Industry News
BIG SKY, Montana – December 20 – Big Sky Resort made history on Friday with the grand opening of the Madison 8 chairlift, furthering the resort’s position as the home of North America’s most technologically advanced lift infrastructure. The official ribbon-cutting ceremony and traditional Doppelmayr bell ringing celebrated the debut of the state-of-the-art D-line chairlift.
The installation of Madison 8, a cutting-edge eight-place D-line chairlift replacing the existing Six Shooter lift, will revolutionize the resort’s north side. This upgrade will position Big Sky Resort as the only North American ski resort boasting three bubble D-line lifts and two eight-place lifts. Madison 8 will significantly enhance the resort’s uphill capacity, transporting up to 2,745 skiers per hour at speeds reaching 13 miles per hour. As the world’s longest 8-place lift, it will reduce ride time by 30%, offering a comfortable 8-minute journey.
The new chairlift is designed with guest comfort and advanced technology in mind. Featuring Big Sky Blue bubbles, the chairs will have extra-wide heated seats, individual headrests, and footrests. The lift incorporates Doppelmayr’s innovative Direct Drive system for quiet operation and high efficiency. Additional features include an adjustable loading platform for safer boarding, automatic safety bars, and a whisper-quiet ride thanks to advanced rope design. The lift’s bottom terminal will be repositioned to improve queuing space, and a fully automated overnight storage system will enhance maintenance efficiency.
“Since Big Sky 2025 was announced nine years ago, we’ve had an ambition to create North America’s most technologically advanced lift network. Madison 8, our twelfth new lift installed since 2016, certainly makes this a reality.”
– Troy Nedved, the resort’s president and COO
The festivities also celebrated the grand opening of the One&Only Moonlight Basin gondola. A live DJ at the base of Madison 8 elevated the celebratory spirit while MAP Brewing offered samples of their latest collaboration in honor of the new lift—the specially crafted M8 Mountain Lager.
At an inclined length of 8,631 feet, Madison 8 now holds a record as the world’s longest eight-place chairlift installation.
With 16″ of fresh snow in the last week and a base of 34″, Big Sky Resort now has more than 4,200 acres of terrain open.
