There are a ton of stoke-worthy upgrades and renovations happening at ski resorts worldwide right now.
It may be the off-season in the U.S. but what better way to plan your ski getaway for this season than by following these projects and planning your ski trip early? Experience the upgrades firsthand and visit one of your bucket list resorts at the same time with the help of our team at Ski.com.
We’ll be updating this post as ski resorts continue to announce new plans and developments, so check back here to be in the loop on all things new in the ski industry.
What’s new at European Resorts
The new Matterhorn Alpine Crossing cableway opened at the beginning of July this year and will be the premium travel experience between Zermatt and Cervinia. The new route will connect Zermatt with Italy all year round for a total of a 4-minute journey and visitors will be able to ride the highest crossing cable car in the Alps with views of the Matterhorn the entire way.
Vail Resorts is planning to invest $10 million at Switzerland’s Andermatt-Sedrun resort during 2023. The plans include upgrading and expanding the resort’s snowmaking and enhancing on-mountain dining options by replacing the Valtgeza restaurant and renovating the Milez and Natschen restaurants. All of this construct is set to be completed in time for the 2023-24 European ski season.
What’s coming to U.S. Resorts:
The project to replace the Lone Peak Tram, which opened in December 1995, started in May 2022 and will be completed for the 2023-24 ski season. The long-awaited change will completely transform the scenic experience when on the summit of Lone Peak. The construction plans include new 75-passenger cabins along with an all-glass viewing platform at the summit inside the top terminal for 360-degree panoramic views.
The cabins will feature ample room for up to 75 people at a time for the voyage up to the highest scenic overlook in Montana. An interior speaker will also be built in for announcements and music, plus summertime trips in the tram will be even more visual thanks to the glass floor panels where they can look straight down from up to 300 feet in the air. This past June, the construction team installed two cranes to install the steel and heavy equipment and the resort noted it may have been one of the only cranes ever installed at 11,166 feet above sea level.
This modern alpine retreat opened during the winter of 2021 and continues to impress its guests as Montana’s newest luxury resort. Notable features include ski-in, ski-out access, a private 18-hole golf course, the 10,000-square-foot Spa Montage, an expansive fitness center and an indoor lap pool. The resort’s location also makes it a sought-after resort all year round, being less than an hour from Yellowstone National Park and near three world-class Blue Ribbon fly-fishing rivers. Guests can stay in one of the finely furnished guest rooms or suites or one of the residences for stunning views of the Spanish Peaks. This resort truly has it all with six different onsite fine dining locations to boot.
The Full Steam Ahead project at Steamboat Springs is a $200 million multi-year investment that will result in resort-wide upgrades and overall expansion of terrain at Steamboat, also making it the second largest ski resort in Colorado by the time it is completed. The project has been underway since summer 2021, but all ongoing renovations are set to be finished in time for the upcoming winter season. Major highlights include a top-to-bottom gondola, a new learning center dedicated to beginner skiers and riders, Mahogany Ridge, an area with 650 additional acres of expert/advanced terrain, enhanced snowmaking and improvements to the base area which will include an après ski plaza, ice rink and stage for live music.
Also new as of last season, Snowbird’s Aerial Tram celebrated its “2.0 Opening Day” last November. The two new passenger cars replaced the dated ones from 1971 and feature in-ground and floor-to-ceiling windows for an entirely new experience while riding up the mountain. The windows help emulate the feeling of flying and new to summer 2023 there will be a rooftop balcony on the tram cars. The balcony is the first of its kind in the United States and can hold 14 passengers while the Aerial Tram climbs the 11,000 feet for 360-degree views.
New to Palisades Tahoe in the 2022-23 season was the opening of the Base-to-Base Gondola, connecting Palisades with Alpine Meadows. With the connection between both of Palisade’s base areas, guests can now access 6,000 acres of terrain. The ride between The Village and the Alpine base area takes 16 minutes and works to reduce the number of vehicles on the road near the resort.
Still new for the 2023-24 season, the gondola makes Palisades Tahoe the largest ski resort in California and offers the option for expert skiers and riders to unload at the KT-22 mid-station. 8 People can ride in one of the 96 cabins at once and there are four terminals between the two valleys.
Pandora’s expansion will open during the 2023-24 season, which will be the biggest expansion at the mountain in decades. A terrain pod of 153 acres will open up off the summit to extend Hyrup’s, Kristi and Walsh’s trails as well as provide additional advanced and intermediate terrain and glades access. View the teaser trailer from Aspen Snowmass below to get hyped on the expansion, new 1,220-foot vertical lift and what Mak Keeling, the VP of Mountain Planning at Aspen Skiing Company, describes as “the project of a lifetime.”
For the 2023-24 season, Beaver Creek’s McCoy Park will be open for the third year. The expansion which opened to guests during the 2021-22 season was designed with families and those new to the sport in mind. Beaver Creek added a total of 250 new skiable acres, 17 trails for beginners and intermediates, including glades with grooming access and two new chairlifts.
Vail Resort will be adding new chairlifts, the Sun Down Express and Game Creek Express for the 2023-24 season.
As of this summer, visitors can also experience a brand new nightclub in Vail Village. Chasing Rabbits is not just a club but also a speakeasy, library lounge, restaurant and arcade creating a totally dynamic vibe unlike any Vail Village has seen previously. Be sure to stop by during your next visit to Vail for an elevated and unique night out.
Expanded its Timber Ridge Lodge by 6,000 square feet for an additional 300 indoor and 75 outdoor seats for guests.
- All of Vail Resorts’ U.S., destinations will have the new Mobile Pass and Mobile Lift Ticket technology available for the 2023-24 season. The new My Epic app will allow guests to have their tickets scanned hands-free while their phones are in their pockets. The app is set to launch in the fall of 2023 and will also feature predictive lift line wait times, weather updates and snow cameras, personalized stats and more. Access to the app will expand to Whistler Blackcomb Resort in later seasons as well.
- Beginner Area enhancements are being made at Dear Valley Resort, Stratton, Snowshoe and Big Bear Mountain.
Additional Summer Offerings
- This summer Mammoth Mountain will debut the updated Woolly’s Adventure Summit, adding one of the longest mountain coasters in North America after it introduced expanded winter tubing lanes this past winter. The resort will also break ground on a permanent base lodge with additional food and beverage amenities this summer as well.
- The alpine slide at Winter Park first opened in 1980 as Colorado’s longest alpine slide. The track for the slide is set to be replaced this summer.
New Chairlift Upgrades to look out for:
- Breckenridge high-speed quad upgrade of 5-Chair Lift, newly named as the FIVE SuperChair.
- Heavenly North Bowl express upgrade.
- Mammoth Mountain Canyon Express upgrade to a 6-pack.
- Mount Snow Sundance, Tumbleweed and Sunbrook Lifts.
- Northstar Comstock Lift upgrade.
- Solitude Eagle Express upgrade to a 6-pack lift.
- Stowe Mountain upgrading to a high-speed 6-person lift and being extended.
- Sun Peaks new lift, West Bowl Express
- Winter Park Pioneer Lift upgrade to a 6-pack.
- Whistler Blackcomb Creekside Gondola + Big Red Express upgrades.
Any way you spin it, the 2023-24 ski season both in the U.S. and abroad will be incorporating a lot of changes and improvements. Connect with a Mountain Travel Expert today to start planning your trip to one of these resorts to experience the renovations firsthand.
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