Monarch Mountain, an independent ski resort nestled in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, embarked on its most significant expansion in decades last summer. The No Name Basin project, which adds 377 acres of skiable terrain—a 56 percent increase to Monarch’s lift-served footprint—aims to boost the resort’s appeal while maintaining its signature uncrowded slopes and long-lasting snow. 

The expansion, which is scheduled to open for the 2025-26 winter season, not only reflects Monarch’s plans for modest growth but also its unwavering commitment to a high-quality ski/snowboard experience. 

A Vision Decades in the Making

Monarch owner Bob Nicolls purchased the ski area in 2002, forming the PowderMonarch, LLC ownership group. Over the past 22 years, steady but modest upgrades to terrain, lifts, and facilities have paved the way for No Name, the largest expansion project in the mountain’s history.

Monarch has been preparing for this project for years. It was included in the resort’s 2011 master plan and after a multi-year approval process, was greenlit by the USFS in 2024. 

Self-financing. Construction could get started right away, in part because Monarch doesn’t need to rely on outside investors to pay for it. 

“At Monarch, we are blessed to be able to fully fund this project internally,” says general manager Chris Haggerty. “The recipe we used to get to this point was to solidify our yearly preventative maintenance plan to minimize annual surprise expenses, grow our season passholder base to create year-round positive cashflow, and develop a strategic long-term capital investment plan that we remain disciplined in following.” 

Room to grow. Monarch has seen an average 10 percent growth year-over-year in season pass sales, plus an increase in day visitors over the past 10 years. As Monarch’s visitation has grown, the need for more terrain became evident. “The initial motivation for the No Name expansion was to ‘unlock’ additional lift-served terrain to continue to deliver our Monarch experience to pass holders and guests,” says Haggerty.

The resort prides itself on being an independent ski destination, offering a more personal and authentic experience compared to the mega-resorts that dominate Colorado’s landscape. The expansion ensures that Monarch can maintain its hallmark short lift lines and open slopes, even on the busiest of days. 

Monarch also continues to see family and beginner visits grow each year, and the expansion will help cater to both groups. No Name is expected to alleviate some base area traffic, making the learning area at the base even more attractive, and it will add more intermediate terrain to the resort’s trail mix, offering more options for families with a wide range of skier abilities. 

“When considering the ROI for No Name, our honest answer is that we haven’t really thought too much about it,” says Haggerty. “Our philosophy is to do right by our guests, especially our loyal passholders. That is what matters most to us; the rest will work itself out.” 

A planning figure for the No Name Basin expansion outlines the proposed lift line, trails, gladed areas, and work road for the project in relation to the existing Breezeway lift and ridge line.

The New Lift: A Gateway to Adventure

The No Name terrain, which drops off the backside of the existing ski area boundary, has been a staple of Monarch’s cat skiing operation for years. However, with the installation of a Skytrac fixed-grip triple chairlift, scheduled for summer 2025, it will soon be integrated into Monarch’s lift-served experience. (Monarch Cat Skiing will continue to operate in the adjacent Mirkwood area, offering access to 1,258 acres of diverse expert terrain.)

The lift. With a capacity of 1,500 people per hour (a 17 percent increase to Monarch’s overall uphill capacity), the lift will provide efficient egress from the isolated base of No Name Basin without overrunning the trails it serves. The 2,900-foot-long lift will rise 941 vertical feet in approximately 6 minutes.

No Name’s bottom terminal will be set away from the primary lift hub at Monarch’s base, dispersing skiers more evenly across the mountain and reducing base-area congestion. The top terminal will be located near the entrance to the frontside Shagnasty trail and just west of the Breezeway lift’s top terminal.

“This summer, we will begin grading as soon as conditions allow,” says BL Holdinghaus, Monarch’s director of engineering and project management. “At this point we do not anticipate having to do any blasting, as our geotechnical test pits did not hit bedrock.”

No snowmaking. A key feature of Monarch’s operation remains its commitment to a natural skiing experience. The ski area has no snowmaking, and No Name Basin won’t, either. This aligns with Monarch’s philosophy of letting Mother Nature take the lead, made possible by its high elevation—the base area sits at 10,790 feet, and the summit at nearly 12,000 feet—and 350-inch annual snowfall. 

“We are committed to no snowmaking because it is something that sets us apart from other resorts,” says Haggerty. “The all-natural snow creates a different product that our loyal guests have come to love.” 

The trails. No Name includes 10 new intermediate and expert trails with a mix of well-spaced glades, rolling steeps, and wide-open cruisers, which can be accessed via either of two frontside lifts that terminate high enough to allow guests to drop down the backside into the new terrain. 

“When we analyzed our terrain, we saw a need for more long blue cruisers,” says Haggerty. “The No Name terrain brings our intermediate and advanced terrain to 68 percent [of our total trail system distribution], neatly filling in that blue trail niche for us.”

No Name’s trail design was a collaboration between the Monarch operations team and SE Group. During trail cutting, timber was skidded out over snow to minimize overland impacts. Monarch contracted with VM West, a company from Delta, Colo., and utilized a Ponsse Synchrowinch to assist timber harvesters and forwarders clearing the trails using a cut-to-length (CTL) method. Slash was then masticated in place to provide erosion control. For sensitive wetlands and cultural areas, Monarch’s saw crew hand-felled the trees. 

Left to right: A Ponsse Synchrowinch clears trees for the expansion’s 10 new trails and glades; A Monarch patroller tags trees for removal in No Name Basin.

Lots of “Ologists”

The No Name Basin expansion extends Monarch’s lift-served terrain into the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forest, crossing the Continental Divide to the north at 11,669 feet. It also involves land that is part of the Pike-San Isabel National Forest and the Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands. Thus, partnership with the U.S. Forest Service has played a pivotal role in helping Monarch navigate the regulatory process, ensuring that the expansion aligns with environmental and land-use policies. 

Holdinghaus pointed out the many “ologists” involved in the three-plus year approval process, each one representing a special area of potential impact. When a project of this magnitude is on public lands, many entities weigh in: Colorado’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Fish and Wildlife Service, cultural heritage groups, Gunnison County, Chaffee County, and the State Tramway Board, to name several. Findings from onsite research are collected and reported up through the mountain resort program manager within the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Region. The end goal is to cooperatively guide the process to receive a favorable “Decision Notice,” effectively greenlighting the project on Forest Service lands. 

Willing to compromise. Holdinghaus’s advice for mountain resort planners is to be thoughtful, thorough, and respectful of the process, and above all, allow for the time it takes and be willing to compromise. “We had to re-think multiple parts of the project based on feedback from the USFS heritage specialists, including our road alignment and top terminal location,” he says.

When planning your project, “Remember to ask early and often what other agencies or third-party contractors will need to be involved,” Holdinghaus advises. “Once you have identified those parties, engage them and continue to follow up with the Forest Service often as to when those consultations should begin.”

A Game Changer for Monarch

Monarch has always been a locals’ mountain, a place where powder can last for days after a storm and corporate resort vibes don’t exist. No Name manages to add to that magic in a big way that doesn’t feel over-developed. 

Market strategy. The 377-acre expansion is significant among Colorado mountain resorts, says SE Group managing director of mountain resorts and public lands Travis Beck. “The sheer scope of Monarch’s No Name Basin project rivals recent notable expansions like The Beavers at Arapahoe Basin, which added 339 acres in 2018. No Name’s acreage contains more than twice the terrain of the Hero’s expansion that Aspen Mountain opened in 2023.”

Having more than 1,000 acres of lift served terrain starting in 2025-26 will help to make Monarch more competitive with larger resorts. While it lacks the mega-resort infrastructure of Summit County (there’s no new luxury lodge at No Name), the expansion will keep lift lines short while giving Monarch skiers access to bigger, somewhat more challenging terrain at a fraction of the cost of many other resorts (at press time, a 2024-25-26 adult season pass, good for two seasons, was $699). 

Management plans to keep ticket prices reasonable despite increasing the resort’s skiable terrain by more than 50 percent. In fact, Monarch offered its current passholders the opportunity to renew early for 2025-26 at the same prices they paid in 2024-25, countering inflationary pricing. 

The ski area anticipates the expansion will result in some increased visitation, but the substantial acreage gain will help keep overall skier density low and maintain the relaxed, intimate atmosphere that Monarch skiers have come to love. And with that much more terrain, there’s ample room for creating a few more fans. 

“Our experience is like no other,” says Haggerty, “and once a guest gets a taste of it, they know Monarch is the resort for them.”

Left to right: The lift line for the new 2,900-foot-long Skytrac fixed-grip triple was cleared last summer; The new No Name trails include a mix of intermediate cruisers and rolling steeps.

Independent Spirit

Monarch’s independence is a defining and a defying characteristic, setting it apart from the mega-resorts of Colorado’s Front Range. But Monarch sees itself as its own competition, continuously striving to enhance the skier experience without losing sight of what makes it special. The No Name expansion underscores this ethos.

For those who have long cherished Monarch’s unique blend of big-mountain terrain and small-mountain charm, the No Name Basin expansion is a welcome evolution. It adds excitement and adventure while preserving the soul of an independent resort, proving that growth does not have to come at the cost of authenticity