Snowmass history: Snowcat tours precede Poma lift

Before there were chairlifts or Poma tows, snowcat tours brought skiers to the highest point at Snowmass. Starting near the top of where the Cirque Poma is now, skiers in 1966 enjoyed snowcat access to the area, which was in development process as it was transformed into the Snowmass-at-Aspen ski area. The Cirque Poma debuted during the 1997-98 ski season, 30 years after Snowmass first opened. The Poma lift covered an 800-foot vertical rise to an elevation of 12,510 feet and was the first in the country to be solely powered by clean, renewable wind power.