About

In 1938, the Bald Mountain Ski Club installed a rope tow up Stewart Slope and initiated the Terry Peak Ski Area.

Back then, club members groomed the slope by hiking horizontally up and down with skis to pack the snow.

During this time, Bertha Stewart donated the land known as Stewart Slope at Terry Peak.

Many of the Bald Mountain Ski Club’s founding members left the area to serve in World War II. Ed Keene, one of the founding members, served with the 10th Mountain Division and, upon his return, started what is now known as Black Hills Chairlift d.b.a. Terry Peak Ski Area.

1952, Ed Keene, Ken Keller, Ken Stormo, John Finola, Jack Morcum, and Richard Morcom formed the Black Hills Chairlift Company. The Ringer Chairlift was originally installed going up Kussy, but it was only utilized for the Summer Chairlift Ride business. In 1954, the Black Hills Chairlift Company began winter ski operations.

The Ringer Chairlift was replaced in 1967 by the Blue Chairlift (#1). The Empress Chairlift (#2) was installed in 1975, followed by the Surprise Chairlift (#3) in 1978.

Development continued, and in 1985, two surface Poma lifts on Stewart Slope were replaced by the Stewart Chairlift (#4). Business was booming, and lift lines were growing, so an additional Blue Chairlift (#5) was installed in 1986, parallel to the #1 Blue Chairlift going up Kussy. In 1996, the Beginner Chairlift was installed for ski school classes and beginner skiers and snowboarders.

Due to the unpredictable Black Hills winters, Terry Peak began snowmaking in the 1970s.  In 2002, Terry Peak acquired three wells and three holding ponds as part of the reclamation of the Golden Reward mine. The acquisition provided Terry Peak with more than 14 million gallons of water storage for snowmaking. Snowmaking improvements have continued to date, with coverage on 85 percent of the slopes and a pumping capacity of 3,000 gpm.  

At the base of Stewart Slope, the original lodge, K-2 Bar, and ski school building were replaced by the current Stewart Day Lodge in 1988. In the summer of 2001, a 3,000-square-foot sun deck was added to the lodge.

In 1999, the Black Hills Chairlift Company approved a five-year plan for significant improvements at Terry Peak Ski Area. The Kussy Express, a high-speed detachable quad chairlift, replaced the two Blue chairlifts (#1 and #5). In 2002, the Yellow Chairlift (#3) was replaced with the Surprise Express, a high-speed detachable quad chairlift.

The first Half-Pipe was built atop Holy Terror in 2000. A Pipe-Dragon grooming machine was shared with the neighboring Antelope Butte Ski Area, but Terry Peak eventually purchased its own. In 2003, the first Terrain Park was implemented on Snowstorm. A lack of snow made the first year a challenge, so snowmaking was added to Snowstorm the following year.

Heading into the 2004-05 Season, Terry Peak began its most significant terrain expansion in over 25 years. Newly developed trails include North Side Glades, Ben Hur Glades, Maringo, Missing Link, and Lower Black Moon. This 100-acre expansion accommodates intermediate to expert skiers and snowboarders.

In 2013, Coeur Wharf Mining Company, in partnership with Terry Peak, made a significant investment in the ski area.  The #2 red double fixed-grip chairlift was replaced with a high-speed quad detachable lift as part of the investment.  Also, slope contouring was completed on the summit to improve access to the run.

The main day lodge at Terry Peak is the Stewart Lodge. It was initially built in 1988 and provided a massive upgrade to the ski area at the time. In 2015, it was time to remodel and expand Stewart Lodge. Improvements and additional space made it easier to accommodate more guests.

In recent years, natural snow has been less abundant and arriving later than in past seasons. With this trend, it is evident that snowmaking is the key to delivering the quality snow surface guests have come to expect.  So, in the summer of 2024, the Terry Peak Board of Directors invested considerably in the snowmaking system.  Six and a half million dollars was used to replace and add underground piping, hydrants, and permanent and portable snow guns. The storage pond was refurbished, and a large pump was installed to increase pumping capacity by 3x.

Today, Terry Peak Ski Area maintains the title of South Dakota’s largest ski area. Winter sports enthusiasts throughout the five-state region and beyond come to ski at Terry Peak in the Black Hills. Over 25 trails, 600 acres of skiable terrain, three high-speed quad detachable chairlifts, a triple chairlift, and the snow carpet make Terry Peak the perfect affordable family winter vacation.