On March 29, 2026, skiers stepped off Lift 1A at the top of the Shadow Mountain side of Aspen Mountain. The Aspen Daily News later ran a photo of that day with a caption saying the winter of 2025-26 would be the old double chair's last. That July, crews began taking off the chairs and haul rope. Aspen Skiing Co. CEO Geoff Buchheister confirmed in a statement that 55 years of service at the mountain's western base were over.
When Aspen Mountain opens on Thanksgiving, there will be no chair at the bottom of South Aspen Street. Every lift ride on Ajax this season starts at Gondola Plaza. For the next several winters, the new Nell Bell quad is the only lift out of town besides the Silver Queen Gondola, and its first real test comes on the busiest weekend of early December.
The west side stays quiet until about 2029
The replacement for Lift 1A will not go back where the old one stood. The new Lift One is planned to run down to Dean Street, near the original 1946 base. Its timing depends on two large lodging projects. Aspen Public Radio and Aspen Journalism reported that under a construction sequencing agreement finalized July 31, SkiCo would order the lift in fall 2028, install it in 2029 and open it in the winter of 2029-30. The agreement calls those dates an estimate, not a promise.
The two projects shaping that corridor are the Aman Aspen hotel, first pitched as Gorsuch Haus, and Chalet Alpina, a mix of timeshares and full-ownership condos that was formerly called Lift One Lodge. The plans also include restoring the Skier's Chalet Lodge and the Skier's Chalet Steakhouse. The Aspen Historical Society plans a snowsports museum in the Skier's Chalet Lodge. According to the same Aspen Public Radio report, skiers will use the Silver Queen Gondola or Nell Bell from Gondola Plaza until the new lift opens, and Schuss Gully may offer a way to ski out to the west side when conditions allow.
City officials saw this coming. When Aspen City Council reviewed Nell Bell in December 2025, Councilman John Doyle said he supported adding another base-area lift partly because 1A would be offline for a winter or two during the corridor's redevelopment. The Aspen Daily News covered that meeting. The current estimate is closer to three winters than one or two.
What Nell Bell does to the morning
Nell Bell is a high-speed detachable quad. It replaces two of the oldest lifts on the mountain: the Little Nell chair, running since 1986, and the Bell Mountain double, first installed in 1957 and rebuilt so heavily in the 1980s that it earned the nickname "Frankenlift." The new lift loads at the bottom of the Little Nell run in Gondola Plaza, next to the Silver Queen Gondola, and unloads at the top of Bell Mountain.
The time savings is large. The Aspen Times reported in October that the ride covers about 2,650 vertical feet in roughly eight minutes. The old trip took about 21 minutes across the two chairs. Local coverage puts its capacity at 1,800 passengers per hour.
At council, SkiCo's vice president of mountain planning, Mak Keeling, described what the top terminal opens up:
"It's a cheat code" to access upper-mountain lifts like Ajax Express, Hero's and F.I.S.
That was the Aspen Daily News's account of his remarks. The paper also reported that SkiCo expects Nell Bell to shorten lines at the base on busy days and to give skiers another way up when the gondola is closed by high wind or a mechanical problem. Keeling said the chair runs closer to the ground, so it may be less likely than the gondola to close in some winds, though gusty days could still affect it.
That backup matters more this year. Before, a windy morning with the gondola on hold still left Lift 1A on the west side. This season, the only other way up from town is Nell Bell.
As of mid-October, Nell Bell is scheduled for this winter. The last helicopter flights of the construction season, including steel tower placement, were set for Sept. 17, 21 and 22, per The Aspen Times. SkiCo has not published which lifts and terrain will run on Nov. 26. Check the Aspen Mountain lift status that morning.
What it changes about the evening
The new lift has a cost, and SkiCo said so during approval. The Little Nell chair was central to community evenings on Ajax, including torchlight parades, Ajax Cup races and the Gay Ski Week downhill costume contest. Aspen Mountain manager Travis Benson told council that unloading higher on the hill should not be a problem for most participants, since many can already ski down to Little Nell from upper slopes. A snowcat, snowmobile or toboggan could carry anyone who needs help. The same Aspen Daily News report said the new alignment rules out night skiing on Little Nell. SkiCo may look at night skiing on its other mountains in the future.
The lack of a midway stop drew the most criticism. Aspen Mayor Rachael Richards raised concerns that skiers who used to get off at the top of Little Nell might now unload above terrain they can comfortably ski, as The Aspen Times reported. In April, a letter to the editor in the Aspen Daily News asked for a stop at the top of Little Nell so that torchlight, Ajax Cup and costume events could keep starting from there. Council approved the land-use amendment 5-0 on second reading on Dec. 2, 2025, and the design stayed a single continuous lift.
Wintersköl puts an Aspen Mountain torchlight parade on the calendar for Dec. 12.
The first big test is Wintersköl weekend
Aspen Mountain and Snowmass are scheduled to open Thursday, Nov. 26. Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk follow on Saturday, Dec. 12, all as conditions allow. That second opening falls in the middle of a crowded weekend. The Aspen Chamber Resort Association's schedule runs Wintersköl from Dec. 10 to 13, and the festival dates to 1951. SkiCo also chose Dec. 11 through 14 for its 80th anniversary celebration.
| Date | What's scheduled | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Aspen Mountain and Snowmass opening day | Gondola Plaza for Ajax |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Wintersköl Icebreaker Bash, royalty crowned, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. | Paul JAS Center |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Anderson Ranch Arts Center KIDSCULPT, 9 a.m. to noon | Mill Street Mall |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | "Stories in the Sky" drone show, 7 p.m. | Wagner Park |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk opening day; $80 anniversary lift tickets | All four mountains |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Soupsköl, 3 to 5 p.m., and the Wintersköl bonfire, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. | Wagner Park |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Torchlight parade and fireworks, 7 p.m. | Aspen Mountain |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | $80 anniversary lift tickets; free Pup Portraits, 4 to 6 p.m. | Limelight Aspen |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | The Little Nell tree lighting, 5 to 7 p.m. | The Little Nell |
| Mon., Dec. 14 | Founding-day $3.75 lift ticket, the 1946 price | All four mountains |
The Chamber says only children in AVSC or another Roaring Fork Valley ski club can take part in the Aspen Mountain torchlight parade. It is the first Wintersköl torchlight since the Little Nell chair came out.
The anniversary pricing is limited. SkiCo's September release said the $80 tickets for Dec. 12 and 13 come in limited quantities and were expected to sell out fast. The anniversary page already lists the $3.75 ticket for Dec. 14 as sold out. Other parts of the weekend are still open. Four Mountain Sports is offering $80 Premium rental packages Dec. 12 to 14. On-mountain dining outlets will have $19.46 food and beverage specials, a reference to the year Aspen Skiing Co. was founded. Limelight Aspen and The Little Nell have anniversary rates under the code 80YEARS. SkiCo has promised après parties and more on-mountain programming for that window but has not posted a day-by-day schedule.
The pass calendar lines up with the same weekend
Two pass dates fall around this stretch. The Flex Pass, which is new this season, gives four to seven days with no blackout dates. It can be bought until Oct. 30, 2026, while supplies last. The new Weekday Pass covers Monday through Friday all season. It also covers weekends from opening day through Dec. 13, and again from April 5, 2027, to closing.
So the last early-season weekend for Weekday Pass holders is Sunday, Dec. 13. That is Wintersköl Sunday, the second day of $80 anniversary tickets and the day after Highlands and Buttermilk open. For Weekday Pass holders, opening day through Dec. 13 adds up to three weekends and a holiday on Ajax and Snowmass, plus one opening weekend at Highlands and Buttermilk. After that, weekend skiing on that pass waits until April.
Aspen Mountain is scheduled to stay open through April 18, 2027. Until Lift One reopens near Dean Street, skiers will start every day of those seasons at Gondola Plaza.
The Lift One corridor and the area around Gondola Plaza both have years of approved change ahead. If you own near either base, or are thinking about a property close to the new lift lines, Monica Viall can walk you through the construction timeline, the approved projects and what they could mean for your street. Schedule a consultation.
