Lone Peak Tram construction remains on schedule

Original Lone Peak Tram close to retirement as new tram’s track and haul ropes connect bottom terminal to peak

By Jen Clancey DIGITAL PRODUCER

The Lone Peak Tram has transported thousands of people to the 11,166-foot peak of Lone Mountain since 1995. Months after closing to the public, it will soon take its final trip and enter retirement. The new Lone Peak Tram consisting of two 6,000-pound cabins will take its place.

When completed, the tram will transport up to 75 passengers per cabin—featuring 12 seats—up to the peak, known for its 360-degree view of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

The project has been two years in the making and is expected to be completed in December, according to Jas Raczynski, Big Sky Resort’s construction project manager. Raczynski said at this point in construction, it’s in the hands of a Swiss company, Garaventa, that operates with Doppelmayr.

“They’re finishing up the last track rope right now and then they’ll jump over to the haul rope,” Raczynski said. The new tram will operate with a loop of haul rope, surrounded by two track ropes on either side up and down, which are fixed to stabilize and support the cabin.

Unique challenges for a unique tram

Chad Wilson, Big Sky Resort’s vice president of construction, has been a Big Sky resident for seven years and has overseen the project.

“I think the most unique thing about this tram is its location—11,166 feet with no road access,” Wilson said. The lack of road access requires use of helicopters to transport and place fundamental items at the peak.

Some of those major items were the parts for the tower crane, which can be seen in resort videos and if close enough, with the plain eye. In June, Big Sky Resort worked with Boeing Chinook helicopter crews to assemble the crane. “The elements on these tower cranes are up to 9,000 pounds in one lift for a helicopter. That’s a lot, so we had to use Chinook helicopters,” Wilson said.

“And we had great crews that did whatever it took to get them installed and having those on obviously kicked us off to put this whole structure together,” Wilson said, describing the construction of the cranes as a critical point of Lone Peak Tram progress.

In late October, those cranes are expected to be taken down by helicopter.

Planning for the future of Big Sky Resort at the top

In addition to the new tram, the construction team laid foundations for electrical power that will allow for the building of the future ski patrol facility and an all-glass viewing platform at the Lone Peak Tram’s top terminal. The transparent platform will overlook the Big Couloir.  

Resort officials expect to build a dining facility at the base of the tram, overlooking the area in upcoming years.

Though there’s still work to do, Raczynski reflected on the location of his job. On Sept. 15, minimal haze gave way to a faint blue outline of the Teton Range to the southeast.

“It’s not a bad place to come into work every day,” Raczynski said, smiling. “It’s cool to be working with such a big team of people and everybody is 100% bought into this project.”