Three minutes is considered a long lift line, Big Sky and Moonlight Basin fans say, and the kids' ski schools guarantee small classes.

CNN: Taking the kids: On an old-fashioned Montana ski trip

At the Hotel Belvedere in Bellagio my room had high ceilings, a big comforter, marble basin and a huge private deck with a view of the lake.

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Consider that Big Sky and Moonlight Basin -- about an hour's drive from Bozeman (and an hour's drive from Yellowstone National Park) -- have more terrain than Vail but less than half the skiers.

CNN: Taking the kids: On an old-fashioned Montana ski trip

There are only a few restaurants in the Big Sky base area and just one at Moonlight Basin: Others require a 15-minute drive or longer.

CNN: Taking the kids: On an old-fashioned Montana ski trip

Mitchell also has a big focus on seemingly lackluster gas fields in the Thrace basin in the northwest of Turkey.

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