Big Sky Resort, about 50 miles from Bozeman in Big Sky, Montana, opened in December 1973 on the eastern face of Lone Mountain. Founded by Montana native and retired NBC co-anchor Chet Huntley, it grew from a modest ski area with a gondola and two chairlifts into one of North America’s largest lift-served mountain resorts. After Boyne Resorts bought it in 1976, the resort steadily expanded its terrain, infrastructure, and vertical drop, including the 1995 opening of the Lone Peak Tram and the 2013 addition of Spirit Mountain acreage and neighboring Moonlight Basin. It also developed hotels, conference facilities, and year-round recreation.