Big Sky Resort opens for the 2026–27 winter on Wednesday, November 25, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Mountain Village. The season runs daily through April 11, 2027, with bonus Friday-through-Sunday weekends on April 16–18 and 23–25, conditions permitting. That much is on every calendar in town.
The resort's pass terms show something more useful. They end the early season on Friday, December 18. That leaves 24 days at the base of Lone Mountain when the lifts are spinning, the restaurants are still reopening one by one, and the $359 Twin Tips Pass is good every day, Saturdays included.
The Line Falls on a Saturday
The Twin Tips Pass costs $359 for all ages. It's valid November 25 through December 18, 2026, again April 1–11, 2027, and on both April bonus weekends. Lone Peak Tram access isn't included, though an Unlimited Tram add-on is available. December 18 is a Friday. The pass's blackout begins the next morning and runs from December 19, 2026, through March 31, 2027.
Compare that with the resort's full-season Sunday-through-Friday pass. The adult Blue Pass, for ages 26 to 64, is $1,120. It blacks out every Saturday of the season, plus December 26–30, January 16 and 17, and February 13 and 14.
| Pass, 2026–27 | Price | Early-season Saturdays: Nov 28, Dec 5, Dec 12 | Blackout days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Tips | $359 | Included | December 19, 2026 – March 31, 2027 |
| Blue, adult 26–64 | $1,120 | Blacked out | Saturdays all season; Dec 26–30; Jan 16–17; Feb 13–14 |
| Freestyle | 3 to 7 days | Included | Dec 26–30; Jan 16–17; Feb 13–14 |
| Gold, Black | Unlimited | Included | None |
So the pass that costs about a third as much covers all three early-season Saturdays the Blue Pass skips: Thanksgiving weekend, the first weekend of December, and Christmas Stroll weekend. The resort calls Twin Tips a pass "built for those who live for the shoulder seasons." Its blackout starts a full week before the December 26–30 holiday stretch that limits every other restricted pass.
Twin Tips doesn't go away entirely after the 18th. With the Après Add-On, Twin Tips holders can ski from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. on every blackout day, all season. Mornings from December 19 on belong to other passes.
Lifts First, Kitchens Later
Within that 24-day window, Mountain Village reopens in stages, and the lifts lead. Here is the order as published so far:
- November 23. Skyline's September 15 draft winter schedule set this Monday, two days before opening, as the start date, with the board planning to finalize the schedule at its October 15 meeting.
- November 25, opening day. The resort's Help Center schedules scenic rides on the Explorer Gondola and Lone Peak Tram from November 25 through April 11, weather permitting. Explorer loads from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and the Tram from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The 10-person Explorer Gondola runs from the Mountain Village base straight to the Tram, and this is its first full winter after debuting in 2025–26. At the top of the Tram sits Kircliff, the alpine observatory at 11,166 feet. The resort says opening-day festivities and village amenities will be announced closer to the date.
- Also opening day. Visit Big Sky's 2026 Fall Dining Guide lists Yeti Dogs as closed through Tuesday, November 24. Its winter hours are 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
- November or December. Westward Social lists its season as "Open November - April." Everett's 8800 lists "Open December - April."
- December 10. M by The Alinea Group, Chef Grant Achatz's multi-course tasting menu, starts its second winter and runs through April 3, 2027. The menu brings back signature dishes and adds new courses, all in the Fettle-designed room with its red travertine bar and locally sourced wood beams. Reservations are open now.
- Mid-December. The Fall Dining Guide lists Montana Dinner Yurt as "Opening Mid-December."
One change is a matter of geography. Iglu Big Sky, the snow-and-ice bar in the Bowl at the base of the Tram, returns for 2026–27 with a bigger footprint. New this season, guests can walk to it on a dedicated staircase from the Explorer Gondola's top terminal. Last winter, this gondola-to-Tram corridor was brand new. We covered how it would hold up on ordinary days in our look at Mountain Village's second season. This year a bar is built right into the route.
Put the list together and the early window has a clear arc. Lift access is full from day one. Dining fills in over the first three weeks, and the two reservation-driven dinners, M and the Dinner Yurt, arrive in the window's final stretch.
Thanksgiving Is the First Weekend
Opening day falls the day before Thanksgiving, so the holiday is the window's first test. Montage Big Sky hosts a Thanksgiving Feast in its Grand Ballroom on November 26 from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. The feast is open to resort guests and the local community and costs $165 per adult and $65 per child, with reservations required. Montage also schedules live music in Alpenglow Lounge from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., November 25 through 28, and its annual Holiday Lighting Ceremony on November 27 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
That makes Saturday, November 28, the first of the three Saturdays that separate Twin Tips from the Blue Pass, and the cheaper pass covers it.
Stroll Weekend Is the Last Saturday Before the Turn
The 29th annual Big Sky Christmas Stroll runs December 11–13, 2026. Big Sky Town Center lists the weekend's tree lighting, Santa photos, illuminated cross-country ski and fat-bike trails and walkways, sleigh and wagon rides, carolers, music and fireworks. According to the Big Sky Community Organization, the kickoff is Friday, December 11, in Meadow Village Center. The celebration continues Saturday in Town Center, and Santa photos are at BASE.
That weekend ties the early window together. M opens Thursday, December 10. The Stroll begins Friday, down the hill in Meadow Village. Saturday, December 12, is the last early-season Saturday, and it pairs a day on the mountain with an evening in Town Center. The following Saturday, December 19, is the first Twin Tips blackout day.
After the 18th
From December 19, the season is in full swing. Twin Tips holders with the Après Add-On ski afternoons only. Blue and Bobcat holders keep Sundays through Fridays until the December 26–30 blackout. Gold and Black passes continue without blackouts. Pass terms, add-ons and cancellation deadlines are set by Big Sky Resort and published on its season pass pages. Check them directly before you buy, since this post is general information rather than financial advice.
The calendar change matters most to anyone who can be on the mountain on a weekday morning in early December. In Mountain Village, that window runs from the first Wednesday chair on November 25 through the last Twin Tips morning on Friday, December 18.
For more dates like these, from opening day to the night the last Mountain Village kitchen reopens, Julie Blakeley shares what she's tracking on the ground in Big Sky at Julie Blakeley. If a ski-season calendar is part of why you're considering a place near the lifts, she'll walk you through how it plays out from your own front door. Receive Listings in Your Inbox.
