Aspen Skiing Company is looking for approval for a new lift on Highlands. The U.S. Forest Service is now taking public comment on several proposed projects at the ski area.
This is not your typical chairlift. This is what’s called a “platter lift” where your skis stay on the snow. Think rope tow or Poma.
SkiCo is asking to install it on Golden Horn. It’s meant to give racers who train there, and on Thunderbowl, a faster turn-around between runs. The lift would be managed by SkiCo and paid for by the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club.
SkiCo also has plans to remove trees near the top of the Cloud Nine chairlift and in expert terrain near Loge Bowl. Kevin Hagerty, Aspen Highlands Mountain Manager, said thinning trees in the Eden area that was opened two seasons ago will make it more accessible.
“By removing a few of those trees, it’ll allow for a better flow of skiing in there and not make it so difficult to access in,” Hagerty said.
The projects affect less than five acres of Forest Service land, and the agency is working on an environmental analysis. The public can weigh in on the proposal until Dec. 1.
