Aspen Snowmass Outlines $80M in Summer Projects & Mountain Upgrades

Aspen Snowmass, a division of Aspen One, is reportedly set to break ground this month on nearly $80 million of on-mountain improvement projects at Snowmass. The improvements include two new high-speed chairlifts, a complete reconstruction of one of the resort’s most beloved on-mountain restaurants, and more.

The company said the investments are part of an intentional effort by Aspen One to more rapidly upgrade on-mountain infrastructure in the coming years.

“We have a huge summer ahead for on-mountain developments here at Aspen Snowmass,” said Geoff Buchheister, CEO, Aspen Skiing Company. “These projects represent Aspen One’s commitment to ongoing investment in delivering the most exceptional guest experience possible. They support the continued longevity of our business and our legacy of delivering world-class adventures. I’d like to extend my gratitude to our dedicated teams and partners for their hard work and collaboration to see these projects through to completion.”

Aspen laid out two chairlift upgrades, including:

• New Elk Camp 6-Pack Lift: The existing Elk Camp quad chair will be replaced by a new state-of-the-art, high-speed lift that services popular terrain that will reduce ski season wait times and will efficiently upload more bikes to the Snowmass Bike Park in the summer months. This lift represents a major investment in the Snowmass Bike Park operations as it will almost double the capacity of bike haul, which was a major driving factor in the project.
• New Cirque T-Bar: This new T-Bar lift will replace the existing platter lift, reducing wait times at one of the highest lifts in North America, which accesses some of Snowmass’ best extreme high alpine terrain. This replacement will effectively double the capacity of this lift, as it will go from a single-rider to double-rider capacity.

“This is the first time in nearly two decades that Snowmass has added two new lifts in one season,” the company said in a media release. “These upgrades join other major on-mountain investment projects across Aspen Snowmass’ mountains in recent years, including The Cabin and Coney Express upgrades at Snowmass this past winter, the Hero’s terrain expansion at Aspen Mountain and the Buttermilk base area renovation, both completed in 2023.”

The company said as construction for the on-mountain developments take place, some closures and operational impacts will take place throughout the summer season and will share more information on its web site, locally in Aspen, and in-resort in the coming months.

“The areas of terrain served by these lifts are some of the most popular on our mountain,” said Susan Cross, Mountain Manager, Snowmass. “These updates allow for guests to more smoothly access Snowmass’ classic wide-open slopes and sweeping vistas at Elk Camp, and the incredible variety of high-alpine terrain we have off The Cirque. I am proud that we continue to invest in making this mountain the best that it can be, and having high-speed, higher capacity lifts is critical to the Snowmass experience.”

Dining Upgrades

The resort is also be upgrading and rebuilding restaurants. Ullrhof, the mid-mountain restaurant on Snowmass, will undergo a complete rebuild and is set to re-open for the 2026-27 winter season. Elk Camp restaurant will also see upgrades this summer (pending approval from the Town of Snowmass Village) with a proposed expansion of 120 seats to the outdoor deck footprint.

Other focused areas this summer include:

• Snowmaking Upgrades. Aspen Snowmass will continue to improve its snowmaking infrastructure across Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk to ensure top-quality snow coverage, regardless of weather conditions.
• Forest Health Projects. Critical forest health and safety projects are also planned across all four mountains, with a focus on improving wildlife habitats, reducing wildfire risks, and maintaining healthy ecosystems.

Aspen Skiing Company said it has and will continue to work closely with White River National Forest on the review and construction process for each of these developments.

“It is impressive to see this level of investment at Snowmass,” said Monte Lutterman, Mountain Resorts & Recreation Special Uses Supervisor for Aspen – Sopris Ranger District. “I believe visitors will genuinely benefit from these improvements for decades to come.”