News Archive

 
“We are thrilled to share with our guests several major capital improvement plans for next winter season at Keystone and Breckenridge,” said Mike Goar, vice president and chief operating officer at Keystone. “We are committed to continually reinvesting in the mountain experience across Vail Resorts and are confident that these upgrades will elevate the guest experience at Keystone and Breckenridge.”
 
At Keystone, the Montezuma Express Lift is a primary lift on Dercum Mountain, serving popular intermediate and beginner terrain. Keystone plans to replace the lift with a detachable six-passenger chair that will increase efficiency and capacity by up to 25 percent, while improving skier and snowboarder circulation on the mountain.
 
Keystone also plans to expand Labonte’s Smokehouse BBQ with a new, 150-seat indoor facility for the on-mountain dining venue. Located at the base of Keystone’s North Peak, Labonte’s is a popular restaurant serving house smoked meats and barbeque during the ski day. Currently the restaurant features a large outdoor seating area and “ski beach” with picnic tables and Adirondack chairs for dining, as well as a small warming hut. The Labonte’s expansion will provide increased dining capacity for guests, as well as offer a more comfortable indoor dining environment for families, while maintaining the venue’s signature outdoor “ski beach” area that guests know and love.
 
At Breckenridge, the Falcon SuperChair on Peak 10 services advanced terrain on the resort’s southern-most peak. Replacing the lift with a new six-passenger chair will increase capacity by 25 percent, improving skier and snowboarder flow and allowing guests to get more out of their ski day. Peak 10 is a popular area for advanced skiers and snowboarders providing access to fun and challenging terrain, easily accessed from the Peak 9 base area.
 
“Peak 9 and Peak 10 offer a wide variety of progressive terrain on the south side of Breckenridge from beginner to advanced trails,” said John Buhler, chief operating officer of Breckenridge Ski Resort. “Breckenridge has seen many large projects over the last six years and we’re ecstatic to continue with a new Falcon SuperChair for winter 2017-2018.”   
 
Over the last several years, numerous capital improvements have elevated the guest experience at Breckenridge. In 2013, Breckenridge debuted Peak 6 with access to more than 500 acres of additional terrain, and in 2014 the resort upgraded the Colorado SuperChair. This month the resort opened a brand-new 490-seat restaurant on top of Peak 7, Pioneer Crossing, and will launch Epic Discovery in summer 2017.
 
Vail Resorts continues to raise the bar for skiers and riders as the Company has invested approximately $100 million in the guest experience for the this winter across its resorts, bringing its five-year, industry-leading resort investment total to more than $500 million across the Company. The most significant recent improvements include a new restaurant on Peak 7 at Breckenridge, an upgraded high-speed chairlift accessing Vail’s Back Bowls, significant renovations to the guest rooms of The Pines Lodge, A RockResort at Beaver Creek, and $13 million to completely re-imagine the guest experience at Wilmot Mountain, located near Chicago, Ill.
 
Plans for capital improvements at both Keystone and Breckenridge are subject to U.S. Forest Service approval. Additional details on the design and approval of these proposed improvements will be available in the coming months.