News / The Wild Blue Gondol... October 10, 2023

The Wild Blue Gondola: Transformational and Impactful at Steamboat Resort

One of Steamboat Resort’s most anticipated on-mountain improvements will be fully complete for the 2023/2024 ski season: the Wild Blue Gondola. With both sections fully installed, it will become North America’s longest and fastest 10-person gondola, transporting skiers and riders from the base area to the top of Sunshine Peak in an impressive 13 minutes.

Section one of the Wild Blue Gondola was operational for most of the 2022/2023 ski season, transporting skiers and riders from the base area to Greenhorn Ranch at six meters per second. Section two will be operational for the 2023/2024 ski season, transporting guests from Greenhorn Ranch to the top of Sunshine Peak at seven meters per second. These two sections can run independent of one another, or all together, making it highly functional and adaptable.

With a total of 171 cabins (58 on the lower section, 113 on the upper section), the Wild Blue Gondola will increase the out-of-base capacity from 6,000 people per hour to 10,000 people per hour. Helping significantly in redistributing skiers and riders across the mountain, Wild Blue will especially ease morning congestion at the base area and afternoon congestion at the Sundown/Elkhead saddle.

Featuring the single largest direct drive in the world, Wild Blue brings state-of-the-art technology to Steamboat Resort. By installing a direct drive, which is a mechanical concept that comes from the windmill industry, a traditional gearbox is unnecessary. Most issues arise in gondolas and chairlifts due to a failure within the gearbox, and when it happens during the winter, it can be especially hard, if not impossible, to repair. By eliminating the gearbox all together, the direct drive will provide skiers and riders with a smooth, fast and highly efficient ride, which is especially exciting when Champagne Powder® is falling.

Spanning a distance of 3.16 miles, the Wild Blue gondola will give skiers and riders quite the scenic ride across Steamboat Resort. With two spans over 1,100 feet and the highest point reaching 136 feet above ground as you cross the Rainbow Saddle, Wild Blue will not only ease skier and rider traffic but will also provide a stunning and fast ride to the top of Sunshine Peak.

“I think our guests are going to be blown away. When they experience it, I think everyone will truly understand how transformational this gondola is to this world-class ski area,” explains Dave Hunter, Vice President of Mountain Operations.

Transformational indeed, the Wild Blue gondola if one of the most impactful projects within the scope of Steamboat Resort’s Full Steam Ahead improvements. It will give skiers and riders quick and easy access to the highly cherished and coveted Sunshine Peak area trails and will make for a seamless progression for SnowSports school from Greenhorn Ranch to the top of Sunshine. Skiers and riders will also have an option to download at the end of the day if their legs are tired, or more easily move around the mountain for lunch at the various lodges.

In August, crews are still working hard towards the completion of Wild Blue. Concrete is being transported to the top terminal, and crews are installing the second leg of the independent haul rope, which weighs in at an impressive 160,000 pounds.

As we approach three months until the start of the 2023/2024 ski season, excitement is certainly building in Steamboat Springs over the completion of Wild Blue. Scenic, functional and hugely impactful, the Wild Blue gondola is sure to transform your experience at Steamboat Resort in all of the right ways.

Written By: Erin Campbell

News / Steamboat Enters Fin... March 24, 2023

Steamboat Enters Final Phase of Full Steam Ahead

In 2021, Steamboat Ski Resort embarked on the largest redevelopment of the resort in history with a 3 year, $220+ million project named Full Steam Ahead. With full financial and on-the ground support from parent company Alterra Mountain Company, the initial stages of Full Steam Ahead quickly became a complete transformation of Steamboat’s outdated base area. Now, as the project nears completion with its third phase, Full Steam Ahead looks to transform the on-mountain experience with an additional 655 acres of expert terrain and the second leg of Wild Blue Gondola, making it the longest, fastest 10-person Gondola in North America.

“When we started the process of Full Steam Ahead we had a long wish list of a Master Plan that had been decades in the making,” said Rob Perlman, president and COO of Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation. “To now be in the final phase and see Full Steam Ahead become a reality is beyond words. I especially like seeing the reaction from our staff and guests each year. First it was excitement about the escalators, then the fully completed base area, and now to finish with on-mountain enhancements is like the cherry on top. Winter 23/24 will be a new era for the resort, but we’ll always be the same Steamboat at our roots.”

The two major components of Full Steam Ahead Phase III are:

Mahogany Ridge & Fish Creek Canyon Expansion: Steamboat Ski Resort becomes the second largest ski resort in Colorado with the addition of 655 acres of advanced/expert terrain to skier’s right of the resort’s current boundary. Fish Creek Canyon (350 acres) and the area previously known as Pioneer Ridge (305 acres) have been in the resort’s permit area for numerous years but were not considered in-bounds until approval in 2021. Previously accessible via backcountry gates and hike-to-access, Mahogany Ridge Express will offer lift service as a new highspeed detachable quad and Fish Creek Canyon will continue to be expert terrain with an estimated 20-25 minute hike back to the bottom of Mahogany Ridge Express. The expansion area will remain uncut except for the lift line and boundary trail, and skiers and riders should expect a variety of expert terrain and conditions including rock cliffs, chutes and tree glades. Once open to the public, Steamboat Ski Patrol will monitor and maintain the area including potential avalanche mitigation, but varying conditions may be encountered at any time.
To meet this need, Steamboat Ski Resort has introduced an avalanche dog program with two inaugural dogs beginning their training during the 22/23 winter season. Daisy is a 1.5-year-old black lab and Mudd is an under 1 year old Shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix who have both begun validation through Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment certification. The process of validation can take up to two years and Daisy and Mudd are expected to be ready to deploy by winter 24/25.

Wild Blue Gondola second leg: In December 2022 Steamboat debuted the Wild Blue Gondola, a 10-person Doppelmayr machine spanning 4,000 feet from Steamboat Square to Greenhorn Ranch. Beginning spring 2023, Doppelmayr and Steamboat crews will add the second leg of the gondola spanning 16,008 horizontal feet and 3,371 vertical feet to the top of Sunshine Peak. With a complete ride time of approximately 12 minutes from Steamboat Square to 10,397 feet and featuring 177 total cabins, Steamboat’s uphill capacity will nearly double to 10,000 skiers per hour. Upon completion, with an expected opening in late November 2023, Wild Blue Gondola will be the longest, fastest 10-person gondola in North America.

Full Steam Ahead has completely reimagined Steamboat Ski Resort with completion of Phases I and II, which introduced an escalator to eliminate numerous stairs; Skeeter’s Ice Rink an outdoor free skating rink; the Mountain Stage, home to Steamboat’s legendary free music concerts; the Range Food & Drink Hall- slated to open Summer 2023; Greenhorn Ranch- a terrain-based, on-mountain dedicated beginner’s area; the first leg of Wild Blue Gondola, relocation of Christie Peak Express lower terminal and removal of the Mountain Coaster and mini golf course; and Creekside Plaza with guest features including a new Ski Patrol headquarters and UCHealth Urgent Care Clinic.

For more details on Full Steam Ahead including a complete timeline and projects already completed visit www.steamboat.com/FullSteamAhead.

News / VIDEO: Commissioning... November 8, 2022

VIDEO: Commissioning Process to begin on Wild Blue Gondola

We’re a few weeks away from Opening Day and wrapping up many of the Full Steam Ahead Phase II projects. The Wild Blue Gondola will soon undergo a 30-day commissioning process as we transition from construction phase to being fully operational for our skiers and riders. Vice President of Operations, Dave Hunter, explains more on this process.

News / Wild Blue: Steamboat... September 6, 2022

Wild Blue: Steamboat’s Second Out-of-Base Gondola

A new and additional gondola named Wild Blue will begin running this upcoming ski season from the Steamboat base area to Greenhorn Ranch, the new ski school headquarters now located in the previous Bashor Basin area. Ultimately, once complete with both the upper and lower sections in the 2023-2024 season, Wild Blue will transport skiers and riders from the Steamboat base area to the top of Sunshine Peak at an impressive speed, taking only 12 and a half minutes. Scenic, fast, efficient and smooth, the Wild Blue gondola is an exciting addition to Steamboat Resort!

The lower section of the Wild Blue gondola will have 58 cabins to take skiers and riders from the base area to Greenhorn Ranch. For the upcoming 2022-2023 ski season, this will be the only section running, and mostly transporting ski school guests. However, section two is slated to be ready for the 2023-2024 ski season and will be running with an additional 113 cabins to transport guests to the top of Sunshine Peak. All in all, Wild Blue will have 171 cabins, each with a capacity of 10 people per cabin. Ski racks will be on the exterior just like the Steamboat Gondola that will still be in place and running from the base area to the top of Thunderhead.

Previously, the Steamboat Gondola and Christie Peak Express were able to transport 6,800 people per hour, and now with the addition of Wild Blue, another 3,200 people will be transported per hour onto the mountain. This equates to a capacity increase of nearly 50% and a total of 10,000 guests per hour being transported onto the mountain from the base area. Obviously, this capacity increase will allow for quicker accessibility to the upper mountain, but it will also allow for a more efficient experience skiing lower mountain as well.

Blue gondola cars paired with a longer and scenic ride across Steamboat Resort inspired the name Wild Blue. Not only will Wild Blue provide a scenic ride, but it will also provide a fast ride from the base to the top of Sunshine Peak. Section one (base area to Greenhorn Ranch) will transport guests at a speed of 6 meters per second, which equates to 4 minutes of transit time. Section two (Greenhorn Ranch to the top of Sunshine Peak) will transport guests at the fastest speed in North America at 7 meters per second and exactly 8.8 minutes from Greenhorn Ranch. Put those numbers together and it will only take you about 12 and a half minutes to get from the base area to the top of Sunshine Peak! Skiers and riders will be able to load at the base area and ride all the way to the top in 2023-2024, with the doors opening at the mid-station for anyone unloading at that point.

The Wild Blue gondola also features the biggest direct drive in the world with state-of-the-art technology to give passengers a top-notch ride. By installing a direct drive, which is a mechanical concept that came from the windmill industry, a traditional gearbox is unnecessary, ultimately making the operational side more efficient and more simple. Section one of Wild Blue will feature a 2-ring direct drive and section two will feature a 5-ring direct drive. These two sections will be able to run independent of one another, or all together, making it highly functional and adaptable. Most issues arise in gondolas and chairlifts due to a failure within the gearbox, and when it happens during the winter season, it can be especially hard, if not impossible, to repair. By eliminating the gearbox all together, the direct drive will provide skiers and riders with a smooth, fast and highly efficient ride, which is especially exciting when Champagne Powder® is falling!

If you have been in Steamboat this summer, you have likely heard the helicopter activity at Steamboat Resort. All foundations and towers are in place for section one to be running this upcoming ski season. While the towers are not yet in place for section two (that will happen next summer/fall), all of the foundations for those 27 towers will be complete by the start of this ski season. All rebar was flown in at the end of August and all of the concrete is expected in by the end of September to complete the foundation work for section two. While the visibility may not be there as the foundations are buried in snow all winter, once summer arrives next year, it will be time to install the remaining towers needed to complete the full span of the Wild Blue gondola.

With so many improvements happening as part of Full Steam Ahead at Steamboat Resort, the addition of the Wild Blue gondola is certainly one of the most visible and most exciting. You’ll have a chance to see section one of Wild Blue this upcoming season, but the real excitement will begin with the 2023-2024 ski season when the Wild Blue gondola is officially complete. With two gondolas and one high-speed quad running from Steamboat’s base area, accessing Steamboat Resort will become highly efficient and provide a nice variety for all skiers and riders.

Written by: Erin Campbell