Monarch Mountain opens lifts to skiers and snowboarders Saturday morning

COLORADO (KRDO) -- Monarch Mountain will be opening for 2021-2022 season Saturday, December 11th at 10:30 am.

As one of the few remaining ski areas in Colorado that does not make any snow, Monarch relies completely on all-natural precipitation to open its 800 acres of terrain. The most recent storm cycle has provided enough coverage to open 2 of its 7 lifts and 22 runs.

“The last couple of months have been a true test in patience, and we’ve finally been rewarded! We could not be more excited to welcome everyone back up to Monarch” said Marketing Manager, Allie Stevens.

Monarch has made a number of improvements over the summer including lodge updates, expanded parking, and, most notably, they have installed an RFID scanning system at all their lifts.

“Skiers and snowboarders will notice very quickly that we now have automated gates at all of our lifts. There will still be a friendly face there to greet you and check your pass photo on a handheld device but gone are the days of manually scanning each pass or ticket,” added Stevens.   

Lift operating hours will be from 10:30 am-4 pm on Saturday (12/11/21) and 9 am-4 pm starting Sunday (12/12/21). Lifts running will include Caterpillar and Pioneer. The Rental Shop, Sidewinder Saloon, Java Stop, and Elation Sports will all be open. Ski and Ride School and Kaleidoscope Tubing Park remain closed.

Reservations to ski or snowboard are not required, though Monarch does recommend pre-purchasing online by 11 pm the night before your arrival. Their current COVID-19 policy states that face-covering will not be required in the lift lines, however, guests will be asked to wear them inside the lodge. These policies are subject to change based on federal, state, and local guidelines and recommendations.

More information about Monarch Mountain’s COVID-19 policies, open terrain/amenities, and operating hours is available at skimonarch.com.