Keystone Resort
Encyclopedia
Keystone Resort is the largest ski resort
in Summit County located in Keystone, Colorado
, United States
. It was founded on November 21, 1970 by Max Dercum. The resort is owned and operated by Vail Resorts
which also operates three other resorts in the state (Vail
, Beaver Creek
, and Breckenridge
) and Heavenly Ski Resort
and Northstar at Tahoe
at Lake Tahoe
. Some lift tickets and passes in Keystone can also be used at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, A-basin in Colorado.
Keystone consists of three mountains named Dercum Mountain, North Peak, the Outback, and five Bowls (Independence, Ericsson, Bergman, North and South Bowls) for skiing at every level. The first three mountains mentioned connected by a series of ski lift
s and gondolas
. Collectively, the mountains form the largest operation in Colorado
to offer at night skiing, where several trails are lit by large light fixtures, and lift operation can run until late into the night. Night skiing takes place after sunset until as late as 9 p.m. on as many as 15 of the resort's trails.
Keystone is known also for its five-acre resurfaced
skating lake, sleigh rides and many Zagat-rated four- and five-star restaurants. There are over 3,000 condos in Keystone, all within a short walk or free shuttle ride to one the two base areas called River Run (newest) and Mountain House (Original, less crowded).
In summer, Keystone also is a home for lift access mountain biking, biking parks, and hundreds of miles of single-track mountain biking.
, when Keystone expanded into the North Peak.
The following year the upper bullwheel
disconnected from the main gearbox shaft. Faulty welding was blamed. Two people were killed and 47 injured. The lift was rebuilt by Yan as the Ruby lift, free of charge. Settlements between Yan and injured skiers topped over seven million dollars.
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
in Summit County located in Keystone, Colorado
Keystone, Colorado
Keystone is a census-designated place in Summit County, Colorado, United States. The population was 825 at the 2000 census. The Dillon Post Office serves Keystone postal addresses....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was founded on November 21, 1970 by Max Dercum. The resort is owned and operated by Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc. runs four ski resorts in Colorado, as well as two in Lake Tahoe and a summer resort in Wyoming. They also own luxury resort hotels throughout the United States. The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange, symbol MTN...
which also operates three other resorts in the state (Vail
Vail Ski Resort
Vail Ski Resort is located in Eagle County, Colorado, next to the town of Vail. Vail Mountain, at , is the largest single mountain ski resort in the United States, featuring seven bowls and intermediate gladed terrain in Blue Sky Basin...
, Beaver Creek
Beaver Creek Resort
Beaver Creek Resort is a major United States ski resort near Avon, Colorado, run by Vail Resorts. The resort comprises three villages, the main Beaver Creek Village, Bachelor Gulch, and Arrowhead to the west...
, and Breckenridge
Breckenridge Ski Resort
Breckenridge Ski Resort, or just Breck, is perenially one of North America's top 2 most visited ski resorts, and is located in Summit County, Colorado in the town of Breckenridge...
) and Heavenly Ski Resort
Heavenly Ski Resort
Heavenly Mountain Resort is a ski resort located on the California-Nevada border in South Lake Tahoe. It has 97 runs and 30 lifts that are spread between California and Nevada and four base facilities...
and Northstar at Tahoe
Northstar at Tahoe
Northstar California is a year-round resort situated near the North Shore of Lake Tahoe in Placer County, California, approximately from the San Francisco Bay Area...
at Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
. Some lift tickets and passes in Keystone can also be used at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, A-basin in Colorado.
Keystone consists of three mountains named Dercum Mountain, North Peak, the Outback, and five Bowls (Independence, Ericsson, Bergman, North and South Bowls) for skiing at every level. The first three mountains mentioned connected by a series of ski lift
Ski lift
The term ski lift generally refers to any transport device that carries skiers up a hill. A ski lift may fall into one of the following three main classes:-Lift systems and networks:...
s and gondolas
Gondola lift
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
. Collectively, the mountains form the largest operation in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
to offer at night skiing, where several trails are lit by large light fixtures, and lift operation can run until late into the night. Night skiing takes place after sunset until as late as 9 p.m. on as many as 15 of the resort's trails.
Keystone is known also for its five-acre resurfaced
Ice resurfacer
An ice resurfacer is a truck-like vehicle or smaller device used to clean and smooth the surface of an ice rink. The first ice resurfacer was developed by Frank J. Zamboni in 1949 in the city of Paramount, California...
skating lake, sleigh rides and many Zagat-rated four- and five-star restaurants. There are over 3,000 condos in Keystone, all within a short walk or free shuttle ride to one the two base areas called River Run (newest) and Mountain House (Original, less crowded).
In summer, Keystone also is a home for lift access mountain biking, biking parks, and hundreds of miles of single-track mountain biking.
Elevation
- Base: 9280 feet (2,828.5 m)
- Summit: 12408 feet (3,782 m)
- Vertical Rise: 3128 feet (953.4 m)
Trails
- Skiable Area: 3148 acres (12.7 km²)
- Trails: 135 total (19% beginner, 32% intermediate, 49% advanced/expert)
- Bowls: Independence, Bergman, Erickson, North, South, Puma, Lower Packsaddle.
- Longest Run: Schoolmarm - 3.5 miles (5.6 km)
- Average Annual Snowfall: 230 inches (584.2 cm)
- Terrain ParksTerrain parkA terrain park is an outdoor area that contains terrain that allows skiers and snowboarders to perform tricks. Terrain parks have their roots in skateparks and many of the features are common to both. One of the first in-bounds terrain parks was the "Snowboard Park" built in 1990 at the Vail...
:- The A51 Terrain Park, a section of the resort with various features including for trick performance. The terrain park is the largest in Colorado to be lit at night.
- 51 rails and funboxFunboxA funbox is a standard element of a skatepark. Its main characteristic is the table component in the middle which varies by height and surface area and is usually surrounded by ramps and transitions. There are many possible compositions, with the simplest form being a table followed by a ramp...
es. - 1 SuperpipeSuperpipeA superpipe is a large halfpipe structure used in extreme sports such as snowboarding, freestyle skiing, skateboarding, freestyle BMX and inline skating....
(an enlarged half-pipeHalf-pipeA half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, and inline skating. The structure is wood, concrete, metal, earth, or snow. It resembles a cross section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ramps , topped by copings and...
).
Lifts
- 20 total
- 2 gondolas, River Run and Outpost
- 5 high-speed quad chair lifts, Summit Express, Montezuma Express, Peru Express, Santiago Express, Outback Express
- 1 high-speed six person lift, Ruby Express
- 1 quad chair lift, Wayback
- 1 triple chair lift, Ranger
- 3 double chair lifts, A-51, Argentine, and Discovery
- 6 surface lifts
Terrain Park
Keystone Resort features the "A51 Terrain Park" on Dercum Mountain, which has been noted as one of the more progressive progressive terrain parks in the region.Summer Activities
During the summer, visitors to Keystone resort oftern participate in hiking, horseback riding, fly-fishing, whitewater rafting, and mountain biking. Keystone resort is also home to two 18-hole championship golf courses.Forest Service
Keystone ski area operates on National Forest System lands under special use permit to the Forest Service. The 30-year special use permit only assigns a portion of the bundle of rights to the permit holder normally associated with real estate ownership. For the privilege of using federal lands the ski area pays an annual fee of about one dollar per skier visitor to the U.S. Treasury. Twenty-five percent of those fees are returned to Summit County, Colorado, for roads and schools. The Forest Service approves all master development plan revisions, environmental impact statements, summer and winter operations plans, and construction plan prior to opening. The 1984 Land and Resource Management Plan and 2002 Revision, authored by Erik Martin, Program Manager for Ski Area Administration (1972–2003), WRNF, established the final expanded boundary perimeter for Keystone Resort, including eventual expansion of developed skiing onto Independence Mountain. The 2002 Forest Plan Revision suggested an aerial transportation corridor and south portal be constructed in the Swan Valley to provide direct access between Keystone ski area and the Town of Breckenridge to improve traffic safety, reduce vehicle congestion, decrease dust and hydrocarbon emissions, and increase skier convenience. Independence Mountain was an olympic finalist and nearly selected for the signature alpine skiing downhill event for the ill-fated '76 Winter Olympic Games initially awarded to Denver, USA. Lands owned by the Denver Water Board at the base of Independence Mountain were given serious consideration by the Forest Service as an alternative staging area for Keystone ski area to reduce vehicle and skier congestion at the existing portals, and as an alternative ski lift connection and new portal serving the backside of Arapahoe Basin ski area. Speculation about conflicts in the Snake River Valley with the lynx reintroduction program stifled further study and land allocation. Prior to formal expansion of Keystone ski area onto Independence Mountain this terrain was under permit by multiple guide and outfitters in the 1970s and 80s using snowcats and helicopters for alpine skiing.Teller Lift Accident accident (1985)
The Teller Lift was a Yan 1000 model triple chair installed in 1984 by Lift EngineeringLift Engineering
Lift Engineering, more commonly known as Yan Lifts, was a major ski lift manufacturer in North America. Founded in 1965 and based in Carson City, Nevada, the firm came under scrutiny by state safety officials after a fatal accident in 1985, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July...
, when Keystone expanded into the North Peak.
The following year the upper bullwheel
Bullwheel
A bullwheel is a large wheel on which a rope turns, such as in a chairlift. In that application, the bullwheel that is attached to the prime mover is called the drive bullwheel, with the other known as the return bullwheel....
disconnected from the main gearbox shaft. Faulty welding was blamed. Two people were killed and 47 injured. The lift was rebuilt by Yan as the Ruby lift, free of charge. Settlements between Yan and injured skiers topped over seven million dollars.