Crosscut Vision

To empower healthy community by connecting people and nature.

Lightning Creek Mission

Lightning Creek offers connections for communities, undistracted experiences, and personal growth through immersive programs and thoughtful stewardship of wild places.

Community + Solitude

We offer community connection, from familiar faces to new friends and provide opportunities to enjoy the outdoors in peaceful solitude. In both, we can enjoy a healthy break from hurried modern life. Crosscut’s pristine surroundings offer visitors the opportunity to disconnect from everyday distractions and reconnect with the simple pleasures of nature.

Inclusivity + Education

We provide an accessible, affordable means for enjoyment in the outdoors. We also support relevant and diverse programming through our team and partner organizations to encourage confident recreation and healthy lifestyles. From sports education to science and creative pursuits, we seek to help people of all ages, abilities, identities, and backgrounds to grow their knowledge and skills, while learning about the natural world and deepening their sense of place and community.

Achievement + Play

Whether someone seeks grit or grace, effort or leisure, adventure or comfort, we meet them wherever they are. With Nordic ski heritage as our foundation, we have expanded to support a wide range of recreators and athletes, supporting body and spirit, so they can wholeheartedly and joyfully pursue that which fulfills them. The thrill of high-performance efforts, the personal growth of learning, and the freedom of spontaneous play are each important, and equally boundless in possibility.

Stewardship + Vision

With respect for the Indigenous peoples who have called and continue to call these lands home, we strive to proactively conserve and protect the landscapes around us, carrying forward the stories of these places, the legacies of interconnection, and a light human touch. We work to create and maintain comfortable yet exceptional facilities with high levels of sustainability, in harmony with our responsibilities to current and future generations.

Wildness + Accessibility

Our locations are accessible from Big Sky and Bozeman and adjacent to undeveloped lands. Surrounded by an abundance of beauty and the rhythms of the natural world, Crosscut offers immersive and meaningful experiences — from a quick afternoon ski to a weeklong retreat. We work to preserve the enduring vitality of the landscape while creating welcoming environments for all.

Collaboration + Leadership

Crosscut embraces our interdependence — with the land, the community, our visitors, and the greater world. We welcome all voices to the conversation, knowing our best opportunities for learning and growth can come from fresh perspectives. We also stand on what we know to be right, and when needed, provide guidance both inside and outside of our organization.

Gratitude + Pride

We teach and practice respect for self, others, and the natural world, recognizing the inherent worth of each. The Crosscut community functions as an extended family — cheering for each other’s wins and sharing the burden in times of struggle. This philosophy is rooted in love, integrity, and authenticity — we lead by example, cultivating opportunities for our team and patrons to become the best possible versions of themselves.