Winter Park Resort, USA Today’s Readers’ Choice for the second year in a row for best ski resort in North America and Colorado’s Top Adventure Town opens the Six Pack Sunnyside Lift at the Mary Jane this week just in time for the holiday crowds. 

As Colorado’s oldest continuously operating ski resort, Winter Park is celebrating the launch of its 80th season. Since joining Alterra Mountain Company’s family of resorts more than two years ago, Winter Park has invested heavily into improving infrastructure and the overall guest experience. The improvement on the Sunnyside Lift gives skiers and riders quicker access to the wide and varied terrain of Mary Jane.

The Sunnyside Lift received a $6 million facelift over the summer upgrading from a three-person chair to a six-person chair and reducing the ride time from eight minutes to just under four minutes

Sky Foulkes, CEO of Winter Park Resort said, “The Sunnyside area was identified early in our planning stages.  We are happy everything went smoothly with the final inspections and the lift is up and running for the holiday season.”  Foulkes said the high altitude construction season is very short and it takes a lot of preparation and planning to replace a lift.  Last year, the new Gondola at the base of Winter Park took a little longer than expected but the Sunnyside came together on schedule and “will be a great addition to the mountain experience.”

The new lift has an uphill capacity of 2,400 riders per hour, getting more people up and onto some of the resort’s most beloved terrain faster than ever.

Heading into the December holidays, skiers and riders will have even more open terrain to explore as Winter Park will open the Pioneer Lift and a portion of the Vasquez Territory this weekend.

 

Photos courtesy of Winter Park Resort