To be a ski resort is to embrace change. New chairlifts are installed, lodges are constructed, and what was once a humble area may become something more expansive.
Big Sky Resort, Montana, recently documented its evolution starting in the early 1970s through its ever-changing trail maps.
The map shared in this Instagram post is Big Sky's second. It was first used in 1976 after Everett Kircher purchased the ski area and added it to the Boyne Resorts portfolio.
The ensuing years saw significant improvements to Big Sky's resort infrastructure, starting with the Mad Wolf double chairlift on Andesite Mountain.
Several more lifts followed, eventually joined by the resort's crown jewel in 1995: the Lone Peak Tram, which, according to Big Sky, offered access to "extreme terrain [that] challenged the entire ski industry's idea of what was considered resort skiing."
In 2014, legendary artist James Niehues left his mark on Big Sky, painting a map of the resort that remains in use today.
Today, the resort boasts a staggering 38 lifts, 5,850 skiable acres, and 320 named runs. In 1973, Big Sky only had four lifts and 12 named runs—a lot can change in 50 years.
To check out Big Sky's entire roster of trail maps, click here.
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