While some hotels have Presidential Suites, The Summit at Big Sky has presidents in its suites. The Obamas stayed here in summer 2009 during their visit to Yellowstone National Park, just 48 miles to the south. But the First Family missed out on the best season for visiting Big Sky. Winter brings deep snows to the flanks of Lone Peak, home to Montana's biggest resort. Big Sky covers 3,812 acres, with another 1,900

While some hotels have Presidential Suites, The Summit at Big Sky has presidents in its suites. The Obamas stayed here in summer 2009 during their visit to Yellowstone National Park, just 48 miles to the south. But the First Family missed out on the best season for visiting Big Sky. Winter brings deep snows to the flanks of Lone Peak, home to Montana's biggest resort. Big Sky covers 3,812 acres, with another 1,900 available at Moonlight Basin, Big Sky's sister resort on the mountain's north side. Though home to some of the Rockies' toughest steeps (like the famed Big Couloir and Moonlight's broomstick-wide Headwaters), this family-friendly resort has plenty of greens and blues as well.

The Summit Lodge is about as ski-in, ski-out as it gets, with two lifts (the Ramcharger and Swift Current quads) right outside the front door. A total of 213 units, everything from doubles to four-bedroom penthouses, fill the eight stories above Big Sky's Mountain Village center. Most rooms have plate-glass windows looking over the Gallatin Mountains wilderness. The Carabiner Lodge on the first floor gives visitors a spot to grab a beer, but the extravagant 100-person hot tub is definitely the main après-ski attraction. Three stories of underground parking give you a place to store the wheels while you explore Big Sky's very walkable village. The resort has a reputation for being sleepy, but families will find plenty to do at the new Family Fun Zone (think: tubing hill and ziplines), and adults can find a handful of decent bars and after-hours events to keep them busy.

Of course, the Obamas were on to something. Big Sky has great summer attractions, as well. Wildlife tours of Yellowstone, fly-fishing in the Gallatin River, and excellent hiking and mountain biking are all easily accessible from the hotel.

A former senior editor at Skiing magazine, Pieter van Noordennen owns more ski jackets than any man should.