Big Sky Swift Current 6 Upgrade Under Construction

In recent weeks, Big Sky has made considerable progress on its Swift Current 6 lift upgrade project. This new six-pack bubble chair, which will replace the outgoing Swift Current high-speed quad, has seen both its haul rope and chairs arrive on-site. The new chair, which Big Sky claims will be the fastest six-pack chairlift in the U.S., is set to debut at the start of the 2021-22 season.

This expansion was originally set to open for the 2020-21 season, but it was delayed due to the impacts of COVID-19.

Long lines for the Swift Current high-speed quad in February 2020. This lift has been removed and construction on the its bubble six-pack replacement is underway.

Our Take

Big Sky’s Swift Current lift provides the only direct access from the main base area to more than half the mountain, and the existing high-speed quad setup struggles to keep up with demand, leading to lengthy waits on busy days. The chair extends almost 8,500 feet from base-to-summit, and as it currently stands, the long, cold lift ride leads to a less-than-ideal guest experience.

With the Swift Current 6 upgrade, Big Sky aims to kill two birds with one stone, bringing both a capacity upgrade and a much more comfortable, insulated ride. We’ve ridden Big Sky’s other Doppelmayr bubble lift—the Ramcharger 8—and found it to be the most comfortable chairlift we’ve ever tried. We expect Swift Current 6’s uphill capacity increase to reduce congestion on busy days, leading to shorter lines. That being said, we don’t expect this upgrade alone to fully solve the area’s crowd flow problems; the new Swift Current lift will still provide the only direct lift service from the main base to upper-mountain areas, and the lack of good alternatives may result in the six-pack remaining somewhat of a chokepoint.

We’re also curious to see what—if anything—happens with the outgoing Swift Current high-speed quad. When it was replaced a few years ago, the Ramcharger quad was re-utilized to upgrade the Shedhorn chair to a high-speed lift. It remains to be seen if Big Sky has similar plans for Swift Current—several areas around the resort are still plagued by slow, fixed-grip lift service and could use the upgrade.

Considering a trip to Big Sky next winter? Read our comprehensive mountain review here. Additionally, check out our Rockies rankings.