Big Sky Announces 2020-21 Operating Plans, May Add Bootpack to Lone Peak
In a letter to skiers and riders today, Big Sky released their initial 2020-21 winter operating plan. The massive Montana resort will open for the season on November 26.
The resort plans to run all its lifts, including the Lone Peak Tram. With the exception of the Ramcharger 8-pack and tram, no visitors will be required to ride with guests outside their party. Singles lines will be eliminated, and lift queues will be reconfigured to facilitate social distancing. The resort is also introducing a new first-tracks program, which will allow limited access to the Ramcharger 8 lift starting at 8am—one hour before the lifts open to the public. The program will run between December and March and require advance purchase for ticket and passholders.
Capacity on the Lone Peak Tram may vary to provide a “safe and reasonable” experience for visitors. To compensate, the resort may add a bootpack—or a route for guests to hike up to the terrain—from the top of the Dakota lift to the summit of Lone Mountain. However, nothing has been finalized in this regard.
Face masks will be mandatory on lift lines and while riding lifts, but not everywhere on the resort premises. Facilities will remain open next season with social distancing guidelines in place, and the resort’s Lone Peak Playhouse childcare facility will operate with enhanced safety protocols.
Lift tickets and a limited number of season passes went back on sale today. Lift tickets are available for every day of the season, and 1-day adult tickets currently range from $56-$179 (we expect prices to rise later). An adult Double Black Season Pass with unlimited tram access costs $1,499, while a Black Season Pass with 7 days of tram access costs $1,299. A Blue Season Pass with blackout dates and no tram access is also available for $809. A Gold Season Pass adds an Ikon Base Pass to the Double Black pass and costs $1,799 for adults.
If the resort doesn’t operate for 140 days next season, season passholders will receive a prorated rollover value. Passholders can request a full deferment to 2021-22 for any reason before December 10, 2020. At this point, it doesn’t look like there’s a refund or deferral policy for lift tickets—we’ve reached out to the resort for comment.
Season passholders will not need to make reservations to access the mountain. However, Ikon and Mountain Collective passholders will need to make reservations to use their days at Big Sky. Details for those reservation systems have not been announced yet, although the resort says they do not intend to limit access to the mountain at this time.
Our Take
Like most other mountains that have made 2020-21 operating announcements so far, it seems like Big Sky plans to operate as close to normal as they can next season. While it hasn’t been confirmed, the bootpack to Lone Peak could substantially improve access to that area for those looking to earn their turns. While the hike will likely be long and tough, it beats the potential wait times for the tram, which even in previous seasons could take hours. Such a plan would mirror the one Jackson Hole plans to implement for access to Rendezvous Peak. We really hope Big Sky follows through with this plan and considers maintaining it for future seasons.
It’s a little surprising to see the resort considering forcing people in different groups to ride up the Ramcharger 8 together (it’s more understandable on the 15-person tram). However, the popular lift has no alternatives and can become a chokepoint, so it’s possible the resort concluded that a single-group loading policy would lead to a buildup of lines and worse social distancing problems than the plan they went with.
Like a few other destinations on the pass, it looks like Big Sky will require reservations for Ikon Passholders. While some may find it shocking that this remote Montana resort will see lift restrictions while many easier-to-reach Ikon resorts will not, this policy makes sense through the lens of the resort’s day-ticket strategy. It doesn’t look like Big Sky plans to cut down much on day-ticket sales this winter—this is in contrast to many of Ikon’s resorts, which will essentially be keeping spots open for passholders by severely limiting single and multi-day ticket offerings next season.
It’s solid that Big Sky season passes will not come with any restrictions. These passes likely only make sense for a small subset of Montana residents, but they come with very strong pass protections. However, assurance policies for lift tickets are currently unclear, and it might be a bit risky to purchase them now.
For more on Big Sky, check out our review here.
