Leica Privilege at F.A.T. Ice Race in Big Sky Montana

Words and Photos by: Lane Skelton

I made it out to the F.A.T. Ice Race in Big Sky, and it absolutely lived up to the hype. I had planned to go a couple of years ago when it last came through the U.S., but timing didn’t work out, so I was beyond stoked to finally make it happen this year. Even better, it sounds like it’s here to stay, with Big Sky becoming its permanent home.

We rented a house with friends, Ali Javidan, Matt Farah, Zack Klapman, and all of their spouses, which made it even better(unfortunatly my wife had to stay home).

The event itself is way out on a resort property in the middle of nowhere. Most people had to get shuttled in from several miles out, but we lucked into premiere parking that got us within about a mile, a huge win! The two-day event centered around a man-made ice/slush track with a handful of turns, surrounded by viewing areas, plus food and booz tents, and a an additinonal packed VIP tent that ran about $3,500 for the weekend. I was media, so I also had acces to a very nice and warm media center with good food, bathrooms and more hand warmers than you could ever need.

Day one, I made my way out to the designated media photography zone, which sounded great in theory. In reality, it meant hiking out and standing in about a foot of snow for hours. And naturally, I was wearing New Balance’s version of Vans, the New Balance Jamie Foy 306 slip-ons. Absolutely the wrong call. About three hours in, I was convinced I was going to lose a couple toes. I bailed, regrouped, and that night made a mission to a sporting goods store where I picked up some The North Face boots, a game changer for day two.

The funniest part of the whole weekend, I was casually walking in and out of the VIP tent on day one without even realizing it was VIP. No questions asked. The only explanation I’ve got is the camera around my neck…a Leica camera.

Here’s the thing: Zack and I cam up with the so it must be right, the crowd basically broke down into two groups, media/influencers and very wealthy enthusiasts. The media folks were rocking Sony, Canon, Nikon, GoPros. The wealthy crowd? Almost all Leicas, and most of the special editions of already absurdly expensive cameras. I happened to be carrying both a Leica and a Sony, so apparently that made me universally acceptable, I could blend in anywhere.

One of the coolest parts of the weekend, my good friend Paul, who just won his battle with cancer, and his co-driver Joe drove his Porsche 944 Turbo S all the way from Orange County to Big Sky. Absolute legends.

It was also great to see my friend Chris Harrell, who was helping organize the event. I always love seeing him and definitely miss him.

That second night, Ali and Matt threw down a cook-off and made an insanely good meal. I invited my good friend Paola from Petrolicious / Car Tales over, and we all hung out, had dinner, drinks, and a proper good time. Paolo was basically my +1 for the entire trip, since everyone else has their signifigant others with them.

The next day was more of the same, awesome cars (the photos really do the talking), great people, and a lot of fun. To cap it off, we went back into downtown Big Sky, grabbed a few drinks at a bar, then headed back to the house for another hang sesh.

The following day it was time to pack it up. We drove into Bozeman with some time to kill, wandered around the beautiful downtown, stopped into a tea house, and randomly ran into our friend Justin Roeser (@33bosshog). that turned into lunch before heading to the airport.

Already looking forward to next year’s F.A.T. Ice Race. 🏁

See the entire photo gallery on my Flickr HERE