Of the thirty-two ski areas that are still operating in Colorado, Monarch is one of the originals. With an eighty-two year history (and counting), there are still some traces of the past from our earlier days to find out there. Hiking along the Garfield lift line, there are still some of the old foundations from the original Garfield Lift. After several decades of operation using just rope tows and a T-Bar, this was Monarch’s first aerial lift. Installed in 1960, it was a game changer for the ski area and helped to open up a bunch of terrain that are still some of our favorites today.