14-03-2025
New Highest Chairlift In America? Colorado Resort Makes Bold Proposal
A new master development plan (MDP) submitted by Copper Mountain Resort, Colorado, proposes constructing North America's highest lift. As proposed, the Jacque East lift boasts an upper terminal soaring above 13,000 feet. North America's current highest lift is the Imperial Superchair at Breckenridge Ski Resort, Colorado. It tops out at 12,840 new lift would serve an expanded area of Copper Mountain Resort's operational boundary that aims to open the eastern face of Jacque Peak to to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly expansion on Jacque Peak falls within the resort's existing special use permit (SUP) boundary and includes another supporting lift, the new fixed-grip, three-person Thunderbird. The Jacque East lift, meanwhile, would be detachable so it could better handle high winds and anticipated demand, according to the MDP.
The terrain expansion covers about 500 acres, and according to the MDP, would be among the highest skiable areas in North America, making it a prospective 'bucket list' destination. Much of the terrain is reserved for advanced and expert skiers, but the MDP noted that the area is accessible for strong intermediates, wide-reaching MDP didn't stop there. In the next ten years, the goal for Copper Mountain Resort is to rely on its existing SUP to meet 'the ever-growing demand for developed recreational skiing,' according to the Mountain Resort hopes to construct several more lifts, including eight upgrades to its existing lift infrastructure. One replacement proposes transforming the Super Bee lift into a detachable eight-seater with a mid-station. If the new Super Bee gets constructed, Copper Mountain Resort would be one of the few ski areas in the U.S. with an eight-seater lift.
In addition to the Jacque East and Thunderbird lifts, four more completely new lifts are proposed, including Union Meadows. This detachable quad would serve the titular Union Meadows as well as Tucker Gulch, and Copper improvements proposed in the MDP include expansions of guest services like the replacement of the T-Rex Grill and Flyer's Restaurant, a Remote Avalanche Control (RAC) system in Tucker Gulch, and as well as glading projects around the plans submitted by ski resorts don't promise rapid evolution. Instead, they're carefully constructed wishlists that provide a look at what the future might hold. Copper Mountain Resort is required to submit MDPs on a periodic basis per the requirements of its SUP with the White River National can view the entire MDP here.
