The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today!
Every season you hit the slopes, you get a little better—why shouldn’t your favorite mountain? We rounded up all of the new stuff—lifts, lodges, libations, and more—at Colorado’s top ski resorts.
Arapahoe Basin
What’s new: One lift, dining
A-Basin once again won the race to drop its ropes, opening October 23 when it started spinning the Black Mountain Express lift. When the rest of the mountain opens, skiers will be treated to a new, high-speed six-pack Lenawee lift. Replacing a slower version over the summer, the new Lenawee still deposits riders to the top of the front side. The Basin, which has been limiting ticket sales in an effort to combat crowds and maintain the skier experience, hopes this will relieve one of the last bottlenecks on the mountain. It’s a good thing, too, because Steilhang Hut—a new on-mountain dining option right off the new Lenawee—serves up German sausages, beer, and pastries that are sure to draw a crowd.
That's only $1 per issue!
Aspen Snowmass
What’s new: Skier services, dining
You’ll find a new, 9,300-square-foot skier-services building at the bottom of the Buttermilk lift this season. It may not be the sort of brochure headliner you were expecting, but the new structure finally brings Aspen Snowmass’ guest services under one roof—so chalk this one up to convenience. Its amenities include new rental lockers, ticketing services, a guest lounge, and a Four Mountain Sports retail and rental shop. Also new: The Buttermilk Mountain Lodge—formerly Bumps—has an expanded bar and outdoor patio called the Backyard.
Bluebird Backcountry
What’s new: Lodging
Colorado’s (and the world’s) only liftless ski resort now has skin-in/ski-out huts and domes on property, meaning you no longer have to sleep in your car in the gravel “camping” lot down CO 14 if you want to stay overnight at Bluebird Backcountry. The shelters start at $59 per night and range in, well, dirtbagginess.
Breckenridge
What’s new: One lift, snowmaking
As part of its plans to expand the skiable terrain on Peak 8, Breck has replaced Rip’s Ride—an old, slow two-seater—with a high-speed quad. Peaks 7, 8, 9, and 10 all got new, more efficient snow guns, too, including along Peak 8’s famed 4 O’Clock run, so skiers will have better snow coverage all the way into town.
Copper Mountain
What’s new: Nothing
Copper doesn’t have much new this season. Instead, the mountain is looking back in time and commemorating its golden anniversary—and its history as a training ground for winter sports athletes—with a fête on December 3. Details are scarce, but the resort says it will “celebrate legendary figures and unforgettable moments from years past.” There will also be live music, giveaways, and other activities.
Echo Mountain
What’s new: One beginner run, trail maintenance
The tiny resort just 36 miles west of downtown Denver spent its offseason working on trail maintenance. If cleared rocks, stumps, and deadfall don’t excite you, perhaps this will: Echo Mountain also added a new green-circle reroute to make it easier for beginners to get down the mountain because everyone should enjoy lapping.
Eldora Mountain
What’s new: Snow making, dining, parking, rentals
Boulder’s home mountain has 800 new parking spaces this season to help alleviate transit woes (though we still maintain alternate transportation such as carpooling or the Ski-n-Ride bus is the best way to arrive). On the mountain, Eldora’s Timbers Grill has doubled in capacity, and beginners will love the upgraded snowmaking near the Alpenglow lift and Little Hawk learning area to go with the updated ski rental fleet.
Granby Ranch
What’s new: RFID passes, upgraded Wi-Fi
You’ll practically fly up the mountain at Granby Ranch this season, thanks be to automatic RFID gates at all chairlifts and a pick-up box for grabbing your pre-purchased pass (and skipping the ticket window). You can surf the internet faster, too, thanks to upgraded Wi-Fi in the base lodge.
Howelsen Hill
What’s new: Tubing
OK, so it’s not technically skiing or snowboarding, but this family-friendly ski area in Steamboat Springs has a new tubing hill. That, combined with free-ski Sundays, makes Howelsen a primo destination for Denver families.
Keystone
What’s new: Dining, snow forts
North Peak’s Timber Ridge Lodge expanded its indoor and outdoor seating, meaning Keystone’s biggest on-mountain restaurant has gotten even bigger. The resort’s “World’s Largest Mountaintop Snow Fort,” which is pretty much exactly what its name suggests, also returns to the top of 11,640-foot Dercum Mountain this year for the first time since 2019. This time, though, it won’t be the only one: Another has been erected at the Mountain House base area.
Loveland
What’s new: One lift, expanded facilities
Loveland’s Valley Lodge is bigger and better than ever with a new Children’s Center at the Ski & Ride School (and faster guest check-in), an expanded rental center, and a cafeteria that has three times more seating. Lift 6—formerly a surface lift—has also been upgraded to a reliable, fixed-grip triple chair, which means faster, more comfortable trips up the south side.
Monarch Mountain
What’s new: Trail maintenance
What’s new at indie hill Monarch? At first glance, not much. There are new ticket windows and updated lockers—and some of the tree-skiing areas have been cleaned up. That’s significant because the mountain—which relies completely on natural snow—may now be able to open those areas earlier in the season.
Powderhorn Mountain
What’s new: Snowmaking
Grand Junction’s local hill spent its offseason upgrading its snowmaking infrastructure, a project that has been in the works for about a decade. With the improved guns, Powderhorn’s coverage should be more reliable—and the long-standing project mostly completed.
Purgatory Mountain
What’s new: Snowmaking, slope maintenance, grooming
If you’ve made it this far down the list, you’re probably getting the sense that snowmaking is a big trend this season as resorts fight to get ahead of climate change. Go ahead and add Purgatory to the list. The Durango mountain has invested $1.25 million into more efficient snowmaking operations. Also nice: some 50 new parking spots, tree thinning, slope maintenance, and new snow-grooming machines.
Steamboat
What’s new: A little bit of everything
The Boat has seen some of the most substantial investment in the state in recent years, and it is close to finishing the second phase of its $200 million improvement plan. If you can think of an on-mountain upgrade, they probably have it. New terrain? How about Greenhorn Ranch, a fresh beginner area. New lifts? The Wild Blue Gondola will serve those headed to Greenhorn Ranch. New rental equipment? How about $500,000 worth? Snowmaking, lift maintenance, ski patrol equipment, and mountain machinery upgrades? Check. There are also new food and drink options slated to open later this season.
Sunlight Mountain
What’s new: Dining, ski school upgrades
Fifty-five-year-old Sunlight Mountain—just southwest of Glenwood Springs—has a new yurt for its ski and snowboard school and an outdoor food station. Sign us up.
Telluride
What’s new: One lift, improved snowmaking
There’s snowmaking updates, of course, but we’re more excited about Telluride’s Plunge Express. Also known as Chair 9, the new high-speed quad is twice as fast as the old one, meaning it will deposit you to the top of an expert area (and the backcountry access gates) a lot faster, cut ride times from about 15 minutes to close to seven minutes. It should also clean up wait lines.
Vail
What’s new: Two lifts, après
Vail went big this off season (which is fitting because, you know, it’s Vail) with two new lifts: a high-speed six-pack that replaced the 37-year-old Game Creek Express and the brand-new Sun Down Express, which will whisk guests out of the Sun Up and Sun Down Bowls. Keeping with the theme of double trouble, Vail is also bringing back its Ice Bars. The on-mountain libation stations will be made out of snow, just like they were when they first debuted in February 1965, and can be found at Eagle’s Nest and Wildwood.
Winter Park
What’s new: Expanded terrain, improved grooming
Expert skiers who love steep pitches and fluffy snow (read: all of them) should head to Jelly Roll, a previously off-limits section of the resort’s Cirque territory, and the newly opened terrain in the Chutes area of Mary Jane. All together, Winter Park will have nearly twice as much expert terrain as it did last season. The resort also has updated its grooming operation to allow for quicker maintenance—ideally allowing the resort to drop its ropes faster.
