Monarch Mountain is an isolated ski area located high on the Continental Divide. We have no condos, base area development, or town infrastructure to assist with operating the ski area. While our isolation on the backbone of North America makes our setting great, it can be challenging at times in designing and maintaining our infrastructure. Our power supply comes from an Xcel distribution line from Poncha Springs that terminates up at Monarch Crest,…
Rocks…there is no shortage of them up here and our mountain range looks to be aptly named. We have been cleaning up around the edges of some tree islands ahead of the vegetation management project scheduled to begin later this month. When many of the trails were first constructed, several boulders uncovered during the creation of these trails were pushed into adjacent tree islands. With some of…
Tour cats are ready…are you? The vehicle maintenance staff has completed their summer work on both tour cats. The calendar for Monarch Cat Skiing is live on our website and we are currently taking reservations for the 2018-19 winter season. Book early or late season for a discount, or bite into the meat of the season at our regular rate. …
The alpine tundra has been appreciative of the change in the weather. After a hot and dry start to summer, the cooler temperatures and recent rains have turned the slopes green https://avigeneric.com/.
The Vehicle Maintenance crew is going though our fleet of snowcats. Each snowcat has many moving parts. One of the areas on the machine that takes the most abuse are the tracks of the snowcat. These parts on the machine penetrate the snow enabling the cat to climb and descend the snow covered slopes on the mountain. With each of these cats weighing…
The grading work for the tubing park is moving along. The slope includes steeper grades in the acceleration zone and then levels out down in the run-out. The tubing lanes will cross what was the bottom of the Ramble On ski trail just above the Safari Ski & Ride School area. Guests will have a great view of the tubing park from the top…
The Lift Maintenance crew has methodically been going over each of our lifts during the summer months. A significant part of their program involves riding each lift in a work chair while performing routine maintenance on sheave trains and tower arms. This portion of the chairlift is what holds the haul rope up on the tower while enabling it to continue its journey spinning…
In what we are more familiar with as a winter wonderland full of deep powder, Mirkwood Basin in the summertime turns into a lush area full of wildflowers and high-alpine plants. The lower basin fills up with what I have always known as corn lilies or skunk cabbage. This plant is also seen in early winter, with its brown stalks poking out…
Monarch Mountain is one of the last ski areas in Colorado to rely entirely upon all natural snowfall. We have always taken great pride in our unspoiled mountain conditions. The good news for all of you, is that we will continue to do so for the 2018-19 winter season. Monarch Mountain operates under a Special Use Permit with the USFS. …
The Panorama Hydraulic Tensioning System ground installation is complete. The foundation is set and the tower has been installed along with the hydraulic ram. A load and acceptance test will be performed by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board prior to our annual licensing and inspection. Things should be a lot more streamlined on the downhill side of the bottom terminal and the…