Steamboat Ski Area to Jump Up to 5th Biggest in US With Terrain Expansion
Steamboat Ski Area to Jump Up to 5th Biggest in US With Terrain Expansion
Published : 18-Apr-2021 04:26
Steamboat ski area will expand its ski area by around 20% next winter, assuming a planned expansion receives the approvals needed in time.
The additional 650 acres of advanced/expert skiable terrain in the resort's Pioneer Ridge area will expand its total terrain by nearly 20 percent for a total of 3,620 acres.
North American ski areas claim ski area size by different criteria, but it looks like the jump from just under 3,000 acres to just over 3,600 acres will place Steamboat somewhere between 5th and 8th biggest in the US, depending on what you include.
It should though, overtake neighbours Winter Park (3,00 acres) and Keystone (3,150 acres) in Colorado as well as California's Mammoth (3,500 acres) as it moves into the US top 10 on the officially claimed size table. In fact the thing that Steamboat's owners, the Alterra Mountain Company, are keenest promote are that it will make the ski area, "the second biggest in Colorado." That is behind Vail, not mentioned.
The additional terrain at Steamboat will also include a "world-class teaching area" and the first leg of the new Big Blue gondola, providing gondola access to the newly re-developed Bashor teaching area.
The new terrain is part of a $207 million spending plan ahead of next season across its resorts announced by the Alterra Mountain Company.
At its base Steamboat will also embark on a three-year, $135MM base area redevelopment which will see the resort's Gondola Square transformed into a,"This includes $111MM in significant resort projects, $31MM in enterprise technology systems, $65MM in resort maintenance and planning," a statement from the group notes.
"…multi-use, amenity-rich plaza creating an easy-to-navigate destination core, complete with additional dining and après, retail, entertainment and welcoming gathering places for guests to enjoy year-round. A reimagined guest arrival experience will eliminate cumbersome stairs and provide direct and easy access to the mountain," the company statement explains.
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