"Montana skiing has arrived!" SKI Magazine announced in its September 1973 issue. Now, 30 years later, sister publication, Skiing Magazine touts Big Sky as the 7th best resort in the nation.Big Sky Resort was conceived and built by the late NBC newscaster, Chet Huntley. It first opened for skiing in December 1973. In 1976, Boyne USA Resorts purchased the resort and has owned and managed it since then.Boyne USA Resorts is a family-owned Michigan-based corporation that owns numerous mountain and golf resort properties across the United States : including Crystal Mountain in Washington, Brighton Ski Resort in Utah, The Inn at Bay Harbor, Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands in Michigan, Gatlinburg Skylift in Tennesee, Boyne South, Florida and Cypress Mountain in British Columbia.Everett Kircher skied for the first time in 1938 and fell in love with the sport. At the time, Mr. Kircher owned a car dealership in Michigan and soon started spending his weekends looking for a spot to build a ski hill. In 1947, he bought 40 acres of land and a used chair lift and Boyne Mountain opened in 1948. Mr. Kircher sold his car dealership, purchased Boyne Highlands by 1963, installed the world's first triple chair lift and became a pioneer in snowmaking. In 1999, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Snow Journalists Association. After his passing in January 2002, Kircher's legacy continues as Boyne USA is one of the largest ski companies in the country still run by his sons and daughters.Under the leadership of Boyne USA, Big Sky Resort continues to set standards for skiing in Montana : and skiing in the Rockies. An aggressive lift expansion plan saw the area add 13 new/improved lifts over a 10 year period beginning in 1988. With 17 lifts transporting skiers and snowboarders over 3,500 skiable acres, the resort has set the standard for uncrowded slopes and non-existent lift lines.
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