Colorado ski resorts have continued to upgrade their lift and snowmaking operations headed into the 2026-27 season.

From a new chairlift on Aspen Mountain and new terrain at Purgatory Ski Resort to avalanche mitigation upgrades at Breckenridge Ski Resort and much more — here’s a look at what will be new at the state’s ski resorts this winter.

New gondola, lift and terrain

Aspen, Purgatory and Powderhorn Resort have new lift infrastructure coming online this season. 

Aspen plans to open the Nell Bell chairlift, a high-speed, detachable quad that replaced the Little Nell and Bell Mountain chairlifts. The new chairlift will start at Gondola Plaza and cut the time to the top of Bell Mountain from 21 minutes — the cumulative time spent on the two old chairlifts — to eight minutes, according to the Aspen Skiing Company. The Nell Bell lift spans about 2,650 vertical feet.

At Purgatory, the new Colorado Couloir chairlift will take skiers and riders from the Gelande parking area directly to the top of the front side, accessing terrain that previously required a hike, according to a blog post from the resort. The new ski lift will provide access to roughly 40 acres and five new skiing trails including some of the “steepest, most demanding expert terrain” at the resort, the blog post states. 

For the 2026-27 season, Powderhorn has replaced its historic 1972 West End double chairlift with the Wild West Express, a high-speed detachable quad, which will cut the ride to the West End from more than 13 minutes to about six, according to a news release.

Avalanche mitigation and snowmaking upgrades

While it may be less obvious to skiers and riders than a new lift, Colorado resorts also have new avalanche technology and snowmaking upgrades debuting for the 2026-27 season.

Breckenridge has been working to install a new remote Wyssen Avalanche Control system on Peak 7. The new technology, which has previously been used by the Colorado Department of Transportation but not by ski resorts in the state, will allow snow safety teams to perform avalanche mitigation in above-treeline terrain remotely, rather than having to hike in, which can be time consuming, according to the resort.

Vail Resorts spokesperson Max Winter said in a statement that new avalanche mitigation technology “gets skiers and riders to that signature high Alpine terrain that they love more quickly and efficiently.”

At Steamboat Resort, crews have reshaped Maverick’s Halfpipe by using excavated dirt from another construction project to help rebuild the pipe, according to a news release. This is expected to reduce the amount of snow needed to build the pipe by more than half and allow it to open earlier in the season.

Winter Park Resort has continued a multi-year project to rebuild its snowmaking apparatus with more automated and mobile equipment. This year, the upgrades are expected to double the snowmaking capacity on Lower Hughs and improve water-use efficiency, according to a news release.

At Keystone Resort, the plaza surrounding River Run Gondola has been redesigned with a new underground heating system that’ll help melt snow and ice, according to Vail Resorts.