Arapahoe Basin Applies to Replace Lenawee Triple and Enhance On-Mountain Facilities
Last week, Arapahoe Basin submitted an application to the USFS to proceed with several resort upgrades. The proposal calls for replacing the existing Lenawee triple chair with a high-speed lift, constructing a warming hut alongside the upper-mountain Lenawee Parks trail, and constructing a food service building adjacent to the mid-mountain Black Mountain Lodge.
Killington Developing New Luxury Ski-In/Ski-Out Condos at Bear Mountain
Killington is currently developing its first gated ski-in/ski-out community at the base of Bear Mountain. Units will all be sold to private owners and start at $1.75 million.
Winter Park Axes Reservation Requirement After 2pm
Winter Park has announced that for the final two hours of each ski day, it will no longer mandate a reservation to access the resort. Reservations will still be required at earlier times.
Killington Discontinues Weekday Parking Reservations
Thanks to low weekday traffic and sufficient on-mountain capacity, Killington is halting its parking reservation policy Monday through Friday starting Tuesday, January 19.
California Ends Stay-at-Home Order for Tahoe Counties
Effective January 12, California has lifted its stay-at-home order for the Greater Sacramento region. Tahoe ski areas are no longer affected by these restrictions.
Loveland Adds Safety Bars to All Remaining Chairlifts
For the 2020-21 season, Loveland has installed safety bars on several existing chairlifts. A representative from the resort confirmed that all operational lifts now have this feature.
Steamboat Implements Virtual Gondola Line to Mitigate On-Site Crowding
This past weekend, Steamboat introduced a virtual waiting room that allows ticket and pass holders to join the Steamboat Gondola line remotely. This virtual line will exist alongside the lift’s normal, physical line.
Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows Employ New COVID Protocols for Post-Storm Operations, Delaying Openings
For the first time since COVID became a factor, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows have rolled out major weather-mitigation operations this morning. Due to the need for social distancing among staff, the two mountains anticipate that avalanche mitigation and lift de-icing will take longer than usual this year.
Arapahoe Basin’s New Pallavicini Lift Opens to Guests
This past Saturday, Arapahoe Basin opened its new Pallavicini chair to resort visitors. This new Leitner-Poma fixed-grip double chair, which replaced another fixed-grip double built in 1978, follows the same line as the old Pali lift and now boasts safety bars.
Homewood’s Ellis Chair Reopens for First Time Since January
After sitting idle for the final two months of last season due to mechanical issues, Homewood’s Ellis chair returned to service today. The triple lift received the first of two scheduled refurbishments in time for the upcoming season; the resort says the chair’s ride time has decreased by nearly four minutes.