Industry News
Big changes are coming to Aspen’s Snowmass Ski Area. From increasing the snowmaking production to potentially expanding terrain, SkiCo representatives updated the board on proposed amendments to the Snowmass Mountain Master Plan that was approved by the U.S. Forest Service in January 2023.
Aspen Snowmass develops a master development plan for each of the four ski areas every 10 years or so. Those four ski areas are Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass. Although not all master plans come to fruition, Snowmass originally set a goal to spread people out by better utilizing the terrain and services that are already there. The idea was to essentially give skiers more time ripping and less time standing around in a lift line.
Flash forward a year, and now the master plan could be evolving to include expansion of the mountain such as the Dawdler area. The Dawdler area proposal would result in developing an area for those in the beginner to intermediate level. The plan will make the area a place for skiers to dial in their new skills.
While the Dawdler area expansion is the big-ticket new item added to Aspen Snowmass’ to-do list, they still have plenty of work cut out for the resort under the Master Plan. The major areas discussed were lifts, snowmaking, trails/glades, summer activities, and housing although housing falls outside of the explicit master plan purview.
Lift plans for the ski area include:
- The extended Coney Express quad, with access across from the Snowmass Mall and a mid-station access point.
- A Cirque T-bar replacement.
- Upgrade the Village Express to a 10-person gondola—possibly a telemix to allow chairs and a gondola—for summer and winter access to on-mountain dining and recreation.
- Upgrade the Alpine Springs lift to a six-pack, and upgrade the Elk Camp chairlift to a six-pack.
- Maintain the yearslong approval for a new Burnt Mountain quad lift.
- Expansion of the Dawdler area for intermediate terrain for learning.
- A surface lift at Sam’s Knob.
The Coney Express expansion is the priority for SkiCo, then followed by Cirque, and hopefully another lift at the same time. After that, the order in which the upgrades will be addressed is yet to be determined.
As mentioned, snowmaking changes are also part of the proposed amendments, particularly moving operations to a higher elevation to escape warmer temperatures at the lower elevations. According to the Master Plan, no new rights or agreements with the Snowmass Water and Sanitation District would be required with the plan, which would add 146 acres of coverage to the preexisting 329 acres of snowmaking coverage.
Trails and glades proposed amendments include:
- A new trail from The Edge to the High Alpine Restaurant that minimizes skier cross traffic.
- Glade improvements at the Frog Pond Glades.
- Connecting Baby Ruth to the Hanging Valley Glades.
- Five new trails and distinct gladed areas off the Alpine Springs lift (which is proposed to be upgraded to a 6-pack).
- Expand the Sneaky’s Glades on the skier’s left.
- New glades between Wildcat and Howler and Wildcat and Slot.
- New beginner areas in Dawdler.
The proposed glade improvements are a product of an Environmental Impact Statement from the Forest Service, which identified diseased trees and wildfire risk in the areas. Mak Keeling, vice president of mountain planning for SkiCo said this on Aspen Times regarding the improvements to the gladed areas:
“All of the zones identified here in all of these gladed areas that we’ll be showing today, the Forest Service is asking us to take out trees because there’s overgrowth, there’s dead (trees), there’s disease, there’s downed trees,” he said. “It’s basically a forest health (issue) and a fire hazard.”
SkiCo continues its Master Plan by expanding the deck and interior capacity at several on-mountain dining areas. The plan includes new facilities proposed at Alpine Springs and another, more fine-dining type restaurant they’re calling Gunner’s View, off the Gunner’s View trail. SkiCo believes expanding the existing on-mountain dining is a priority due to the expense of constructing a new on-mountain dining facility.
The Master Plan also includes summer renovations. Snowmass is planning on expanding family-oriented activities like ropes courses for children of all ages. SkiCo also wants to expand downhill-specific mountain biking trails by 19 miles, which is a significant upgrade from its current 27 miles of trail. Due to the expansion of mountain biking trails, SkiCo plans to work on the hiking trails and expand the system by 10 miles from 36 to 46, mainly to help mitigate mountain biker and hiker trail conflicts.
The result of all the upgrades and renovations, Snowmass expects its carrying capacity to increase from 12,500 daily skiers to 14,820. Keeling stressed to the Aspen Times that it does not mean the mountain would see that kind of traffic every day, it’s simply a number calculated from a combination of parking, lodging, lift, trail acreage, food and beverage, and operational capacity. The capacity has only surpassed 11,000 people on two days over the last six years, and typically the mountain sees about 8,000 visitors.
“What feels busy today is not what will feel busy in 15 years,” Keeling said on Aspen Times.
SkiCo also presented its housing mitigation plans, referencing the tiny home complex in an old RV park in Basalt, the Hub in Willits, and the Tenants-for-Turns program. Tenants-for-Turns is a relatively new program that enables resort employees to connect with homeowners who might have a rental unit, a guest house, an ADU, a mother-in-law unit or even an extra bedroom in exchange for an incentive of either a 2023-2024 Aspen Snowmass Premier Pass, 10 single-day lift ticket vouchers, or a $1,500 gift certificate valid for any Aspen Snowmass product.
The commission decided to table board comments and a decision on recommending the amendments to Snowmass Town Council to their next meeting on February 21. Eventually, the resolution allowing the amendments to the Master Plan will go before the Snowmass Town Council.
This Master Plan could touch almost every aspect of the mountain and provide many needed upgrades. The items discussed only scratch the surface of what is included in the 145-page Master Plan. As of now, there is no clear timeline for when work will break ground for the Master Plan, but more details will be announced after the next town council meeting on February 21.
