Yellowstone Club, Exclusive Retreat Hideout For World’s Rich And Famous

Mark Zuckerberg, Melinda French Gates and Justin Timberlake Illustration: Ben Kirchner for Forbes

Five years ago, tech entrepreneur and Shark Tank co-host Robert Herjavec fell in love with the Yellowstone Club. Located about an hour’s drive south of Bozeman, Montana, and some 80 km north of Yellowstone National Park, the club owns a private mountain with more skiable hectares than Killington, Stowe or any other resort on the East Coast. “Amazing place for families and kids,” Herjavec raves, noting that his 6-year-old twins already ski better than his wife, Kym. The couple, who met on Dancing with the Stars, first bought a condo at the club, which is adjacent to the Big Sky ski resort, in 2019 before deciding to build their own place. They spent three years and $28 million (including furnishings) on a 1,254-square-meter, eight-bedroom dream house that features cathedral views of the Rockies. “We have lots of homes. This is our favourite,” Herjavec says. 

He is not alone. Herjavec is one of 885 members of the ultraswank Yellowstone Club: 6,070 mountainous hectares of world-class skiing, golfing, fly fishing and horseback riding. There is a movie theatre for kids, a concert venue that has hosted acts including Sting, Norah Jones and James Taylor, and even “sugar shacks” stocked with all sorts of free stuff like candy bars, snacks and hot soups sprinkled across the mountain and greens. The club’s mountain has 21 chairlifts, one gondola, over 1,170 skiable hectares—and no lift lines. North Carolina real estate billionaire Roy Carroll, who has a house on the same road as Herjavec, says it’s not unusual to be the only person on a run. 

“They hit the sweet spot for a multigenerational destination…for people aged 8 to 80,” says Carroll, 61, who built a $37 million (assessed value) home there with room for future grandchildren. “I built a house we wouldn’t outgrow for 50 years.” 

Perhaps the club’s biggest draw is exclusivity. Applicants need gold-plated references and must submit to a detailed background check. Membership is capped at 914 to prevent over­crowding. Admission requires buying land, a home or a condo. Even the least expensive undeveloped plot will set you back $10 million. Condos start at just under $7 million but average $15.5 million; homes cost $20 million or more. Then there’s a $500,000 refundable deposit and annual dues of $78,000, which cover unlimited skiing and golfing for your immediate family (including parents and grandchildren, but not adult siblings) plus 140 guest days a year.

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