Sugar Bowl getting a jump on winter with a new $3 million chairlift

Sugar Bowl is getting ready for winter with installation of the Crow’s Peak chairlift, which will provide access to the Strawberry Fields area of the mountain.

Sugar Bowl is getting ready for winter with installation of the Crow’s Peak chairlift, which will provide skiers and boarders access to the Strawberry Fields area of the mountain. (Sugar Bowl Resort photo)

Sugar Bowl Resort is installing a new chair lift this summer, which will improve lift-serviced access to advanced and expert terrain on the west side of the resort.

The Crow’s Peak chairlift, a fixed-grip Dopplemayer triple, will provide lift-serviced skiing and riding in the Strawberry Fields area of the mountain, just below the Crow’s Nest Peak.

Currently, hike-to terrain accessed from the Disney Express Chair, the new Crow’s Peak chair will greatly improve fall line skiing, increasing the overall terrain and vertical for skiers to enjoy. With approval from the United States Forest Service in place as of last week, installation of the new chairlift is beginning so it will be ready for skiers and riders to enjoy during the 2013-14 ski season.

With a project cost of $3 million, it represents Sugar Bowl’s latest significant capital improvement to the resort, both on-mountain and around the base area. Sugar Bowl recently acquired Royal Gorge, North America’s largest cross country ski resort, bringing multiple XC ski trails directly into America’s only snowbound village, at the foot of the mountain.

The new lift’s bottom terminal will be located just above Royal Gorge’s Van Norden Meadow, physically bringing the two resorts closer together. At nearly 1,000 vertical feet, the new lift will run to the top of Crow’s Nest Peak, with the top terminal located just looker’s left of the peak itself.

The terrain enhancements will include two new groomed runs, tree skiing through glades, chutes and cliffs, and also provide a wind-protected area on inclement weather days.

2013-14 Sugar Bowl season passes are on sale starting at $299, with dual-resort Sugar Bowl/Royal Gorge season passes starting at $449. Information: www.sugarbowl.com and www.royalgorge.com