2021.03.24 Monarch Mountain
our new favorite place
Monarch might be the biggest little mountain we’ve skien. One of the few places left for classic high-alpine Colorado skiing in the age of the mega-resort.
All lifts are old-school fixed-grips, mostly doubles.. no detachable high-speed chairs here. By most accepted measures of a mountain, Monarch is not superlative. It is not the biggest, not the highest vertical rise - quite the opposite, the vertical measure top to bottom is among the smallest in the state (1162 ft). Not the greatest annual snowfall, not the highest peaks, not the steepest, not the most acreage. By most measures, this is a small, simple, locally owned place with no frills.
Monarch is the tourist underdog.
Just over 3 hours from Denver International Airport, Monarch is not the closest, a Denver local could more easily drive to Vail.
There are some locals in Salida, and Colorado springs is closer, but this is not a “local’s destination” either.. not in the sense that Breck and Winter Park absorb local traffic.
So it’s not so remote as Telluride, but it’s not close enough, nor big enough to draw the big crowds.. a big benefit we’re finding.
There is one measure whereby monarch really excels… base elevation
The base area is among the highest in North America, coming in just under 10,800 ft
So it comes in just behind Loveland, as a close second (source)
This helps maintain a winter wonderland in this snow globe, even when spring conditions have set in elsewhere.
Monarch has one sole base area, with 3 main lift lines to cover a semi-circle, providing access to a lot of terrain for such a “small” area.
The high point is not a single peak, but rather a ridge, a segment of the spine in the great divide, with most of the slope facing east and north, with some southern-facing component under the Breezeway chair.
Monarch is one of the classic Colorado mountains positioned directly on the divide, along with Wolf Creek and Arapahoe Basin, which maintain a classic ski vibe, with almost entirely high-alpine terrain.
