Big Sky Resort
Big Sky is located in Montana’s southwest corner in Madison County close to Yellowstone National Park. Offering year-round entertainment for families and adventurists alike. A tram that takes skiers to 11,150 feet gives Big Sky one of the largest total vertical drops in the nation and with access to nearby Moonlight Basin terrain on the Lone Peak Pass, visitors can enjoy “America’s Biggest Skiing” on 5,512 acres of terrain.
Overview
Big Sky Resort lays claim to “The Biggest Skiing in America”. It’s no wonder why matching the majesty of Big Sky Resort is no small task when it comes to translating the experience of the mountain to an online presence. Sagient was brought in to completely redesign the Big Sky web site from the ground up. Completely new look and feel, new content and a new content management system.
Competition for resort dollars in this part of the country is very strong and the need was not only for an online presence that translated the Big Sky experience, but one that enabled users to make real decisions about visiting Big Sky.
You Had to Be There
It wasn’t enough for Sagient to read brochures. They just had to go and see Big Sky for themselves. Experiencing the resort first hand brought them closer to the experience they were trying to achieve online. They worked closely with the folks at Big Sky during their stay to gather as much information and emotion as possible.
Designing for Cowboy Courtesy
Through solid Information Architecture, Sagient was able to redistribute information on the site that lead to an easier flow of content. Using competitive research and information gathered from stakeholders the structure of the site was sound.
With a solid infrastructure the design process flowed. Capturing Lone Peak mountain and the Big Sky experience was a “Big” task. Working closely with resort stakeholders Sagient designed an easy to use interface that captured the warmth and accessibility of the oft mentioned “Cowboy Courtesy” of the Big Sky experience.
Strong Foundation
As much as the overall design had to visually capture the user, the implementation of a Content Management System was crucial to the Big Sky’s needs for daily, even hourly changes and updates.
Sagients technical gurus were up for the task, implementing a robust CMS combining old and new content. The result is a site that is not only up to date and relevant but is managed by Big Sky themselves, making changes and updates fast and inexpensive.
The Results
Overall the site is a warm, inviting, easy to use online presence that beckons the user to experience the “Biggest Skiing in America”.
