On Sept. 22, Monarch Mountain ski resort aired details to the public on its long-awaited expansion into “No Name Basin,” an area situated just behind the resort’s existing boundaries.
After more than a decade of preparation, and two full summers of survey work and consultations, Monarch Mountain ski resort is entering the final phase of its development plan — a long-term vision for the resort as visitation continues to rise. Monarch is proposing to increase its size by nearly a third, growing from approximately 770 acres to 1,150. This would include 62 new acres of groomed trails and 75 acres of glades.
If the project is approved, the expansion would give visitors the chance to ski on two national forests that straddle the Continental Divide — Pike-San Isabel National Forests and Cimmaron and Comanche National Grasslands (on which on Monarch now sits) and the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests.
Monarch general manager and chief operating officer Randy Stroud said Monarch is nearly done with its portion of the work on the proposal, and from here on it will fall into the hands of its partner, the U.S. Forest Service.
“We’ve had a lot of positive responses already,” Stroud. “There’s so much pent up excitement because [season pass holders] wanted this 10 years ago.”
First opened to the public in 1939, Monarch leases the land the ski resort sits on under a special use permit with the Forest Service. The Gunnison and Salida ranger districts are preparing an environmental assessment to review the proposed No Name Basin project.
Last week, the project entered a 30-day public comment period, which will be followed by two open houses in Poncha Springs and Gunnison. In addition to the results of the assessment, the feedback collected will be used to guide the Forest Service decision to accept all or part of the proposal.
The Forest Service is responding to an application submitted by Monarch to implement one of the final portions of its 2011 master development plan — a snapshot of the resort’s existing infrastructure and conceptual plans of what its management team wanted to build in the future.
Over the past decade, visitation at the small, privately owned resort has grown by 30%. Monarch has already invested close to $20 million in infrastructure upgrades to accommodate increasing visitation and to prepare for the project’s launch. Monarch has added expanded parking, more snowcats and loaders for plowing and grooming and upgraded its wastewater management facility. The resort was ready to present more concrete plans to the Forest Service in 2020, but the pandemic put progress on pause until late in 2021.
Stroud estimated that the No Name expansion will cost the resort at least $5 million. The project includes the construction of a new 2,700-foot-long fixed grip chairlift that can carry up to four skiers per chair, a permanent access road for maintenance and a realignment of 700 feet of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. A warming hut and restroom will be built adjacent to the bottom of the new chairlift.
Skiers and riders will be able to gain access to No Name Basin from the Breezeway and Panorama lifts. Many of the new runs will be tailored to intermediate skiers and riders, with long, cruisy groomers, and a few steeper pitches in the glades, said Scott Pressly, vice president of mountain operations.
“But primarily intermediate skiing back there, which is our bread and butter,” Pressly said. “That's really what a lot of guests are looking for here.”
According to Forest Service project leader Don Dressler, the agency expects to have a final decision by the spring of 2024. Afterward, it will likely take two summers for Monarch to build, develop trails and install the new lift in No Name Basin.
“After thinking about this project for a decade or more, we've gone to great strides to really try to do it right,” Pressly said. “We want to take care of the forest and our backyard here … We're looking forward to hearing what people have to say and engaging with the community. We are excited to be at this step where we feel like we're actually taking some big steps forward.”
The first open house will be held on Oct. 4 at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds and Event Center in Poncha Spring and at the Gunnison County Public Library in Gunnison on Oct. 5 from 6-8 p.m. To learn more about the No Name Basin expansion, visit fs.usda.gov/project/?project=61373.
(Bella Biondini can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or bella@gunnisontimes.com.)
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