Eagle Peak opens at Lookout Pass

Following three years of construction, last Saturday was opening day for the Eagle Peak expansion at Lookout Pass.

After opening for a few hours for early-ups on Friday, Chair 5 to Eagle Peak Summit is officially open for the season.

“Getting the lift in, set up and ready to go before the Christmas holidays has been a monumental effort,” said Matt Sawyer, director of marketing for Lookout. “We would’ve liked to finish in November, but we’re really glad it’s done. It's been a huge collaboration.”

The new lift opened following a brief dedication ceremony on Saturday morning from Brian Berssell, Lookout’s general manager. Immediately after the dedication, Chair 5 brought the first riders to the top of the new terrain.

“There’s no easy way down off the top,” Sawyer said.

The “long-anticipated” park expansion nearly doubles Lookout Pass’ total skiable terrain, adding 500 acres with 14 intermediate and advanced trails.

The new summit is 500 feet higher than the original Runt Mountain Summit, which means more inches of better snow, according to Lookout Pass’ website.

“Being right off Interstate 90 is a big advantage,” Sawyer said. “We’re pretty accessible, our road is always pretty well maintained. Our biggest limiting factor is parking, so we’ve put in about 130 extra spots."

The addition of Chair 5 brings 155 new quad chairs, increasing the park capacity by more than 1,000 riders per hour to reach the summit.

Crews at Lookout have also made upgrades to Chair 2 to increase the capacity from double chairs to triple chairs to accommodate the added traffic from Chair 5.

Most ski resorts have three key holidays, Sawyer said, Christmas, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day. He expects Lookout to be busy during those times, and the added capacity of Chair 5 should ease the crowd rush hours for peak weekends.

"People want to do things as a family," Sawyer said. "And our runs provide a great time for the whole family."