Big Sky Resort to Debut Kircliff, A Glass Summit Experience at 11,166 Feet
Legacy Meets Discovery as Montana’s Premier Resort Expands Its Vision with a Landmark Alpine Enclosure
BIG SKY, Montana (August 25, 2025): In the latest chapter of Big Sky Resort’s ongoing transformation, the mountain is preparing to unveil Kircliff, an alpine summit observatory unlike anything else in the American West. Perched at 11,166 feet on Lone Peak, Kircliff is a stunning glass enclosure that offers sweeping 360-degree views across three states and two national parks, redefining what it means to experience Montana's high country.
Kircliff is the latest achievement in a fifty-two-year journey of pioneering innovation led by the Kircher family, who transformed a bold wilderness vision into one of the country's most innovative mountain destinations. Cantilevered off the mountain's edge, this architectural marvel creates a place where the immensity of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem can be experienced in jaw-dropping spectacle. The culmination of the resort team's multi-year efforts, it opens the summit of Lone Peak, one of the West's most legendary views, to every guest for the first time — no skis or hiking boots required.
“This reimagined summit experience transforms Lone Peak into a year-round, must-visit destination,” said Troy Nedved, president and COO of Big Sky Resort. “Kircliff unlocks the opportunity for every guest to stand on one of the highest peaks in the region and witness a horizon that stretches from Yellowstone to the Tetons.”
The approach to Kircliff is as memorable as the arrival. Guests begin at the base of the resort with the new Explorer Gondola, which travels an additional 1,000 vertical feet above the original Explorer chairlift before connecting directly to the Lone Peak Tram. In only fifteen minutes, travelers move from valley floor to the high alpine, before stepping into the glass summit where views open to more than ten mountain ranges, including the Spanish Peaks, Madison Range, and Gallatin Range.
The Explorer Gondola is the world’s fastest 10-person gondola, complete with heated seats, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a mid-station that provides access to some of the resort’s most approachable terrain. It is the thirteenth new lift completed in Big Sky’s decade-long capital improvement plan, Big Sky 2025, which has established the resort as home to the most technologically advanced lift network in North America.
Kircliff joins a season of milestones that also includes the arrival of M by The Alinea Group, a four-month culinary residency led by three-Michelin-star chef Grant Achatz. Together, these landmark projects illustrate Big Sky’s bold vision for the future, where legacy and innovation continue to meet at the summit.
Big Sky Resort will welcome skiers back in less than 100 days, opening November 26, 2025. Kircliff and the Explorer Gondola will open to the public on December 20, 2025.
