Big Sky Unveils New Tram on 50th Anniversary of Opening Day
Big Sky Unveils New Tram on 50th Anniversary of Opening Day
Published : 22-Dec-2023 03:54
Big Sky ski resort in Montana, one of the claimants to the largest ski area in North America (when the linked private slopes of Yellowstone Resort are included in the numbers) and home to one of the continent's biggest lift-served verticals, has opened its new Lone Peak Tram (cable car).
The new tram, opened 50 years to the day after Big Sky opened in 1973, carries guests to the resort's 11,166-foot summit and is a complete replacement of the original jig-back gondola built in 1995.
The new state-of-the-art aerial tram has been re-routed to carry more passengers up 2,142 vertical feet in more comfort than its predecessor and in just under five minutes.
"The original tram opened the high alpine terrain of Lone Mountain to skiers and riders, and the new tram is symbolic of the experiential transformation we are endeavouring to accomplish through our Big Sky 2025 vision," said Taylor Middleton, president and COO, Big Sky Resort. "This world-class summit experience is now serviced by a modern tram that will open up possibilities never contemplated until now, in both winter and summer."
After two years of construction and many more years of planning, the new Lone Peak Tram marks a significant milestone in the resort's 50th year. It allows for completely new ways to enjoy skiing the mountain's high alpine eastern and southern exposures.
The tram complex will evolve in the years ahead, with the addition of an 'observation experience' planned at the upper terminal in both the winter and summer season.
Plans for the tram also include an "architecturally stunning" lower terminal enclosure and a mountaintop food and beverage facility housed in the old top terminal of the original tram.
The new Lone Peak Tram is part of a base-to-summit lift network that will more fully come to life by the end of the decade, starting with the addition of the Explorer Gondola, scheduled to open for winter 25/26.
This new lift network will create improved access to the resort's learning terrain, accessible to pedestrians for the first time ever, and complemented with further new catering facilities.
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