On a brisk February day in 1938, a community dream manifested atop the wind-whipped summit of Marshall Pass. Members of the Salida Ski Club rattled up the Denver and Rio Grande railway for 5-mile ski runs down the Continental Divide. They lugged 7-foot-long wooden planks in the train cars, and once they summited, were met with the joyous sounds of polka music and singalongs. In those days, the club paid a dime for each train ride back up the pass.
But locals dreamed of a future hill to join the likes of regional ski areas Winter Park, Wolf Creek and Pioneer. In under a year, Monarch Mountain was founded at the crest of the divide, just 12 miles north of Marshall Pass. It has been independently owned and operated ever since.
Today, 86 years after the birth of Monarch, locals await another milestone. In December 2025, the mountain plans to unveil a new lift, opening up 377 acres of new terrain, 10 runs and 1,000 additional vertical feet in the No Name Basin area. The expansion will crown Monarch as the only ski resort in the country to access both sides of the Continental Divide.
“Skiing Monarch is a state of mind,” said Gunnison Valley historian Duane Vandenbusche. “It’s the high elevation, the blue skies, spectacular runs and family-oriented environment that makes it such a special place.”
Monarch, majority-owned by Bob Nicolls since 2002, began tree removal, restoration work and erosion control in July of 2024. By using a cut-to-length loading machine and additional equipment to haul lumber, runs began to weave along the coniferous hillside. The construction crews then smoothed down stumps and debris in a process called mastication. By last fall, Monarch revealed seven future runs, and a site for a future, fixed-grip triple ski lift.
This spring, Monarch will finish cutting trees and masticating the remaining runs. Then Skytrac, a ski lift company based in Utah, will begin installing the lift, which is scheduled to open at the end of this year. Monarch also plans to build a ski patrol outpost and warming hut near the bottom terminal, expected to open in the summer of 2026.
Situated just beyond the western edge of Monarch’s extreme Mirkwood terrain, the No Name Basin drops off into a sea of steep, tree-cut chutes. The future top terminal will be located behind the Shagnasty run, near the top of the Breezeway lift. It will also be accessible from the top of the Panororama Lift.
“I like to say we’ll be skiing where both oceans begin,” Monarch Sales Manager Eva Egbert said. “It’s a bit of a stretch, but skiing both sides of the Continental Divide is super exciting to me as a European. It’s like we’re skiing both sides of the world.”
At the edge of the No Name rim, skiers are met with a terrace overlooking Monarch’s previously inaccessible western reaches. The Tomichi Dome looms prominently over the sagebrush plains. In the distance, Uncompahgre Peak rules over the San Juans, while Gunnison sits protected by vast plains. The new trails snake through the trees, accessing both groomed and mogul terrain and glade access. While most of the runs will receive an intermediate rating, the No Name lift run will offer a steep, ungroomed trail and earn a black diamond badge.
“If ever there was an area in the world that was made for skiing, it’s Monarch,” Vandenbusche said. “Elevation 11,000, 350 inches of snow each year, steep terrain, dry champagne powder and right on the doorstep of the Saguache Range.”
The plan to expand into the No Name Basin persisted for over three years, but was delayed by the pandemic and the location’s rich historical significance. The mountain is home to one of three prehistoric “game drive” sites in Colorado, dating back to 3,000 B.C. Ancient tribes used stone embankments, called game drives, to snare deer, mountain sheep and elk. Archaeologists have since discovered scattered hunting encampments, making Monarch the southernmost game drive in the state.
With guidance from US Forest Service archaeologists, Monarch designed the trail systems and lift terminal locations around these heritage sites. The crews conducted the first wave of tree cutting over a layer of snow, and will begin the lift installation in similar conditions to prevent soil disruption.
The mountain’s connection to history is likely to seep into the future lift and run names in the No Name area, Egbert said. Vandenbusche has already recommended a handful of ideas, harkening back to the prehistoric hunting site, the nearby Madonna Mine and the Salida Ski Club’s railroad trips.
“We have a lot of great beginner areas and advanced terrain, but Monarch really needed more intermediate, cruisy groomer stuff and that is exactly what this project provides,” said Monarch Ski Patroller Zach Moore. “It’s an entirely different feel in No Name.”
(Alex McCrindle can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or alex@gunnisontimes.com.)
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