The Lift Maintenance Department conducts a lot of work behind the scenes each off-season getting our lifts ready for winter. In addition to the numerous maintenance projects completed each summer, the crew also periodically performs what is known as “dynamic testing” on our lifts. In accordance with the federal regulations for passenger ropeways under ANSI B.77.1 2017, each lift undergoes…
Last week’s storm brought a lot of snow, but it also unleashed some serious wind on the mountain. The storm event started out with warm ground and rain which then transitioned to heavy, wet snow. Trees were loaded from the snow and the roots loosened up by the moist ground conditions. Oftentimes, during these types of heavy storms later in…
With the first snow of the year, we got a sneak peak at what Monarch Ridge will look like across the highway from the ski area. The plan is to continue thinning dead spruce trees along the ridge to the north until they reached the private mining claims down near the Madonna Mine. As time and conditions permit, the USFS…
It was a full day. Shoveling, plowing and skiing! We had between 6″ and 18″ of snow depending on slope aspect. I had to take advantage of having enough snow on the ground in September to skin around and make a few light turns on a grassy slope. (It pays to know the mountain!) These opportunities only show up every…
Hot temps, smoky skies and then snow. It’s been quite a 24 hour swing! Things were just starting to pick up when we left the ski area early afternoon. The highway closed shortly afterwards due to treacherous driving conditions and multiple accidents. This photo was right before I left the mountain and the storm is forecast to bring heavy snow…
It is downright awful today. The imminent cold front is pushing smoke from the western wildfires through Chaffee County. The mountains are not visible from the valley and the ski area has clouds of smoke rolling through. While this week’s snow storm may be a shock to the system, I say bring it on after a holiday weekend of 90…
We are starting to see some change in the seasons up at Monarch. The days have been warm but the nights have been cooling off. The skunk cabbage has turned golden brown, the alpine tundra has taken on a red hue and a few aspen trees on the pass are starting to pop. Looks like we are going have a…
The timber work on Monarch Ridge has begun. The USFS is leading this project on the ridgeline across from the ski area. We have a great view of it from the Admin offices and just about anywhere on the mountain. The timber specialists at the Salida Ranger District contracted with Miller Timber Services out of Philomath, Oregon. This outfit utilizes…
One of our summer projects involves relocating an historic cabin. The cabin was one of the original structures at Monarch. It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps back during the early days of the ski area. The structure is nearly identical to latrine structures built by the CCC between 1933 and 1942. This structure was likely used for the…
