New Big Sky Lone Peak Tram Moving to Per-Ride Charge

An artist’s rendition of the new Lone Peak Tram, which will continue to cost extra over the regular lifts but will now be priced per ride. Source: Big Sky

Montana’s Big Sky Resort is moving to a per-ride fee for the new Lone Peak Tram when it debuts in late 2023, according to a release put out by the resort. This brand new aerial tram, which will follow a much longer lift line than the current tram and boast room for 75 passengers (versus 15 for the current tram), is expected to cost anywhere from $10 to “$40+” per ride. Guests will need to enable autocharge to ride the tram next season, and pre-purchase ticket/pass add-ons will no longer be available. All ticket holders and most pass holders will need to pay this fee to ride the new tram; only Big Sky’s Gold and Double Black passes will include tram access with no extra cost.

This per-ride policy will supplant the per-day fee for the outgoing Lone Peak Tram; for the 2022-23 season, this daily fee ranged from $30-$100 depending on demand, with the rate rarely dropping below $70 on peak days. Next winter will mark the third season of extra-cost Lone Peak Tram access; the first daily add-on fee began in 2021.

Our Take

In certain cases, we expect guests to view this change as a good thing. Theoretically, a singular ride up the new tram should cost less than last season. Even those who ride the tram twice may save a few bucks on access. In addition, if multi-day vacationers choose to split a couple of tram rides over a few days, it’s now more cost-effective to do so.

But with this policy change, it’s now going to become more cost prohibitive to ride the Lone Peak Tram multiple times per day. While in years’ previous, lapping the tram was at least feasible once you paid the one-time daily fee, it’s now going to cost guests hundreds of dollars to do multiple laps off the top of Lone Peak. And potential visitors also shouldn’t forget that Big Sky is the only destination ski resort in North America that charges extra to ride any in-bounds aerial lift; no other resort in the country will introduce guests to this type of situation.

Ultimately, the biggest losers with this policy change will be those who plan to visit Big Sky specifically to spend time off the Lone Peak Tram terrain. But given the new tram’s more convenient location and higher capacity, it’s possible that Big Sky has determined that the per-ride access model will work better logistically with the new setup. We’re looking forward to returning the Big Sky next season to try out the new tram for ourselves.

For more on Big Sky, check out our full mountain reviews (both with and without tram access) and our Rockies resort rankings. Additionally, check out our Big Sky video review below.