Big Sky just finished a decade of building, and the timing could not be better for your trip.
On December 20, 2025, Big Sky Resort cut the ribbon on the Explorer Gondola and Kircliff, completing the ten-year, $150-million-plus transformation first announced in 2016. Twenty new lifts in ten years. Boyne Resorts CEO Stephen Kircher called it the most significant transformation in North American skiing history, then added that they are "just getting started."
Translation for you: everything is now built, open, and running. The 2026/2027 season is the first full winter where you get all of it at once.
And the rest of the world noticed. Big Sky landed SKI Magazine's number one resort in the West, Expedia's 2026 Destination of the Year, Conde Nast Traveler's number two ski resort in the US, and a spot on the BBC's six best places to ski. Book early, that's our best advice!
Step 1: Pick Your Dates
The 2026/2027 season runs daily from November 25, 2026 through April 11, 2027, with bonus weekend access Friday through Sunday on April 16 to 18 and April 23 to 25, conditions permitting.
Big Sky averages 400+ inches of snowfall a year, and expanded snowmaking covers the gaps. Here is how the season breaks down:
- Late November and December: early-season value, holiday energy, and the lowest crowds outside of Christmas week.
- February and March: the sweet spot. Deepest base, most consistent storm cycles, and the cold, dry Montana snow the mountain is known for.
- April: spring corn, long daylight, sunshine, and the best prices of the season.
Our guide to the Best Time to Ski in Big Sky breaks it down further. Off-slope guided activities and Yellowstone winter tours generally run December through March, so build those into your dates too.
Plan Around These 2026/2027 Events
- Best in the West Skijoring returns in February 2027. After a hiatus in 2026, the horses-pulling-skiers-over-jumps spectacle comes back at a brand-new venue in the heart of Town Center, on Aspen Leaf Drive. If you have never seen skijoring, plan a trip around it.
- The Spring Series turns The Bowl into an open-air amphitheater for four consecutive Saturdays in April, with top-tier electronic artists and spring corn underfoot.
Check our Big Sky winter event guide for the full calendar before you lock in dates.
Step 2: Arrange Your Travel
Getting here is easier than the map suggests. Big Sky is one of the most well-connected mountain destinations in the country, with direct flights from 19 cities and 21 airports into Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN), and up to 45 flights per day in peak season. Bozeman now offers more flights from the Northeast than any other ski destination.
Even better, arrivals before noon from more than a dozen major cities mean same-day skiing is realistic. Fly out in the morning, ride the lift in the afternoon.
BZN sits about an hour north of Big Sky through the Gallatin River Canyon. Three things to know:
- Uber and Lyft do not operate in Big Sky. Arrange a shuttle, private driver, or rental car in advance. Do not land assuming you can summon a ride.
- Reserve rental cars early, and book AWD with snow tires for winter. Demand is high and the canyon road is a real mountain road.
- BZN is mid-construction on a $190 million terminal expansion, so allow extra time on departure day, especially weekend mornings.
Or skip the car entirely. The Skyline Bus runs zero-fare service throughout Big Sky year-round, with on-demand rides through the Big Sky Connect app. Book a centrally located rental and you may never need to drive.
Our guide to Getting To and Around Big Sky covers every shuttle operator, rental agency, and parking change for this season.
Step 3: Plan Your Tours and Activities
Our team lives here, and we book these activities for guests all winter. The good operators fill up, particularly over holiday weeks.
Download the Big Sky Vacation Guide app for current local resources, or start from one of our ready-made plans: the 3-Day and 5-Day winter itineraries. Then customize from there.
Step 4: Ski the Biggest Mountain in America
5,850 acres. 4,350 vertical feet. 320 named runs across four mountains. 40 lifts. Seven terrain parks. An average of roughly one acre per skier means the scale actually translates into space rather than lift lines.
The 50/50 split between beginner-intermediate and advanced terrain is the underrated part. Nearly 3,000 acres of approachable groomers and mellow trees sit alongside the couloirs and bucket-list descents off Lone Peak, so mixed-ability groups genuinely work here.
What Changed for Lift Tickets This Season
Two updates matter more than anything else on this page:
- The Lone Peak Tram and Kircliff are now included with every lift ticket. The tram used to be a separate per-ride fee you could not buy in advance. That is over.
- Ikon and Mountain Collective passholders no longer need reservations. Walk up, scan, load. Note that those passes do not include tram access, so enable Tram Autocharge before you travel.
Buy lift tickets early for the lowest price, and know that the Easy Change policy allows a full refund up to 48 hours before your start date. Kids 6 and under ski for $1 a day.
Kircliff and the Explorer Gondola
Kircliff is a glass alpine observatory at the summit of Lone Peak at 11,166 feet, the highest scenic overlook in Montana. For the first time ever, the summit is reachable without skis and without hiking a step, which means grandparents, toddlers, and the friend who came for the hot tub all get the same view. Three states, two national parks, and a glass floor you can see straight through.
The 10-person Explorer Gondola that gets you started replaced the last original 1973 chairlift, and it runs base to summit in roughly fifteen minutes.
Lessons and Childcare
The Mountain Sports School covers private and group lessons, guided experiences with a pro, teen programs, adaptive instruction, and kids seasonal programs starting at age 3. Lift tickets are not included with lessons, so book both.
Traveling with little ones who are not skiing? The Lone Peak Playhouse takes children 6 months to 8 years, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, at Mountain Village and Madison Base. Reservations are required before arrival with payment in full, so handle this when you book lodging.
Save time by reserving lift tickets early, arranging gear rentals delivered to your door at a 15% guest discount, or shipping your own gear ahead.
Step 5: Choose Some Off-Slope Winter Activities
Whether you do not ski at all or you just want a rest day, Big Sky has a full second vacation waiting off the mountain:
- Snowshoe and Nordic ski the quiet trails, including the groomed network at Lone Mountain Ranch
- Winter fly fishing on the Gallatin River, because the trout do not hibernate
- Snowmobile or dog sled through the canyons
- A western-style sleigh ride dinner at Lone Mountain Ranch, which is exactly as good as it sounds
- Fat biking, spa days, and plenty more
Step 6: Spend Time in Big Sky Town Center
Town Center is where the community actually eats and gathers, and it has the deepest concentration of restaurants, breweries and apres ski bars in the valley, with daily happy hours and live music.
The Marty Pavelich Ice Rink sits right in the middle of it. Open skating is free and open to the public, skate rentals are available steps away at East Slope Outdoors, and you may catch a local hockey game or a curling league in progress. Managed by the Big Sky Community Organization, which posts a weekly schedule. Check signage at the rink, since it can supersede the posted times.
See our updated guide to the best restaurants in Big Sky Town Center before you make dinner plans.
Step 7: Visit Yellowstone National Park
A Big Sky winter trip is not complete without a day in Yellowstone. You are only about 50 miles from the West Entrance, which makes Big Sky an ideal base camp for the version of the park most people never see.
Winter is arguably Yellowstone at its best: geysers steaming against snow, bison shaking off frost, wolves visible against white, and a fraction of the summer crowds. Sightsee from a heated snowcoach or take a guided snowmobile tour, with winter tours departing directly from Big Sky. Book these early, since operator capacity is genuinely limited in winter.
Step 8: Book Your Stay With Big Sky Vacation Rentals
Now pick a neighborhood to match how you actually want to spend the week:
- Mountain Village puts you walking distance from Big Sky Resort and the new Explorer Gondola.
- Moonlight Basin is slopeside with Spanish Peaks views and quieter access from the Madison Base.
- Meadow Village sits closest to Town Center, the ice rink, and the Nordic trails.
- Powder Ridge offers cabins right on the mountain.
Compare them all in our Big Sky Neighborhood Guide, or jump straight to ski-in ski-out rentals, multi-family homes, pet-friendly properties, or our Platinum Properties.
Come play in Big Sky this winter, but do not leave the planning to the last minute. From cozy Cowboy Heaven cabins for two to luxury ski-in ski-out lodges with unparalleled platinum perks, Big Sky Vacation Rentals represents the top properties in Big Sky and Moonlight Basin, backed by a local team and real guest services.
Check current specials, then book your winter vacation online or call us at 888-915-2787. We live here, we play here, we know Big Sky.
Season dates, event schedules, resort policies, and pricing are current as of publication and subject to change. Confirm details with Big Sky Resort and individual operators before booking.