Kindred News

Summit Daily News – October 21st

Three Summit County ski areas have been named among the top 40 U.S. ski resorts in the Condé Nast Readers’ Choice Awards.

Condé Nast Traveler is a luxury and lifestyle travel magazine that asks readers to name the best resorts, hotels and spas nationally and internationally.

This year, Keystone Resort, Copper Mountain Resort and Breckenridge Ski Resort all ranked within the top 25 best resorts in the U.S. in results that were released Oct. 5.

Keystone ranked 15th, Copper ranked 22nd and Breckenridge came in at 25th.

Nine other Colorado ski resorts graced the list with four being ranked within the top 10: Aspen Highlands ranked third, Beaver Creek ranked fourth, Vail Mountain ranked sixth and Crested Butte Resort placed seventh.

As part of its 2022 preliminary budgeting process, Vail Resorts Inc. (NYSE: MTN) said this week it plans to invest a record $320 million in capital improvements next year.

Systemwide, these improvements, called the Epic Lift Upgrade, will include 19 new chairlifts, including 12 high-speed lifts, a new eight-person high-speed gondola and six new fixed-grip lifts, according to a Vail news release.

“At some of our mountains, this means new high-speed lifts that will double how fast we can move people out of the base areas, and at others, the projects are all about making it easier for people to explore different sections of the mountain,” Vail CEO Rob Katz said in the release.

At Vail’s Colorado resorts, improvements are expected to include:

• Keystone Resort, Bergman Bowl: Enhancements to Bergman Bowl will include a new high-speed six-person chairlift, increasing lift-served terrain by 555 acres. Additional enhancements include 16 new trails, a ski patrol facility and snowmaking infrastructure. This project unlocks access for novice and intermediate guests and provides expanded entry to expert terrain in Independence and Erickson Bowls.
• Keystone Resort, Outpost Restaurant: An approximately 6,000 square feet expansion of the existing Outpost restaurant will add 300 more indoor seats and 75 more outdoor seats for guests.
• Vail Mountain, Sun Down Lift in the Legendary Back Bowls: The installation of a new high-speed four-person chair in the Sun Down Bowl from the base of Chair 5 (High Noon Express) to the Wildwood restaurant will materially reduce wait times on peak days at Chair 5 and create the opportunity for skiers and riders to much more conveniently access the trails in Sun Down Bowl.
• Vail Mountain, Game Creek Bowl: Skiers and riders will see improved reliability and capacity in this popular bowl with the replacement of the current four-person chair with a new high-speed six-person lift, increasing capacity by nearly 50%.
• Breckenridge Ski Resort, Rip’s Ride Lift: The beginner/ski and ride school experience will be enhanced at the highly utilized Peak 8 base area by replacing the current fixed-grip double with a high-speed four-person chair, increasing uphill capacity by nearly 70% and improving out-of-base circulation.

It’s the heat of summer in Keystone which means it’s festival season! Read on to see what’s on the docket for the rest of the summer.

River Run Art Festival

July 24 – 25
Over 80 artists from throughout the country convene in the beautiful River Run Village at Keystone.

Align in the Pines

Tuesdays 9am / Thursdays 5pm
An outdoor yoga series where guests will enjoy an hour of mountain air and a flow practice designed for everyone.

Keystone Acoustic Sessions

Fridays 4pm
Enjoy the happiest of hours (or two) with free concerts in River Run Village from local Summit County musicians.

Mountain Town Music Series

July 31 & August 14
Saturdays throughout the summer! Enjoy an afternoon concert in the sun with the family. Live concerts are complemented by performing artists and an outdoor bar in the village.

Bluegrass & Beer Festival

August 7 & 8
Colorado’s favorite festival returns with string bands, craft beer pours, mountain merch and melt-in-your-mouth morsels.

We are all very happy to have the experts at PCL building Kindred! Please watch the stages of construction in the video below which shows off the level of detailed planning by PCL.