Big Sky ski trips

Groups who want room, with every level in them. The resort rates 21% of its terrain beginner and half of it advanced, expert or extreme (Big Sky Resort), so first timers have their own slopes while strong skiers look up at Lone Peak.

The Lone Peak Tram climbs to the 11,166 foot summit, and the easiest way down from the top is Liberty Bowl, a single black diamond run; the resort itself suggests going with an instructor if you do not know the terrain. Beginners start lower down: the Explorer Gondola, out of Mountain Village, has a mid station built for access to beginner terrain (Big Sky Resort).

For a family with mixed levels we book private instruction by level rather than one lesson for everyone, and plan the day so the group meets again for lunch. Our guide to skiing with children covers how that works with young skiers.

Yes, since December 2025. The Explorer Gondola now runs from Mountain Village to the foot of the Lone Peak Tram, about fifteen minutes from the valley floor to the summit, and at the top the Kircliff observatory looks out across three states and two national parks (Big Sky Resort).

The resort says anyone can now reach the summit in winter, no skis required. That changes the day for a mixed group: the skiers who are ready ski down, and everyone else rides back. Every Big Sky lift ticket includes unlimited tram rides that day; Ikon and Mountain Collective passes do not, and are charged per ride (Big Sky Resort). We sort the tickets so nobody is turned back at the gate.

Between late November and early April. For 2026/27 the resort operates daily from November 25, 2026 to April 11, 2027, plus Friday to Sunday bonus weekends on April 16 to 18 and April 23 to 25, conditions permitting (Big Sky Resort). It averages 400 inches of snow a year.

Christmas, New Year and the February holiday weeks fill first, so for those dates we book the instructor before anything else. Our guide on when to book a ski trip covers the timing week by week.

Fly into Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, about an hour's drive through the Gallatin River Canyon, with winter nonstop flights from 19 US cities (Big Sky Resort). Uber and Lyft do not operate in the Big Sky area, so the transfer is booked ahead (Big Sky Resort).

We arrange the flights and transfers, with a private driver waiting at arrivals, and private charter into Bozeman when the schedule calls for it.

Mountain Village is the central base, at 7,500 feet, with lifts, ski school, dining and lodging around it. Madison Base is smaller and family oriented, linked to the mountain by the Madison 8 chairlift (Big Sky Resort). Down the valley, the town's Town Center and Meadow Village are joined to Mountain Village by the free Skyline bus (Big Sky Resort).

We do not sell from a fixed list of hotels. We look at who is coming, how each of them skis and how they like to spend the evening, then tell you where to stay, and why.

Everything between the flight and the last run: where you stay, a private instructor for each level, lift passes with the right tram access, transfers from Bozeman, equipment and a concierge on the ground, with one point of contact from the first message to the flight home.

Patagonia Living is a ski travel agency based in Patagonia and operated worldwide, and skiing is all it plans. The full list is in what a private ski trip includes. Plan your next trip with us: talk to us.