We're entering ski season, which means you may soon be jetting off to Colorado or Utah. Or maybe farther afield to destinations like British Columbia or Switzerland.

All fine choices.

But let us suggest something else this year: Montana, where the air is crisp and the sky is... big.

Opening December 15, Montage Big Sky is an alpine retreat offering ski-in/ski-out access to Big Sky Resort, and it wants to be your home base for your next winter vacation. You should probably oblige its request.

The 139-room property embraces its mountain location, with wood and stone accents and big windows offering soaring views of the landscape. Those rooms are available in several configurations, from your standard king and two-queen setups to studios and one-bedroom suites. If you're traveling with a crowd, you can book the residences, which offer between two and six bedrooms and go up to a massive 8,000 square feet.

When not in your room, you can partake in a cornucopia of eating and drinking spots. Cortina is an elegant restaurant serving northern Italian cuisine. Alpenglow is awash in glowing fireplaces, live piano music, cocktails and snacks. Beartooth Pub & Rec has a few bowling lanes, darts and arcade games, plus wood-fired pizzas and local craft beers. And the Living Room is your après-ski hangout, with a tableside raclette cart, fresh sourdough bread, housemade sausages and sparkling wines.

If the wine and cheese don't work out the kinks after a long day on the slopes, try the spa. It's a nature-inspired sanctuary with 12 treatment rooms, an indoor pool, relaxation lounges, heated plunge pools and steam rooms.

Everything above will also be operational during the summer, but instead of a winter oasis, you'll find a green one. Play the 18-hole golf course, cast a line in three fly-fishing rivers or go exploring in Yellowstone National Park. There's a lot happening just outside the hotel doors. 

Not least of which is the greater than average sky.