Nowhere to Go But Up: The Keystone Master Plan

Peter Landsman
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Keystone Resort in Dillon, Colorado hosts more than one million skiers and snowboarders annually and plans to add up to eight lifts to accommodate growing demand in Summit County.

Of the dozen North American skier visit champions, only one mountain operates fewer than 15 lifts.  Number one Vail has 25, number two Breck 23.  Whistler and Mammoth spin even more. But the fourth most-visited ski area on the continent has only 13 lifts. That mountain is Keystone, an intermediate skiing mecca under 100 miles from Denver International Airport.

In 2009, Vail Resorts and SE Group updated the resort’s master plan, a road map for expansion over the coming decades.  With eight new lifts planned for Dercum Mountain, North Peak and The Outback, Keystone’s plan outlines significantly more growth than slated for Vail’s other Colorado resorts.  Much of the expansion would come above current lift service, adding high-alpine terrain to attract a broader spectrum of skiers and snowboarders to Keystone.

Dercum Mountain

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  • Ski Tip Gondola.  A new Ski Tip portal is planned with a 3,400′ x 1,154′ two-way gondola that could transition approximately 18 percent of skiers away from the crowded River Run and Marmot portals.  Skiers would ride the gondola to a point above the River Run Gondola mid-station and return there at the end of the day to ride back down.  Critics have suggested this gondola is merely a real estate play.
  • Two-stage Argentine high-speed quad.  A new high speed quad could replace Argentine and continue to a point near the Dercum summit with a mid-load angle station in the vicinity of the former Saints John and Ida Belle lifts.  Three new trails would be cut between Peru and Montezuma.  The mid-station would take pressure off the crowded Lower Schoolmarm trail and Peru Express.
  • Summit Learning Center Lift.  A new fixed-grip triple chairlift is proposed to connect the top of the new Argentine to the top of the mountain between Ranger and Montezuma. This would be the seventh lift to serve the summit of Dercum Mountain.  With the new triple’s 1,000 skiers per hour, a whopping 16,800 people could theoretically unload at the Summit House in one hour.

North Peak

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  • Bergman Bowl Express.  This game-changing high-speed quad would top out at 12,200 feet above the current lifts on North Peak with a vertical rise of 1,000 feet, bringing lift service to above treeline terrain currently serviced by snow cats.  A Bergman expansion would surely elevate Keystone in the eyes of advanced and expert-level skiers.
  • Independence Bowl Lift.  Proposed as a fixed-grip triple with a capacity of 1,200 pph, the Indy lift would provide access to seven short runs adjacent to Bergman Bowl.
  • Windows Lift.  This one would serve two-fold, providing access to Bergman and Independence Bowls while also making it easier to access the Windows under the Outpost Gondola.  When I took pictures of the Outpost last season, I inadvertently found myself in in this seriously steep terrain that no one had touched!

The Outback

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  • Wayback replacement.  This long-awaited project would replace the slow fixed-grip quad installed as part of the Outback expansion in 1991 with a 2,400 pph detachable in the same alignment.  Doppelmayr could likely re-use existing towers and chairs to save Vail some money.
  • Outback surface lift.  A 3,425′ T-Bar or platter could provide lift access for the first time above the popular Outback Express.  It would have a slight curve like the Cirque platter at Snowmass.  A related project would upgrade the Outback Express to 2,400 passengers per hour.

The White River National Forest’s acceptance of this plan does not automatically equal approval and these projects are subject to further review under the National Environmental Policy Act.  However, the Wayback replacement could come as early as next summer following this summer’s installation of a Montezuma six-place.  Vail Resorts will likely spend upwards of $120 million on capital projects next year across its mountains and we’ll know in the first week of December which ones make the list for 2018.

9 thoughts on “Nowhere to Go But Up: The Keystone Master Plan”

  1. Thomas Jett's avatar Thomas Jett July 4, 2017 / 12:36 am

    Good write up, Peter. I had done some looking aound, and found a more extensive master plan on ecosign’s website. Did they cut back? Also, I can send you a Google Earth overlay of it, if you want.

    By the way, you should do one of these for Mammoth Mountain. Rusty Gregory, the CEO, just had a town hall where he said that they were about to start implementing the plan, pretty much exactly as they have it written down.

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    • Sean's avatar Sean February 12, 2019 / 8:18 pm

      I just wish they got an approval for an egress trail from below Independence bowl to the bottom of River Run, and maybe have some trails going down the north side of Dercum Mountain to the bottom of the Ski Tip Gondola.

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  2. ACA Allertor's avatar ACA Allertor July 4, 2017 / 8:08 am

    There will be only one yan left at keystone after all this occurs. Even then, it has newer components. #savetheyans

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  3. Ryan's avatar Ryan July 7, 2017 / 12:04 am

    Not to worry, the Yans will live on for many many years to come at other resorts who have no plans to upgrade. Just like the Riblets.

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  7. Donald Reif's avatar Donald Reif October 4, 2019 / 1:59 pm

    One part of the Keystone master plan has already been implemented, as they upgraded the Outback Express lift’s capacity to 2,400 pph in 2014 by moving over 7 chairs from the Peru Express and 17 from the Montezuma Express.

    I’d say that the Argentine Express upgrade is probably on the backburner given the upgrade of the Montezuma Express to a high speed six pack, although it would be nice to have it as a means of having an extra way out of Mountain House base area to supplement the Peru Express lift.

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  8. BC Skier Guy's avatar BC Skier Guy February 17, 2025 / 1:57 pm

    I’d expect a new master plan from Keystone soon, given how this one dates to 2009 and the resort skis drastically different now after the Bergman expansion. Here’s my wish list for Keystone.

    Short Term

    • Wayback upgrade – This one is long overdue. I feel a six pack here would be appropriate. This one hopefully happens in the next several years.
    • Ranger upgrade – Following a pattern of other Vail Resorts upgrading beginner lifts, a high speed quad for Ranger would increase capacity and allow easier loading/unloading. A Discovery upgrade would make sense as well.

    Medium Term

    • Independence Bowl Lift – The master plan alignment is perfect. Access to the terrific north facing terrain of Indy Bowl that would mesh well with the Bergman Bowl expansion. I anxiously await this lift :)
    • North/South Bowl T-Bars – Instead of the proposed curved lift, I think two separate T-bars could be built. First one from the top of the chair to the top of the flat knob on the hike, then a short ski down to the second one that goes up the final pitch and ends near the snowcat turnaround. Surface lifts here would help patrol open/manage this terrain easier and unlock a huge chunk of lift served terrain with a relatively low price tag and environmental impact.
    • A-51 Replacement – New fixed grip for A-51. It is a pretty short lift, and I only think a detach is necessary if they want to extend it down the hill.
    • Base Area Gondola – The Ski Tip Gondola or Base Area Connector Gondola have long been discussed. I don’t think both are needed, but another way to spread out the morning crowds would be welcome.
    • Outback Upgrade – This lift will be at the end of its useful life during the next master plan. A six pack would be appropriate here, with heavier chairs helping in wind.

    Long Term/Pipe Dream

    • Erickson Bowl Lift – A fixed grip running up Erickson Bowl, starting near the end of the runout and running up to the summit of the bowl. Would provide direct lift access to some excellent glades and steeps. Possibility to open up more glades on the edge of the bowl with some tree thinning too.
    • Indy Edge T-Bar – A surface lift running up the cat road to serve the Indy Face/Two If By Sea area. Used in tandem with the Indy fixed grip to lap this terrain, a wind exposed but steep and beautiful zone. Opens the door for future expansion into the far edge of the permit boundary.
    • North Bowl Lift- High speed lift starting near the Badger/Grizz runout and traveling up to just below the summit of the bowl. Direct lift access to excellent tree skiing and high alpine. Also a reliever on crowds at the Outback Chair. Would be an alternative to the two t-bars I mentioned earlier.
    • Keystone Gulch/West Ridge Expansion – Keystone’s master plans have had lifts going up the ridge opposite the Outback for years. Potential for some shorter but fun terrain pods in this area.

    I don’t think there is a need for another high speed lift on the frontside, the runs can only handle so many people. I also don’t think the planned Windows lift is necessary, they just need to let people access the Windows terrain from Bergman Bowl rather than hike up from Dercum.

    Overall, I think a few well placed lifts in Keystone’s high alpine zones could really open up skier traffic just as Bergman did. It could also radically change how experts think of Keystone. This mountain is a sleeper in my mind. There is some seriously great terrain up there that remains essentially empty.

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