12 W E S T W O R D W e s t w o r d U n w r a p p e d 2 0 2 5 - 2 6 westword.com The White Stuff WHAT’S NEW AT COLORADO RESORTS THIS WINTER. BY ABI GAIL BL IS S “We’re just excited to be back on snow,” says Shannon Buhler, vice president of Keystone Resort. The Colorado ski area outpaced all others in North America when its lifts started spinning on October 25. Additional slopes across the state have since opened, and with snow steadily ac- cumulating, most resorts should be open for the season before December. Here’s what skiers will fi nd that’s new: Monarch Mountain, one of Colorado’s few independent ski areas, claims the most notable expansion this winter. With the debut of No Name Basin, visitors can now ski both sides of the Continental Divide and explore 50 percent more terrain across 377 acres. Best for intermediate and advanced skiers, this zone offers a thousand-foot vertical fall line and eleven runs serviced by the new three-person Tomichi lift. The basin also features two gladed sections, with one reserved for intrepid hikers. Meanwhile, Snowmass has replaced its Elk Camp quad chair with a six-pack lift. The resort also updated one of the highest lifts on the continent, exchanging its rare Cirque platter lift for a T-bar leading up to 12,510 feet above sea level. “The areas of terrain served by these lifts are some of the most popular on our mountain,” says mountain manager Susan Cross, noting smoother access to the slopes this season. Once stationed in Aspen, the Segundo lift at Sunlight Mountain Resort was long the oldest operational lift in Colorado. After 71 years, it was retired as part of the independent resort’s largest capital project in history. This winter, an upgraded triple chair will carry guests to the west side of the mountain; the central Primo lift, for- merly a double chair, has been replaced with a modern quad lift. Indie ski areas remain in the spotlight this season, with Lift 4 work underway at Cuchara Mountain Park and Lift 7 upgrades within the Loveland Ski Area learning zone. Formerly fi xed with a double chair, Love- land’s lift now has the capacity to carry four people, but Loveland will intentionally load it with no more than three. Explains chief operating offi cer Rob Goodell, “By giving beginners more space to get comfortable loading, we’re helping families and new ski- ers feel confi dent from their very fi rst run.” Loveland has also regraded and widened its learners’ area, Zig Zag trail, allowing for an easier experience. Trees were also cleared throughout Granby Ranch to broaden the west mountain’s most popular run, Jackpot Trail, as well as Renegade Ridge, previously known as C-Note. Forested terrain on its east mountain has also been thinned to improve skiers’ descents. Other glading projects have taken place at Alpine Springs on Aspen Snowmass, Temerity on Aspen Highlands and Hero’s on Aspen Mountain. All four Aspen resorts, including But- termilk, have enhanced their snowmaking systems by improving energy effi ciency and expanding reach, granting more ski- able terrain during early and late-season periods. Other areas have also upgraded snowmaking infrastructure: Copper Moun- tain installed fan guns and semi-automatic hydrants, Telluride Ski Resort established new equipment near the Village Express lift, and Purgatory Resort extended its snowmaking to the popular backside ter- rain beneath the Legends Express chair. Lift tickets to Purgatory started at just $9 this season. While prices have risen slightly due to demand-based pricing, select dates include a $20 resort credit — effectively paying guests to ski on certain days. Eldora Mountain also has new buying incentives, with families of three to six members receiv- ing a 15 percent discount on season passes. Additionally, a fl exible four-pack with no blackout dates is now available from the ski area, which the town of Nederland plans to purchase from industry giant Powdr. Acquired by Alterra Mountain Com- pany last year, Arapahoe Basin is offering full access via the Ikon Pass for the fi rst time this winter. The limited Ikon Base Pass grants unlimited skiing through De- cember 19, plus fi ve days through the re- mainder of the season. Both options also provide early ups every second Friday of the month between December and April. Ikon passholders can also enjoy compli- mentary night skiing at Steamboat Ski Resort. Meanwhile, the Epic Pass and Epic Local Pass include up to ten discounted tickets for friends this season. These grant 50 percent off day rates at more than thirty destinations throughout North America, including Keystone, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Beaver Creek Resort and Vail Ski Resort. Vail further incentivizes guests to bring a friend with new No Name Basin has expanded Monarch terrain by 50 percent. continued on page 16 MONARCH MOUNTAIN
