Industry News
It is no secret that ski resorts in the United States are behind European resorts in their lift capabilities. Since 2008, Christoph Schrahe and his company Montenius Consult have been concentrating on consulting ski resorts and cable car companies throughout Europe. He is a member of the supervisory board of Winterberg Schierke GmbH and a lecturer for ski resort planning at the FH Vorarlberg. In addition, he is one of the best-known German authors in the field of winter sports. He has travelled to and described almost 500 ski resorts in 41 countries. In a study, Schrahe ranked the top 100 ski areas according to their vertical transport capacity. Of the 16 North-American ski areas amongst the Top 100, only five made it in the Top 50 and only two are amongst the Top 25.
Ski resorts across the U.S. are investing millions of dollars to improve the number of passengers their lifts can transport up to the mountain. Skiing has always been an expensive sport to participate in and no skier or rider wants to spend the majority of their time sitting in long lift lines or outdated lifts.
Breckenridge Resort is investing in lift upgrades on Peak 9 which includes the installation of a new gondola, new teaching terrain, and the replacement of the C-Chair. The goal is to relieve portal crowding and improve the experience for guests learning to ski and ride. The improvements will be located within the Breckenridge Ski Resort special use permit area and operational boundary. Construction and implementation of the plan are projected to take place by July 1, 2025.
- Related Article: Aspen Snowmass, CO, Announces Plans to Replace Coney Glade Chairlift With New High Speed Quad Chairlift
The gondola would go from the Peak 9 base and go to an angled mid-station where a new on-the-mountain beginner area would be developed. It would continue upward near the top of the existing A-Chair and the plans would then be to remove the A-chair once the gondola was completed. The Frontier Learning Area would require clearing, grading, and utility work. It would be complete with two short conveyors, a ski-and-ride school warming hut with a restroom, and about 10 acres of expanded snowmaking.
Peak 9 is one of the best places to learn to ski and ride at Breckenridge. The lower half of Peak 9 offers mellow learning terrain and family-friendly zones, while the upper half offers wide-open intermediate terrain that fosters progression. It is also the closest base area to downtown Breckenridge.
Mountain Stats and Facts
- Base Elevation: 9,600 ft.
- Summit Elevation: 12,998 ft.
- Vertical Rise: 3,398 ft.
- Avg. Annual Snowfall: 355 inches
- Acres of Snowmaking: 617 acres
- Total Skiable Acres: 2,908 acres
- 34% Expert
- 24% Advanced
- 31% Intermediate
- 11% Beginner
- Conventional Trails: 187
- Bowls: 1,061 acres
- Lifts: 35 total
- 1 Gondola, 8-passenger
- 5 high-speed 6-passenger Super Chairs
- 7 high-speed quad chairs
- 1 fixed-grip quad
- 1 triple lift
- 5 double lifts
- 4 Surface Lifts
- 11 Conveyor/Carpets
- The resort first opened on Dec. 16, 1961.
- Total chairlifts: 35
- Peaks: 5 (Peaks 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10)
- Elevation of the highest chairlift (The Imperial Express) in North America: 12,840 feet.
- 40 percent of Breckenridge’s skiable terrain is above the tree line.
Breckenridge Ski Resort is proposing multiple improvements to Peak 9 including the construction of a new gondola and the replacement of an existing chairlift. The White River National Forest said in a news release Tuesday, May 14, that it is now seeking public comments on the proposal, which is located within the ski resort’s existing permitted. A majority of the project is on national forest lands. Breckenridge Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jon Copeland said in a statement that the ski resort is excited to turn its focus to Peak 9 after years of work at Peak 8 and Peak 7.
“This project aligns with our resort’s priorities to continue to improve flow and circulation across our Five Peaks, specifically in and around our base areas and main portals to the mountain, focusing on upgrades that make our resort better versus bigger,” Copeland said.
The existing double C-Chair which was constructed in 1972 and, at 52 years old, is the oldest operating lift at Breckenridge and would be replaced with a high-speed, six-person lift under the proposal. The C-Chair replacement and new Peak 9 gondola are part of the same proposal and Breckenridge said the two projects would likely happen on different timelines, with the gondola taking priority.
Dillon Ranger District mountain sports permit administrator Sarah Strehle is the project contact for the U.S. Forest Service and said the Peak 9 improvements are the kind of proposals the Forest Service wants to see. This is because the project does not expand the ski resort’s footprint and focuses on improving outdated infrastructure to better the guest experience. Forest Service experts as well as members of the public have the opportunity to comment on the proposal. The earliest the proposal could be approved is this winter. Breckenridge Ski Resort is hosting a public open house to provide information about the proposal on May 22 from 4-6 p.m. at the Maggie in Breckenridge. Public comments will be most helpful if received by June 13, according to the proposal.
Breckenridge’s 2022 Master Development Plan stated that it wants to reduce congestion and wait times at portals to the resort. It also will address the inadequacy of the existing children’s ski and ride school terrain and modernize aging lift infrastructure to increase guest comfort and streamline resort operations. The purpose of the proposed action is to improve the beginner experience for guests learning to ski and ride on Peak 9. To improve the arrival experience by reducing congestion in the Peak 9 portal and across the resort. To provide better connectivity between Peak 8 and Peak 9 and improve guest circulation on the mountain.
As costs rise within the ski industry, more resorts are considering upgrading lift capacity a priority. The increasing cost of lift passes, parking, and food makes the time spent on the slopes even more valuable to guests. Mitigating the time spent waiting in lift lines and decreasing the amount of time it takes to get back up the mountain to hit the slopes is one way to improve guest’s overall experience.
For more information, including how to comment on the proposal, visit the White River National Forest website.
