I ride at Big Sky and it is a great carving mountain, Wide open, decent grooming and they let you rip. I want to second what Dirk said about jobs though, the joke is that it is a great place to live but you need to bring your job with you. Even with a Masters or Phd you are going to have a hard time finding a job anywhere around 40k. Lots of well educated competition for the available spots because... it's a great place! Good luck on your decision. By the way there are a couple of guys a Bridger that tear it up on Alpine gear so you won't be alone.
Robert