The flags at the top of the ski slope directed us straight down hill, about 2,000 feet of rock-strewn mountain side during the off-season at Big Sky resort near Bozeman, Montana.

It looked daunting, even from the front passenger seat, but with the Toyota Land Cruiser's Downhill Assist Control locked in, the big sport utility edged down the slope at a steady, sure-footed pace. No driver intervention needed. A fellow journalist simply had to steer toward a couple of flags in the distance at the bottom of the mountain. [More..]