New $350 Million Aspen Base Area Development Appears To Be On The Verge Of Happening
Aspen, Colorado — Currently an afterthought in Aspen’s terrain network, one of Ajax’s base areas is in need of an upgrade. Originally home to Aspen’s first rope tow and chairlift, this area became less lively when the replacement chairlift was moved too far up the mountain. The Shadow Mountain chairlift, also known as Chair 1A, is a slow fixed-grip double chairlift. However, that area could soon get a new life.
Fast Company reported last week that developers are preparing to officially break ground on the new, nearly $350 million development. Work reportedly began in the area last year to prepare it for the build-out. The goal is to complete the project in 2029.
Originally narrowly approved by town voters in 2019, the developer behind one of the hotels has received the necessary approvals from Aspen.
“The nice thing about a longprocess is we get to stare at this thing for like 10 years before we’ve evenbuilt it,” said Jason Grosfel, the lead developer of the project, to Fast Company. “We’ve been staring at these renderings for a long, longtime and nobody’s sick of them yet. I can’t say that for every rendering that I’ve stared at for a long time.”
Chalet Alpina will be a development that features lodging, residences, commercial spaces, and dining. The Shadow Mountain chairlift would be replaced by a new lift (likely a chondola). Below the lift, a new parking garage will be built. There will also be a public plaza for people to hang out at.
Historical preservation will be a big part of this project. The base terminal and the first couple of lift towers from the original 1A will be preserved and kept in their location. The two historic buildings currently on site will be moved. One will become a restaurant, while the other will become a ski museum as part of a partnership with the Aspen Historical Society.
There is also a second development that’s a part of this. Originally proposed as the Gorsuch Haus, the land was bought by the OKO Group and Aman. The new plan is to develop an Aman luxury hotel there. Details regarding this project and its timeline remain minimal.
As part of the building out of this base area, employee housing units will need to be added. According to Aspen Journalism, this will include 21.68 full-time equivalents (FTEs) for Aman and 39.52 for Chalet Alpina. It appears that there will be a few units on site, with the others built elsewhere.
“It’s been over a decade since we started this, and it’s been really, really time-consuming, and really difficult, but also really, really meaningful,” said Grosfeld. “Many developers don’t get that opportunity in a lifetime. So we’re super lucky and we’re treating the opportunity with the care and attention that it deserves.”
Over At The Other Aspen Base Area
Another project worth monitoring at Aspen is over at the Gondola Plaza base area. Aspen Ski Co. is planning to replace the Little Nell and Bell Mountain chairlifts with a single high-speed quad chairlift. This would lead to shorter lift lines on Silver Queen and help out on windier days when the gondola can’t operate, such as last week.
Image Credits: Chalet Alpina, Aspen One
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