The new “Madison 8” chairlift at the US ski resort of Big Sky offers guests a truly comfortable experience: it is equipped with extra-wide, heated seats, individual head and footrests and bubbles. In addition, the safety bars lower automatically after boarding and lock, while they open again automatically at the top station.

Another useful feature: the height of the boarding platform can be manually adjusted by the lift staff to make boarding easier and safer for children as soon as guests reach the access area. The chairs are automatically stored in the top and bottom stations overnight at the simple press of a button.

This function facilitates maintenance and protects the lift equipment from extreme weather conditions.

The new ropeway is equipped with a FATZER Performa-DT rope, a significant advancement in rope technology that better dampens noise and vibrations and promises less maintenance over time.

The “Madison 8” replaces the former Six Shooter lift on the Moonlight Basin side of the ski area. This installation makes Big Sky Resort the first North American ski resort with two 8-seater chairlifts and three D-Line chairlifts from manufacturer DOPPELMAYR.

“Since Big Sky 2025 was announced nine years ago, we’ve had an ambition to create North America’s most technologically advanced lift network,“ said Troy Nedved, the resort’s president and COO. “Madison 8, our twelfth new lift installed since 2016, certainly makes this a reality.”