As one of skiing’s most decorated athletes, there’s not much that Bode Miller hasn’t accomplished in the sport. But getting six children on the slopes is another story for the Olympic gold medalist, who recently revealed to FN in an exclusive interview for his January cover shoot what a ski outing looks like with his family.
“A ski day for the Miller family is more comedy than skiing,” said the athlete. “Getting six kids and my wife ready, just that part alone, it seems like it should be on a montage, sped up a little bit. There are always meltdowns, but they’re in concert – one leads to the next, and the next and the next. By the time we get on the hill, I’m usually ready to quit.”
Miller and his wife Morgan Beck (also a former Olympic athlete, in volleyball) are raising their six children near Big Sky, Montana, next door to the nation’s largest ski resort and a short drive from the headquarters of Peak Skis, the ski company that Miller launched in 2022.
“I came back to Montana [because] my sister went to MSU [Montana State University] in the late ‘90s, early 2000s. It was a lot different then,” Miller recalled. “I remember feeling that it was a lot like New Hampshire; they were remarkably similar if you just changed the outfits — cowboy hats vs. baseball caps. But the mountains were unbelievable, both Bridger [Bowl] and Big Sky. I think they’re both in the top 10 mountains in the country. You get really good snow conditions all the time. I also just like the smaller town.”
Recently, Miller has been documenting his brood’s progress on skis, posting social videos of his children on the slopes near the family’s Montana home. “These bros are more than 1/3 on the way to being the youngest to ski 100 days in one season!” the athlete wrote in an Instagram post. “Watching their skills grow has been something else.”
“Once the kids get [out] there, they’re fine,” Miller told FN. “They’re all at different levels, obviously we have a big age range. We typically ski on pretty mellow stuff and I have to kind of herd the little ones. I use my poles and kind of just herd them back. But inevitably they split and go. My older ones are pretty dialed in and they are good enough skiers that they always kind of hang in the wings and then come in and clip [the younger children] if they are making a run for it.”
Below, Miller reveals his a few of his favorite local stops in the Big Sky area:
Favorite Big Sky ski run:
“The run off the top, North Summit Snowfield at Big Sky, down to the bowl on the far side. That whole side is north facing, so the snow is amazing,” said Miller, who has a partnership with Scarpa footwear ski boots. “Even in March and April you’re getting 3 feet of powder on that side of the mountain. It’s really steep, but the chutes aren’t super technical. It’s a place where I love to take people who I know are good enough but would never do that without being pushed.”
Favorite local restaurant:
“Chef Ming Tsai at BaBa at the Yellowstone Club. He used to run Blue Ginger back in Boston. But I’m a sandwich per- son, ultimately, and I still crave going back to New Hampshire and getting Gold House, which is a Greek restaurant near my hometown.”
Best place to stay:
“My favorite hotel up here is the Montage Big Sky. It’s right next to us and I can take my kids there, we go bowling and hit the golf simulator and they do s’mores outside. They seem to put a lot of energy and thought into making sure people have a good time as well as just having amenities.”
Favorite activity with the family:
My favorite activity with the family is sledding. We have some epic sledding sessions. We did one last night. We go night sledding and the moon is out so it’s bright enough so that you can see. I think it’s just awesome to be able to spend time with my kids out in the woods. I grew up with that, very comfortable with that. They’re not so much – they’re little and they’ve spent time in Southern California and so there’s just a natural fear in them. So to take them out sledding, no flashlights, ripping down these little hills, boosting out into the powder, building jumps, it’s just a great, timeless family activity. You don’t have to be anything to do it, you just sit down and go.
Favorite non-skiing sport:
“Up here the fishing is so great. I love to float down a river. You’ve got a cooler full of beers and sandwiches, and you just float along. It’s not even about the fishing, although the fishing here is so good that you still catch legendary fish. I also love mountain golf. It’s different from most places like California. You play somewhere like the Reserve at Moonlight Basin or Spanish Peaks Mountain Club, and you can see that it’s a totally differ- ent experience when you’re up here.”
