BIG SKY, Mont. — The old Six Shooter lift on the northside of Big Sky Resort was one of the slowest and coldest lifts in North America, as reported by shivering locals and resort staff. Six Shooter and its squeaky bull wheels vanished piece by piece over the last 12 months, as Big Sky installed its new Madison 8, the longest eight-place chairlift in the world.
The Madison 8 and other remarkable upgrades at Big Sky place it ahead of its upscale ski resort rivals in an ongoing lift technology arms race playing out between the top resorts in North America. Big Sky, with its marketing materials promising “the biggest skiing in America,” can now whisk 2,745 skiers per hour up from the Madison Base Area to world-class ski runs in the Headwaters and Moonlight Basin.
A blue pulldown bubble and heated seats will comfort skiers as they travel 6 meters per second (13 mph), arriving at the top in eight minutes, which is 30% faster and 100% quieter than Six Shooter. Squeaking sounds from the lift towers are now replaced by a quiet whoosh of air coming from passing chairs headed downhill.
Jaime Teigen, whose husband Caleb was the project manager for the Madison 8 installation, jumped at the chance to be one of the first skiers to ride the new lift before its grand opening Dec. 20.
“It was one of the smoothest rides up there. It couldn't be a better start to the Madison 8,” said Teigen, whose husband along with Big Sky’s team of architects, lift techs and construction contractors completed the project in 12 months to the day it was first announced.
The construction crew survived a helicopter mishap, which damaged a lift tower, and it overcame all the weather and logistical challenges that come with building anything in an extreme, alpine environment.
“I think this is going to bring a few more people over here, spread people out,” said Teigan, hinting at the overall strategy behind Big Sky’s big push into cutting-edge lift technology. The resort is striving for a future where more skiers crowd Big Sky’s slopes, but the skiers don’t feel like the slopes are crowded.
Disperse Crowds With Lift Tech
“Since Big Sky 2025 was announced nine years ago, we’ve had an ambition to create North America’s most technologically advanced lift network,” said Troy Nedved, the resort’s president and COO, during the grand opening celebration for the Madison 8 and a new gondola connecting the Madison Base Area to a new luxury hotel. “Madison 8, our 12th new lift installed since 2016, certainly makes this a reality.”
Back in 2016, Big Sky announced more than $150 million in resort improvements as it tried to declare itself “the American Alps.”
“I know I will say that our 2025 vision was extremely bold,” said Nedved. “Our next announcement, which will be in the coming year or so, it's going to be even more bold.”
The new Lone Peak Tram, which accesses the top of 11,167-foot Lone Mountain, boasts five times the capacity of the old tram.
And next season, Big Sky plans to replace one of its last rickety old lifts with the Explorer Gondola.
“That machine is enormous, and that's going to be ready for next winter,” said Nedved. “I would argue that we've accomplished more in the last nine years than probably any other ski area, certainly in North America, maybe the world.”
That matters because infrastructure improvements support Big Sky’s overall strategy heading into an uncertain future for ski areas dealing with a diminishing snowpack and competition from the likes of Deer Valley in Utah, Mammoth Mountain in California, Vail in Colorado and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, a close neighbor just a few hours south in Wyoming.
“We're playing the long game with all of these lifts and we're building our lift network to support what we see in five, 10, 15, 20 years,” said Nedved. “Visitation growth right now, even with the top year last year, has been pretty modest. So, our lift capacity and what we're building is certainly outpacing visitation right now, but we're doing it for the long game.”
Experiencing The One&Only
After a crowd surged through the Madison 8 lift line and made a couple of runs, many gathered again at the Madison Base Area to experience two more additions to Big Sky Resort: The One&Only Gondola and Moonlight Basin Sky Lodge.
The One&Only Moonlight Basin Sky Lodge, developed by Lone Mountain Land Company (LMLC), sets out to meet the expectations of travellers and skiers looking to spend time in five-star hotel rooms with breathtaking views and a lodge with excellent food and drink.
Kevin Germain, vice president of LMLC, reflected on the project’s long journey.
“I think the beginning was the first time I met anybody from the One&Only, and that was eight years ago, when that journey first started,” he said. “And, you know, the real journey — not to go way back — was really Lee Poole and his vision for Moonlight.”
Poole was the visionary behind Moonlight Basin, acquiring 25,000 acres of land in 1992 with plans for a luxury mountain community that prioritized environmental conservation.
However, his development dreams didn’t survive the 2009 economic crash, leading him to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009. Following Poole's financial struggles, Sam Byrne, through CrossHarbor Capital Partners, stepped in to acquire Moonlight Basin in 2013, alongside Big Sky Resort owner Boyne Resorts.
This acquisition happened during the resort's bankruptcy proceedings and resulted in the merger with Big Sky Resort, creating what they call “the biggest skiing in America.”
Poole died in 2015, and Byrne continued to build out Moonlight Basin, which sits at the terminus of a dead-end state highway and is surrounded by federally protected wilderness.
With the construction of the One&Only Moonlight Basin Sky Lodge, the community of Big Sky remains firmly in the same league as Jackson and Aspen when it comes to ultra-exclusive ski town properties.
Germain said as visitors ride the new One&Only Gondola connecting the modernist bar, restaurant and hotel to the ski area, “We get to see Sam’s vision, which has been in the works for 10 years, actually come to reality. He’s just been really hands on and really involved in that vision.
“This site has always been identified as a place for something significant. In my opinion, it’s the best site in all of Big Sky. We were very selective on who we partnered with, and we were introduced to the One&Only brand. That was synergy right from the get-go. They have such high standards, and we needed somebody with that level of service and those high standards for the site. I will challenge you to find a better spot for the views from here.”
Promotional materials for the One&Only Moonlight Basin describe the hotel as a place where guests can experience the awe-inspiring landscape without interrupting nature’s inherent rhythms.”
A crowd gathers for inaugural rides on Big Sky Resort’s new Madison 8 chairlift. (David Madison, Cowboy State Daily) 
Uphill travel and ambitions continue to expand at Montana’s Big Sky Resort, where the new Lone Peak Tram and Powder Seeker Six Pack try to thin crowds by quickly dispersing skiers around the resort. (David Madison, Cowboy State Daily) 
The One&Only, Big Sky’s newest lodging and aprés ski destination. (David Madison, Cowboy State Daily) 
The One&Only, Big Sky’s newest lodging and aprés ski destination. (David Madison, Cowboy State Daily) 
Big Sky Resort President and COO Troy Nedved and Lone Mountain Land Company President Matt Kidd ring the traditional Doppelmayr bell, given as a gift by the German ski lift company anytime a new Doppelmayr chair opens. (David Madison, Cowboy State Daily)
Improvements Continue In Jackson
While Big Sky keeps putting the “big” in ski area improvements, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) continues to return fire in the ski area arms race.
In 2024, JHMR replaced its Sublette lift with a state-of-the-art high-speed detachable quad, reducing ride time from eight minutes to just four. The new lift ascends about 1,600 vertical feet at a speed of 1,000 feet per minute, creating a new traverse into the scenic Tensleep Bowl.
In tandem with the lift upgrade, JHMR also expanded its culinary offerings, debuting two new restaurants in December 2024. Tram Dock, located at the base of the Aerial Tram, replaces the former RPK3 restaurant and Trapper's is situated at the Sweetwater Gondola Mid-Station.
For many skiers, all the bells and whistles are nice, but what they value most is great snow and a long ski season. In these competition categories, the results are mixed. Big Sky logged more days of operation at 159 compared to JHMR’s 143 operational days during the winter of 2023-2024.
As for the stat true powder hounds monitor most closely, JHMR came out on top last ski season, receiving an ample 447 inches of snowfall. Big Sky, meanwhile, saw a scant 212 total inches fall.
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
