Big Sky Resort's lifts started spinning on November 26, 2025. The Explorer Gondola and the glass summit house at its top, Kircliff, didn't open until December 20. The gondola replaced the last original chair from 1973, and its debut came about three and a half weeks into the season. This year, both are scheduled to open with the mountain itself, on November 25, 2026. That gap between the first lift turning and the new base-to-peak system running is closing, and for a Moonlight Basin homeowner who's here for the whole winter rather than visiting for a week, that difference matters more than any single amenity on its own.
Last winter was the Explorer Gondola's debut, and Big Sky Resort brought it online in stages alongside changes to ticketing and shuttles. This winter is the first time all of those pieces are in place for the full season.
The arrival changes are in place from day one
When the resort brought the Explorer Gondola online last December, it also reworked how people get to it. The shuttle system stopped serving the Lone Peak and Carpool Lots, because the new gondola base sits close enough to both that a shuttle stop became redundant. A new ticket and pass office opened at ground level in the gondola facility, along with SkyCard pickup boxes for anyone who bought tickets online in advance.
Those changes arrived together with the gondola on December 20, so last season began under the earlier arrangement and moved to the new one partway through. This year, the shuttle routing, the ticket office location, and the SkyCard boxes are the starting arrangement. If you're heading out for first tracks on November 25, plan around parking near the gondola and picking up pre-purchased tickets at its ground-level office.
The tram stopped being a decision you had to make
For years, riding the Lone Peak Tram meant paying a separate fee on top of your lift ticket, and that fee wasn't something you could lock in ahead of time. You showed up, you decided, you paid at the window. That's gone. Tram access, along with entry to Kircliff at the top, is now bundled into the standard lift ticket. A single full-day ticket, valid 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., now covers all open lifts and terrain including the tram, with no add-on required.
| 2025-26 season | 2026-27 season | |
|---|---|---|
| Explorer Gondola / Kircliff | Opened December 20, several weeks into the season | Open from opening day, November 25 |
| Tram access | Separate day-of fee, not purchasable in advance | Bundled into the standard lift ticket |
| Ticket office | Added at the gondola base starting December 20 | Available from opening day |
| Shuttle routing | Reworked for the gondola's arrival to skip Lone Peak and Carpool Lots | Same routing in effect from opening day |
As of September 2026, single-day tickets for the 2026-27 season start around $84 and climb as the date gets closer. That's worth knowing before the season opens rather than after, especially now that a tram ride and a stop at Kircliff are built into that number instead of sitting on top of it. If you're buying tickets for guests visiting over the holidays, buying early gets you a better number attached to a ticket that now does more than it used to.
Kircliff gets its first real season
Kircliff is the glass observatory at Lone Peak's 11,166-foot summit, and it's the first time that summit has been reachable on foot by anyone, not just skiers willing to hike from the top of a lift. Last winter it existed for roughly three and a half months out of a season that technically ran closer to four and a half. This year it's open the entire stretch, from November 25 through the resort's stated closing date of April 11, with bonus weekend access April 16 through 18 and 23 through 25 conditions permitting.
For a household that includes non-skiers, that's a longer window to actually use the thing rather than working around when it happens to be available. Views from up there reach across three states and two national parks on a clear day. Getting family or visiting guests up there no longer depends on a mid-December opening date.
A longer run for M by The Alinea Group
Chef Grant Achatz's pop-up restaurant, M by The Alinea Group, took over the Village Center space at Big Sky Resort for its debut run last season, December 19, 2025 through March 31, 2026. It's returning for a second season, this time December 10, 2026 through April 3, 2027, a slightly longer window on both ends.
A pop-up's second season behaves differently than its first. The first run is where a destination figures out demand. The second run is where that demand shows up already knowing the reservation window is tight. If a table there is part of your winter plans, whether for your own household or for guests you're hosting, the smarter move is watching for when reservations open rather than assuming a table will be available closer to your dates. Restaurants operating inside a resort's food and beverage program don't run on walk-in logic once word gets around.
The one thing that hasn't caught up yet: Iglu's door policy
Not everything about this season is settled before it starts. Iglu, the seasonal snow-and-ice bar near the Explorer Gondola, is adding a new pedestrian staircase that connects directly from the gondola, which should make it easier to reach on foot. Travel coverage from this month describes the venue's ski-and-snowboard-only access rule as in transition. As of late September 2026, the venue's own page still lists ski-and-snowboard access.
If aprés at Iglu is part of your winter plans and you're not planning to ski or ride that day, check the current access rules with the resort before you walk over in boots.
What this actually adds up to
The Explorer Gondola and Kircliff, the ground-level ticket office, the revised shuttle routing, and bundled tram access are all scheduled to be in place when lifts open on November 25. Iglu's access rules are the one item still to confirm, and M by The Alinea Group's reservations are worth watching for once they open.
If you're weighing what any of this means for property in Moonlight Basin, from ski-in access to how these changes touch specific pockets of the community, Life in Big Sky knows this ground well enough to walk you through it directly.
