Earlier this year, Alan Henceroth, who’s the Chief Operating Officer of Arapahoe Basin, asked the public for help in acquiring one of their old single chairs. A few weeks later, it was announced that someone stepped up to the plate, Yesterday, A-Basin announced that they now have one of their single chairs on public display.

This single chairlift, which serviced the upper mountain at Arapahoe Basin, was installed in 1946. The chairlift opened during the 1946-47 season, and it operated at Arapahoe Basin until around 1960. From there, it went to the now-defunct Fun Valley ski area in Lakewood, Colorado. One of the remaining chairs was passed around until it reached Rob Diehl’s house. This past fall, he sold it back to A-Basin, and it now hangs from the ceiling next to Marnie’s in the 6th Alley Bar & Grill.

Image Credits: Arapahoe Basin

This winter, Hoedown Hill will become Colorado’s newest ski area. Located near Fort Collins, this new ski area aims to become a place where beginners can learn to shred and skiers/riders who live in this metropolitan area can get some turns without having to drive hours on the roads. In addition, they’ll have a steep tubing hill.

The Storm Skiing Journal & Podcast reported last week that Hoedown Hill released its first official trail map. The map details the locations of the seven trails and four lifts at the upside-down ski area.

It’s cool to distinguish this from the draft trail map pictured below, which was made in May of 2022. Most of the locations remain the same, but this new trail map gives a general grasp of the hill. The only location changes I see are to the terrain park on the skier’s left.

Over the past couple of weeks, Hoedown Hill has been making snow, but it hasn’t announced its official grand opening day yet. They do aim to open at some point this month.

Image Credits: Hoedown Hill

Over the weekend, Colorado saw a lot of snow. It helped one ski area, Arapahoe Basin, open for the season. This was especially true at Aspen Snowmass, which saw nearly two feet of snow across all four of its mountains. Over at Snowmass, the estimated total was around 32″. It’s a startling snow accumulation for Aspen Snowmass, as they don’t typically see snowstorms like this.

A few people even got some quality turns in. Yesterday, Luke Stone earned his turns and got to shred at Snowmass. With over 30″ of snowfall, face shots were abundant. The video below shows some deep powder and mountain crews beginning to prepare the mountain.

If you do go up to one of Ajax, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, or Snowmass to get some turns in, keep in mind that pre-season conditions exist. There’s also the potential to be around snowmobiles, groomers, and other machinery, so being cautious is important.

Image/Video Credits: Aspen Snowmass, Luke Stone

The ski patrollers and medics at Eldora could become the latest batch of ski resort workers to join a union.

Colorado Public Radio (CPR) reports that 71% of ski patrollers and medics at Eldora Mountain Resort voted for a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) union election to occur this November. According to Ski Area Management, in order for such an election to occur, they needed to get 30% of ski patrol/medic workers to sign a union authorization card and send it in to the NLRB. Eldora’s parent company (Powdr) can either recognize the union or allow the election to occur. If the workers succeed, they will become part of the United Professional Ski Patrols of America.

Jake Miller, who’s a ski patroller at Eldora, explained to CPR why they’re considering unionizing:

“People get to a point where they need insurance, they need to be able to afford rent in Boulder County, and they just can’t do that with the job we have. We needed something to change.”

Ski patroller’s pay at Eldora starts at $19 an hour for new hires without any certifications. This is increased to $20.50 after they go through pre-season training. New hires with certification start at $21.50 an hour. According to a spokesperson with Eldora, these wages increase based on returning patrollers’ “experience, additional certifications, and performance.”

Another factor is a rise in crowds. According to ski patrollers, visitation has grown substantially since 2021, while the amount of their team members has remained stagnant:

“Eldora has seen peak visitor numbers skyrocket since 2021 as a result of expanded parking capacity and unlimited ski days for IKON pass holders, all while staffing on patrol has remained stagnant.”

Eldora opposes the unionizing efforts but will support the ski patrollers and medics if it happens. Here’s the statement they released to CPR:

“[W]e believe that the best way to find consensus that results in positive outcomes is by having meaningful dialogue rooted in the history and culture of trust among our employees. We believe a union would not benefit our patrollers, employees, guests, or our company. Regardless, we respect—and will always continue to respect—the legal rights of workers to freely choose third-party representation, as we respect the rights of those who refrain and choose to be free from the restrictions of such activities…

Eldora is committed to treating all of its employees with respect and dignity and to providing them with excellent benefits, optimum working conditions, and competitive wages.”

Image Credits: Eldora Mountain Resort

For decades, Breckenridge Resort has been known for its terrain park network. According to locals though, the terrain parks have been downscaled in recent years. Last week, the Colorado ski resort responded to locals’ concerns and is upgrading their park setup for this upcoming winter.

Last week, Brendan Treffinger and Scooter from Breckenridge’s terrain park team detailed the plan for the 2023-24 season. Their terrain park network will be situated on Peak 8 & 9. The large park will be moving over to the Freeway trail, which is where there have been features and jumps in the past. The medium park will be situated on the Lower American trail (Peak 9), while the small park will be over at El Dorado. This new setup is aimed at progression-based learning. With the new Five Chair, guests will be able to get in more laps with more convenient access.

Comments on the post were largely positive. Many people were a fan of Scooter’s goofy antics and outtakes in the video:

“I dont even know scooter but he’s my hero.”

“Everybody loves scooter.”

One of the few negative comments I found was on Facebook:

“I always enjoy what you share here on but we’re not friends yet. I have tried several times to follow you but it’s not going through I will be so glad if you can just click into my profile and send me a friend request but if you find this message embarrassing please pardon my manners thanks.”

Yeah, you know what? I think that comment was from a bot. Meta should fix that problem.

Breckenridge’s projected opening date is November 10th.

Image/Video Credits: Breckenridge Resort

Steamboat Resort is in the midst of a very hectic offseason. The second phase of the Wild Blue Gondola is nearing completion, a snowmaking expansion is happening around Sunshine Peak, and they’re adding a new terrain pod.

The terrain expansion, which consists of advanced and expert terrain, will try to change the narrative that Steamboat isn’t challenging enough for hard-core skiers and riders. The 355-acre terrain pod will be serviced by a new high-speed detachable quad.

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve learned more about this expansion. Steamboat’s trail map revealed the new runs and glades. In a video posted yesterday, Steamboat dove into the new terrain, explaining how to access it, how the Fish Creek Canyon section of the pod will add extreme terrain, and how to get out of Fish Creek. It’s going to be interesting to see what these new runs and glades are like when they open this winter.

Image/Video Credits: Steamboat Resort

The reduction of night skiing hours at Keystone Resort will continue this winter.

Summit Daily reports that lifts at Keystone that are used for night skiing will shut down at 7 p.m. for the 2023-24 season. This is one hour less than when they’ve shut down in the past: 8 p.m. They will only be offering night skiing on Fridays, Saturdays, and a few Sundays, which has been the case since the beginning of the 2020-21 season. Wednesday and Thursday evening skiing ended in 2020 at Keystone. They used to have night skiing seven days a week, but this ended after the 2001-02 season. There will be some weekday evening skiing, but this will only be during the Holiday periods.

Here’s the official night skiing schedule for this upcoming winter from Keystone Resort:

• “November: 23 – 25 (Thanksgiving Thursday – Saturday)
• December: 23 – 31 nightly (Holiday Period Nightly)
• January: 5, 6, 12 – 14, 19, 20, 26, 27 (Friday’s & Saturday’s + New Years & MLK Sunday)
• February: 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 – 18, 23, 24 (Friday’s & Saturday’s + Presidents Weekend Sunday)
• March: 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 (Friday’s & Saturday’s through March 30)
• Night skiing ends for the season on March 30.”

Nathan Yan, who’s a local resident in the town of Silverthorne, expressed his frustration to Summit Daily.

“It’s very disappointing to see. For me it kind of turns me off to wanting to associate or think of Keystone as my home mountain…This is kind of my turning point, my Roman Empire kind of thing. I feel viscerally that they’ve taken away something that I identified with the local Summit County ski experience.”

Night skiing that ends at seven is a tough sell. Having the lifts shut down at that time would definitely keep me from skiing, as I tend to prefer going to places with more extended night skiing hours. In addition, if you aren’t an Epic Pass holder, it’s less tempting to pay for a night skiing ticket for the reduced time frame. It’s kind of odd that Vail Resorts, which definitely knows about having a competitive advantage, is reducing one of the things that makes Keystone special in a packed Colorado ski industry.

On the other hand, running a mountain like Keystone is complex due to its extensive terrain footprint. This is especially true this upcoming winter with the addition of the Bergman Bowl as a lift-serviced terrain pod. Having night skiing puts more pressure on snowmakers (during the early season) and groomers to get a lot done in a more limited time.

Ultimately, if people voice their displeasure about having limited night skiing at Keystone, a change could happen. Vail Resorts has changed its ways when they’ve been criticized on past issues, so I imagine if enough people voice their displeasure, going back to a larger schedule is possible.

Image Credits: Keystone Resort

Wolf Creek is currently in the process of adding its eleventh lift. Last month, the Colorado ski area announced that they’re adding a new chairlift to the beginner area.

The Tumbler chairlift will be located “adjacent to the Lynx Learning Center and parallel to the trail ‘Okey Dokey.’” This fixed-grip quad chairlift is 900 feet in length, which is a similar distance as the Nova chairlift. Its maximum speed will be half of a normal chairlift, leading to an optimal learning environment. The target market for the Tumbler Chairlift is snowboarders, Wolf Pups (ski school students ages 5-8), and first-time adult skiers. They are building this lift to add an enclosed learning environment and make it more of a destination for first-time skiers and riders.

This will allow their beginner lift ticket to become an even better value. This $44 ticket will give access to the Tumbler, Nova Lift, and Lynx Learning Center lift.

Last week, Wolf Creek gave its latest update on the project. The work lately is primarily focusing on the bottom and top terminals. With this being a shorter lift, the timeline for completion is much shorter compared to other chairlifts we’ve seen built this summer. They expect to open the new chairlift during the 2023-24 season.

Other offseason projects have included extending snowmaking to the top of the Treasure Stoke Quad Chairlift, the completion of the Powder Room, which gives season pass holders the chance to rent out seasonal lockers, RFID card improvements, three new shuttles to help move guests around, and removing dead trees for the tenth straight year due to Spruce Bark Beetle’s infestation of Engelmann Spruce trees.

Click here to read the official press release regarding the new Tumbler chairlift.

Image Credits: Wolf Creek Ski Area

Update: Vail Resorts has appealed the ruling from the Eagle County District Court, prolonging the battle between the two sides.

Vail Daily reports that the Vail Town Council voted 5-2 this week to acquire the Booth Heights land parcel for $17.5 million. This plot of land was where Vail Resorts planned to build employee housing, which would have housed 165 employees. The new facility would have been fully paid for by the corporation.

The Vail Town Council opposed the plans due to it being in the Bighorn Sheep Severe Winter Range. The land was condemned by the Vail Town Council, which resulted in Vail Resorts suing, and it ended up in court. The Eagle County District Court sided with the Town of Vail and set the value of the land at $17,519,985. With the purchase, the land will likely become a public park.

Kevin Foley, who’s a Vail Town Council member, said the following about why he voted for purchasing the parcel:

“This town is the best place on the planet to live, work and play. And we need to keep it that way for all of us, including the natural wildlife that was here long before any of us humans mucked it up.” 

If you’re wondering how the fuck the Town of Vail is going to find $17.5 million, it seems like it’ll be coming from a variety of sources. A required $12 million deposit came from their real estate transfer tax fund. The additional money will initially come from the town’s General Fund, but it seems like they’re asking Eagle County for $3 million. In addition, the Town will need to pay “reasonable legal and transactional costs incurred by Vail Resorts.”

Jonathan Staufer, who’s on the Vail Town Council, said the following about the acquisition. I can’t believe this is a real quote:

“As much as I can’t stand giving those bastards in Broomfield one red cent, I’ll be voting in favor because I would rather do that than watch this herd starve to death. I want to preserve this herd for future generations and my daughter’s granddaughter.”

The fuss from the Town of Vail concerned protecting Bighorn Sheep. While bighorn sheep are pretty cool, it should be noted that they aren’t even close to being an endangered species. In fact, their conservation status is of the least concern. Meanwhile, the rich are allowed to build their homes around this condemned area without any issue.

Town Council member Pete Seibert, described why protecting bighorn sheep is so important:

“The size of the herd is in direct proportion to the size of the winter range. We can’t enlarge the winter range by removing homes. The decisions that were made then were made, the homes are there, but we do have what’s left out there in Booth Heights, and I think we’ve got to be able to protect that.” 

John Plack, who’s a spokesman for Vail Resorts, issued the following statement to Vail Daily:

“We appreciate the work of the court, and the panel of experts, in determining the value of the land in Vail Town Council’s condemnation case.  As we have said previously, we do not believe the Town’s plan to pay us money to condemn this land, and prevent the affordable housing project planned on it, is good for our community.”

Vail Resorts said in a statement that they plan to reinvest the money they receive from the land on other affordable housing projects.

It should be noted that the Town of Vail has done some work on employee and local housing, spending $140 million on the matter over the past couple of years. These projects have included a 72-unit worker housing facility (which just opened) and 284 deed-restricted housing units (possibly opening in November of 2025). In addition, Colorado Public Radio reported in June that the County will be offering homeowner’s money to house employees. With a projected need of 6000 housing units in Eagle County, this will probably be remembered as the one that got away.

The situation has me, who has had issues with Vail Resorts over the years, fully on their side. We look forward to pointing out how this could have been a great employee housing option for the town every time the word the Town of Vail and housing crisis are mentioned in the next couple of years.

Image Credits: Vail Resorts, Katie Musial, Jody Confer

Tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. Mountain Time, the Breckenridge Town Council will host a meeting on the proposed redevelopment of East Peak 8.

The fourth parcel, which is being discussed on October 6th, is planned to be redeveloped into a hotel and timeshare condos by Breckenridge Grand Vacations. According to the Summit Daily, people at the meeting will talk about the “building size and programming, site layout, drainage, and environmental impacts on Cucumber Gulch, Ski Hill Road traffic, and Renewable Energy Mitigation Program requirements.” Other parcels of the East Peak 8 redevelopment include employee housing, parking, and single-family home sites.

There are two ways for people to attend: You can go to the town hall in Breckenridge, or you can watch virtually via Zoom.

For more information about the East Peak 8 redevelopment plans, read the Summit Daily’s article from June here.

Image/Video Credits: Breckenridge Town Council