The numbers make a reasonable case for the upgrade. The Exhibition Lift handles 1,800 people per hour. The proposed gondola would manage 2,400, a lift of more than 30% in uphill capacity out of the base. It would also open up access to the upper mountain during periods when the lower mountain has melted out - a genuine operational benefit as seasons become less predictable.
A New Mid-Mountain Lift and a Thunderbowl Fix
Alongside the gondola, Aspen Highlands is proposing a new detachable quad called the Apple Strudel lift, positioned to let skiers lap mid-mountain terrain without having to return to the base every time. Combined with a planned upgrade to the Thunderbowl Lift - which currently sits isolated with no connection to the rest of the mountain - the two lifts would give skiers a route around the upper mountain that doesn't depend on the gondola at all.
For a resort that's had real connectivity issues, that's a meaningful improvement on paper.
Dining Expansions to Match the Extra Traffic
With a gondola delivering more people to both mid and upper mountain, Aspen One is planning to expand the dining facilities at both stops. The Merry-Go-Round Restaurant would gain an additional 5,000 square feet of space, while Cloud Nine would get an expanded deck plus an additional bar and food pickup window.
Cloud Nine already has a reputation that precedes it. More capacity there will be welcomed, particularly if lift upgrades mean more people making it to the top.
No Parking Expansion - and That's Intentional
Notably absent from the plan is any upgrade to parking infrastructure. Aspen Highlands is served by the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority bus network, and the plan makes clear that Aspen One wants to keep it that way - encouraging bus use rather than increasing car access to the mountain.
The plan references Aspen One's contribution to a 2018 valley-wide property tax that funds the RFTA, noting the company is the largest single contributor and intends to remain an active supporter of the transit system. It's a different approach to mountain access than you see at most North American resorts, and whether you agree with it or not, at least the reasoning is transparent.
Summer Activities and Suspension Bridges
The plan also floats some summer activity proposals, contingent on gondola completion. These include hiking access and on-mountain dining, plus the construction of two cable suspension bridges spanning Loge Bowl and linking Picnic Point to Bob's Knob. Guided hunting trips within the special use permit area are also mentioned, though detail is thin at this stage.
The Long-Term Vision: Connecting Aspen's Four Mountains
There's a longer-term idea sitting in the background of all this. Aspen has spent decades talking about connecting its four ski areas via gondola or tram. This master plan doesn't propose anything concrete on that front, but it does acknowledge that the Forest Service and Pitkin County are aware of Aspen One's thinking on it, and that it's something being explored at a planning level.
For now, that remains firmly in the "vision" category.
What Happens Next
Submitting a master development plan to the Forest Service doesn't approve anything - it starts a formal process that includes environmental review for each individual project. There's also precedent for proposed projects never getting off the ground; several items from the 1997 Master Plan were never pursued.
That said, the congestion problem at the base area is real and well-documented, and the case for the gondola is straightforward. Whether the full suite of projects gets across the line over the next decade remains to be seen, but the direction Aspen One is heading with Highlands is at least clearly mapped out.
