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Big Sky

Where Big Sky’s numbers come from

66 observations from 8 publishers behind 24 figures. Each row gives the figure we publish, how many sources gave one and how many agree; open it for what each said.

Figures

11/11 core figures collected.

How a figure is chosen
Summit elevation11,166 ft4 sources4 of 4 agreefrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Mountain InformationPublishedSep 2026“Summit Elevation: 11,166 feet”
OnTheSnow — Big Sky Resort OverviewSep 2026“Summit of Lone Peak at 11,166 ft down to the base at 7,500 ft; vertical drop of 4,350 ft”
Wikipedia — Big Sky ResortSep 2026“Big Sky's main summit (Lone Peak) sits at an elevation of 11,166 feet.”
Wikipedia — Moonlight BasinSep 2026“top_elevation = 11166 ft”
Highest lift-served elevation11,161 ft1 source1 of 1 agreefrom OpenSkiMap.org (OpenStreetMap contributors, Skimap.org)
OpenSkiMap — Big Sky ResortPublishedSep 2026“Top of the highest mapped lift: 3,402 m (11,162 ft)”
Base elevation7,500 ft5 sources4 of 5 agree · differfrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Mountain InformationPublishedSep 2026“Mountain Village Base Area 7,500’ Madison Base Area 7,400’”
OnTheSnow — Big Sky Resort OverviewSep 2026“Summit of Lone Peak at 11,166 ft down to the base at 7,500 ft; vertical drop of 4,350 ft”
Wikipedia — Big Sky ResortSep 2026“Big Sky opened in December 1973, with its main base area at an elevation of 7,510 ft (2,290 m) above sea level, on the eastern face of the 11,167-foot (3,404 m) Lone Mountain”
Mapcarta — Big Sky Mountain Village (hamlet, Madison County, Montana)Sep 2026“Big Sky Mountain Village is a hamlet in Madison, Montana and has an elevation of 7,448 feet.”
Wikipedia — Moonlight BasinSep 2026Differs: 7,000 ft “base_elevation = 7000 ft”
Advertised vertical drop4,350 ft4 sources4 of 4 agreefrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Mountain InformationPublishedSep 2026“4,350 vertical feet”
Ikon Pass — Big Sky Resort Is On Ikon PassSep 2026“Big Sky offers 5,800 skiable acres to complement 4,366 feet of vert.”
OnTheSnow — Big Sky Resort OverviewSep 2026“Summit of Lone Peak at 11,166 ft down to the base at 7,500 ft; vertical drop of 4,350 ft”
Wikipedia — Big Sky ResortSep 2026“Big Sky Resort opened in late 1973 and has 5,850 acres of terrain with a vertical drop of 4,350 feet.”
Lift-served vertical3,661 ftNo sources:Derived

Computed from highest lift-served elevation and base elevation, not read from a source.

= highest_lift_served_elevation_ft − base_elevation_ft

Skiable acres5,850 ac7 sources6 of 7 agree · differfrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Mountain InformationPublishedSep 2026“300 degrees of skiing across 5,850 acres of diverse terrain”
Big Sky Resort — Blog: 50 Years of Big Sky Trail MapsSep 2026“Big Sky Resort stretches across 5,850 acres of skiable terrain, accessed by 38 lifts and over 300 named trails.”
Ikon Pass — Big Sky Resort Is On Ikon PassSep 2026“Big Sky offers 5,800 skiable acres to complement 4,366 feet of vert.”
Mountain Collective — Big Sky Ski Pass and Lift TicketsSep 2026“Mountain Collective passholders can access Big Sky Resort's over 5,800 acres of skiable terrain.”
OnTheSnow — Big Sky Resort OverviewSep 2026“5,850 acres of skiable terrain with 317 named trails”
Wikipedia — Big Sky ResortSep 2026“Big Sky Resort opened in late 1973 and has 5,850 acres of terrain with a vertical drop of 4,350 feet.”
Wikipedia — Moonlight BasinSep 2026Differs: 1,900 ac “skiable_area = 1900 acre”
Named trails3203 sources2 of 3 agree · differfrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Mountain InformationPublishedSep 2026“320 Named Runs”
Wikipedia — Moonlight BasinSep 2026“number_trails = 76+”
OnTheSnow — Big Sky Resort OverviewSep 2026Differs: 317 “5,850 acres of skiable terrain with 317 named trails”
Longest run2.8 mi1 source1 of 1 agreefrom Wikimedia Foundation
Wikipedia — Moonlight BasinPublishedSep 2026“longest_run = 2.8 mi”
Beginner terrain21%1 source1 of 1 agreefrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Mountain InformationPublishedSep 2026“Terrain breakdown: 21% Beginner, 15% Intermediate, 14% Advanced-Intermediate, 31% Advanced, 11% Expert, 8% Extreme”
Intermediate terrain29%1 source1 of 1 agreefrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Mountain InformationPublishedSep 2026“Big Sky Resort offers the following terrain distribution: 21% Beginner, 15% Intermediate, 14% Advanced-Intermediate, 31% Advanced, 11% Expert, 8% Extreme”
Advanced terrain31%1 source1 of 1 agreefrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Mountain InformationPublishedSep 2026“Terrain breakdown: 21% Beginner, 15% Intermediate, 14% Advanced-Intermediate, 31% Advanced, 11% Expert, 8% Extreme”
Expert terrain19%1 source1 of 1 agreefrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Mountain InformationPublishedSep 2026“Big Sky Resort offers the following terrain distribution: 21% Beginner, 15% Intermediate, 14% Advanced-Intermediate, 31% Advanced, 11% Expert, 8% Extreme”
Advanced + expert terrain50%No sources:Derived

Computed from advanced terrain and expert terrain, not read from a source.

= advanced_percent + (expert_percent ?? 0)

Beginner runs67No sources:Derived

Computed from beginner terrain and named trails, not read from a source.

= round(beginner_percent × trail_count ÷ 100)

Terrain parks63 sources1 of 3 agree · differfrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Mountain InformationPublishedSep 2026“Big Sky Resort has six parks.”
OnTheSnow — Big Sky Resort OverviewSep 2026Differs: 5 “Features five terrain parks, 80 park rails”
Wikipedia — Big Sky ResortSep 2026Differs: 7 “Winter activities include skiing and snowboarding, seven terrain parks, zip-line, and snowshoeing”
Night skiingYes1 source1 of 1 agreefrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Signature Experiences | Things to DoPublishedSep 2026“Big Sky offers Headlamp Night Skiing on freshly groomed slopes of Andesite Mountain under the stars, with riders using the Ramcharger 8 chairlift equipped with heated seats and weatherproof bubbles.”
Total lifts403 sources2 of 3 agree · differfrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Mountain InformationPublishedSep 2026“40 chairlifts & surface lifts”
Wikipedia — Big Sky ResortSep 2026“The resort has 40 lifts, of which ten are detachable lifts.”
OpenSkiMap — Big Sky ResortSep 2026Differs: 45 “Lifts mapped in OpenStreetMap: 25 chairlifts, 3 gondolas, 1 aerial tram, 8 platter lifts, 8 magic carpets (45 in all)”
Uphill capacity42,000 /hr1 source1 of 1 agreefrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Mountain InformationPublishedSep 2026“40 Lifts 42,000 uphill capacity per hour”
Average annual snowfall400 in3 sources2 of 3 agree · differfrom Big Sky Resort
Big Sky Resort — Mountain InformationPublishedSep 2026“averages 400 inches of snowfall a year”
Wikipedia — Moonlight BasinSep 2026“snowfall = 400 inches”
OnTheSnow — Big Sky Resort OverviewSep 2026Differs: 265 in “Big Sky gets an average annual snowfall of 265 inches of snow per year and on average has 70 snowfall days”
Drive from the fly-in airport1 h 15 min2 sources1 of 2 agree · differfrom aurora.ski
Drive from Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) to Big Sky, estimated on roads open on 20 January 2027PublishedSep 2026“Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) to Big Sky: 1 h 15 min and 55.7 mi by road without traffic, on roads open on 20 January 2027 (Valhalla routing on OpenStreetMap)”
Big Sky Resort — Flying To Big Sky | Direct FlightsSep 2026Differs: 1 h “Bozeman and the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport are about an hour's drive from Big Sky Resort through the scenic Gallatin River Canyon”
Drive from nearest major airport1 h 15 min2 sources1 of 2 agree · differfrom aurora.ski
Drive from Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) to Big Sky, estimated on roads open on 20 January 2027PublishedSep 2026“Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) to Big Sky: 1 h 15 min and 55.7 mi by road without traffic, on roads open on 20 January 2027 (Valhalla routing on OpenStreetMap)”
Big Sky Resort — Flying To Big Sky | Direct FlightsSep 2026Differs: 1 h “Bozeman and the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport are about an hour's drive from Big Sky Resort through the scenic Gallatin River Canyon”
Road miles from nearest major airport55.7 mi1 source1 of 1 agreefrom aurora.ski
Drive from Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) to Big Sky, estimated on roads open on 20 January 2027PublishedSep 2026“Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) to Big Sky: 1 h 15 min and 55.7 mi by road without traffic, on roads open on 20 January 2027 (Valhalla routing on OpenStreetMap)”
Drive from closest airline airport1 h 15 min2 sources1 of 2 agree · differfrom aurora.ski
Drive from Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) to Big Sky, estimated on roads open on 20 January 2027PublishedSep 2026“Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) to Big Sky: 1 h 15 min and 55.7 mi by road without traffic, on roads open on 20 January 2027 (Valhalla routing on OpenStreetMap)”
Big Sky Resort — Flying To Big Sky | Direct FlightsSep 2026Differs: 1 h “Bozeman and the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport are about an hour's drive from Big Sky Resort through the scenic Gallatin River Canyon”
Road miles from closest airline airport55.7 mi1 source1 of 1 agreefrom aurora.ski
Drive from Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) to Big Sky, estimated on roads open on 20 January 2027PublishedSep 2026“Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) to Big Sky: 1 h 15 min and 55.7 mi by road without traffic, on roads open on 20 January 2027 (Valhalla routing on OpenStreetMap)”

Pages cited

Every source behind the figures, passes and facts, best tier first.

Other facts

Where the page's other facts come from: its location, website, owner and the like.

Nearest major airport
Passenger boardings by airport, calendar year 2024: BTS T-100 airline traffic (U.S. airlines, domestic flights)
Closest airline airport
Passenger boardings by airport, calendar year 2024: BTS T-100 airline traffic (U.S. airlines, domestic flights)
Airports the resort recommends
Big Sky Resort — Flying To Big Sky | Direct Flights
Coordinates
Wikivoyage — Big Sky travel guide
Website
Big Sky Resort — Home
Lift ticket page
Big Sky Resort — Winter Tickets
Owner
Big Sky Resort — Historic Timeline
Year opened
Big Sky Resort — Historic Timeline
Mountain range
GMBA Mountain Inventory v2.0 (standard): mountain range outlines, with each ski area placed where its runs and lifts are
Mountain range
Wikipedia — Lone Mountain (Montana)
Nearest city
Wikipedia — Big Sky Resort

Operating status

The sources that list this area, and what each says about whether it operates.

  • operatingBig Sky Resort · Tier 1 · 2026-09-28…king Guests Explorer Gondola, Lone Peak Tram, & Kircliff Coming soon for winter 2026-27 View Details Updated Benefits Freestyle Season Pass Three to seven days at Big… (https://www.bigskyresort.com/winter-tickets)
  • operatingAlterra Mountain Company (Ikon Pass) · Tier 2 · 2026-09-28Big Sky Resort, MT — 26/27 Ikon Pass: Per resort (7 days)
  • operatingThe Mountain Collective · Tier 2 · 2026-09-28Big Sky Resort — Big Sky Resort, MT; 2 days at Big Sky Resort; NO BLACKOUT DATES
  • operatingIntermountain Ski Areas Association · Tier 2 · 2026-09-28Listed by Intermountain Ski Areas Association: "BIG SKY"
  • operatingWikimedia Foundation · Tier 3 · 2026-09-28* Moonlight Basin – Big Sky
  • operatingLift Blog · Tier 3 · 2026-09-28Big Sky: 30 operating lift(s) — Bear Back (Platter), Cabin (Triple), Cascade (Triple), Challenger (Triple), Dakota (Triple), Derringer (Quad), Explorer Gondola (Gondola 10), Headwaters (Double), Highlands (Triple), Homer (Platter), Iron Horse (Quad), Jayhawk (Triple), Lewis & Clark (High Speed Quad), Little Thunder (Double), Lone Moose (Triple), Powder Seeker (High Speed Six), Lone Peak Tram (Tram 75), Lone Tree (Quad), Madison 8 (High Speed Eight), One&Only Gondola (Gondola 8), Pony Express (Triple), Ramcharger 8 (High Speed Eight), Sacajawea (Triple), Shedhorn 4 (High Speed Quad), Southern Comfort (High Speed Quad), Stagecoach (Double), Swift Current 6 (High Speed Six), Thunder Wolf (High Speed Quad), Tweener (Platter), White Otter (Double); 15 removed/not operating
  • operatingOpenSkiMap.org (OpenStreetMap contributors, Skimap.org) · Tier 5 · 2026-09-28Big Sky Resort — status: operating; activities: downhill, nordic; lifts mapped: 45; downhill runs mapped: 458; Big Sky

Data quality notes

  • warningAdvertised vertical 4350 ft exceeds summit − base (3666 ft)