Montana, United States

Capital City: Helena
Closest Airport: Billings Logan International
Population: 997,195
Resort Areas Include: Big Sky - Rocky Mountains - Bitterroot Range
Snow Season: November/December - March/April
Main Language: English
Currency: United States Dollar

For a state that shares its northern border with the ski-tastic Canadian territories of Alberta and British Columbia and has the northern Rocky Mountains running through it, it doesn't come as much surprise to find decent skiing and snowboarding in Montana.

You'll have little problem finding decent vertical here. The top lift at Big Sky dumps you out not far short of 3,500 metres (11,166 feet) and you can ski or board to around 2,300 metres (7,500 feet). And for expert shredders, several of the resorts in Montana are heavily biased in favour of diamond / double diamond runs.

Across the other 14 resorts (some of which are inter-connected), there's stacks of terrain - not far short of 1,000 runs over nearly 15,000 acres.

It snows a lot here too, making cross country skiing and snowmobiling hugely popular.