Colorado ski area closing season with $39 tickets

A Colorado ski area is closing its season in style — and on the cheap.

Big snow toward the end of March inspired Monarch Mountain to extend its season by a week, through April 13. Then the small, independent mountain got to feeling generous.

Lift tickets will be $39 that last week, April 7-13. The ski area announced the discounted tickets would be available online and at the window.

Despite the late March snow, Monarch’s total for the season has been well below average. The ski area measured close to 200 inches at the end of the month — below the 350 inches Monarch reports as its annual average.

As for the part about going out in style, that’s a nod to what Monarch is calling its inaugural Ski Ballet. The demonstration sport might be gone from the Olympics — a run from 1988-1992 — but the ski area on April 5 is hosting a competition that appears like figure skating on skis.

The season will close April 13 with Monarch’s time-honored Gunbarrel Challenge, in which skiers hike uphill and race down for the Golden Boot.

The season will end with an eager eye to next winter.

Monarch expects to debut a long-awaited expansion for the 2025-26 season: No Name Basin will add 377 acres of lift-served terrain on the mountain’s backside. Trails have been cut on the opposite, western side of the Continental Divide, where visitors riding up front-side lifts will reach the ski area’s longest drop, close to 1,000 feet.

Billy Block skis down a groomed run at Monarch Mountain ski area in December 2019. (Parker Seibold, the Gazette file)
Billy Block skis down a groomed run at Monarch Mountain ski area in December 2019. (Parker Seibold, the Gazette file)

PREV

PREVIOUS

Not everything’s a star at Breakfast on Broadway | Dining review

Breakfast on Broadway Cafe has a nice song and dance ring to it, but this Englewood restaurant doesn’t warrant a rave review. The unassuming exterior belies an oxymoronic fashionable-diner vibe. The full bar, black and white photos of vintage Denver street scenes and some surprising menu items like stuffed French toast and carnitas Benedict don’t […]

NEXT

NEXT UP

Where Democrats’ confidence in Florida’s special election comes from

The Florida Democratic Party is in its worst spot in modern history after years of defeats. Yet, the state’s Democratic Party still has fundraising success in special elections in deep red districts. Republicans are growing worried about two special elections on April 1 to replace national security adviser Mike Waltz in Florida’s Sixth Congressional District […]


Welcome Back.

Streak: 9 days i

Stories you've missed since your last login:

Stories you've saved for later:

Recommended stories based on your interests:

Edit my interests