All Images: Courtesy of Big Sky Resort
Big Sky, Montana has recently made a series of exciting announcements. In addition to officially confirming their opening day (November 27, 2024), the resort confirmed that they are on track and well underway on two massive projects; an outer enclosure for the lower terminal of the Lone Peak Tram, and the installation of the new record-setting Madison 8 lift. Both endeavors are scheduled to open during the upcoming winter 2024/25 season.
You’d be hard-pressed to find another resort across the globe that has poured as much into its infrastructure over the last decade as Big Sky. In accordance with the project titled Big Sky 2025, the ski area has poured money into updating lifts, mountain ops improvements and more. Since 2016, they have replaced five major lifts along with the Lone Peak Tram, expanded snowmaking capabilities, increased worker housing facilities, grown their terrain park and began remodeling their base lodging. Any one of these alone would be an incredible feat. To accomplish all this and more in much less than a decade is nothing short of bewildering.
Located in the heart of Montana’s Madison Range, the area is known to host some of the best big mountain skiing in the Rocky Mountains. Its rugged terrain and steep glades can make for a heart-pounding day no matter the conditions. While last winter’s snowfall was certainly underwhelming, predictions for this upcoming season look far more promising for the Treasure State and its neighbors. But no matter the snow, Big Sky has confirmed that they are on track to complete both the new enclosure for the lower terminal of the Lone Peak Tram, and the installation of the new Madison 8 lift.
The new enclosure is downright impressive. Showcasing creative and technical engineering at its finest, it will provide shelter to skiers waiting at the tram’s lower terminal counting the minutes until they are carried to the top of Lone Peak. The access from the top of the legendary mountain is as phenomenal as the view. (You can see the Teton’s to the southeast on a clear day.) There is riding off multiple sides of the peak, as well as the opportunity to ski Big and Little Couloir. We certainly recommend those two for skiers looking to check off two of North America’s most iconic inbounds runs.
Crew members work to secure steel beams on the new Lone Peak Tram lower terminal enclosure.
Made of steel beams in triangle sections as well as over 400 panels of one-inch-thick glass, the enclosure will likely be standing long after the rest of us are gone. “It’s going to be a very unique structure in itself. There’s not going to be another one like it anywhere,” said project lead Patrick Doolin, whose team has been working at 9,000 feet above sea level all summer composing this work of functional art.
The second major project that Big Sky will be debuting this winter is the completion of the new Madison 8 lift. This will replace the Six Shooter lift on the north side of the mountain. Six Shooter has long been famous for providing access to some of the best terrain on the mountain, like the steep and technical skiing of Challenger, Headwaters and Lone Tree lifts. However, it also serves as the only way out of the Madison Base Area. The lift can have staggering wait times and technical delays, but that’s just a memory of the past now.
Madison 8 will become the world’s longest eight-seater chairlift. It will nearly double the uphill capacity and reduce ride time by 30%, from 12 minutes down to an eight-minute ride. The new Doppelmayr project will feature heated seats and a bubble. Yes, they look like something out of Star Trek and who doesn’t love to make fun of them, but admit it, when the wind is howling and your face is frozen after a morning of cold smoke skiing, we all love pulling down that bubble and catching a break.
The resort has said these new improvements will be operational this winter, with Madison 8 set to be operational by December 2024. Since Big Sky’s opening day is November 27th, they have a slight buffer between when they open and when guests will get to check out the new additions, as both the tram terminal and Madison 8 need more than an early-season blanket of snow to operate.
While it can be easy to dismiss change as bad, the truth is that this growth, if managed properly, can create more jobs, happier riders and a better experience for all involved. And the resort is showing that they are making an effort to please all crowds, not just tourists. Locals will be stoked on the shorter lift times and faster access to some of the mountain’s best terrain, and the fact that Big Sky continues to put time and money into its massive terrain park is a good sign. Yes, they still need to put a tow rope in the park, but perhaps that will happen soon. Don’t worry Caimen, your pleas are not lost! For now, we’re fired up to (almost) get ready for another stellar ski season.
