Latest news with #MasterDevelopmentPlan
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Public Comment Window Opens for Vail's Proposed Lift Upgrades
The White River National Forest Service has opened a public comment period over a proposal for Vail Mountain to replace and upgrade several resort has proposed a replacement of the existing Chair 21 (Orient Express), which is a high-speed quad with a 2,400 person per hour capacity. The lift would be replaced by a 6-seater lift with a capacity of 3,600 people per hour in order to improve access to the Back Bowls, and decrease lift-line wait times. Additionally, Vail wants to replace Chair 15, which is currently a three-seater, with a quad chair to increase capacity from 1,400 to 2,400 people per hour. The replacement of Chair 15 would also allow for upgraded snowmaking infrastructure that would extend the chair's length. Vail's proposal also includes grading six acres of terrain along the Two Elk ridgeline between the top of the new Chair 21 and Two Elk Lodge to improve the flow of skier traffic in the area. This grading would eliminate several flat pitches of mountain and allow for Lift 24, which is currently a platter lift, to be removed. Want to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates. All pieces of the proposal are a part of Vail's 2023 Master Development Plan and will take place within the existing boundaries of Vail Mountain Resort. Vail is one of 11 ski areas within the White River National Forest. The Forest Service is seeking public comment on the proposal by June 6, 2025. A decision is predicted to be made by September of 2025 for an estimated project start in June of 2026. Vail Resorts made headlines earlier this week with the announcement that CEO Kristen Lynch would be replaced by former Vail CEO Rob Katz. The resort ownership conglomerate also recently added six new European ski areas to the Epic Pass for 2025/26 including Sölden, Silvretta Montafon, Mayrhofen, Hintertux, Saalbach, and Comment Window Opens for Vail's Proposed Lift Upgrades first appeared on Powder on May 28, 2025
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arapahoe Basin's Proposal To Build Two Gondolas Is Turning Heads
A surprising press release hit my inbox earlier this morning, May 16, 2025. The subject read, "A-Basin Master Development Plan", and the contents of the 122-page document that was attached had my head spinning. Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, the once independently-owned, expert-oriented haunt has big plans for expansion under new owner Alterra Mountain 122-page document covers a laundry list of subjects, but the lift expansions, upgrades, and new terrain will be of most interest to skiers and snowboarders. We'll dive a bit deeper later in the article, but here are the major proposals we've gleaned from A-Basin's ambitious Master Development Plan:1. Arapahoe Basin wants to build not one, but two gondolas in the near future. One gondola will serve the parking lots and replace the ski area's parking shuttle system. Another gondola will transport guests from the base area to base of the new beginner area.2. Construction of a new detachable chairlift called that will access a new beginner learning area called located adjacent to the current trail.3. Construction of a new groomed trail in .4. A new skier services hub to be constructed at the new beginner area.5. Optimization of current parking lots and construction of two new parking to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates. Arapahoe Basin has big ambitions in their Master Development Plan, but a spokesperson from the ski area clarified the intention of releasing the Plan as is. "The MDP offers us a path forward but does not guarantee anything. The idea behind MDPs is to provide the USFS with any potential project we would be interested in doing in the coming years to benefit the ski area in one big proposal," says Shayna Silverman of Arapahoe Basin. "If the USFS accepts this plan, then each project must go through NEPA. If projects are accepted by the USFS and approved by NEPA, only then it's up to us on what projects we move forward with and when."Along with the highlighted proposals listed above, Arapahoe Basin wants to increase its snowmaking capacity by 65 acres. Bolstering snowmaking capabilities in Montezuma Bowl, on the Loafer and Davis runs in The Beavers, and on the Humbug, West Gully, Upper Wrangler, Shooting Gallery, and Grizzly Road runs on the frontside of the mountain. Snowmaking will also be constructed for the new Sawmill Flats beginner Master Development Plan also mentions installing remote avalanche systems along the East Wall and within Montezuma Bowl. These devices would replace the mountain's current avalauncher systems that resemble military will continue to keep tabs on Arapahoe Basin's Master Development Plan as progress is made. At this point, there is no stated timeframe for when the new lifts, runs, or snowmaking will be constructed. We will keep you updated if and when those timeframes are disclosed.
