Still Blown Away by the Crane on Top of Lone Peak in Big Sky

I'm still blown away at how incredible the crane on the top of Lone Peak looks. We did our radio show LIVE from Big Sky resort Tuesday morning, so I had to spend a little time taking in the view outside.

The photo on the right is the photo I took Monday afternoon from the Summit hotel at Big Sky. I had to zoom in and check out the impressive crane because I remember being amazed at the cranes and the crane operators building the high rise apartment buildings when I lived in the Middle East.

I sent the photo to my friend Eugene Graf, who is a great home builder in the Gallatin Valley, and he said the helicopter has been fun to watch.

The photo on the left above is a screenshot from a video shared by Big Sky Resort on YouTube back in August of 2023 on YouTube.

According to the Big Sky Resort's current conditions web page, "The Lone Peak Tram will be closed for the duration of the summer due to construction."

This is what Big Sky Resort shared with that 2023 YouTube video:

The Lone Peak Tram's sole tower has been completed. Over 250,000 pounds of steel and 200 cubic yards of concrete were used to create the 100-foot tower. Specialists from seven US-based construction companies and Garaventa in Switzerland worked with Big Sky Resort team members to achieve this high-alpine feat of engineering. A crane was erected on the ridgeline to allow for components of the tower and sheave assembly to hang for extended periods of time and be bolted with extreme precision. All the materials of the tower and crane were carried to the location by helicopter. Tower installation started in summer 2022 with excavation, installing micropiles and tie-backs deep into the rock base, and pouring concrete for the foundations. This summer, the crane was erected, allowing for the tower to be constructed and topped with the sheave assembly.

It was crazy seeing how Big Sky has changed over the years. My wife and I were there for our 10th wedding anniversary. And back in the 90's, I swam in that same Huntley Lodge swimming pool, and we went mountain biking on the old logging roads that now make up Moonlight Basin.