Winter Park Resort is an alpine ski resort in the western United States, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado at Winter Park. Located in Grand County just off U.S. Highway 40, the resort is about a ninety-minute drive from Denver.
History The mountain opened for the 1939–40 season as Winter Park Ski Area and was owned and operated by the city and county of Denver until 2002, when Denver entered into a partnership with Intrawest ULC, a Canadian corporation headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, which operated the resort until Intrawest was acquired by Alterra Mountain Company in 2018. For nearly 70 years, a popular way for Denver residents to arrive was via the Ski Train, which arrived at a station the resort's base area through the Moffat Tunnel. Ski Train service ended in 2009 but returned as the Winter Park Express in 2017. Winter Park Resort is home to one of the world's largest and oldest disabled skiing programs, the National Sports Center for the Disabled.
During Intrawest's stint operating the resort, they made several changes to the mountain's infrastructure, renovating the food services in the West Portal base lodge, opening new lifts in 2005 and 2006, and a new base village with hundreds of condominia, a parking structure, a "Village Pond," retail space, and an open-air gondola known as "The Village Cabriolet." The historic 1955 Balcony House was listed as one of Colorado's Most Endangered Places by Colorado Preservation, Inc. This historic building was designed in the Googie style of architecture, which was a popular style in the 1940s to the 1960s.
The resort consists of three interconnected mountain peaks — Winter Park, Mary Jane, and Vasquez Ridge — which share a common lift ticket. Mary Jane, opened in 1975, has a separate base area and is known for its moguls, tree skiing, hidden huts, and generally more difficult terrain. It encompasses the above-tree line terrain of Parsenn Bowl. Vasquez Ridge, opened in 1986, offers intermediate terrain and mogul runs. In 1997, of backcountry terrain in Vasquez Cirque were opened to skiing, although access required hiking from the top of Mary Jane; the 2006 relocation of the former Outrigger triple chairlift to the backside of Parsenn Bowl (now called Eagle Wind) provides an easier escape back to Mary Jane after descending Vasquez Cirque.
Beginning with the 2013-14 season, the resort was divided into seven "territories". The three peaks — Winter Park, Mary Jane, and Vasquez Ridge — are each considered their own territories. Parsenn Bowl is now considered its own territory separate from Mary Jane. The remaining three are Vasquez Cirque (the backcountry terrain behind Parsenn Bowl), Eagle Wind (the glade below Vasquez Cirque), and "Terrain Park" (the various terrain parks across the mountain).
Winter Park is a year-round resort; the resort operates the lifts during the summer months for mountain biking, hiking and sightseeing. The Arrow chairlift also services an alpine slide in the summer, and the base area features miniature golf, a climbing wall, and other diversions. While the Winter Park area is also a popular destination for golf, there are no golf courses located at, or operated by, the resort itself. Winter Park boasts the most extensive lift access summer mountain biking trails in Colorado.
In 2018 Winter Park Resort was named "Best ski resort in North America" as voted by the readers of USA Today. In 2019 Winter Park Resort was named "Number 1 Ski Resort in North America".
Winter Park hosted the NCAA Skiing Championships in 1956, 1959, 1972, and 1977. The team title went to Denver in 1956 and Colorado took the latter three.
Statistics
Elevation Base: Summit: Vertical rise:
Skiable area: Trails: 166 total (8% beginner, 18% intermediate, 19% advanced, 52% difficult, 3% expert) Average annual snowfall: "Territories" Winter Park Vasquez Ridge Parsenn Bowl Terrain Park Mary Jane Eagle Wind The Cirque
Slope Aspects North: 50% East: 10% South: 2% West: 38%
Lifts Winter Park currently has 23 operating lifts.
Lift Name Type Manufacturer Year builtTerritory Notes The Gondola Gondola 10 Leitner-Poma 2018Winter Park Village Cabriolet Gondola 8 Leitner-Poma 2008n/aDoes not serve any terrain, used as transportation between Vintage parking lot to Winter Park Village. Panoramic Express High speed six pack Leitner-Poma 2007Parsenn Bowl When opened, it was marketed as being the highest high-speed six pack in North America, a title it retained until the Kensho SuperChair at Breckenridge Ski Resort was built in 2013. Super Gauge Express High speed six pack Leitner-Poma 2005Mary Jane Sunnyside Express High speed six pack Leitner-Poma 2019Mary Jane Explorer Express High speed quad Poma 1999Winter Park Formerly called the Eskimo Express from 1999 to 2020 Gemini Express High speed quad Poma 1993Winter Park High Lonesome Express High speed quad Poma 1991Mary Jane Olympia Express High speed quad Poma 1996Winter Park Wild Spur Express High speed six pack Leitner-Poma 2023Vasquez Ridge Contains a midway load station for skiers lapping the ridge, eliminating a lengthy traverse back to the base of the lift Prospector Express High speed quad Poma 1994Winter Park Arrow TripleYan 1979Winter Park Eagle Wind Triple Yan 2006Eagle Wind Former Outrigger chair from 1978-2003 Endeavour Triple Poma 1993Winter Park Challenger Double Heron-Poma 1974Mary Jane Discovery Double Heron-Poma 1984Winter Park Galloping Goose Double Heron-Poma 1974Mary Jane Iron Horse Double Heron-Poma 1974Mary Jane Looking Glass Double Riblet 1966Winter Park Pony Express Double Heron-Poma 1974Mary Jane Lariat Rope Tow Poma 2002Winter Park Spirit Platter surface lift Poma 2004Winter Park Comet Conveyor Magic Carpet 2019Winter Park Meteor Conveyor Magic Carpet 2019Winter Park
Former lifts Winter Park Colorado Lift Name Type Manufacturer Years of Operation NotesSunnysideTripleCTEC1989-2019Replaced by a high-speed six pack Apollo Platter Leitner-Poma 2004-2009 Apollo Double Riblet 1969-1998 Replaced by Eskimo Express Comet T-Bar 1957-1977 Replaced by Arrow triple Eskimo Double Riblet 1963-1990 Destroyed in 1990 as part of a series of tests that included an uncontrolled rollback, trees falling on the line, and a fire in the motor room. Replaced by the Eskimo triple. Eskimo Triple Yan 1990-1999 Replaced with Eskimo Express; Relocated from Zephyr. Later sold to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Gemini Double Miner-Denver 1969-1993 Replaced by Gemini Express High Lonesome Quad Poma 1985-1991 Converted to high speed quad Hughes Double Riblet 1962-1993 Replaced by Gemini Express Meteor T-Bar Swiss 1957-1977 Replaced with Outrigger triple Olympia Double Heron-Poma 1971-1996 Replaced by Olympia Express; featured a midway unload station Outrigger T-Bar Swiss 1948-1978 Outrigger Triple Yan 1978-2005 SBNO from 2003 to 2005; relocated to Vasquez Ridge and operates as Eagle Wind Pioneer Express High Speed Quad Poma 1986-2023 Replaced by Wild Spur Express Prospector Double Riblet 1963-1994 Replaced by Prospector Express Summit Express High speed quad Poma 1985-2005 Replaced by Super Gauge Express. Lift relocated to Mission Ridge Ski Area where it operated until 2020. Timberline Double Heron-Poma/Thiokol 1992-2007 Relocated from Ski Granby Ranch (formerly Sol Vista); replaced by Panoramic Express Zephyr Triple Yan 1983-1990 Replaced by Zephyr Express; was later reinstalled as Eskimo before being sold to Jackson Hole in 1999 Zephyr Express High speed quad Poma 1990-2018 Replaced with ten-person gondola Bob Woods T-bar 1940-1969 Replaced with Apollo double
Historic Trails
During Winter Park's 75-year history, many individuals have made significant contributions to the development and image of the ski area. Several ski trails have been identified on the resort's website as "historical trails," and even more exist on the mountain. A commemorative sign, with a brief narrative about the individual's contribution to the ski area, has been installed along each historical trail. Listed are both the run and in parentheses the lift that reaches them:
Hughes (The Gondola or Explorer Express) Cranmer (The Gondola or Explorer Express) Allan Phipps (The Gondola, Explorer Express or Prospector Express) Bradley's Bash (The Gondola or Explorer Express) Mulligan's Mile (The Gondola or Explorer Express) Jack Kendrick (Prospector Express or Looking Glass) Mt. Maury (learning slope with carpet) Retta's Run (Explorer Express lift line) Engeldive (Prospector Express and Looking Glass) Balch (The Gondola or Explorer Express) Wilson's Way (Discovery learning double) Mary Jane Trail (reached from Super Gauge Express, Olympia Express or High Lonesome Express) Over N' Underwood (Prospector Express or Looking Glass) (not listed on website) Butch's Breezeway (Prospector Express or Looking Glass) (not listed on website)
Notable people Elizabeth McIntyre (born 1965), freestyle skier, Olympic silver medalist; lives in Winter Park Ryan Max Riley (born 1979), freestyle skier, US Champion, and humorist; lived in Winter Park Ryan St. Onge (born 1983), freestyle skier, World Champion and two-time Olympian; lived in Winter Park Michelle Roark (born 1974), freestyle skier, World Champion silver medalist and two-time Olympian; lived in Winter Park Birk Irving (born 1999), freestyle skier, World Champion bronze medalist, X-Games silver medalist, X-Games bronze medalist, Olympian; lived in Winter Park
See also Winter Park Express, which serves the park at the Winter Park Resort station Ski Idlewild
References
External links
Official Web Site ColoradoSkiHistory.com's Winter Park page List of Ski Lifts at Winter Park 3dSkiMap of Winter Park Resort Database of ski maps of Winter Park