First off if any chairlift had to be shut down mid-season, Challenger Lift is a good option. All of the excellent steep runs, chutes, glades, cliffs, and moguls is still easily accessible from the Headwaters Chair. Sure it may be a little more difficult to access, but that just means less traffic, less tracks, and more fun. That’s great news.
But the news continues to get better. In an official announcement from Big Sky Resort’s General Manager Taylor Middleton, the Challenger Lift will be replaced this summer. It was already scheduled to be replaced, but the timeline has been bumped up. This summer a brand new Dopplemayr chairlift will be installed that will access the Challenger Zone. There isn’t much info about the capacity or speed of the new Challenger lift yet. Hopefully soon.
Middleton goes on to say that “the mountain-lift system improvements for 2016-2017 won’t end there. We are happy to announce that a brand-new lift will replace the Triple Chair in the Bowl, but more about that later.” The Triple Chair accesses Big Sky’s Lone Peak Tram and the stunning terrain of the Bowl.
Here are a few quick facts about the current Challenger Lift and Lone Peak Triple Chair:
Challenger Lift
- Capacity – 2
- Rise – 1,672′
- Length – 4,756′
- Time – 12 minutes
Lone Peak Triple Chairlift
- Capacity – 3
- Rise – 833′
- Length – 2,920′
- Time – 6 minutes
It will be exciting to compare the new chairlifts to the old chairlifts next year. New lifts mean that you’ll be able to ski more so you can maximize your ski day!
While it may be disappointing that Challenger is down for a few months, everything is going to work out for the best and Big Sky is going to become even better.
Who’s excited to ski the new Challenger Lift and the new Bowl Lift next winter? We certainly are!
