New ski lift at Keystone Resort put on hold after construction mistake
Vail Resorts, owner of Keystone Resort was excited to announce the Bergman Bowl project, with a hopeful opening time frame for this upcoming winter season. That plan for adding 500 acres of new in-bounds terrain may now need some more time.
"We found they built a pretty significant access route through the alpine tundra," Scott Fitzwilliams, U.S. Forest supervisor explained.
Vail Resorts reported the issue themselves, and told USFS there was a miscommunication between their construction crews and themselves. That miscommunication, while only a tiny fraction of the overall project's size, will take years to rehabilitate due to the high-altitude environment.
"When there's a deviation from that plan -- and there's always a little bit here and there -- but this was significant," Fitzwilliams said.
The plan was to build up a 6 person chairlift https://www.keystoneresort.com/the-mountain/about-the-mountain/capital-investments.aspx.
Now USFS is weighing the possibility of needing another environmental assessment since Vail Resort's hired construction team went outside the lines.
"That can take months," Fitzwilliams explained.
That would be months Keystone does not have, if it was trying to get the lift operational in time for this winter season. Still, that decision has yet to be made.
You can read Vail Resort's full statement here:
We are working closely with the U.S. Forest Service on an issue that arose during construction. Specifically, an area that was supposed to have a minimal construction route was instead approached as a temporary construction route. This was due to a misunderstanding by our construction team, for which we take full responsibility.
Keystone Resort has a long history of successful partnership with the U.S. Forest Service on projects that provide guests the opportunity to enjoy outdoor recreation within our National Forest. We take this mistake seriously, and at their direction have paused some work at the site while the USFS conducts an assessment to determine next steps.We deeply regret the impact this unauthorized construction activity has had on the environment that our team works carefully to protect every day. We take environmental protection and compliance extremely seriously and are committed to making this right.
At this time, we do not yet know if this will impact the opening of lift-served terrain at Bergman Bowl this season. We will provide more information as we continue to work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
-Chris Sorensen, VP & GM at Keystone Resort
