The Gent’s Ridge chairlift on Aspen Mountain will be removed this fall.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
After nearly 40 years on Aspen Mountain, the Gent’s Ridge chairlift will be retired and removed this fall, according to an Aspen Skiing Company news release.
The removal is pending United States Forest Service approval, but the lift was sold to family-owned Maverick Mountain in Montana where it will carry skiers and riders onto the slopes. The decision to remove the lift came after consideration of skier traffic patterns, ridership numbers, and the opening of the new Hero’s terrain on Aspen Mountain last winter.
“Gent’s has served us well for decades, and I’m glad that it will get a second life at Maverick Mountain,” said SkiCo CEO Geoff Buchheister in the release. “I know firsthand how important these community-based resorts are to creating passionate lifelong enthusiasts for the sport, and it’s exciting to see that what no longer works for us can benefit another ski area.”
The new Hero’s lift provides access to much of the same terrain that the Gent’s Ridge lift did but with a faster ride time of four and half minutes, according to the release. The removal is “part of a broader plan of evolution of Aspen Mountain, which includes streamlining operations and expanding snowmaking to increase coverage in the early season.”
“With improved snowmaking in Copper Bowl and the surrounding terrain, we are working towards having two routes from top-to-bottom in early season for years where we don’t have as much natural snow in November,” said Aspen Mountain Manager Travis Benson in the release. “This will give skiers more terrain and address the issue of early season impacts on the Ajax Express lift and in Spar Gulch.”
Timing for the removal of the fixed-grip quad lift will depend on approval from the Forest Service. Work could begin as early as September.
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Publish date : 2024-08-30 10:34:00
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