Big Sky Celebrates 25 years of the Tram

Michael FultonMichael Fulton
Level Up Your Ski Day — Download SnowStash on the App Store

2020 wasn’t the best year for many people however at the end of 2020 the Big Sky Lone Peak Tram celebrated its 25th birthday, to celebrate Big Sky dropped this epic short film which dives into the history, design and construction of the infamous Lone Peak Tram.The Lone Peak Tram at Big Sky Resort whisks skiers and riders up a sheer vertical face and delivers them to a skiing paradise at the top of Lone Mountain. At the summit, there are 360-degree views of 3 states, 2 national parks, countless peaks, and distant mountain ranges. It's mind blowing.Riders looking to take on the Big Couloir will have to find the right day, line up with the impressive views and then load onto the tram (with only 14 other riders) before taking what could be the more exhilarating run on their life. HERE ARE 20 COOL FACTS ABOUT THE LONE PEAK TRAM:Construction began on June 4, 1995 and the Tram opened to the public on December 23, 1995 for the 1995/1996 season.When the tram opened it tripled the amount of expert terrain and expanded the mountain by 50% - adding over 1,200 acres.Construction required 3000 helicopter flights to haul workers, equipment, and materials to the summit.The Tram is a Doppelmayr lift built by Matrix construction from Alaska, a firm specializing in high altitude and arctic conditions.The inside of the two tram cabins was originally painted pink to have a calming effect on passengers.The tram delivers passengers to 11,150' and they can walk to the summit of Lone Mountain at 11,166'.The Tram travels 2,828' and covers 1,450 vertical feet in 4 minutes.Both Tram cars received new windows, exterior artwork, and durable linings in 2007.It's six miles to ski from the top of the Tram to the Mountain Village via Liberty Bowl.The Lone Peak Tram allows hardcore skiers to ski 4,350 vertical feet in one run.The Tram can transport up to 15 people up the mountain at a time.The Lone Peak Tram cost $3 million to construct.A model of the Tram was blown up in Warren Miller's 1996 ski film Snowriders.The Tram is powered by a 250-horsepower high speed electric motor.The Tram rides on a mile long cable that is almost 2 inches thick.It is the fastest lift on the mountain at 13 MPH.It can transport up to 120 people per hour.The tram accesses signature ski descents like Liberty, Lenin, Dictators, Marx, Gullies, the North Summit Snowfield, and the Big Couloir.Anyone who can ski a groomed blue run (Upper Morningstar) can take the Lone Peak Tram up for a scenic ride.The Interactive Tram Cam brings the views of the tram to you.

Big Sky Bowls.jpg

It is truely a one of a kind ride in North America and also the gateway to Big Sky’s newly rated Triple Black Diamond runs down the many faces of Lone Peak (not for the faint hearted or unskilled). Make sure you follow us on our socials!

About the author

Michael Fulton

Michael Fulton

Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.

50+ resorts visited15 years skiing

Keep reading

More from the SnowStash desk

Ski-E-O! Is the Ski Resort Tycoon Game We Didn't Know We Needed

Ski-E-O! Is the Ski Resort Tycoon Game We Didn't Know We Needed

I'm not a gamer. I'm a skier and snowboarder who happens to have a laptop. So when a ski resort management game called Ski-E-O! landed on Steam, I wasn't expecting to lose an afternoon to it - but here we are. Real mountain terrain, a full weather system, storms that roll in and wreck your snow base, avalanche danger, and enough depth to make RollerCoaster Tycoon feel simple by comparison. Early access lands in November. Here's what a few hours in the free demo actually looks like.

23 Aug 2026
Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola

Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola

The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.

23 Aug 2026
Two Confirmed Dead as Search Continues After Swiss Alps Fire

Two Confirmed Dead as Search Continues After Swiss Alps Fire

The death toll from Thursday night's fire at Restaurant Beverin in Thusis, Switzerland, has begun to firm up. One Swiss outlet, citing Graubünden Cantonal Police, reports that two of the five people initially reported missing have now been confirmed dead, leaving three unaccounted for. The building's collapsed stairwell and structural instability have slowed recovery efforts throughout. Here's what's changed since the fire broke out, and what's still unconfirmed.

22 Aug 2026
Selwyn Snow Resort Closes Early as Rain Ends Its 2026 Season

Selwyn Snow Resort Closes Early as Rain Ends Its 2026 Season

Selwyn Snow Resort has called an early end to its 2026 season, a day after Victoria's Mount Baw Baw did the same. Rain on Thursday stripped what was left of the snowpack, and the cold nights needed to rebuild it through snowmaking never arrived. It's a rough result for a resort that only just found its footing again after being burned to the ground in the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires and a multi-year rebuild. Here's how the season fell apart, and where Selwyn's been since the fire.

22 Aug 2026
Mt Baw Baw Becomes First Australian Resort to Close for 2026

Mt Baw Baw Becomes First Australian Resort to Close for 2026

Mt Baw Baw is calling time on its 2026 season this Sunday at 5pm, becoming the first Australian resort to close for the year after warm spells and rain wore through its snowpack. Lifts stop, but the resort stays open, entry fees get waived, and there's one last Bollywood Weekend before the lights go out. Fifty-seven days after opening, here's how the season ended and what it means for the rest of Australia's struggling snowpack.

21 Aug 2026
Arosa to Replace 40-Year-Old Hörnli Lifts With New Gondola and Chair

Arosa to Replace 40-Year-Old Hörnli Lifts With New Gondola and Chair

Arosa's Hörnli sector is getting its biggest overhaul in decades. The 1986 gondola and 1994 chairlift linking toward Lenzerheide are both being replaced, with capacity up, tower count down and a new base station lower on the hill. At roughly CHF 67 million, it is the largest single investment Arosa Bergbahnen has ever made - and the target opening has already slipped a year, to December 2028. Here is what is changing, and why the timeline moved.

20 Aug 2026
Sundance Mountain Resort Is Getting a New High-Speed Quad and More Back Mountain Terrain This Winter

Sundance Mountain Resort Is Getting a New High-Speed Quad and More Back Mountain Terrain This Winter

Sundance Mountain Resort's back mountain is finally getting a proper lift. The Electric Horseman Express opens for 2026-27, unlocking a new bowl next to Bishop's Bowl and three expert gladed chutes across roughly 105 fresh acres - on top of the Storyteller ridge run that debuted in preview form last season. It's Sundance's biggest expansion since 1985, and it turns a three-lift slog into a single six-minute ride to Bearclaw Summit.

19 Aug 2026
Levi and Ruka Confirm October 2 Opening on Farmed Summer Snow

Levi and Ruka Confirm October 2 Opening on Farmed Summer Snow

Finland's Levi and Ruka open for the 2026-27 season on October 2, more than seven weeks before most of Europe sees a lift turn. Neither resort is waiting on autumn snowfall - both are skiing on snow buried since last spring, insulated through the Finnish summer and dug back out for opening day. It is not a shortcut. It is a decades-old system now spreading from the Arctic Circle to Idaho, Utah, Vermont and Colorado. Here is how snow farming actually works, and why it is catching on.

19 Aug 2026