On the morning after a snowfall, there's nothing like being in the first group of skiers or snowboarders to get onto a trail.
That was my family and me, along with Lina, our Swedish ski guide and instructor, who knew just where to find the best powder and tree trails at Montana's Big Sky resort.
We were taking advantage of Big Sky's First Tracks program, offering access to the slopes from 8 to 9 a.m., before the mountain opens to the general public. It enables skiers and snowboarders to carve fresh tracks off the Ramcharger 8 lift before it opens to everyone else.
It was also cold, as the Rocky Mountains should be at 8 in the morning in early March. But we hardly felt it sitting on the Ramcharger 8 "bubble" chairlift. Like a gondola, the lift was warm, with heated seats and a protective blue bubble fending off the cool air. Unlike a gondola, we loaded quickly and didn't have to remove our skis or snowboards.
The Ramcharger lift was installed in 2018 as the first eight-seat chairlift in North America. Last year, Big Sky added the world's longest eight-seater (8,631 feet), the Madison 8, its third bubble lift. Both are part of a massive, decadelong improvement plan that started in 2016 with a $150 million price tag but has since widened in scope significantly. (Owner Boyne Resorts no longer discloses the project's costs.)
Called Big Sky 2025, the addition of those high-speed lifts has meant big cuts in waits for lifts and ride time. Madison 8, for example, nearly doubled uphill capacity and reduced ride time by 30%, to 8 minutes. The third bubble lift, the Swift Current 6, opened in 2021 and increased uphill capacity out of the Mountain Village base area by up to 50%.
Lone Peak can be reached via Big Sky's Lone Peak Tram, which opened in 2023 and can accommodate up to 75 people at a time. Photo Credit: Chris Kamman @skylabmediahouse
A tram worth the ride
A centerpiece of the project was the addition of the Lone Peak Tram at the base of Big Sky's bowl, about 9,000 feet up. Opened in 2023, it takes as many as 75 people to the 11,166-foot Lone Mountain peak, famed among the advanced set for its trails and chutes, including triple black diamond runs.
The new tram replaced one that took up 15 people at a time, enabling five times more access to the peak. The terminal's base is a stunning glass-dome structure with 400 inch-thick glass panels inspired by snowflakes, protecting riders from the elements while waiting to load.
For guests like me, the 3.7-minute ride up is worth it just for the view, which on a clear day includes three states (Montana, Wyoming and Idaho) and two national parks (Yellowstone and Grand Teton). In summer, the tram is fitted with glass floor panels to provide views below as it travels as high as 300 feet above the ground.
Lone Peak access will get even easier next year when Big Sky debuts one of the final pieces of the project, the Explorer Gondola, which will replace an original, circa-1970s two-person chairlift. Shuttling up to 10 people per cabin from the Mountain Village to the tram terminal, it will enable full pedestrian access from the base to Lone Peak.
Big Sky's Madison 8, the world's longest eight-seater chairlift, was installed last year. Photo Credit: Johanna Jainchill
Room for a crowd
This being my first visit to Big Sky, I couldn't compare the current experience with what it was like before the project. But several guests I spoke to said the new lifts make the rides more comfortable, the lines shorter and that there are more and better options for staying and eating.
I do know that Big Sky quickly rose to the top of my list of favorite ski resorts. Aside from the long, wide trails, a big reason is that we were there during spring break, when occupancy was high and only getting higher due to a few days of fresh snow. So we fully expected to spend a lot of time on lift lines. That didn't happen.
Big Sky is huge: It has 40 lifts, and its 5,850 skiable acres make it the third-largest ski resort in the U.S. While some lifts were clearly more popular than others, the high-speed bubble chairs made the lines at those popular spots move quickly.
And Lina, our ski instructor and guide, knew just where to go and when to avoid any potential crowds. She also showed us some of the hidden gems we would never have found on our own, such as flowy tree trails that even a novice to the glades like me could handle. Another great advantage of having a guide for a family like mine is that she could peel off with my son to ride black diamond trails while I stayed on the blues.
Uncle Dan's Cookies, a Big Sky institution since 1985, serves paninis and cookies at the base of Madison 8. Photo Credit: Johanna Jainchill
She also introduced us to what became our favorite lunch spot at the base of Big Sky, Westward Social, and knew just when to arrive to avoid the rush. The gnocchi with mushroom ragu and crispy rosemary was a crowd-pleaser.
But with so much mountain to see and ski, our go-to spot for quick fuel was Uncle Dan's Cookies, a Big Sky institution since 1985. The popular shack at the base of Madison 8 serves paninis and those cult-status cookies. I was partial to the oatmeal raisin.