Big Sky Resort
| Big Sky | |
|---|---|
Big Sky Resort in 2006
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| Location |
Big Sky, Madison County, Montana  United States
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| Nearest city | Bozeman - 50 mi (80 km) |
| Coordinates | 45°15′0″N 111°25′0″W / 45.25000°N 111.41667°WCoordinates: 45°15′0″N 111°25′0″W / 45.25000°N 111.41667°W |
| Vertical | 4,350 ft (1,326 m) total |
| Top elevation | 11,166 ft (3,403 m) |
| Base elevation | 6,800 ft (2,073 m) Lone Moose 7,500 ft (2,286 m) Mountain Village |
| Skiable area | 5,800 acres (2,347.2 ha) |
| Runs | 250+ - 15% beginner - 25% intermediate - 60% advanced |
| Longest run | 6 miles (10 km) |
| Lift system | 30 lifts |
| Snowmaking | 10% |
| Website | bigskyresort.com |
Big Sky Resort is a 5,800-acre (2,300 ha) ski resort located in southwestern Montana in Madison County, an hour south of Bozeman via U.S. Highway 191 in Big Sky, Montana.
Big Sky Resort opened in late 1973. In October 2013, Big Sky Resort became the largest ski resort in the United States by land area with 5,800 acres (2,300 ha) and a vertical drop of 4,350 ft (1,326 m). In July 2013, Big Sky Resort acquired 200 acres (81 ha) on Spirit Mountain, previously a private ski mountain for Spanish Peaks members, which is accessible by chairlift. In October 2013, Big Sky Resort acquired the terrain and facilities of Moonlight Basin, a neighboring resort that shared the northern exposure of Lone Mountain.
Big Sky Resort also offers meeting space for conferences, weddings, and corporate retreats.
The resort was the vision of NBC News anchorman Chet Huntley, a Montana native. Big Sky opened in December 1973 with a main base area at an elevation of 7,510 ft (2,289 m) above sea level on the eastern face of Lone Mountain, 11,166 ft (3,403 m), the sixty-seventh highest mountain in Montana, and the seventh-highest mountain in the state outside of the Beartooth Range.
The first four lifts installed were the gondola and three chairlifts. The enclosed gondola carried four skiers per cabin and climbed 1,525 ft (465 m) to 9,040 ft (2,755 m). The nearby Lone Peak triple chairlift provided the lift-served maximum of 9,800 ft (2,987 m), unloading at the bowl 1,366 ft (416 m) beneath Lone Mountain's summit, providing a vertical drop of just under 2,300 ft (701 m)). The "Explorer" double chair served novice terrain just above the base, and the Andesite double climbed the north face of adjacent Andesite Mountain to 8,700 ft (2,652 m). This lift was renamed Ram's Horn in 1978, and replaced with the Ramcharger high speed quad in 1990.
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