The crew from Lowry Contracting has been hard at work dozing in the ski-ways on the western side of the Continental Divide.  These will travel in opposite directions from the top lift terminal and provide access to the additional trail network that drops off below these groomed cat tracks.  This is a look at the skier’s left ski-way with the…

I recently made a trip into the nearby Collegiate Peaks Wilderness here in the Sawatch Mountain Range.  This is an absolutely beautiful spot right here in our Chaffee County backyard.  There is a cluster of some of the highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains located here along with an amazing display of flora and fauna. I scrambled up to the…

Monarch held our annual tree day this week.  A combination of Engelmann Spruce and Lodgepole Pine saplings were planted at the ski area.  Both of these species are native to the area and do well at our elevation of 11,000′-12’000′. These latest efforts focused on planting trees in areas that had been recently thinned due to the spruce beetle endemic. …

The No Name Basin project is moving along.  The tree cutting and dozing projects have made substantial progress in the last few weeks.  In this photo, you can see the two upper ski-ways being created.  The skier’s left trail that heads off to the west is just about complete and the right hand ski trail is also underway with a…

We’ve been seeing the usual afternoon thunderstorms rolling in just about every day.  It makes for some interesting views and has really greened up the mountain.

In addition to our terrain expansion project going on, we have another big timber project taking place.  The USFS has contracted work out to address the ongoing spruce beetle issue near our ski area boundary.  Their project is focusing on removing standing dead trees in areas adjacent to our upper parking lot and the Egress Trail coming out from the…

The timber crew from VM West is making substantial progress within No Name Basin. Some of the trail network is starting to take shape with their tree clearing efforts. The team has been working on the lift line and two other designated trail corridors. The views are opening up and I am starting to think about making ski turns down…

It’s a distant but familiar view that we all love.  The sight of the Sawatch Range flying high above Monarch Mountain.  Things are greening up after a wet start to the summer.  We can also see the erosion control measures that our patrol team has worked hard to install on B’s Bash ski trail.  This is the route that our…

Trail clearing is underway for the No Name terrain expansion!  Our contracted team from VM West is using Ponsse steep slope equipment for this timber work.  These specialized machines utilize pneumatic tires with tracks and have the capability to be winched up and down the slope with an integrated cable system.  Trees will be felled and processed on the western…

We had an afternoon thunderstorm roll through the ski area for several hours.  As the day was ending, the storm broke and moved out to the east.  On the drive home, the sun was at our backs and we chased full single and double rainbows all the way to the valley floor.  It was quite a drive home!