as you might expect, there's plenty for apres-ski fun in this ski house...from its nicely equipped game-room...

......to its well-situated outdoor hot tub...in the snow!

There's luxury in this lodge alright, some of which leads to tough choices:  like whether to soak your tired skiers legs under the warm snow-reflected sunshine or in Montana moonlight...and more importantly, whether to soak  in the snowy hot tub...or in the unique copper tub?...I think my first choice would have to be:  Montana copper in moonlight.

Private Yellowstone Club Ski House

The Ski House of the Day is an expansive custom log residence in the exclusive Yellowstone Club at  Big Sky, Montana.

This ski house is rich in rustic elegance with huge log timbers, numerous massive stone fireplaces, and spectacular views.   But the most distinguishing feature about this ski house is that it is located in the private Yellowstone Club, one of the most exclusive private residential resorts in the country.  So private, in fact, that I don't have a photo of it.   The club has its own private world class ski area (called "Private Powder" and Trademarked as such), with 15 lifts, 60+ trails, plus open bowls, a double black-diamond ridge of steep chutes, glades of powder, an incredibly grand timber and stone lodge,  "sugar shacks" dotted all over the mountain (where skiers can pop in to warm up and help themselves to the sweets, hot drinks and other goodies waiting for them), and Warren Miller as its honorary director of skiing!  If the private terrain isn't enough, club members can access the entirety of Big Sky / Moonlight as well, through a system of connected trails.  (When I was skiing at Big Sky a few years ago, I came past an area where the trails connected, and it is obvious that the entrance to the club's trails is private and visitors are not welcome).

This exclusive, private club is undoubtedly a dream-come-true for those skiers who are able to live in it.  However, it is probably not what was in the mind of those who created nearby Yellowstone National Park, which was established by an Act of Congress signed into law exactly 140 years ago today as the first reservation of wild lands for recreational purposes under direct management of the Federal government.  So I find it to be an interesting juxtaposition of the shared name Yellowstone, with one being created as the first to reserve the mountains as a recreation area for all, and the other being created to reserve the mountains as a private recreation area for an exclusive few.

This custom log ski house is stunningly beautiful and since it's in the Yellowstone Club, it is by definition, exclusive, and yes, too private to lay eyes on.

Ultimate Whitefish Ski Home

The Ski House of the Day is the ultimate mountain home in Whitefish Mountain, Montana.  Ski-in ski-out doesn't get any better than this:




This gorgeous ski home, decorated in stunning Western decor, has 7 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, 3 fireplaces, a full theater, an elevator, and more:












I love the collection of vintage wooden skis on display in this ski house:


This outdoor hot tub (and stone seating area and table) is breathtaking...what a spectacular spot for apres-ski!




This is a truly magnificent ski house;  but among all its splendor the one thing that tipped me off to the fact this house really is for skiers is...this unbelievable ski locker room...


...with slate flooring to catch the snow, a floor drain to keep the floor dry, big sturdy benches so everyone can get their boots on quickly, tons of space to hang coats (and to efficiently group coats and pants according to their respective owners to avoid early morning confusion), other storage spaces including mesh baskets to allow wet gloves to air dry,



plus a large boot dryer on the wall:



And here's the icing on the cake of this ski locker room:  it is even humidity controlled!
(so I'm guessing it even smells as nice as it looks).  Yes, it's the ultimate ski home, indeed.