Avalanche
During avalanche mitigation work on Wednesday, February 5, an avalanche was triggered in the Bone Crusher area at Big Sky Resort, Montana, before the resort opened. A significant amount of snow was deposited in and around the upper lift terminal of Swift Current 6.
The Big Sky Resort Ski Patrol team immediately verified all team members were accounted for without injury. According to protocol, the lift was stopped before explosive use. As a result of the slide and lift stoppage, the ski patrol team conducted a rope evacuation of seven team members who were on the lift.
“This morning’s events reinforce why we conduct thorough avalanche mitigation work before opening to the public. Our ski patrol and mountain operations teams executed their safety protocols while managing the situation professionally and efficiently.”
– Tom Marshall, the resort’s general manager of mountain experience
Big Sky Resort thanks its guests for their patience and understanding. The lift will remain closed while mountain operations teams complete snow removal and conduct a thorough evaluation before reopening to the public. As information becomes available, the lift’s status will be updated.
Due to extremely high winds, openings in the upper mountain terrain will be delayed. Big Sky Resort has seen up to 18″ of fresh snow in the last week, 251″ all season, and at its deepest has a 70″ base, 108% of the average.
This serves as a critical reminder to always respect all posted closures and safety boundaries at the resort.
Thank you to the ski patrol and mountain operations teams for their expert handling of this situation.
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