Thursday, March 28, 2024
Home Colorado CO News Aspen Snowmass Announces 2018 Summer Plans: The Lost Forest

Aspen Snowmass Announces 2018 Summer Plans: The Lost Forest

By M+E Staff

On June 20, Aspen Snowmass revealed a list of summer 2018 plans for the new Lost Forest on Snowmass Mountain. As Lost Forest was designed to intermingle with nature, the activities were intended to connect guests with their natural surroundings. These new activities include expanded hiking and biking trails, a canopy tour, an alpine coaster, a challenge course, and a climbing wall. The activities available at Lost Forest span all ages and activity levels, and are as follows.

Canopy Run Ziptour

This new zipline canopy tour includes eight ziplines and two sky bridges, with both tree based and pole based platforms. With its new-to-Colorado feature of being able to control speeds as the individual ziplines, this canopy tour will be the perfect opportunity for the adventurous visitor. Groups of eight to ten people are escorted by two guides, as they educate the group about the mountain environment. The trip takes three hours from start to finish, from departure and arrival at Elk Camp.

Rugged Ascent Climbing Wall

At Elk Camp itself, a new permanent climbing wall will be a great experience for newcomers to rock climbing. The activity can last anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes, for a wide range of abilities. The climbing wall will be 40 feet tall and 60 feet wide, with 13-15 lanes for climbing. Auto belay devices and REALRock construction make the wall look authentic while still being approachable and safe.

Treeline Trail Challenge Course

This new high ropes course is in the trees above the Meadow Carpet lift, including five separate paths with different difficulty levels. While all of the courses will assess each individual’s coordination, balance, and strength, one course is for children, with a very easy difficulty level, one easy course, two medium difficulty level courses, and one difficult course. Across the board, each guest will be on a belay system throughout the entire experience, and anchored into a cable system.

Breathtaker Coaster

This new coaster will weave through the trees between Sandy Park and Gunner’s View, which is set to open December 2017. The year-round, day and night coaster is 5,700 feet long, and can get up to heights of 410 feet. The ride will last seven to nine minutes, giving each rider the ability to control the speed. To ensure safety, there will be anti-collision technology, with a tandem option for children. It is the most accessible option in Lost Forest.

Hiking and Biking Trails

By rethinking the hiking and biking trails in Lost Forest, Aspen Snowmass is making each type of trail more exclusive for each activity, reducing the number of intersections between the two. 1.4 miles of new hiking trails called Spruce Spar, and rerouting 1 mile of trail to Sierra Loop and Rabbit Run will better guest experience, and give more mountain accessibility. 15.1 new miles of bike trails will also be implemented, designed by Gravity Logic, to include a combination of flow and hybrid trails for all skill levels. In addition to these new trails, improvements to Meadow Skills Park will work toward Aspen Snowmass’ goal to create a world-class bike park. This phase will be built in 2-3 years, but will not be the end of Aspen Snowmass’ improvements to their trail systems in the future.

Multi-Purpose Activity Areas

Rayburn’s Pond and Maroon Vista will be built at the top of Elk Camp chairlift to offer multiuse gathering sites. Specifically, Rayburn’s Pond will be for smaller gatherings, great photo opportunities, as well as for naturalist talks. Overall, both Maroon Vista and Rayburn’s Pond fit perfectly into their natural surroundings, with ADA accessible paths and interpretive signage as well.

MOST POPULAR