Industry News
Wolf Creek Ski Area in Southern Colorado is excited to announce the construction and installation of a new chairlift, The Tumbler, to Wolf Creek’s refined lift system, now inclusive of eleven lifts. The new chairlift is being built in response to a need for first-time skiers to have a sanctuary that offers a relaxed learning environment.
The Tumbler Chairlift seats four riders and is a fixed grip lift that is 900 feet in length, which is equivalent in length to the Nova Lift. While the Nova Lift, a double chairlift, is for beginners, the lift is better suited and ideal for snowboarders and Wolf Pups. The Tumbler Lift will provide an alternative for first-time adult skiers. The Tumbler Lift will be adjacent to the Lynx Learning Center and parallel to the trail “Okey Dokey.” The Tumbler is specifically beginner-friendly due to the design feature of having a maximum speed that is half the speed of a normal chairlift. In addition to a reduced speed, personnel operating the lift can control the lift remotely when outside of the terminal, adding a layered level of safety to the lift. The beginner safe haven will not only have terrain designed for first-time skiers but will also have an emphasis on education and lift safety. Personnel operating the lift will be instructed to educate and help Tumbler riders. Operators will also help guests become familiar with a chairlift, thus helping riders learn how to safely ride and be comfortable on a chairlift. Educational signage will be a visual aid to guests and will help first-timers learn how to safely ride a chairlift via visual prompts from signs and helpful instruction from the staff.
The beginner lift ticket will now include the Tumbler Lift. By adding a third lift to the beginner lift ticket package, the Nova Lift and Lynx Learning Center will see a more familiar low-density skiing experience found around the rest of the mountain. With Wolf Creek Ski Area’s established reputation for being both family and beginner-friendly, the Tumbler Lift will enhance those characteristics even more.
In addition to the Tumbler Lift, Wolf Creek Ski Area has had a busy summer full of technological upgrades and enhancements, as well as maintenance and construction projects, which will debut in the upcoming 2023-2024 ski season. After a successful first season of RFID gates at Wolf Creek Ski Area, lift tickets will be programmed to become reloadable. Guests who purchase a Wolf Creek lift ticket will be able to login to Wolf Creek’s e-commerce platform and purchase a lift ticket option for another date but skip the ticket office and reuse the ticket previously purchased. Guests who have pre-purchased lift tickets online will also be able to access ticket printing boxes in either the Base Camp Building or the Alberta area. Wolf Creek’s lift system is also celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Charity Jane lift and the tenth anniversary of the Treasure Stoke chairlift, both high-speed detachable quad lifts that service beginner to advanced terrain.
The reality of the Spruce Bark Beetle’s infestation of Engelmann Spruce at Wolf Creek started over 10 years ago. Wolf Creek continues to remove dead trees as an ongoing project each spring. Crews carefully removed trees over the snow to prevent damage to the forest floor. Many hazard trees have been removed to reduce fuels for fires and to mitigate potential dangers for the skiing public.
Other improvements include the Powder Room, which is now in a ready stage for season pass holders to rent out seasonal lockers for the upcoming season. Other skiing/riding guests can also rent out the VIP lockers at a weekly rate. Three shuttle buses have been added to Wolf Creek’s fleet of parking shuttles to further improve Wolf Creek’s free, paved parking and shuttle services. Each shuttle is capable of carrying over 20 passengers. Snowmaking has been extended to the top of the Treasure Stoke Quad Chairlift, which is finally completed after many years of trenching and blasting. The new water tank project is part of this many-faceted project. More detailed information on summer projects as well as what’s new for the 2023-24 ski season, will be published on WolfCreekSki.com.
Wolf Creek announced its 10-20 year Master Plan in 2012, which, among many other things, lays out plans to “Upgrade and expand skier support and operational facilities in order to improve the quality of the recreational experience commensurate with existing and future visitation,” and to “Improve Intermediate-level developed skiing opportunities.”
Wolf Creek Ski Area is in southwest Colorado on the Wolf Creek Pass between Pagosa Springs and South Fork. It is best known for receiving more average annual snowfall than any other resort in Colorado, at about 430 inches per year.
Its top elevation is 11,904 feet, with 1,604 vertical feet of skiing. Its 133 runs are split into 20% Beginner, 35% Intermediate, 25% Advanced, and 20% Expert. Currently, ten lifts (three High-Speed Quad, one Quad chair, two Triple chairs, one Double chair, two Magic Carpets, and one High-Speed Poma Lift) serve 1,600 acres of terrain.
