Mountain Review: Big Sky
MOUNTAIN SCORE
NOTE: This review does not cover the Lone Peak Tram, access to which is not included with a regular ticket or pass. For the Big Sky experience with this extra-cost add-on, see our review here.
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria
9
Snow:
8
Resiliency:
9
Size:
9
Terrain Diversity:
8
Challenge:
6
Lifts:
6
Crowd Flow:
5
Facilities:
3
Navigation:
9
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
On-site Lodging: Yes
Apres-ski: Moderate
Pass Affiliation: Ikon, Mountain Collective
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Snow quality
Size
Diverse terrain for all ability levels
Extremely demanding expert runs
Breathtaking scenery in upper mountain areas
– Cons
Ease of navigation
Slow or issue-prone lifts in some areas
Crowd flow under stress-case conditions
Inconvenient or impractical on-mountain facilities
Limited or difficult extreme terrain access
Tram access an extra-cost add-on
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 37
Trails: 300
Beginner: 15%
Intermediate: 25%
Advanced/Expert: 60%
VIDEO
Mountain Review
Just off Yellowstone National Park in the heart of Montana’s Rockies, Big Sky boasts more than 5800 acres in one of the most remote locations of any North American resort. The mountain offers abundant terrain for skiers of all ability levels, but increased crowds in recent years have stressed the mountain’s infrastructure.
Big Sky’s snow is hard to beat. The resort sees some of the best North American ski resort accumulation in an average season and holds its snow well thanks to consistently cold temperatures. The resort employs early season snowmaking to ensure a resilient base layer of snow.
Big Sky’s terrain diversity is also hard to top. The resort offers a lot to like for skiers of all ability levels. Multiple mountain areas—including some fairly high-elevation ones—offer beginner terrain, a rarity among large Western ski resorts. While there are no green trails going from Madison Base to the Mountain Village, most beginners should be able to handle the blue Fast Lane connector trail. Intermediate options are plentiful as well, with a mix of varied groomers, glades, and bowl runs. For relatively advanced skiers, there’s a lot to like too—steep, ungroomed terrain abounds here. The resort also boasts a range of small-to-large freestyle features over 7 terrain parks, including one—the Cache—consisting entirely of natural features.
But where Big Sky really stands out is in its extreme terrain. The snow fields off Lone Mountain are unlike any other in the country; making your way to these will get you extremely demanding terrain sandwiched between lines of exposed rock. These runs can become quite steep and formidably narrow at times, and if you take the wrong path (or right one, if you so choose), you’ll be going over cliffs or rocks to get to the bottom.
For 2019-20, Big Sky introduced the triple-black diamond rating for its most formidable runs. This terrain is extremely dangerous or prone to avalanches and can seriously injure you—or worse—with one wrong move. As a result, Big Sky highly recommends bringing an avalanche beacon and shovel on all of these runs and requires doing so on the Big Couloir, North Summit Snowfields, and Upper A-Z Chutes. The three aforementioned areas are limited access and require signing in and out with a patroller to ski—if you’re caught breaking the rules on either of these, you’ll be banned from the resort for life. Be sure to invest in some avalanche gear if you plan on doing these runs. The resort conveniently offers a beacon training area for those wishing to learn how to properly use this equipment.
Don’t expect easy access to any of Big Sky’s triple-black runs. The only direct triple-black lift service comes from the Lone Peak Tram, which only carries 15 people per tram car and has historically generated lines of up to a few hours long. For 2021-22, Big Sky has removed Lone Peak Tram access from base ticket and pass products, including partner passes such as Ikon and Mountain Collective, and is requiring an extra-purchase add-on sold in daily increments. Those who opt not to get the Lone Peak Tram add-on will miss the resort’s toughest lift-serviced lines, highest skiable elevation, and most astounding views.
The resort’s other triple-blacks are located at the uppermost Headwaters area, and they are perilously difficult to reach. Getting to these lines requires a technically exasperating, wind-exposed hike across a narrow path with a rock wall to the left and a steep drop to the right.
Across the rest of the resort, lift service is decent but lacking in some dimensions. Big Sky’s four bubble lifts, including the impressive, heavily publicized Ramcharger eight-pack and brand new Swift Current six-pack, provide comfortable seating and welcome isolation from the elements. Multiple other resort areas boast high-speed lift service as well. However, some major mountain sections and all residential areas maintain slow, fixed-grip lift service.
Big Sky doesn’t always see the crowds that other Rockies resorts get thanks to its remote location. But there are very few redundancies in Big Sky’s lift setup—and when there’s a powder day or busy weekend, the mountain struggles to handle the crowds. Alternatives to major lifts are typically slow, out of the way, or difficult to find, making them undesirable. Many resort lifts don’t have any alternatives at all, creating choke points. The worst offender is the Six Shooter chair—this lift offers the only access from the entire Madison Base side back to the rest of the resort, and multiple trails from other lifts filter into it. To make matters worse, the lift is prone to mechanical problems. At a ski area of this magnitude, there should really be more options.
Partially as a consequence of Big Sky’s size and relatively recent acquisitions of the previously independent Moonlight Basin and Spanish Peaks areas, getting around the mountain can be tough. It takes relatively flat traverses to get between major mountain areas; the trails to and from the Dakota and Shedhorn areas are essentially catwalks. Signage is inconsistent—some signs provide clear information on how to reach noteworthy lifts and trails, while others are poorly placed or omit important details. Many signs point to the resort’s Mountain Village but don’t tell you what lifts are down there; this is even more confusing now that multiple base areas exist. Even worse, very few signs point to the Madison Village base area, which is unintuitively located above the lifts that service it and not accessible from most trails on that side of the mountain.
On-mountain facilities could use some work as well. The resort offers a convenient on-mountain complex at the Mountain Village base with multiple dining options, but other large facilities are inconveniently placed, difficult to find, or impractically fancy for a day of skiing.
The resort features snack bars and bathrooms at some major lifts; however, very few of them are marked on the trail map. Some of the bathrooms are port-a-potties and sporadically closed.
Lone Mountain's jarring terrain gives Big Sky its one-of-a-kind look. But the resort offers other incredible views as well—lower areas look onto lines of mellower, tree-capped mountains, while upper areas have direct lines of sight to other extreme-featured, snow-capped peaks. Despite build-up at the bases, the resort features multiple isolated areas that feel completely removed from the outside world. In addition to incredible views of Lone Peak, the Shedhorn and Dakota areas offer views of the ultra exclusive members-only Yellowstone Club, giving most people the closest taste of that resort they’ll ever get.
Lodging
Big Sky offers multiple nice but expensive lodging options on-site. Options span the entire base of the mountain and range from hotels to condos to exclusive clubs like Spanish Peaks and Moonlight Lodge. The Saddle Ridge and Powder Ridge condos are great choices for large groups and reasonably priced if you book early enough before the season. All somewhat cheap alternatives for smaller groups are at least a 10 minute drive from the mountain—the relatively close town of Bozeman offers very cheap lodging but requires at least an hour’s drive to get to and from on a nice day.
Apres-ski
Big Sky boasts enjoyable bars in its Mountain Village base area, but don’t expect the extensive nightlife you’ll find at some other Rocky Mountain resorts. There are plenty of restaurants and small bars in the Meadow area a few miles down from the resort.
Verdict
Big Sky does have a few problems that may turn some people away. But the resort gets the fundamentals right, with quality snow, enjoyable slopes for all ability levels, and some of the most extreme skiing you’ll find anywhere. It’s also worth noting that the resort plans to address many of its lift, crowd flow, and on-mountain facility opportunities in the coming seasons. Lift tickets aren’t cheap—and neither are flights and lodging options—but for many, this mountain will be worth it.
NOTE: Mountain Score criteria for this resort were adjusted on May 1, 2022 and April 11, 2021.
