The Elite Montana Club Not For Montanans
What's more Montana than an elite club, in the mountains of Big Sky with former Secret Security officers as security for wealthy out of staters? Almost anything.
I don't ski. I don't care about skiing or ski hills or ski bunnies or ski stuff. However, I'm smart enough to know that skiing is a large part of Montana's economy. I also don't hate private clubs in MY state. I just hate private clubs WHERE I LIVE that are designed to keep Montanans out.
Let's talk about The Yellowstone Club.
Here's what it takes to be a member of the Yellowstone Club:
Purchase property. Prices range from 2.5 million for a condo to over 25 million for a "ranch". (I'd bet a year's salary that those ranches don't raise anything more than a ruckus. Making it a nice chunk of land in the mountains, but nowhere near a ranch.)
After you purchase the property, you must pay initiation fees, $400,000.
Pay a yearly due of over $40,000
What are member benefits:
No one is allowed in except members, their families and their guests. (None of the poors to drag down your winter wonderland vacation.)
Over 2,400 acres of "private powder" (a term they bought a trademark for), 18 ski lifts, a private golf course, numerous restaurants and other amenities like it's own private security staff, fire department and emergency medical team. (God forbid they'd have to go to the hospital in Bozeman like a regular Montanan.)
You're thinking "Why is she so pissed off about this?"
Because Montana has always been free and open with public access everywhere.
Now with the Yellowstone Club and Spanish Peaks Mountain Club we have out of state owners who are keeping residents out of areas of their state. It's disgusting. I won't even go into the being sued for unfair labor practices, which they settled, the water pollution lawsuit, which was withdrawn and the original owner spending time in prison and suing the State of Montana for unfairly forcing him into bankruptcy. Can I get an eye roll?
This is right along the same lines of everyone and their dog and 2 cats moving here in the pandemic then complaining and trying to change our home.
I love people who come to Montana for a vacation. I want them to enjoy their trip to the fullest and make memories for a lifetime. I hate people who come in and try to buy up my home and change it.
We have to do something about being "the places where the cool kids go". They're going to ruin everything.
Here's a gallery of the Yellowstone Club, in case you're curious how the 1% vacations in Montana.
Yellowstone Club