Discovery Ski Area, or "Disco" as the locals call it, is one of the best-kept secrets of skiing in the United States. Tucked high in the mountains of southwest Montana, it's a big, unpretentious mountain with a devoted local following and a wonderfully laid-back feel. At its heart is a friendly base lodge, and around it spread wide-open slopes and long stretches of quiet snow, with the peaks of the surrounding wilderness rolling away in every direction. It all adds up to an authentic, unhurried kind of ski holiday, with big-mountain days on the snow and a real taste of small-town Montana winter off it.

For a mountain of its size, Disco packs in plenty of variety. It spreads across two peaks and four faces, more than 900 hectares of terrain in all, rising to a summit of around 2,485 metres with a vertical drop of over 700 metres. That scale leaves room for a proper spread of skiing across every level. Beginners and intermediates tend to stay on the front side, where wide, gently rolling groomed runs are easy to cruise and ideal for building confidence. Strong skiers gravitate to the back side, a steeper, mostly ungroomed world of open bowls, chutes, glades, and mogul runs that ranks among the most challenging lift-served skiing in Montana. Sitting high and inland as it does, the mountain catches the light, dry powder the Rockies are famous for, and the cold keeps it soft long after it falls. Expect a season running from late November into early April.

Part of Disco's charm is where it puts you, in a real Montana winter landscape of frozen lakes, wild forest, and the historic mining towns of Philipsburg and Anaconda. Both towns are a draw in themselves. Philipsburg is a lovingly restored old mining town, with a colourful main street, a famous sweet shop, local breweries, and even sapphire hunting. Anaconda, built on copper, wears its industrial past proudly and has grown into a welcoming outdoor base with good places to eat and drink. There's no lodging on the mountain itself, so most visitors base themselves in one of those areas and head up to the mountain for the day. Right below the slopes, Georgetown Lake freezes solid for ice fishing and snowmobiling, while the surrounding wilderness is laced with trails for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Between the mountain, the lake, and the towns, there's more than enough to fill the days you're not chasing powder.

Check out Discovery Ski Area ski deals to start planning your trip.