SAM Magazine—Denver, March 21, 2023—Alterra Mountain Company plans a nearly $500 million capital investment program across its portfolio of destinations over the next year. That includes almost $400 million in lifts, snowmaking, summer adventures, additional guest amenities, and resort infrastructure; $50 million dedicated to employee housing; and $40 million for technology upgrades.

This comes after the company completed more than $1 billion in capital improvements over its first five years of operation, double the company's original financial commitment of $555 million.

Amenities. Alterra continues to invest heavily in the transformation of its base areas and on-mountain amenities.

In winter 2023-24, Steamboat’s three-year, $220 million “Full Steam Ahead” project concludes with the addition of 655 acres of expert terrain. The Wild Blue Gondola will become the longest gondola in North America and the fastest 10-person gondola in the country. The multi-year, multi-faceted project has already transformed the base-area Steamboat Square and debuted Greenhorn Ranch, a dedicated beginners area.

Elsewhere, Crystal Mountain, Wash., will have a new 25,000 sq. ft. skier services facility, called Mountain Commons, and Snowshoe, W.Va., is planning for a new design concept replacing the base-area Shavers Center that will feature enhanced skier services, including food and beverage and après offerings and other year-round activities.

Lift additions. To expand lift capacity and lift-served beginners areas, Alterra will invest in eight new or replacement lifts at Steamboat, Mammoth Mountain, Calif., Winter Park Resort, Colo., Solitude Mountain Resort, Utah, and Snowshoe. Alterra added six lifts prior to the 2022-23 season.

Among the notable upgrades, the completion of Steamboat’s two-stage Wild Blue Gondola will nearly double out-of-base capacity, whisking skiers and riders to the top of Sunshine Peak at 10,397 feet in about 12 minutes. Snowshoe will replace the Powder Monkey lift with a fixed-grip quad that will increase uphill capacity in the Basin area and improve access to its Western Territory.

A trio of six-packs will boost capacity at other resorts. Pioneer Lift at Winter Park Resort will become a six-pack with a mid-station loading point for better return skiing. Canyon Express at Mammoth Mountain will be upgraded from a quad to a high-speed six-pack to boost uphill capacity by 25 percent and allow faster reopening after weather events. Eagle Express at Solitude Mountain Resort will be replaced with a high-speed six-pack.

Welcoming beginners. In an effort to introduce more guests to snow sports, the company’s investments include Steamboat’s Greenhorn Ranch dedicated beginners area. This provides terrain-based learning, four conveyor lifts, and the Greenhorn Ranch Express, a detachable quad. Alterra is also enhancing beginners areas in Deer Valley Resort, Utah, Stratton Mountain, Vt., Snowshoe, and Big Bear Mountain Resort, Calif.  

Snowmaking upgrades. Alterra is also investing in multi-year snowmaking enhancement programs to bring higher efficiency equipment to all its resorts, most notably overhauling systems at Winter Park Resort, Steamboat, Palisades Tahoe, Calif., Sugarbush, Vt., Snowshoe, and Mammoth Mountain.

Support for racing. Alterra is adding free racing courses to each of its mountain destinations, in partnership with World Cup champion Mikaela Shiffrin, U.S. Ski and Snowboard, and Outside Interactive, Inc., owner of NASTAR. 

Summer additions. Among Alterra's larger summer projects, Mammoth Mountain will debut the revamped Woolly’s Adventure Summit, which will add one of the longest mountain coasters in North America. In addition, Mammoth will break ground this summer on a permanent base lodge with food and beverage amenities at Woolly's; future plans include a zip coaster, adventure ropes courses, and the relocation of Snowmobile Adventures, making Woolly's a year-round center for family mountain adventures.

Additional summer developments include a new alpine slide at Winter Park and an aerial adventure course at Crystal Mountain, the Flying Raven Adventure Course, with rope bridges, barrel crossings, and treetop ladders.

Employee Housing. Alterra plans to double its portfolio-wide employee housing capacity over the next five-years. In 2023, the company will add almost 500 workforce housing beds with significant expansion at Palisades Tahoe, Stratton, Tremblant, and Winter Park Resort, which will open a brand-new facility that will house more than 300 employees on resort grounds. The company is also in the planning stages for nearly 1,000 additional affordable workforce housing beds across Palisades Tahoe, Blue Mountain (Ontario), Crystal Mountain, Sugarbush, and Deer Valley Resort.