HOMESTAKE PASS — BUTTE — Winter is just getting started at Homestake Lodge where the ski resort is in the running to become one of the 10 best in the nation. The Nordic ski resort was recently listed on a USA Today poll that is open for votes through the end of November.
"There’s just something special about being outside in Montana in the winter. Whether it’s for exercise or just peace and quiet in your soul; it’s magical," says Mark Theiszen, co-owner of Homestake Lodge.
Nestled atop Homestake Pass just 20 minutes from Butte, Homestake Lodge was originally a homestead but was turned into a cross-country ski resort in 2007.
Mark and Lauren Theiszen along with their three children have been running the Homestake ski resort since they took ownership in 2021.
"Homestake Lodge is a gem that is close to the Interstate but you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere," says Theiszen.
The Nordic ski resort offers lodging in three cabins, a yurt, or within the lodge itself and Mark says it is meant to be relaxed and cozy with home-cooked meals on the weekends and brand-new ski rentals for those who don’t have their own equipment.
"It’s just a really neat mom-and-pop community vibe but with what we consider to be world-class skiing," says Theiszen.
But others in the ski community also consider the resort to be world-class. Recently it was mentioned in a USA Today poll and is in the running to become one of the ten best Nordic ski resorts in the nation.
"These trails were built by people who understood ski racing," says Joe Griffin, president of the Mile High Nordic Ski Education Foundation.
Griffin has been skiing in and around Butte since the 90s and his group has worked with the Theiszens to get kids out on cross-country skis. Griffin says Homestake offers trails for beginners and the most advanced skiers with options for people who want to bring their dogs along and opportunities for those who want to venture out for a night ski.
"Both the club and the Theiszens have been very interested in let’s get more kids out on snow," says Griffin.
"We just love winter and we think Montana is the greatest place to get outside in the winter and enjoy physical activity during those cold winter months," says Theiszen.
