Is Big Sky Good For Beginner Skiers? Yes!
The infamous Instagram-worthy photo at the top of Swift Current.
Big Sky Green Runs
Big Sky, MT holds a special place in our family’s story and has been our favorite ski resort for over 15 years. Our daughters learned to ski at Big Sky, and it’s been delightful to watch them develop their ski skills over the years.
And, yes, Big Sky Resort has plenty of good greens for beginning skiers. This Big Sky Beginner Skier Guide is dedicated to families like ours, outlining a progression path from the very first ski runs from the magic carpet to mastering some of our favorite beginner terrain. Whether you're a parent looking to guide your little ones or an adult newcomer to skiing, this guide will help you navigate your way!
First time visitor to Big Sky? See our Planning Guide To Big Sky— a one stop shop for all you need to know to plan your family’s first visit to Big Sky.
The magic carpet and bunny hill in Mountain Village at Big Sky Resort
Note: If you don’t anticipate using Swift Current or Ramcharger lifts, you can purchase a “Beginner Lift Ticket"“ which gives you access to the Explorer lift at Mountain Village and Derringer lift at Madison base area. It also includes access to the Magic Carpet/Bunny Hill. The Beginner lift ticket can’t be purchased online, so you’ll need to buy your ticket at ticket windows at base camp. They cost much less than a day pass.
Our Favorite Big Sky Greens From Explorer Lift
Once skiers graduate from the magic carpet and bunny slope, the Explorer lift in Mountain Village is the perfect first chairlift for young or beginner skiers. It’s a somewhat slow 2-seater, and its elevation gain is fairly minimal taking you to very similar terrain as the bunny slope.
The green Lone Wolf run is the perfect first off the chair run from the Explorer Lift. And once comfortable with it, White Wing offers a bit more variety but similar difficulty. We have such great memories of our excited, chatty girls on the Explorer lift as we skied Lone Wolf and White Wing over and over.
Once our kiddos were comfortable getting on and off the Explorer Lift and maintaining control (hello french fries and pizza!) on Lone Wolf and White Wing Runs, we were ready to venture out to the larger and faster (and warmer with heated seats!) chairlifts in Mountain Village: Swift Current and Ramcharger.
Our Favorite Big Sky Greens From Swift Curent Lift
The Greens accessed by Ramcharger and Swift Current mainly differ from the Greens found from Explorer in their length. There are a few sections that are just slightly steeper than sections of Lone Wolf, but it is a very manageable next step.
The heated 6-seater Swift Current lift provides access to one of our all time favorite runs- Mr. K.
Mr. K is a wide and long groomer with a gentle slope, so you get plenty of practice for turns, stops, and building confidence on longer runs. It’s a fun run for all levels of skiers, so it’s a good one for families skiing together. It’s always been our first and last run of the day.
Mr. K offers more terrain variability than Lone Wolf, so more advanced skiers in the family can find some less groomed terrain on the sides as well as areas to enter and exit short trails within the trees. You can take Mr. K to its end in Mountain Village, hop on Swift Current, and repeat!
Nearby Lower Morningstar is comparable to Mr. K as well.
Tip: Take the requisite Instagram photo of the Big Sky lettering at the top of Swift Current’s jaywalk! (See photo above)
Favorite Green Runs Lone Wolf, White Wing, Mr. K, and Lower Morningstar From Explorer and Swift Current Lifts. See Big Sky Resort website for full map.
Our Favorite Big Sky Greens From Ramcharger Lift
Ramcharger, a heated 8-seater, is the other high speed lift at the base of Mountain Village. The loading and unloading is the same as Swift Current with gates, the conveyer, and then loading the chair. Once at the top of Ramcharger, you’ll have access to some more of our very favorite green runs in Big Sky: Sacajawea and Deep South.
With Ramcharger’s access to the Southern Comfort lift, you can ski Sacajawea, Deep South, and other runs repeatedly without returning to base. The Southern Comfort lift is essentially a 4 person version of Explorer but a bit faster thankfully!
The green Sacajawea and Deep South runs offer wide, gently sloping terrain for those just starting out. The Southern Comfort lift also accesses the blue Pomp and Lizette runs for some manageable terrain in the trees for those comfortable skiing blue runs.
Our family easily spends a better part of a day in the Southern Comfort area with some of us sticking to the greens of Sacajawea and Deep South or combining greens and blues with runs down Pomp and Lizette. All of which meet in the same area at the end of the respective runs.
When you’re ready to head back to base at Mountain Village, simply ski down the green Pacifier run for an easy return.
Favorite Green Runs Sacajawea and Deep South from Ramcharger Lift. See Big Sky Resort website for full map.
For beginning skiers, the progression from magic carpet to Lone Wolf and then to Mr. K and Sacajawea will leave your kiddos feeling like they’ve accomplished some big mountain exploring. Even with varying ski ability in the family, we’ve always enjoyed (and still do!) the greens Mr. K, Sacajawea, Deep South and blues Pomp, and Lizette.
Big Sky Resort’s winter trails map can be found here.
Hope this guide has been helpful! You will love learning to master the scenic and fantastic ski terrain at Big Sky Resort. Happy trails!