Jolene Palmer

It wasn’t even noon, and nearly 200 plants were already in the ground at Moose Creek Campground. That’s thanks to the efficient volunteers who lined the banks of the Gallatin River, plonking small pine trees and native bushes into holes.

Before announcing Big Sky Resort’s official upcoming moves in its 10-year plan, Taylor Middleton, Big Sky Resort general manager and president Taylor Middleton touched on another recent milestone - for the first time in its 45-year history, Big Sky Resort will exceed 500,000 skier visits by the end of this season.

The last time the Lookout caught up with Trevor House he was 16 years old, one of the first students at Lone Peak High School, and just back from Cambodia where he had participated in an American Youth Leadership program. Four years later, he’s majoring in economics with a minor in computer science at Stanford University.

After 17 years of selling mountain attire, souvenirs and gifts, Big Horn Boutique owner Dorothea Jude announced recently she will close at the end of January. She put all her wares at a 50 percent discount, and things have been clearing out quickly since then. 

“Levity” is a stage play about the passing of a legendary rock star named Rick Hayes. Following his death, his children are charged with divvying up his large estate, a process complicated when Hayes’ first wife and former bandmate comes forward, looking for closure… and cash.

As the Big Sky Chapel nears its 20th anniversary, the chapel’s planning committee is now looking toward the next 20 years, and is asking the community for its input via a short survey.

The Big Sky firefighters dispatched to California two weeks ago are still battling the 60-percent contained Thomas Fire. Big Sky Fire Department (BSFD) Chief William Farhat said he’s in constant contact with his team, and that he hopes they’ll be coming home before Christmas.

In his 20 years of ski patrolling at Big Sky Resort and skiing in the backcountry, Tom Thorn has seen his fair share of avalanches. But one harrowing event remains fresh in his memory—when his partner was fully buried in a massive slide while doing avalanche control at Big Sky Resort in December 2003.