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Forest Service looks for public input on Aspen Mtn expansion plans

Elizabeth Stewart-Severy/Aspen Public Radio News

Aspen Skiing Company wants to expand trails and snowmaking operations on Aspen Mountain. The proposal needs approval from the U.S. Forest Service, which is looking for public input.

 

SkiCo has proposed adding 148 acres of skiing in the Pandora area, which is near the top of Aspen Mountain, and a chairlift to serve the new terrain. SkiCo also wants to add snowmaking infrastructure, including a pump station, two water storage ponds and 18,000 feet of additional pipelines. This would expand snowmaking operations to the upper third of the mountain, which currently relies completely on natural snowfall. SkiCo officials say this is necessary to ensure timely opening of the mountain.

The projects are included in the 2018 Aspen Mountain Master Development Plan. They need approval from the U.S. Forest Service, as much of the mountain sits in the White River National Forest.

The public can provide feedback on the proposal through mid-June.

 

Aspen native Elizabeth Stewart-Severy is excited to be making a return to both the Red Brick, where she attended kindergarten, and the field of journalism. She has spent her entire life playing in the mountains and rivers around Aspen, and is thrilled to be reporting about all things environmental in this special place. She attended the University of Colorado with a Boettcher Scholarship, and graduated as the top student from the School of Journalism in 2006. Her lifelong love of hockey lead to a stint working for the Colorado Avalanche, and she still plays in local leagues and coaches the Aspen Junior Hockey U-19 girls.
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