Aspen Mountain took another successful step towards expanding into an area known as “Pandora” after the United States Forest Service gave a positive environmental assessment of the proposed improvement. The SkiCo proposal includes the addition of a new chairlift, terrain, and added snowmaking infrastructure near the summit.
Scott Fitzwilliams, an official with the USFS, said that the improvements will benefit “guests to the Forest within the Aspen Mountain Special Use Permit.” That is the reason the USFS is comfortable with giving initial approval for the proposal, he said.
“Overall, I feel my decision will improve the experience of guests to the Forest within the Aspen Mountain Special Use Permit area in conjunction with the state environmental impacts.” – Scott Fitzwilliams, USFS
Named the Pandora Lift, the new chair will be a quad that will access some 148 acres of skiable terrain. It will rise roughly 1,200′ vertical feet.
Expansion Goals:
- Provide a mixture of additional undeveloped, minimally maintained lift-served terrain and additional traditionally cleared alpine trails to enhance the existing terrain variety and skiing experiences at Aspen Mountain.
- Improve skier circulation on the upper portion of the east side of the mountain.
- Provide reliable and consistent snow coverage on the upper mountain, especially during the early and late parts of the season, while minimizing additional runoff entering Spar Gulch and Keno Gulch.
Aspen Skiing Co. will be audited in the upcoming years for employee numbers due to projects on Aspen Mountain, including the Pandora expansionhttps://t.co/XgoTC6WyK9 pic.twitter.com/HCDbt6RfuG
— Aspen Times (@TheAspenTimes) November 30, 2018
Find the entire Environmental Assesments docs here.
