Read skier and snowboarder-submitted reviews on Big Sky that rank the ski resort and mountain town on a scale of one to five stars for attributes such as terrain, nightlife and family friendliness. See how Big Sky stacks up in the reviews, on and off the slopes, from skiing and family activities to the après scene. Read up on pros, cons and other comments in reviews left by fellow skiers and riders. Don't forget to submit your own Big Sky review! Scroll to the bottom of this page to let other travelers know about your skiing and resort experience.
Reviews for Big Sky
Total (3.9)
A ski resort's overall star rating displayed here is not calculated based on a simple average but takes several factors, including the age of a review, into account.
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colin
Big sky lives up to its name. It is one of the biggest ski resorts in North America behind only Park City, Whistler Blackcomb, and Vail(maybe?). One of the biggest strengths about Big Sky is the scenery. While yes, Lone Peak is a beautiful unmistakable mountain, but the surrounding mountains are stunning as well, one of which that you can see particularly well looking south from the peak is Pioneer Mountain, which looks like it could be part of big sky but it isn't unfortunately you will never get to ski there, at the Yellowstone Club. Big Sky sees good but not great snow every year, but the variety of aspects combined with the wind that frequently happens in Big Sky mean that 4" of new snow can ski like a foot if you can find the place where the wind is loading it, also it has snowmaking on a few trails and due to its high elevation, it holds snow well. As for terrain, the beginner experience is quite good compared to other destination mountains. They recently replaced an ancient chair with a new gondola serving the main beginner terrain at the resort, which improves the beginner experience because chairlifts can be harder to load for beginners. Other good beginner terrain pods are derringer, southern comfert, spanish peaks. One thing that the gondola also brings is the ability of foot passengers to access the peak and the new Kirkcliff observation deck, which is both a positive and a negative, tram lines get longer but it brings a beautiful mountain experience to foot passengers.
For intermediates, there's a lot to like here. There are at least intermediate runs down almost every major lift, and the "double blue" rating is exactly what it sounds like, just a steeper or more techy blue square that might be black at another resort. Best intermediate pods: Swifty, powder seeker, ramcharger, thunder wolf, madison, lone tree. Also, Big sky boasts a great terain park setup. For advanced and experts, big sky starts to open up. The easier end of single black diamonds typically lie in semi-steep mogul fields and trees, but some of the black diamods are harder then others, but they are rated similarly and consistently across areas. Double and triple black terrain at big sky is always steep and sometimes technical. Please remeber that an unassuming double black may get a lot harder later down. For triple blacks, there is some aspect of the terrain that makes it harder. For example, Otter slide, while being short, is incredibly steep and exposed, and the big couloir, while not technical, is steep and sustained. Good advanced terrain pods: Challenger, Dakota, Thunder wolf, Lone tree. Good expert terrrain pods: Headwaters (watch for the hike, terrifying on windy days), Thunder wolf (only in high tide), Lone peak tram.
Lifts: Big Sky has maybe the most technologically advanced lift system in North America, but that doesn't mean it is the best. While lifts like Ramcharger, Swift Current, and Madison, are fast, heated, come with bubbles, and fit 6-8 people, some slow lifts in many areas feel bad and old, like Iron Horse, and lifts like Thunder Wolf, while being High-speed, are incredibly old and prone to closures. Also, a lack of redundency anywhere in the lift system except for Explorer/Swifty leads to some big lines.
CONS:
Snow could be better, while big sky receives great snow, it is on the worse end in terms of Rockies destinations. If consistent powder is your goal, Big sky will be a good but not great choice, and you may be better off at snowbird, alta, or jackson hole. The value is not good, unless you have an Ikon pass and a friend with a condo there. Lodging is incredibly expensive, and with lift tickets reaching $300 on peak days, you might go broke. Expert terrain is generally very hard to reach. While Big sky's extreme terrain is wonderful, it is very removed from the rest of the resort. While you can access runs like the dictator chutes and north summit easily from the tram, you have to spend money, to ride a ski lift!! that's horrible!!!! unless you have a lift ticket, which nobody should be buying in this day and age. The tram is a beautiful experience and should be ridden at least once or twice on your trip. Otherwise, both sides of headwaters ridge holds harrowing lines, but the hike is very sketchy. Also, navigationally, Big Sky is pretty hard to get around, you cannot reach Madison Base from the top of the Swifty lift, you have to take either Iron Horse or Challenger.
Chase Hoyer
Access & Parking
I like Big Sky a lot, which is why this is frustrating to say—but access to the mountain is becoming a real issue.
On busy days, especially powder days, it can feel like getting to the lifts is harder than it should be. The mountain has incredible terrain and lift capacity, but the parking and overall access just don’t seem to keep up when demand is high.
What makes it harder to ignore is where the resort seems to be putting its money. There’s clearly been a push toward high-end upgrades—new installations, premium features, and even things like switching over to Rivians for shuttle transport. That all looks great, but from a skier’s perspective, it’s tough to reconcile when basic access—like parking capacity and flow—still feels like an afterthought on peak days.
A recent example: with limited terrain open, access was funneled into fewer areas, but there didn’t seem to be much adjustment in how parking was handled. I ended up getting turned away from a large, mostly empty lot near an open lift because it’s reserved for employees and private property access—with no clear alternative provided. Seeing that much unused space while public access is strained is hard to ignore.
For pass holders—especially those with blackout dates—weekdays and storm days are when we actually get to ski. When access becomes the biggest hurdle, it really takes away from the experience.
Big Sky has everything it needs to be one of the best resorts out there. It just feels like priorities are slightly out of balance right now—investing heavily in the experience, but not enough in making sure people can actually get to it.
Caleb
They should make their season pass cheaper
hennebruce
I have been coming to big sky since its inception in 1973 when only the Huntley Lodge and Mountain Lodge were here. Even then the skiing was amazing. It expanded lifts every year and became out family's vacation week of choice leading to us buying a timeshare condo week in mid March when the temperatures were best for snow and comfortable skiing especially at the higher elevation lifts. We moved out east in the early 80's and had season tickets to the local slopes and traveled to the Vermont top rated resorts but the lines were intoleratable long (around 1 hour) and the snow was fine icy texture compared to the premium snow in Big Sky. Then we tried Lake Tahoe Palisades but were again disappointed. My son got a job at vail for a season and it was good overall but lacked the snow quality and atomosphere of Big Sky. So it was clearly apparent from actually skiing these areas that Big Sky was above all the rest. I had the chance to go to Whistler and liked the town like atmosphere but the skiing was again not equal to Big Sky. The other factors such as cost of travel are also a toss up for the big US resorts but really only consider the northern Rockies resorts worth spending money to go to. Big Sky is about 50 miles south of the conveniet Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. Ski rentals and tune up shops are plentiful and cheap compared to the Utah and Colorado expensive resorts. These overall qualities of the Big Sky terrain, consistent predicable snow weather and cool night time activities for singes or the whole family have unfortunately (from my selfish perspective) attracted faster expansion of additional ski resorts and the rich and famous preferred North America ski destination driving prices up for skiing. So package deals are necessary for us regular folk but still -- Big Sky is -- Simply The Best.
A Stempel
Big Sky pampers members of the 3-Commas-Club with luxurious lifts serving mostly over-groomed mild blue runs, or extreme terrain at the peak - and very little in between. After 3 days, we took a day at Bridger which we preferred despite the slower lifts.
Will not return to Big Sky.
Chrissie Spanton
We had an amazing time at Big Sky Resort from Dec 22-Jan 20, 2025. The skiing was incredible—plenty of variety for all skill levels, and the mountain is absolutely beautiful. We spent most of our time on the slopes and had several lessons with different instructors (Sean S, Griffin, Pedro, Seth, Shawn R, Luke, Andrew, Sierra, Mike, Marco, Dave and Tara). Every single one was fantastic—knowledgeable, patient, and really made our experience better. The instructors truly work hard, and we felt they should be paid more for the value they provide.
The resort itself was well-kept, and the vibe was very laid-back and friendly, but there were a few things we felt could be improved. A couple of the lifts were down for maintenance more often than we expected, which was a bit frustrating during peak times. It would also be great if there was a smoothie bar or something along those lines for a healthy snack after skiing—it felt like a missing piece for a resort of this caliber.
Overall, Big Sky is an amazing place for skiing, but with a bit more attention to lift reliability and the addition of a few extra amenities, it could be even better. Highly recommend the resort for its overall experience, especially if you're an avid skier!
Matt
I love this mountain. It is great for people looking for an awesome ski experience. The runs are long and the lift lines are short, especially once you get away from the base area. The terrain is vast. I never get bored here. I have skied all over Colorado, Utah, Idaho, California, Vermont and Canada. Big Sky is my favorite place to ski.
The amenities on the mountain are good but a bit limited. The amenities have gotten better every year. If you are looking for a ritzy and pampered resort experience, Big Sky may not be the right place for you. If you are looking for a great ski mountain with a laid-back feeling in a beautiful location, Big Sky is perfect.
Brody Smith
They have great skiing and high tech lifts that are very comfortable, and I just love their terrain.
MARK HANSON
Love Big Sky especially later in winter. Terrain is massive. Folks are nice
Jack S
All in all, Big Sky is one of my favorite resorts and I have skied much of Colorado and even some Canadian resorts. Big Sky is huge, and even on a busy day the lift lines are not bad, especially when you get higher on the mountain. The terrain is great, but the problem is in order to get to the peak you need to pay to get on the loan peak tram.
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