Big Sky Resort
Encyclopedia
Big Sky Resort is a ski resort
located in southwestern Montana
in Madison County
, an hour south of Bozeman
via U.S. Highway 191
in Big Sky
.
Opened in late 1973, Big Sky has grown over the last 35 years. Trademarked as the "Biggest Skiing in America" through the Biggest Skiing in America Pass, skiers and riders have access to over 5000 acres (20.2 km²). Three-quarters of the vast terrain is Big Sky Resort, with the remaining trails at Moonlight Basin
. The Biggest Skiing in America Pass combines the two resorts making Moonlight Basin accessible from the Lone Peak Summit and via the Challenger Lift.
Big Sky Resort also offers meeting space for conferences, weddings and corporate retreats. Other offerings include golf
, zipline, frisbee golf, scenic lift rides, hiking
, mountain biking
, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, and tennis
.
Three club communities exist adjoined to Big Sky Ski Resort. On Big Sky Resort's southwestern exposure resides the The Yellowstone Club, a 13,450 acre private club The Yellowstone Club with over 2,200 acres of private skiing. The southeastern and east side of Big Sky is The Club at Spanish Peaks, opened in 2004, a 5,700 acre private club community with 350 acres of private skiing and direct access to the combined skiing of Big Sky and Moonlight Basin. Big Sky's neighbor on its north boundary is Moonlight Basin, opened in 2003. It originally began as Moonlight Basin Ranch, a real estate development stemming from the 1992 purchase of 25,000 acres (101 km2) from Plum Creek Timber Company. Spanish Peaks, Big Sky, and Moonlight Basin operate completely on private land.
anchorman Chet Huntley
, a Montana native. Big Sky opened in December 1973 with a main base area at an elevation
of 7510 feet (2290 m) above sea level on the eastern face of Lone Mountain (11,166 feet, 3403 m) the sixty-seventh highest mountain in Montana, and the seventh-highest mountain in the state outside of the Beartooth Range .
The first four lifts at Big Sky were the gondola
and three chairlift
s. The enclosed gondola carried four skiers per cabin and climbed 1525 vertical feet (465 m) to 9040 feet (2755 m). The nearby "Lone Peak" triple chairlift provided the lift-served maximum of 9800 feet (2987 m), unloading at the bowl 1366 feet (416 m) beneath Lone Mountain's summit, providing a vertical drop of just under 2300 feet (701 m). The "Explorer" double chair served novice terrain just above the base, and the "Andesite" double climbed the north face of adjacent Andesite Mountain to 8700 feet (2652 m). This lift was renamed "Rams Head" in 1978, and replaced with the "Ramcharger" high speed quad
in 1990.
After its third season, Boyne Resorts purchased the resort in 1976, following Huntley's death from cancer
in March 1974 and the decision of owner Chrysler Corporation to divest its real estate
development assets.
The resort grew steadily over the following decades, adding lifts and more than tripling the terrain available for skiing and snowboarding. The fifth lift, a second chairlift on Andesite Mountain, was installed in the summer of 1979. The "Mad Wolf" double climbed Andesite's eastern face and lowered Big Sky's minimum elevation 540 feet (165 m) to 6970 feet (2124 m). This increased the area's vertical drop to over 2800 feet (853 m). (It was replaced with the "Thunder Wolf" high speed quad in 1994.)
Two lifts were added in the 1980s: "Gondola Two" was installed in parallel to the first gondola, and the "Challenger" double chair served upper elevation expert terrain on the north edge of the ski area. A tow
was later added above this lift. (Gondola Two was replaced with the "Swift Current" high speed quad chairlift in 1997.) The eighth lift at Big Sky was the "Southern Comfort" triple chair on Andesite Mountain, installed in 1990 and upgraded to a high speed quad for the 2004-05 season.
In the fall of 1995, Big Sky shed its intermediate image and leapt into national (and international) prominence with the addition of the Lone Peak Tram, built to take expert skiers to within feet of the summit of Lone Mountain at 11,166 feet (3399 m) to copious extreme treeless terrain. The "Shedhorn" double chair was also part of this expansion, added in 1995 on the lower south face of Lone Mountain.
The tram substantially increased Big Sky's vertical drop to 4180 feet (1274 m), surpassing Jackson Hole
by 41 feet (12.5 m). The minimum elevation was lowered further in the fall of 1999, with the addition of the "Lone Moose" triple chair; its base elevation is 6800 feet (2073 m) at Lone Moose Meadows. This increased the ski area's total vertical drop to 4350 feet (1326 m); its maximum continuous vertical drop is 3640 feet (1109 m), from the top of the tram to the main base area.
In 2007, Big Sky expanded the skiing opportunities on the south face of Lone Peak with the addition of the new triple chair Dakota Lift, and access to the accompanying out-of-bounds sidecountry, "Dakota Territory". Gondola #1 was retired in the summer of 2008, dismantled due to safety concerns.
The growth off of the slopes was highlighted in 1990 with the addition of the Shoshone Condominium Hotel and the Yellowstone Conference Center, which increased summer business to the resort.
In April 2000, Boyne Resorts announced that an estimated $400 million in improvements would take place over the next ten years to Mountain Village and the ski area. Later in 2000, the $54 million Summit Hotel was completed, providing four-star, ski-in ski-out accommodations. In late 2007, the $25 million Village Center Complex was opened, expanding the shopping, dining, and ski-in ski-out accommodation options.
, and mountain biking the trails are available on the mountain, with zipline, golf
, and tennis
available further down by the Meadow Village, which sits at an elevation of 6800 feet (2,072.6 m), between the ski area and US-191
.
Fly fishing
and whitewater rafting are popular on the Gallatin River
. Lake kayak
ing is available at Hebgen Lake 50 miles (80.5 km) south. Big Sky is a convenient and comfortable base camp for excursions into nearby Yellowstone National Park
.
.
Big Sky's neighbor on its north boundary is Moonlight Basin
, opened in 2003. It originally began as Moonlight Basin Ranch, a real estate development stemming from the 1992 purchase of 25,000 acres (101 km2) from Plum Creek Timber
Company. Both Big Sky and Moonlight Basin operate completely on private land.
Summit (Lone Peak) - 11166 feet (3,403.4 m)
Base (Mountain Village) - 7510 feet (2,289 m)
Base (Lone Moose) - 6800 feet (2,072.6 m)
Ski Terrain
3812 acres (15.4 km²) - 150 named runs covering over 85 miles (136.8 km) on three separate mountains.
Slope Difficulty
- 20% expert
- 40% advanced
- 26% intermediate
- 14% beginner
Vertical drop
- 4350 feet (1,325.9 m), 3640 feet (1,109.5 m) continuous
Longest Run: Liberty Bowl to Mountain Mall - 6 miles (9.7 km)
Average Lift Line: Consistently recognized in national ski magazines for short or non-existent lines.
Average Winter Daytime Temperature: 20 °F (-6.7 °C)
Average Annual Snowfall: 400 inches (10.2 m)
Lift Capacity: 23,000 skiers per hour
Ski Season Opens: November 26, 2009
Ski Season Ends: April 11, 2010
Snow Conditions Phone Line: 406.995.5900
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
located in southwestern Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
in Madison County
Madison County, Montana
-National protected areas:*Beaverhead National Forest *Deerlodge National Forest *Gallatin National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 6,851 people, 2,956 households, and 1,921 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile...
, an hour south of Bozeman
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The 2010 census put Bozeman's population at 37,280 making it the fourth largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Bozeman micropolitan area, which consists...
via U.S. Highway 191
U.S. Route 191
U.S. Route 191 is a spur of U.S. Route 91 that has two branches. The southern branch runs for 1,465 miles from Douglas, Arizona on the Mexican border to the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. The northern branch runs for 440 miles from the northern part of Yellowstone National Park to...
in Big Sky
Big Sky, Montana
Big Sky is a census-designated place in Gallatin and Madison counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana. This unincorporated community straddles the two counties, is not considered a town, and has no town government. The primary industry of the area is tourism.Big Sky is...
.
Opened in late 1973, Big Sky has grown over the last 35 years. Trademarked as the "Biggest Skiing in America" through the Biggest Skiing in America Pass, skiers and riders have access to over 5000 acres (20.2 km²). Three-quarters of the vast terrain is Big Sky Resort, with the remaining trails at Moonlight Basin
Moonlight Basin
Moonlight Basin is a ski resort in southwestern Montana, located in the Madison Range of the Rocky Mountains near the resort village of Big Sky...
. The Biggest Skiing in America Pass combines the two resorts making Moonlight Basin accessible from the Lone Peak Summit and via the Challenger Lift.
Big Sky Resort also offers meeting space for conferences, weddings and corporate retreats. Other offerings include golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, zipline, frisbee golf, scenic lift rides, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
.
Three club communities exist adjoined to Big Sky Ski Resort. On Big Sky Resort's southwestern exposure resides the The Yellowstone Club, a 13,450 acre private club The Yellowstone Club with over 2,200 acres of private skiing. The southeastern and east side of Big Sky is The Club at Spanish Peaks, opened in 2004, a 5,700 acre private club community with 350 acres of private skiing and direct access to the combined skiing of Big Sky and Moonlight Basin. Big Sky's neighbor on its north boundary is Moonlight Basin, opened in 2003. It originally began as Moonlight Basin Ranch, a real estate development stemming from the 1992 purchase of 25,000 acres (101 km2) from Plum Creek Timber Company. Spanish Peaks, Big Sky, and Moonlight Basin operate completely on private land.
Resort History
The resort was the vision of NBC NewsNBC News
NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
anchorman Chet Huntley
Chet Huntley
Chester Robert "Chet" Huntley was an American television newscaster, best known for co-anchoring NBC's evening news program, The Huntley-Brinkley Report, for 14 years beginning in 1956.-Early life:...
, a Montana native. Big Sky opened in December 1973 with a main base area at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 7510 feet (2290 m) above sea level on the eastern face of Lone Mountain (11,166 feet, 3403 m) the sixty-seventh highest mountain in Montana, and the seventh-highest mountain in the state outside of the Beartooth Range .
The first four lifts at Big Sky were the gondola
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
and three chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
s. The enclosed gondola carried four skiers per cabin and climbed 1525 vertical feet (465 m) to 9040 feet (2755 m). The nearby "Lone Peak" triple chairlift provided the lift-served maximum of 9800 feet (2987 m), unloading at the bowl 1366 feet (416 m) beneath Lone Mountain's summit, providing a vertical drop of just under 2300 feet (701 m). The "Explorer" double chair served novice terrain just above the base, and the "Andesite" double climbed the north face of adjacent Andesite Mountain to 8700 feet (2652 m). This lift was renamed "Rams Head" in 1978, and replaced with the "Ramcharger" high speed quad
Detachable chairlift
A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the...
in 1990.
After its third season, Boyne Resorts purchased the resort in 1976, following Huntley's death from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in March 1974 and the decision of owner Chrysler Corporation to divest its real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
development assets.
Two lifts were added in the 1980s: "Gondola Two" was installed in parallel to the first gondola, and the "Challenger" double chair served upper elevation expert terrain on the north edge of the ski area. A tow
Ski tow
thumb|right|A rope tow or ski tow.A ski tow, also called rope tow or handle tow, is a mechanised system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill....
was later added above this lift. (Gondola Two was replaced with the "Swift Current" high speed quad chairlift in 1997.) The eighth lift at Big Sky was the "Southern Comfort" triple chair on Andesite Mountain, installed in 1990 and upgraded to a high speed quad for the 2004-05 season.
In the fall of 1995, Big Sky shed its intermediate image and leapt into national (and international) prominence with the addition of the Lone Peak Tram, built to take expert skiers to within feet of the summit of Lone Mountain at 11,166 feet (3399 m) to copious extreme treeless terrain. The "Shedhorn" double chair was also part of this expansion, added in 1995 on the lower south face of Lone Mountain.
The tram substantially increased Big Sky's vertical drop to 4180 feet (1274 m), surpassing Jackson Hole
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is a ski resort at Teton Village, Wyoming. Located northwest of Jackson and due south of Grand Teton National Park in Teton County, it is named after the historically significant Jackson Hole valley. The region is served by the Jackson Hole Airport.-Ski area...
by 41 feet (12.5 m). The minimum elevation was lowered further in the fall of 1999, with the addition of the "Lone Moose" triple chair; its base elevation is 6800 feet (2073 m) at Lone Moose Meadows. This increased the ski area's total vertical drop to 4350 feet (1326 m); its maximum continuous vertical drop is 3640 feet (1109 m), from the top of the tram to the main base area.
In 2007, Big Sky expanded the skiing opportunities on the south face of Lone Peak with the addition of the new triple chair Dakota Lift, and access to the accompanying out-of-bounds sidecountry, "Dakota Territory". Gondola #1 was retired in the summer of 2008, dismantled due to safety concerns.
The growth off of the slopes was highlighted in 1990 with the addition of the Shoshone Condominium Hotel and the Yellowstone Conference Center, which increased summer business to the resort.
In April 2000, Boyne Resorts announced that an estimated $400 million in improvements would take place over the next ten years to Mountain Village and the ski area. Later in 2000, the $54 million Summit Hotel was completed, providing four-star, ski-in ski-out accommodations. In late 2007, the $25 million Village Center Complex was opened, expanding the shopping, dining, and ski-in ski-out accommodation options.
Activities
Big Sky is primarily known for its winter activities, which include ski and snowboard terrain, a terrain park, cross country skiing, zipline and snowshoeing, but it has become an increasingly popular summer attraction as well. Horseback riding, hikingHiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, and mountain biking the trails are available on the mountain, with zipline, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
available further down by the Meadow Village, which sits at an elevation of 6800 feet (2,072.6 m), between the ski area and US-191
U.S. Route 191
U.S. Route 191 is a spur of U.S. Route 91 that has two branches. The southern branch runs for 1,465 miles from Douglas, Arizona on the Mexican border to the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. The northern branch runs for 440 miles from the northern part of Yellowstone National Park to...
.
Fly fishing
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
and whitewater rafting are popular on the Gallatin River
Gallatin River
The Gallatin River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 120 mi , in the U.S. states of Wyoming and Montana...
. Lake kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ing is available at Hebgen Lake 50 miles (80.5 km) south. Big Sky is a convenient and comfortable base camp for excursions into nearby Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
.
Lone Peak Tram
The Lone Peak Tram is a lift at the Big Sky Resort that begins at the top of the Lone Peak Triple chairlift and unloads at the summit of Lone Mountain at 11,166 feet (3403 m). Opened in the fall of 1995, the tram is a four-minute ride for 15 passengers, climbing 1450 vertical feet (442 m) over a distance of 2828 feet (862 m), with two cabins traveling in opposite directions. It provides access to the most difficult terrain at Big Sky Resort and nearby Moonlight Basin. Construction was completed by the high-altitude construction firm Matrix, based in AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
Big Sky's neighbor on its north boundary is Moonlight Basin
Moonlight Basin
Moonlight Basin is a ski resort in southwestern Montana, located in the Madison Range of the Rocky Mountains near the resort village of Big Sky...
, opened in 2003. It originally began as Moonlight Basin Ranch, a real estate development stemming from the 1992 purchase of 25,000 acres (101 km2) from Plum Creek Timber
Plum Creek Timber
Plum Creek Timber is the largest private landowner in the United States. Most of its lands were originally purchased, or otherwise acquired as timberland....
Company. Both Big Sky and Moonlight Basin operate completely on private land.
Resort statistics
ElevationSummit (Lone Peak) - 11166 feet (3,403.4 m)
Base (Mountain Village) - 7510 feet (2,289 m)
Base (Lone Moose) - 6800 feet (2,072.6 m)
Ski Terrain
3812 acres (15.4 km²) - 150 named runs covering over 85 miles (136.8 km) on three separate mountains.
Slope Difficulty
- 20% expert
- 40% advanced
- 26% intermediate
- 14% beginner
Vertical drop
- 4350 feet (1,325.9 m), 3640 feet (1,109.5 m) continuous
Longest Run: Liberty Bowl to Mountain Mall - 6 miles (9.7 km)
Average Lift Line: Consistently recognized in national ski magazines for short or non-existent lines.
Average Winter Daytime Temperature: 20 °F (-6.7 °C)
Average Annual Snowfall: 400 inches (10.2 m)
Lift Capacity: 23,000 skiers per hour
Ski Season Opens: November 26, 2009
Ski Season Ends: April 11, 2010
Snow Conditions Phone Line: 406.995.5900
External links
- Big Sky Resort.com — official site
- Ski MT.com — official state site
- All Big Sky Montana — community guide
- Montana River Action.org — river concerns, greater Big Sky area
- Washington Post.com — "Plenty of Snow for Everyone", by T.R. Reid (10-Dec-2006)
- MSRmaps.com — USGS topo map and aerial photo