Industry News
The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) have officially released a Draft Environmental Assessment detailing a comprehensive plan to modernize Colorado’s Telluride Ski Resort (TSR). This April 2026 proposal from the resort seeks to address aging lift infrastructure, improve skier safety, and expand recreational offerings to meet modern guest expectations. The proposed actions, which align with the resort’s 2017 Master Development Plan, are designed to enhance the alpine experience while ensuring forest health and scenic integrity.
A central component of the proposal involves the replacement of Lifts 7 and 8, both of which have been in service since the early 1970s and are reaching the end of their functional lifespans. Lift 7, a 1975 fixed-grip double, is slated for replacement with a modern triple or quad chair, potentially increasing uphill capacity by more than 1,500 people per hour. Similarly, Lift 8 will be replaced to improve reliability, with its top terminal relocated 300 feet downhill from its current position near a wetland to provide a flatter, more efficient unloading zone. To further aid skier circulation, the Forest Service proposes constructing the “Jaws Skiway,” an 1,800-foot-long trail that provides a safer egress from the Lift 9 pod, and widening the Galloping Goose Skiway by 30 feet to reduce end-of-day congestion for beginners.
Beyond the slopes, the modernization plan includes significant upgrades to on-mountain facilities and summer activities. The existing High Camp warming hut at the top of Lift 12 is proposed for a 2,000-square-foot expansion, transforming it into a full-service restaurant capable of on-site food preparation. This expansion aims to alleviate current seating deficiencies and allow guests to remain in the Prospect Basin area without traveling across the mountain for dining services. For summer enthusiasts, the resort plans to add the “Green Tech” mountain bike trail, a 3,616-foot hand-built path designed to facilitate skill progression for beginner riders by introducing rockier, varied terrain.
The proposal also introduces “tethered logging” as a primary tool for implementing forest health projects on steep terrain. This technique employs cable winch systems to stabilize mechanical harvesters and forwarders on slopes greater than 40%, allowing for the removal of hazard trees and spruce beetle mitigation at approximately 25% of the cost of helicopter logging. By using a cut-to-length approach where harvesters run on a “slash mat” of limbs and tops, the resort aims to protect soil from compaction and accelerate the natural nutrient cycle.
Environmental analysis conducted for the draft report indicates that while the project area overlaps with threatened Canada lynx habitat in the Iron Mountain Lynx Analysis Units, the proposed actions are “not likely to adversely affect” the species. A cultural resource inventory covering 631 acres documented seventeen sites and fifteen isolated finds, leading to a recommendation of no adverse effects to historic properties. The Forest Service has determined that the modernization will maintain the low scenic integrity objective designated for the area, ensuring new structures blend with the existing developed character of the resort.
This article was updated at 11:31 a.m. MST on May 7, 2026, for accuracy.
