Aspen Snowmass announces Elk Camp lift grand opening
Sam Ferguson/Courtesy photo
Aspen Snowmass is inviting the community and visitors to celebrate the grand opening of the new Elk Camp high-speed six-pack lift on Friday, Dec. 12, at Snowmass Ski Area.
“This debut marks a major milestone in Aspen Snowmass’ continued investment in the mountain experience, with one of Snowmass’ most popular mid-mountain lifts,” a press release states.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony that is free and open to the public will take place at 10 a.m. at the bottom terminal of the new Elk Camp lift, located mid-mountain. Geoff Buchheister, CEO of Aspen Skiing Company, and Susan Cross, vice president of Mountain Operations, will speak before the first official chair loads.
“From the construction that began this summer to the snowmaking, snowcat, and patrol work that has gone into preparing this terrain in the past several weeks, a lot of hard work went into bringing the new Elk Camp lift to life,” said Susan Cross, vice president of Mountain Operations for Aspen Skiing Company, in the release. “This represents a major investment for Snowmass, and we’re excited to get Elk Camp spinning and for guests to enjoy it.”
Terrain access from Elk Camp will open with early-season conditions, the release confirms. The area is currently open with all-natural snow, but guests should look out for variable coverage and ski with caution.
“It’s standard early-season variability — some areas have more coverage than others,” Janelle Sohnes, senior manager of Brand Communications for SkiCo, told The Aspen Times in an email. “Nothing unusual, just something for guests to keep in mind.”
The new high-speed six-pack has replaced the former Elk Camp quad chair, with the aim of increasing uphill capacity “significantly” and improving flow during peak periods. This lift is 7,623 feet, with 1,552 feet of vertical rise. It also has a ride time of seven minutes and 36 seconds to the Elk Camp summit, where access to the full range of beginner, intermediate, and advanced terrain is available, up from the old lift that was closer to nine minutes.
“This major mountain upgrade is part of the Snowmass Master Plan, developed in close partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the town of Snowmass Village, with a long-term vision for improving access, guest flow, and terrain connectivity,” the release reads.
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