Industry News
Copper Mountain Resort (CMR) in Colorado plans to improve its current lift infrastructure by upgrading eight of its current lifts over the next ten years. Timberline Express, Lumberjack, Super Bee, Rendezvous, Excelerator, Blackjack, Mountain Chief, and Alpine lifts will be upgraded to improve terrain access for skiers and reduce base area congestion. According to Copper Mountain’s Master Development Plan (MDP), these lift upgrades are necessary to replace aging infrastructure and improve the guest experience by reducing riding times and improving mountain circulation. Copper Mountain has 24 lifts, including one gondola, five high-speed quads, five fixed-grip quads, five triple chairs, three double chairs, and five surface lifts. These lifts currently provide access to 2,507 acres of skiable terrain. Copper Mountain is also planning on building the Jacque East lift, which will be the highest lift in North America once it is completed.
The Jacque East lift is one of six lifts that CMR is planning to install, with the goal of enabling skiers to remain on the mountain for longer durations, provide access to new terrain, and reduce pressure on its detachable lifts. The new lifts include the Thunderbird fixed-grip triple, Sail Away detachable quad, Superpipe surface lift in Center Village, Terrain Park lift in Central Park, Union Meadows detachable quad, and the Jacque East detachable quad. Installing new lifts is thrilling for skiers and riders, but what do environmentalists and government agencies have to say? Are these developments enhancing access to the mountains or putting fragile landscapes at risk?
At just above 13,000 feet in elevation, the Jacque East lift would be the highest lift in North America. This lift would provide access to expert, advanced, and intermediate skiing on the southeast-facing slopes of Jacque Peak in the Tucker Gulch drainage. According to Copper’s MDP, the lift is strategically positioned to reduce potential impacts to known wetland areas with its alignment and minimize habitat impacts with its location above treeline while still providing exceptional access to high alpine terrain. Currently, the Imperial Express Superchair at Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado is the highest lift in North America, with an elevation of 12,840 feet.
Copper Mountain’s MDP was accepted and signed by Scott Fitzwilliams, Forest Supervisor, on February 25, 2025. However, according to the Forest Service’s acceptance letter, CMR’s expansion is not a foregone conclusion as environmental concerns exist. “The acceptance of the MDP does not imply authorization to proceed with any of the projects identified herein, nor does it constitute acceptance of any specific development proposal,” the Forest Service acceptance letter said. Specifically, projects in the lynx habitat, wetlands, riparian areas, or the alpine will require further discussion and evaluation for Forest Plan compliance before the project proposal is accepted.
Forest Service Resource specialists have identified three specific Forest Plan resource directions that may conflict with the development of Tucker Gulch and projects within the Union Meadows area. The first concern is the potential impact on the lynx habitat, which must include any planned impacts shown in the CMR’s MDP. This includes both terrain within the current boundary and the proposed expansion of the boundary. According to the Forest Service, the terrain and lift placement in Tucker Gulch and developments within the Union Meadows area have management challenges.
According to the MDP, the terrain outside CMR’s existing operational boundary accounts for the remaining 3,702 acres of CMR’s Special User Permit (SUP). An SUP is a written authorization required for activities on federal lands requiring some management control to protect resources and the public interest. According to the SUP, portions of this area, including Jacque Peak and the terrain on the southside of Tucker Mountain, are well-suited to future lift-served developed skiing. As such, all portions of the CMR SUP boundary have been established in the Forest Plan as being allocated to lift-served Alpine skiing opportunities. This includes all skiing on the east face of Jacque Peak, which falls inside Copper’s existing SUP boundary.
The second conflict is the protection of the alpine wetlands by not allowing the construction of new facilities in alpine wetlands, streams, and riparian areas. According to the Forest Service, Tucker Gulch is a wetland-dominated alpine basin, and the development of ski terrain and infrastructure may impact wetlands, fens, and riparian areas. “The result could be unnatural pooling through runoff and seepage and dewatering of existing wetlands,” the Forest Service said.
According to the MDP, the vast majority of the Tucker Gulch expansion’s terrain is above treeline. Due to the terrain’s high elevation and remoteness, CMR anticipates the need for some operational support infrastructure, such as remote avalanche control systems (RACs), a permanent snow fence, a ski patrol outpost, and permanent boundary markers. “The primary purpose of these measures would be to enhance the guest experience in the area by facilitating safe access to the terrain rather than significantly altering the terrain itself,” CMR’s MDP said.
The Forest Service identified the third conflict as protecting alpine ecosystems from soil disturbance and minimizing the creation of new roads, structures, and recreational uses. It specifically says there should be no construction of permanent roadways that may impact the soils and vegetation in the alpine ecosystem that may have irreversible commitment of resources. The Forest Service has concerns about constructing and maintaining new lifts without building access roads, and this needs to be analyzed according to the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA).
According to CMR’s MDP, no summer road access is proposed for the top terminal location. The lift is strategically positioned to reduce potential impacts to known wetland areas with its alignment and minimize habitat impacts with its location above the tree line while still providing exceptional access to high alpine terrain.
The Forest Service’s acceptance letter also stated that many of the unimplemented projects from the 2006 Environmental Impact Statement have reached the end of their shelf life. This means the Forest Service will likely require additional analysis, such as a Supplemental Information Report, to determine whether these decisions remain applicable or if further resource analysis is necessary prior to implementation. Any proposals accepted for processing would then be subject to site-specific analysis according to the NEPA and other applicable laws and regulations before any development is authorized.
Moving forward, there are still steps that Copper Mountain needs to take that need to be approved before any actions can be taken. The Forest Service will review Copper Mountain’s actions and plans for the new lift and surrounding area. Due to the presence of the lynx and wetland fens, Copper Mountain will have to provide additional details and mitigation actions in the area of Tucker Gulch’s operating boundary expansion and Union Meadows. According to the Forest Service, Copper Mountain has made many adjustments to its proposed Jacque East detachable quad and the surrounding area. If the new lift is accepted, an Environmental Impact Statement would still need to analyze it. An EIS must include a suite of reasonable alternative actions and a No-Action Alternative. After Copper Mountain completes all those steps by the Forest Service, it still needs to allow the public to voice its opinion on the lifts and expansions. “I also expect Copper to continue to engage with the public, specialist groups, and government entities, including CPW and USFWS, to address concerns about MDP projects before they are accepted and brought forward into NEPA analysis,” Fitzwilliams wrote in the Forest Service’s acceptance letter.
For more information, visit the Forest Service’s website.
