Industry News
Snowmass is one of four world-class ski destinations in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado. Last week, the resort closed the Big Burn Lift on weekdays, citing “redundancy” with the Sheer Bliss lift. During the week, skiers and riders can access the same terrain using the Sheer Bliss lift. The lift closure was motivated by the Ullrhof Restaurant construction, which decreased skier volume on the Big Burn during the week. The Ullrhof Restaurant is currently closed while undergoing a major renovation. It is not scheduled to reopen until November 2026. The Big Burn lift will continue operating on weekends.
The Big Burn lift services mostly blue cruisers, including Whispering Jesse, Timberline, Wineskin, Dallas Freeway, and Mick’s Gully. Skiers and riders can continue to access those runs from the top of the Sheer Bliss lift at 11,835 feet. At the bottom of those trails, guests can choose to access the bottom of Sheer Bliss by heading down Trestle. Alternatively, skiers can head down Monkshood to access the Snowmass Village Mall or Snowmass Base Village with access to Village Express, Coney Express, or the Elk Camp Gondola. The impact of the weekday Big Burn lift closure should be no more than a minor inconvenience for most guests.
Located at the base of the Big Burn lift, the Ullrhof Restaurant was originally built in 1969 with indoor seating for 220 guests. The new structure will accommodate 450 guests indoors and an additional 275 outdoors. The new restaurant will offer traditional service and mobile order pickup. The new three-story, state-of-the-art, all-electric building will provide much-needed additional seating for on-mountain dining.
Snowmass is the largest mountain of the four resorts in the Aspen area (Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk). In a typical season, it has terrain for everyone, including green and blue cruisers as well as the most challenging double black chutes. To date, this winter season has been mostly warm and dry with below-average snowpack. As a result, Colorado resorts have seen a decrease in skier visits due to low snowfall, which may also be a factor that contributes to the Big Burn weekday closure, as ski lifts are costly to operate.
