Ski days used to cost $5. Now lift tickets can be $300 – unless you decide to keep it real

From mom-and-pop ski hills to luxury resorts, pricing – and culture – have split the activity into different experiences. But some small mountains are still down-to-earth

Once upon a time, in the snowy mountains of remote south-west Montana, there was a thing called “five-dollar day”.

Even then, $5 bought something rare: a full day of skiing. The deal was tempting enough to inspire my friends and me to drive 44 miles (70km) from Bozeman along a narrow, winding highway – toward what would emerge as one of the most expansive and epic ski locales in the US: Big Sky Resort.