Powderhorn, CO, Continues Progress on Its New Wild West Express Chairlift Ahead of the Resort’s 60th Anniversary

Progress is underway on a massive new lift installation at western Colorado’s Powderhorn Mountain Resort. The Wild West Express project aims to replace the old West End fixed-grip double chairlift, which serviced roughly half of Powderhorn’s 1,600-acre footprint, with a new high-speed detachable quad chair.

The old lift, installed all the way back in 1972, was one of the longest fixed-grip chairlifts on the continent, at over 7,000 feet in length. It rose well over 1,000 vertical feet from the valley floor to the resort’s western summit, and had a brutal 13.5-minute ride time.

• Related: 49 Degrees North, WA, Planning to Open New Chairlift This Season

The West End chair, despite its slow speed, was a critical part of Powderhorn resort, given it was one of the mountain’s only two major chairlifts accessing non-beginner terrain. As such, the newly installed, much faster express chairlift could be a dramatic improvement for the ski area.

The Wild West Express is slated to follow nearly the exact same route as the old West End chair, while cutting ride times in half and dramatically increasing capacity. This will enable much more efficient lapping of terrain skiers may have previously shied away from due to the old chair’s punishingly long ride times.

As Powderhorn General Manager Ryan Schramm stated in a press release: “Installing a high-speed lift on the west side of the resort will feel like opening new terrain. The old West End lift was long enough that most people only did a run or two before returning to the Flat Top Flyer.”

The Wild West Express is a high-speed, detachable quad lift, which formerly served as the Elk Camp chair at nearby Aspen Snowmass. The lift was acquired by Powderhorn Mountain Resort and is being refurbished by Leitner-Poma of America in Grand Junction, Colorado.

As reported by The Colorado Sun, the cost of new chairlifts has more than doubled in the past five years. Powderhorn’s move to purchase and recycle an old chairlift could prove savvy, as the resort was able to save several million dollars that can now be invested into future infrastructure improvements.

Powderhorn recently reported on Facebook that the resort is making rapid progress on the installation of the new lift. The old lift has been completely dismantled, its parts carried into town via truck. Crews have poured concrete for the new lift’s bottom terminal, and electrical infrastructure was relocated to service the new lift towers. Last week, the new bottom terminal of the Wild West Express was installed. The large terminal structure, freshly lettered, was carefully hoisted into position and set onto the concrete foundation prepared over the past several weeks. The new terminal at the base is the return terminal, where chairs make the 180-degree cycle and begin heading back uphill. The drive machinery will be situated at the top terminal, which is still being refurbished by Leitner-Poma. Furthermore, the bottom operator house foundation is complete, the 65,000-pound haul rope has arrived, and the spider excavator has finished digging difficult tower footer locations along the steep sections of the lift line.

The mountain is targeting a December 2026 opening for the Wild West Express, just in time to celebrate Powderhorn’s 60th anniversary. To celebrate the upcoming milestone season and construction of the new lift, Powderhorn also announced the launch of a three-year season pass, allowing guests unlimited access to the mountain for just $999.

• Related: Powderhorn Mountain Resort, CO, Launches 3-Year Season Pass as Part of the 60th Anniversary Season Celebration  

The pass has since sold out — however, you can still be among the first to experience the major improvements at Powderhorn Mountain Resort by purchasing a still reasonably priced $579 single-season pass today.