With some of the lowest snowfall on record for Big Sky in recent years, it was looking like the F.A.T. International Ice Race was going to be more of a rally stage rather than the kind of surface spelled out in its name. But behind the scenes, event organizers, engineers, and builders had been hard at work for months preparing for such conditions, all but guaranteeing that the race surface would be up to the challenge of studded tires tearing into it. In short, it worked—cars freely flung sideways and a few even smacked the barriers—and the event fulfilled its implicit promise of being a veritable spectacle.

But it wasn’t just the spectacle of millions’ worth of metal slithering about—although seeing a giallo Ferrari 250 SWB was worth the price of admission alone. And yes, the on-track activity was the main draw, but the off-track experience was just as much of a visual delight. Look in any direction and you’d come across a peacock-like assemblage of accessories and garments that wouldn’t work anywhere else: floor-length fur coats, alpine sunglasses, ornate cowboy boots, bespoke stetson hats, hi-vis skiwear from the 80s, and F.A.T.’s signature bright blue puffer jackets.

There were other spectacles, too: a company aptly named Cool Shit built a ginormous inflatable Porsche 930 that towered over everything—including even the nearby media building—and close by was a Nike ACG activation whose bright neon orange signage and canopy pierced through the snowy, stark white backdrop. The Tuthill/Meyers Manx LFG parked in front was dressed in a striking ACG livery, punctuating the design-led nature of the overall event.

With whispers of the event happening annually in Big Sky running around—this year ostensibly being a proof of concept—this past weekend made it clear that snow and ice are almost beside the point.