A long dormant chairlift could run again this winter, marking a major moment in a ski area’s revival in southern Colorado. 

Nonprofit Panadero Ski Corp. (PSC) recently announced it was on the verge of gaining state approvals and once again loading the chairlift at the base of the old ski area near Cuchara that was abandoned in 2000. Since a 2017 acquisition, the old base has been Cuchara Mountain Park, owned by Huerfano County and overseen by that nonprofit, whose top priority has been restoring Chair 4 to working, certified order. 

“It’s basically an old skeleton with a brand new body,” said Ken Clayton, Panadero’s treasurer, in describing the replaced drive, electrical system and other parts.

Now, he said, the team was tending to “minor, minor” maintenance to-dos while tracking down decades-old records requested by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board. While awaiting clearance, PSC was also awaiting enough snow to open for the season ー continuing a scene of recent years that has centered around a snowcat and an uphill-carrying contraption known as the “ski bus.”

It’s been “a fan favorite,” Clayton said. “But we believe there are more people who will want to come down and ride the lift.”

He added: “We’re planning for a big, grand reopening.” 

Huerfano County Administrator Carl Young hailed “a triumph.” 

“There’s been a lot of doubts, people who didn’t think (PSC) could get the lift running again,” he said. “That they managed to get it done, I know for me, it makes me feel good that the county put our faith in PSC and trusted them.” 

Trust was conveyed over the summer, when Huerfano County commissioners voted to enter a 40-year operating agreement with the nonprofit. 

That was after years of tension and back-and-forth regarding a vision that emerged soon after the creation of Cuchara Mountain Park in 2017: The county would own the roughly 50 acres while an operator would create revenue streams to cover insurance, maintenance and upgrades to infrastructure around the old ski area base. 

The agreement with PSC came months after Gov. Jared Polis voiced his support for the nonprofit. A $250,000 award was announced as “the largest infrastructure project to receive funding through the Colorado State Outdoor Recreation grant” ー and key to the Cuchara Mountain Park plan from the beginning. 

Lift tickets have been seen as the primary revenue driver to afford staff, including ski patrol, and maintenance. Clayton said he expected pricing to be similar to the “ski bus” that has charged $40. 

It has been able to carry about 22 people every 10 minutes, Clayton said. He said the lift will be capable of about 10 times that. 

And “with the chairlift, it’ll come across more like a real ski area,” Bob Kennemer said. 

A little more like the ski area he knew upon moving to La Veta back in the 1980s. Kennemer worked at the ski area that swapped the hands of businessmen and investors from afar. Profits lacked along with snow. 

“When I first moved here, my goal was to open a ski, hike and bike shop, and I did,” Kennemer said. “The main problem with that store over the years was the ski area kept opening and closing all the time.” 

Kennemer is among locals still carrying the hurt of past owners’ broken promises. And he is among locals hopeful about the nonprofit arrangement. 

With word of the lift, hope might be as high as ever. 

“Since this news hit, my phone has lit up,” said Kennemer, who sits on the Huerfano County Tourism Board.

“But now we recognize the hard work starts,” Clayton said. “We have to run a ski area.”

He and other PSC leaders have insisted their scope is smaller and less expensive than past operators with resort dreams. The nonprofit has pointed to upgraded snowmaking to help cover some of a dozen runs. And they have pointed to potential beyond the winter, such as fundraising concerts in recent years. 

“We realize that a year-round revenue stream is crucial for us to be able to operate,” Clayton said. “We’re exploring all possibilities for summer activities.” 

That includes other events and mountain biking ー among possibilities outlined in a business plan previously pitched to Huerfano County officials. Citing previous analysis by SE Group, that plan projected Cuchara Mountain Park creating 22 jobs and spurring $1.16 million in spending around one of Colorado’s poorest counties. 

Young, the county administrator, said he has started to see dividends from recent ski seasons. He said he’s seen some business owners who closed in winters past now decide to stay open.

“Winter is still a struggle,” Young said. “This has the ability to be a sea change in that regard.” 

Conor Hall has seen Cuchara Mountain Park’s ability to impact local youth. The director of Colorado’s Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry with roots in the nearby San Luis Valley, Hall in a previous statement predicted the affordability “will help ensure that more Coloradans can access outdoor recreation and become life-long skiers and riders.” 

Young predicted “baby steps.” As did Kennemer.

The factors that plagued the old ski area still remain, he noted: the lack of snow, limited terrain and its remote location away from major corridors such as Interstate 70. 

The environment and economics could not support profit seekers. Could they support a nonprofit?

“I think it’s gonna be a proving period,” Kennemer said. “But it’s still exciting.”