Vision for the future

Big Sky Resort celebrates the grand opening of the Explorer Gondola and Kircliff, marking the completion of Big Sky 2025 and cementing the resort’s position as home to North America's most technologically advanced lift network.

The Explorer Gondola replaces the resort's last original chairlift. Built on Doppelmayr's next-generation D-Line platform, Explorer is the fastest 10-person gondola in the world, featuring 83 spacious Omega V cabins with heated seats and floor-to-ceiling windows. A mid-mountain station provides convenient access to premier beginner terrain, creating seamless connectivity for families and ski groups.

The gondola's upper terminal connects directly to the lower terminal of the iconic 75-passenger Lone Peak Tram, enabling a seamless fifteen-minute journey from valley floor to summit.

Perched at 11,166 feet atop Lone Peak, Kircliff debuts as an alpine observatory unlike anything else in the American West. The striking glass structure, cantilevered over the mountain's edge, delivers sweeping 360-degree vistas across three states and two national parks, from Yellowstone to the Tetons. A dramatic transparent floor creates the sensation of floating above Lone Peak's legendary terrain, where the immensity of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem unfolds in breathtaking panorama.

Together, the new infrastructure enables scenic guest passage from base to summit for the first time in resort history.