Pikes Peak Region Trail Finder

Monarch presents expansion plans

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Created on Tuesday, 24 May 2011 16:50

Written by Dena Rosenberry

I just read that folks from the Springs' favorite ski area, Monarch Mountain, met with members of the Forest Service and Salida community folks to talk improvements.

The official work is the 2011 Monarch Mountain Master Development Plan, and there's quite a few hoops to jump through before anything can be done.

Here are highlights of the '10-year' plan:

• Add No Name Basin on the Gunnison County side of the mountain, which would add 56 acres of trails and 340 acres of terrain, mostly intermediate.  This would include a double chair lift and a warming hut.

•  Expand square footage of the main lodge.
•  Pave the upper parking lot.
•  Add an 8,000-square-foot building for a children's center, employee lockers and junior mountain facility.
•  Build a medical clinic with X-ray capabilities.
•  Create a snow play area and tubing hill with a conveyer lift.
•  Eliminate the mid-point drop off on the Tumbelina lift and add a conveyer lift.
•  Upgrade Breezeway to a triple-chair lift.
•  Add 240 parking spaces above the maintenance shop.

At present Monarch says its capacity is 2,870 skiers and riders.  Approval of these plans would boost capacity to 3,490 skiers and riders.

Read more about the ski area expansion proposal and the meeting with Monarch, Forest Service and local officials in the Mountain Mail.