Member resorts mark major anniversaries, debut new lifts and terrain, and expand opportunities to get on snow
Three Colorado ski resorts are celebrating big anniversaries during winter 2026/27, along with several other milestones and things to celebrate or check out at one of the 19 member resorts in the CSCUSA family during winter 2026/27.
Arapahoe Basin and Aspen Mountain are both marking 80 years this season, and Powderhorn turns 60. Plus, Colorado Ski Country USA’s own Ski Passport celebrates its 30th anniversary.
“There’s something really special about seeing ski areas celebrate 80 years while still looking ahead, and watching kids step into ski boots for the first time to begin their own relationship with our mountains,” Melanie Mills, president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA said. “Colorado has a remarkable ski heritage, and each season gives us a chance to carry the legacy forward and shape what comes next.”
Other happenings around Colorado include new lifts being erected at Aspen Mountain, Powderhorn, and Purgatory. Other resorts are continuing to invest in mountain infrastructure, world-class competitions, and programs across the state are focused on giving more folks a chance to spend time on snow.
Milestones Across the Mountains
Arapahoe Basin enters its 80th season with “80 Years of the Legend,” including $80 lift tickets on Wednesdays, an anniversary weekend in December, and a season-long look back at the people, terrain, and moments that have helped define the mountain.
Aspen Snowmass also turns 80, with throwback pricing, anniversary events, and special programming tied to its 1946 opening.
Powderhorn is 60 this season and pairs the milestone with one of its biggest on-mountain changes in years: the new Wild West Express, a refurbished high-speed quad that previously served Snowmass as the Elk Camp chairlift, which replaces the West End double lift.
Echo Mountain, the closet ski area to Denver, is celebrating 10 years this winter.
New Lifts, Terrain, and Mountain Improvements
Across the state, new lifts, expanded terrain, and infrastructure projects are taking shape for the season ahead.
Aspen Mountain: The new Nell Bell high-speed quad replaces the historic Bell Mountain and Little Nell lifts, creating a single route from Gondola Plaza to the top of Bell Mountain.
Loveland: The Clear Creek County ski area looks forward to welcoming guests back to its recently updated Lift 7 and reshaped beginner terrain.
Powderhorn: The new Wild West Express will cut the ride to the West End from more than 13 minutes to about six.
Purgatory: The LaPlata County resort is adding new expert terrain with the Colorado Couloir chairlift, opening roughly 40 acres and five new trails on the front side of the mountain. The resort is also expanding snowmaking on Divinity Trail to improve early-season access to beginner terrain.
Steamboat: The Routt County resort is reshaping Maverick’s Halfpipe using excavated dirt from nearby construction areas, a change expected to reduce the amount of snow needed to build the pipe by 60%, allowing it to open earlier in the season.
Winter Park: The Grand County resort is continuing its multi-year snowmaking rebuild with more automated and mobile equipment, including upgrades expected to double snowmaking capacity on Lower Hughes and improve water-use efficiency.
More Ways to Get on Snow
The Colorado Ski Country USA Kids’ Ski Passport enters its 30th season with four days at each of 19 participating resorts, continuing a program that has helped families get their kids on Colorado’s slopes since 1996.
Monarch is launching its first Salida School Days, bringing approximately 1,300 students from the Salida School District to the mountain for a free day of skiing or snowboarding. The resort is also introducing $49 beginner lessons for the 2026/27 season.
Granby Ranch, Free Ski Fridays will offer free skiing and snowboarding every Friday this winter to Grand County School District students and employees. Free rentals will also be available beginning at 10 a.m., with free beginner lessons offered from 1-3:30 p.m., giving first-timers a chance to try the sport without needing their own equipment or prior experience.
Powderhorn’s Bob Beverly Free Learn to Ski/Ride Program offers first-time skiers and riders up to three free days that include group lessons, lift tickets, and equipment rentals. Ski Cooper is holding ticket and season pass pricing at last year’s rates, with daily adult lift tickets remaining under $99.
Howelsen Hill, the longest operating ski area in the United States, continues its Ski Free Sundays, and Sunlight’s daily adult lift tickets start at $74.
Big Winter for Events
World Cup racing returns to Copper Mountain this winter, while Buttermilk hosts the first winter season of the new X Games League.
The Stifel Copper Cup takes over Copper’s East Village Nov. 28-29, returning men’s FIS Alpine Ski World Cup super-G and giant slalom to the mountain. The timing also carries a bit of history: 2026 marks 50 years since Copper first hosted World Cup racing in 1976.
In January, Buttermilk becomes the inaugural winter host of the new X Games League, a team-based, co-ed competition format launching under a three-year agreement that keeps X Games in Aspen through 2028/29.
Eldora will also find itself especially close to the action this winter as the Sundance Film Festival makes its Boulder debut Jan 21-31, giving festival-goers an easy opportunity to pair screenings with a ski day.
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