The Scenic Tramway sits at the top of Monarch Pass.Last month, Monarch Mountain announced it had purchased the Monarch Crest and Scenic Tramway at the top of Monarch Pass. The business, which has been operating for 68 years, will be closed for the 2022-23 winter season with plans to reopen in the spring of next year.
Monarch’s plans involve remodeling the space to include a welcome center, a retail store and restaurant. The ski resort will continue to provide ample parking space for existing recreation endeavors in the area.
“We’re excited for this opportunity and see a lot of potential for using this new venture to help celebrate the area and all of its recreational opportunities,” said General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Randy Stroud. “It’s a natural extension of what we already do.”
Over the years, Monarch Mountain, located just north of the Crest on Hwy. 50, maintained a positive relationship with the business’ owners. Monarch’s management maintained the parking lot in the wintertime, using it for overflow parking on busy days at the ski resort.
When it went up for sale this summer, the team didn’t want to run the risk of not having a good relationship with the next owner, said Marketing Vice President Dan Bender.
“Even though we've made expansions down here to our existing parking lot, we just keep growing,” Bender said. “This was a great opportunity to get control of that parking lot, and then there's a viable business attached to it. It was a win-win.”
Renovations at the Crest began on Nov. 1. In addition to a welcome center, Monarch will keep the gift shop which will become an extension of Elation Sports, the ski area’s sport shop. It will also serve as a second location for Sidewinder Saloon, while remaining a landing spot for travelers who break down on the highway — equipped with antifreeze and oil.
Although a lot of Monarch’s plans are fluid, Bender said the resort is hoping to run the shop and restaurant as a summer operation, with Monarch’s marketing team manning the welcome desk. The goal is to open by mid-May.
“The positive with that is it'll allow us to have more year-round employees, which will help us retain good employees throughout the year,” Bender said. “The seasonal gig is hard.”
Bender acknowledged a buzz within the ski community that the area is going to become an extension of the resort. This is not going to happen, Bender said.
In order to expand, Monarch would first need to put it into its master development plan, “which doesn’t mean you’re approved to do it, it means you’re approved to ask,” Bender said. This process can take months or years and involves an environmental impact statement.
“It's a big process,” Bender said. “There's not good enough snow due to the wind out there for us to consider that.”
The tramway, the oldest operating in the state, will continue to run during the summer months. Situated at an altitude of 12,012 feet along the Continental Divide, an observatory at the top boasts views of five mountain ranges.
Jerry and Edie Schoenfeld were the previous owners of the gift shop and the tram, which closed its doors at the end of October. The Times reached out to the pair, but did not receive a response by press time.
“The kids are out of college now and they didn’t want the business so it was time to sell,” Edie told the Mountain Mail. “It’s been a family business for the past 26 years. We’ve been blessed with great customers, and we’re going to miss them.”
(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@gunnisontimes.com.)
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