In skiing, size does matter. Bigger isn’t always better, but it sure is in terms of more terrain for all abilities, more lifts, more lodging choices, more amenities and activities, more great dining and smaller crowds. But size is not the only thing that makes for great skiing. Montana’s Big Sky was already the second largest ski resort in the nation before it launched its Vision 2025 infrastructure plan. That was a decade ago, and more than $150 million in improvements later, skiers and snowboarders can now reap all the benefits of those improvements and find out firsthand why Big Sky is the hottest resort for skiers and snowboarders this winter.
At 5,850-skiable lift-served acres, Big Sky is one of the largest ski resorts in North America. There is a bit of controversy and confusion on how resorts measure and market themselves, but to me, and most people, we are talking lift-served terrain. There are resorts that include extras such as areas served by sno-cats or heli-skiing that are not included in the lift ticket, but that makes no sense and basically allows any mountain with access to a helicopter to claim it is the biggest.
By almost every industry source measuring these things, Park City, UT is the biggest in the U.S., and in recent years Palisades Tahoe has moved into the number two slot by connecting the former Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows resorts. That leaves Big Sky in third by a tiny margin (150-acres). However, one popular rating site, OnTheSnow.com, measures by mileage of skiable trails, not acreage, and has Big Sky at Number One on its list (tied with Park City) at a staggering 155-plus miles of runs.
But no matter how you measure it, Big Sky is big. How big? It’s bigger than huge Vail with all its famed back bowls; it’s bigger than Deer Valley—even after the resort more than doubled in size in its own recent mega-expansion (it’s not the hottest destination for skiers and snowboarders this winter because it doesn’t allow the latter at all, but it is hot, and you can read much more about the biggest terrain expansion in the history of U.S. skiing here at Forbes); it’s more than twice size of world-renowned Jackson Hole; more than seven times the size of Aspen (and that’s after Aspen’s own recent significant terrain expansion which you can read about here); and bigger than neighboring Utah powder legends Alta and Snowbird—combined. That’s big.
But like I said, there’s more to the world’s best ski resorts than size, and in the extra-large category it plays in, none of its peers can touch the huge and ultra-modern lift system Big Sky has invested heavily in. It’s fair to say it has the most advanced lift system in North America, which means shorter lines, less sitting and more skiing. When you are sitting, it’s more comfortable. As a result, Big Sky consistently has one of the lowest skiers per acre ratios of any major resort, and that’s a stat that really does matter in an era of overcrowded ski resorts and when time is the real luxury. Big Sky has 40 lifts, six terrain parks, a huge 4,350-foot vertical, and maybe most important of all, an average snowfall of 400-inches, far more than most western mountains.
But wait, there’s more.
One of the reasons Big Sky has been able to do such incredible things with its growth and re-investment is because it is family owned—by a family famously passionate about skiing—and not part of a number-crunching publicly traded corporate structure as are many of the most popular ski resorts in the country. Parent company Boyne Resorts out of Michigan was created by Everett Kircher, father of current CEO, Stephen Kircher, and Everett created Big Sky out of whole cloth 52 years ago, a build-it-and-they-will-come gamble on the remote Montana wilderness. It has never been owned by anyone else and is on the nationwide Ikon Pass and Mountain Collective Pass.
Stephen Kircher in turn has been greatly influenced by his many experiences skiing in Europe and told me that he thought the big European resorts had far newer and more advanced lift systems and set out to replicate his version of that here in Montana (he has also invested heavily in lifts at many of his other resorts in Michigan, Maine and Utah).
Back in 2016, Kircher launched the decade-long Vision 2025 slate of massive upgrades for Big Sky, and improvements have been rolling out year after year, culminating this winter (though there will be even more new stuff opening at Big Sky for years to come). Some highlights of the past decade include:
Last winter they opened Madison 8, the world’s longest 8-seat high-speed chairlift, complete with plexiglass bubbles that drop down to protect skiers from the snow, cold and wind. The Madison is a massive people mover and it made Big Sky the only North American resort with three bubble chairs and two 8-seat lifts.
2023 saw the entirely new Lone Peak Tram, which carries 75 skiers and boarders in less than five minutes to the highest spot on the huge resort, expert-only Lone Peak, known as “America’s Matterhorn,” a spot that Olympic Champion and the winningest male American skier of all-time, Bode Miller, told me was one of his favorite spots in all of skiing. The new high-tech model replaced the original tiny Lone Peak tram, which took about the same time but carried only 15 people, considered an engineering marvel when it was built 30 years ago. Lone Peak is one of the most desirable black-diamond destinations in all of skiing, and now it is much easier to get there. Trams are the most rarefied of all ski lifts, and only a handful of U.S resorts have invested in the cost of building one.
In 2022, the most luxurious of the resort owned hotels, the ski-in/out Summit, which has the best location of any lodging in all of Big Sky, got a full-blown remodel, along with a major upgrade of its fine dining eatery, Peaks Chophouse & Wine Lounge. Another idea Kircher was inspired by in the Alps was the glassed in, 360° “Umbrella Bar,” so he built one for après just outside the Summit.
2021 saw the rollout of Swift Current 6, the fastest chairlift in North America, with bubble and heated seats for six per chair, increasing the uphill capacity from the main base by a stunning 50% overnight. The same winter, another Big Sky-owned hotel, the Huntley, got a top to bottom renovation.
The first time I ever skied at Big Sky, two decades ago, they had a 1970s-style “mountain mall,’” with pizzeria and such as a dining “highlight.” This was replaced in 2019 with The Exchange, an enclosed dining and retail hub in the heart of the main base area, Mountain Village, with half a dozen new restaurants, new bar, indoor and outdoor dining and drinking, plus shops. This was a big improvement to the visitor experience.
Separate from the Vision 2025 improvements, 2019 saw the opening of the Wilson, an all-suite 129 suite Marriott property in Town Center, a village-style mixed use retail, dining and office development on the Big Sky access road. The Wilson is branded as a Residence Inn and part of the world’s largest loyalty program, Bonvoy, but I’ve been and it is more of an upscale boutique hotel, a cut above what I usually a think of the Residence Inn brand.
2018 added Ramcharger 8, the first of the resort’s eight-passenger bubble chairs, which was also the first 8-seatre in all of North America. You’ll notice that when it comes to lifts, Big Sky has a lot of the first, fastest and longest. The same winter saw a new high-speed 4-passenger chair added, the Shedhorn 4.
2017 brought greatly improved beginner learning areas to both the Mountain Village and Madison (aka Moonlight Basin) base areas, with four new magic carpet lifts, including one inside a weather protected tunnel.
Kicking things off in 2016 was the first chairlift in the region with heated seats, the 6-passnger Powder Seeker, yet another bubble lift, along with the Challenger lift. Less sexy additions over the past 10 years included major new builds of employee housing, greatly increased snowmaking capacity and more parking.
All of which means that if you haven’t been to Big Sky in a decade, you won’t recognize it, except for the exceptional snow and terrain. Even if you haven’t been in just a couple of years, the changes are stunning, with a new tram, gondolas, cutting-edge chairlifts, hotels, restaurants and much more, far beyond typical ski resort improvements.
But this winter brings a lot more.
The really big deal for the coming ski season is the Explorer Gondola, which not surprisingly is as high-tech and modern as gondolas get. It is a two-stage design, meaning it has a mid-station terminal, where less advanced skiers can disembark and immediately access some of the resort’s most approachable terrain. It then continues all the way up to the terminal it shares with the new Lone Peak Tram, added last winter, for a direct connection. They call this “base-to-peak connectivity,” and there’s almost nothing like it in skiing. You can ride in comfort and at high speed all the way from the bottom of the resort to its highest point atop Lone Peak, entirely inside, in just 15 minutes. The new gondolas features 10-passenger cabins with floor to ceiling windows, which is rare, to take in the sweeping views, along with heated seats.
For next winter, a new dining and drinking hub is being added in the gondola/tram terminal, with multiple outlets. This will greatly increase on-mountain dining options and be easy for skiers and riders of all ages and abilities to access. At the gondola mid-station, a new mid-mountain learning center is planned as well.
The Explorer Gondola is the thirteenth new lift added during the past decade’s capital improvement plan—more lifts than most ski areas have in their entirety. And not surprisingly, it is the world’s fastest 10-person gondola.
Also opening this winter is Kircliff, an alpine summit observatory atop Lone Peak at 11,166 feet. Yet another innovation inspired by Europe, Kircliff is a stunning glass enclosure and architectural marvel cantilevered off the mountain's edge with jaw-dropping 360-degree views across three states and two national parks. For the first time in the resort’s 52-year history it opens the legendary views from the summit of Lone Peak to non-skiing visitors and will likely become a major year-round tourism attraction in its own right.
“This reimagined summit experience transforms Lone Peak into a year-round, must-visit destination,” said Troy Nedved, president and COO of Big Sky Resort. “Kircliff unlocks the opportunity for every guest to stand on one of the highest peaks in the region and witness a horizon that stretches from Yellowstone to the Tetons.”
Kircher’s travels in the mountain of Europe did not only impress him with modern lifts, umbrella bars and observation facilities, but excellent cuisine as well. Earning 3-Michelin stars is arguably the greatest accolade in the culinary world, but even among the elite 3-Stars there are superstars, and Chicago’s Alinea has long been one of these, one of the world’s greatest restaurants. This winter, Chef Grant Aschatz brings his Alinea Group to Big Sky for the entire winter as a 4-month residency in Mountain Village, M by The Alinea Group.
As Kircher said, “This isn't just a residency; it's two pioneering legacies built on innovation coming together to redefine what's possible when you're bold enough to venture into uncharted territory." Chef Achatz added, "True luxury is finding the extraordinary in remote places—where a meal isn’t just served, it’s discovered. That’s what we’re building here in Big Sky: something rare, fleeting, and deeply connected to nature."
Not all of the massive investment at the resort is coming from the Kirchers. At the fast developing Moonlight Basin base area of the resort, this winter brings the debut of the hotly anticipated first-ever mountain resort from global luxury powerhouse One & Only Resorts. The opening has been delayed and was most recently slated for November. The One & Only Moonlight Basin will sit just below the Madison lifts and be connected to the base area by its own short private gondola, the 14th new lift at Big Sky in the last decade, and one of two gondolas opening in a single season. Lodging will be in a mix of hotel rooms, mountain cabins and private homes. The resort will boast a large spa and wellness area, and a handful of bars and restaurants, most notably an outpost of Michelin-starred chef Akira Back’s eponymous restaurant.
The Madison Base area is the least developed at Big Sky and still has some temporary-looking structures, and as it gets more developed over future years, the One & Only locatin should become even more appealing. I’ve stayed at their properties in Cape Town and Los Cabos and been very impressed, but a stay at their former resort in the Bahamas (now a Four Seasons) was lackluster at best, so I’m hopeful Moonlight Basin will skew towards the former properties.
But currently the sole Forbes 5-Star (or 4-Star) lodging here, and the only 5-Star in Montana that is not a dude ranch, is the Montage Big Sky. Montage operates only two ski resort properties, and they both earn 5-Stars (Deer Valley, UT is the other). I’ve stayed at both and they know what they are doing. This one also has a Forbes 4-Star spa and 4-Star restaurant, Cortina, and it opened during the Big Sky Vision 2025 boom, in 2021 and has since greatly improved, which is saying something. It was the largest building in Montana, and in addition to ski-in/out access, has its own bowling alley, on demand chauffeured cars, and several food and beverage outlets.
For this winter, Montage is upping the luxury ante with 47 new residential accommodations added late last year in 32 3-4 bedroom models and 15 5-6 bedroom Mountain Homes. The resort is an hour from west entrance of Yellowstone National Park, and the resort can arrange guided snowmobile and snow coach tours in the winter, when no cars are allowed, offering wildlife sightings of wolves, bison, and elk. It also showcases other non-skiing adventures, including ice fishing, dog sledding, horseback riding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and more.
Perhaps the most noteworthy new addition at the Montage is the offering of private experiences with world-renowned skier, Dan Egan, for a fully customized ski day with the Hall of Famer. Egan is an extreme sports pioneer who has starred in more than a dozen Warren Miller ski films and is also a three-time Emmy award nominee as TV producer, and an author. He has been skiing regularly at Big Sky for many years, and has a deep insider knowledge of the terrain, in addition to his colorful life story.
Gravity Haus is a boutique mountain-town hotel brand focused on outdoor activities with several other ski area properties. They just opened in Big Sky this summer, in Town Center, a retail, office, dining and lodging “village” on the resort access road that has a lot of appeal, because when you are there you have a lot out your front door, but is not ski-in/out, and instead has shuttles to the base area. The new Gravity Haus Big Sky has just 29 rooms, a restaurant and fitness offerings.
One of my favorite things about Big Sky is not new at all, but worth noting. It is the only major ski resort in the country with a full-blown luxury destination dude ranch on site, offering a unique vacation combining world-class alpine skiing with all the ranch appeals such as horseback riding. In this case, Lone Mountain Ranch also happens to have what is often rated the best cross-country ski system in the entire country, another big appeal. I previously wrote about this two-in-one winter vacation that can be found no place else here at Forbes.
Including the coming winter, the past decade has seen massive improvements across just about every part of the Big Sky ski resort, with multiple new hotels, including one of the few Forbes 5-Star properties in skiing, the Montage, more than a dozen new state of the art lifts including two gondolas, a tram and three 6 and 8-passenger bubble chairs, many new dining and après ski outlets, on and off the mountain, including one of the world’s most famous fine dining operators, improved snowmaking, new spas, and much more.
When you couple this with the enormous amount of terrain for all abilities, from first-rate learning facilities to some of the most acclaimed expert terrain in the nation, plus the much less crowded slopes than many of its peers, it explains why Big Sky is the hottest resort for skiers and snowboarders this winter.
All of this fun kicks off in less than two months, and the lifts will open, on November 26, 2025. Kircliff and the Explorer Gondola will debut on December 20, 2025.