Big Sky Resort has been hard at work all summer, making plans to ensure operations run smoothly and safely for their guests and the community. With over 5,850 skiable acres and 300 named runs, social distancing is a breeze. (The longest run on the mountain, Liberty Bowl to Madison Village, is 6 miles.) The seven terrain parks have over 100 jibs, all in varying degrees of difficulty.

Big Sky has an advanced lift infrastructure; the average lift ride is 5 minutes, and it can service 138,300 skiers per hour! Don’t let that number scare you; you’ll rarely find a lift line here. New this year, you can purchase early access to Ramcharger 8, the first 8-seat chair in North America. (The heated seats are excellent.) The lift will start running at 8:00 a.m., an hour earlier than the rest of the mountain, to spread people out and avoid big crowds in the morning lift lines.

Big Sky is not anticipating restrictions on the number of guests per day. Still, staff will be monitoring skier numbers, and the resort reserves the right to cap ticket sales if it becomes necessary to maintain safety. Everyone is encouraged to buy your tickets online in advance. IKON pass holders will need to make reservations through the independent IKON reservation system. It will likely be the same for Mountain Collective pass holders.

Food is a grab-and-go style, with online ordering available. The 8,000-square-foot Yellowstone Conference Center will be open to the public with extra seating for eating and warming up.

Face coverings will be mandatory for those standing in lift queues, loading, riding, unloading, and in all indoor areas. There will be two lines, one for those skiing together, and another for those who don’t mind sharing space.