Boyne Resorts Winter 2025/26 Upgrades: New Lifts, Snowmaking, and Mountain Improvements

Boyne Resorts Rolls Out New Lifts, Dining Options, and Snowmaking Upgrades Across North American Properties

Boyne Resorts has been quietly transforming its portfolio over the past five years, installing more than 20 new chairlifts across its properties. This winter brings another round of upgrades, from lift replacements to expanded snowmaking systems, along with some interesting dining concepts that go beyond the standard base lodge fare.

For skiers considering a North American trip, Boyne's properties span from Michigan to Montana, offering everything from accessible East Coast options to genuine big-mountain terrain out west. Here's what's changed for the 2025/26 season across their network.

Big Sky Resort, Montana

Big Sky continues its aggressive expansion programme with the new Explorer Gondola—the resort's 13th lift installation in a decade. This creates a proper base-to-summit network that delivers riders to the top of Lone Peak, where a glass viewing platform called Kircliff sits cantilevered off the 3,403-metre summit.

Off the mountain, M by the Alinea Group starts a limited winter residency in December, while the One&Only Moonlight Basin—the brand's first ski property—opens in November. Big Sky has transformed considerably from its roots, though whether that's entirely positive depends on your perspective regarding resort development.

The Summit at Snoqualmie | Alpental, Washington

Alpental is replacing the old Edelweiss chairlift (Chair 2 to locals) with a new triple chair. The upgrade brings a 40% increase in uphill capacity, cuts ride time by 30%, and finally adds a safety bar. More importantly, it improves access to some genuinely challenging terrain in the Pacific Northwest.

Alpental has always punched above its weight for steep, technical skiing—this upgrade should help manage queues without fundamentally changing the mountain's character.

Sunday River, Maine

Sunday River is adding a new booster pumphouse that doubles snowmaking capacity on Barker and Locke peaks. For a resort that typically opens in early November, enhanced snowmaking infrastructure makes practical sense given climate variability.

The Igloo returns for its third season—a large après-ski structure at the base. The Jordan 8 chairlift features weatherproof bubble chairs with heated seats, which sounds excessive until you've experienced a genuinely cold New England day.

Sugarloaf, Maine

Sugarloaf marks its 75th anniversary while continuing expansion efforts. Last season saw the West Mountain Expansion add 49 hectares of intermediate and beginner terrain with a new high-speed quad. This winter, they're developing Snowcross, a new slopeside accommodation neighbourhood.

They've also launched a bike park that's gaining attention as New England's newest lift-serviced downhill mountain biking destination—extending the revenue calendar beyond winter.

Loon Mountain, New Hampshire

Loon's 60th season focuses on snowmaking improvements at North Peak and a new carpet lift called Little Sass designed specifically for first-timers. The resort is also upgrading the Sarsaparilla Carpet's terminals for smoother loading and unloading.

These aren't headline-grabbing changes, but they address practical operational issues that affect the actual skiing experience.

Brighton Resort, Utah

Brighton operates Crest 6, apparently Utah's fastest chairlift, and benefits from Big Cottonwood Canyon's substantial snowfall. This winter brings The Holiday House—a mid-mountain, Christmas-themed lodge operating throughout the holiday season.

They're also offering private dining in repurposed gondola cabins outside Snake Creek Lodge. It's an interesting use of old lift equipment, though the appeal of dining in a stationary gondola cabin probably varies by individual.

Boyne Mountain, Michigan

Boyne Mountain, which opened in 1949 and ran the Midwest's first eight-place chairlift, is adding the Iglu Snow & Ice Bar—a mountaintop après option near SkyBridge Michigan, which claims to be the world's longest timber-towered suspension bridge.

The bridge sits more than 30 metres above the Boyne Valley and operates during autumn for foliage viewing. It's an interesting off-season attraction that helps justify year-round operations.

The Highlands, Michigan

The Highlands installed the Midwest's first six-place chairlift and is now planning something completely different: the Swing & Slide Golf Challenge in spring 2026. Participants will play five holes of snow golf while simultaneously skiing down to the base area.

This sounds either brilliant or ridiculous depending on your appetite for novelty winter activities. Either way, it's certainly different.

Cypress Mountain, British Columbia

Located 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver, Cypress is expanding its tube park from five to eight lanes in a new central location with better access to facilities. The resort offers downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and tubing—effectively serving as Vancouver's accessible winter recreation area.

Pleasant Mountain, Maine

Pleasant Mountain, an hour from Portland, Maine, joins the New England Gold Pass alongside Sunday River, Sugarloaf, and Loon. This matters if you're considering a New England ski trip with multi-resort access, though Pleasant Mountain operates as the smaller property in that network.

The Broader Picture

Boyne Resorts operates 12 properties including 10 ski resorts across Michigan, Montana, Washington, Maine, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Utah, and British Columbia. They employ over 10,000 staff during peak season.

The consistent investment in lift infrastructure over five years suggests a company taking a long-term approach to capital expenditure rather than waiting for equipment to fail. Whether all these dining concepts and novelty experiences represent genuine improvements or just Instagram-friendly marketing opportunities probably depends on what you value in a ski resort.