Last winter, where Snowblind meets Mule Train in No Name Basin, there was only enough snow for Monarch's cat operators to cut a narrow road across the side hill. Grooming the run regularly wasn't possible. Monarch wrote in a June blog post that anyone who skied Mule Train last season "know[s] the exact location" it meant.
That same side hill is where Monarch's crews and Lowry Contracting worked this summer. It's the clearest sign of how the mountain expects No Name's first full season to go. Monarch didn't build a new lift or put in snowmaking. It moved dirt so an intermediate run in the new basin can open on less snow.
The basin opened in the worst winter in nearly fifty years
No Name Basin added 377 acres and 12 runs on the far side of the Continental Divide, served by the new Tomichi Lift. The Forest Service approved it in July 2024, and construction wrapped up by October 2025. In a May 2026 history post, Monarch said the 2025-26 winter "would bring the lowest snow total that Monarch has seen since the 1976-77 winter season."
The basin opened to the public on Jan. 29, 2026. According to The Mountain Mail, it closed March 22. That's a 53-day window for terrain that took about fifteen years of master planning to reach. In the same article, the paper reported 112 inches of snow for the 2025-26 season. Monarch advertises an annual average of 350 inches.
The whole mountain closed on March 29, earlier than the three seasons before it:
| Season ending | Monarch closing day |
|---|---|
| 2023 | April 16 |
| 2024 | April 21 |
| 2025 | April 13 |
| 2026 | March 29 |
The paper found that the last March closing came in 2020, because of COVID-19. Marketing admin Eva Egbert told the Mail, "Historically, we have not closed before April." She said that in most seasons you can ski into May.
That means 2026-27 is the first winter No Name could run from early season to late spring. Last winter showed that the basin's season length depends on how little snow its trails need to open.
Why the fix was a grader and not a snow gun
Monarch doesn't make snow, and it said again this year that it won't start. After closing day, General Manager Chris Haggerty told The Mountain Mail:
"We love that we're all natural. We think it rates a better product for our guests and our team. Our goal is to remain all natural."
The same article says the low snow pushed crews to "lean into our snow farming technique even more and get creative," and that next winter's plan is similar if it's needed.
If you won't make snow, you have to make terrain that holds the snow you get. In its post on the Mule Train grading, Monarch wrote that the project "will be a huge help getting this trail open and skiable during early season conditions." The grading had already been studied and approved under the No Name Construction Implementation Plan. Monarch held it back during the 2025 build because of the construction timeline and did it in summer 2026.
The other summer projects follow the same pattern. They're small and meant to get more out of the days the mountain is open:
- Rental and Lesson Center tech benches. Built by the Rentals, IT and Property Maintenance crews so rental techs can set skis with better access to guests and equipment. Monarch's stated goal is getting skiers out of the building and onto the hill faster.
- A rebuilt weather-station deck near the Mirkwood hike. Ski patrol replaced the deteriorating deck, and Monarch reported the work done in an Oct. 10 post.
- A new Ski Patrol Manager. Aaron Peyrouse, a longtime member of the patrol and cat-skiing teams, returned to management in the role, according to a Sept. 27 post.
The master plan is a long list, not this winter's to-do list
The Forest Service accepted Monarch's 2025 Master Development Plan, and Monarch announced it in a July 6, 2026 post. The mountain was careful to say the plan is "accepted" and not "approved," and that every project in it still has to go through its own NEPA review. In Monarch's words, "not every project proposed will happen and most will be altered."
Several first-phase items connect directly to the basin and to crowding at the base. The Mountain Mail's summary of the plan puts these in a phase Monarch hopes to carry out in one to three years:
- A rope tow from the Breezeway chairlift to the No Name Basin lift, with the skiway widened between them.
- A covered "double barrel" conveyor to replace the Caterpillar conveyor, with the old conveyor possibly moved to the tubing hill.
- A day-lodge expansion.
- A building at Pano Flats with seating for 381, a restaurant and bathrooms, near the bottom of the Panorama lift.
- Trail grading and a replacement ski patrol building at the base.
The paper also reported that Monarch had about 230,000 visitors in 2024-25. It said the plan's later phases include a Divide Express lift from the base to the top, replacing the Pioneer and Breezeway lifts, and adding 1,122 spaces to the current 1,430 in the Paradise lot. Snowmaking is in the plan too, but director of strategy and safety Zach Moore told the paper it is "a placeholder for the future."
For 2026-27, you'll still reach the basin the way you did last February.
How you get in and out of No Name
Access is through the Breezeway Lift to a single gate near the top terminal of the Tomichi Lift. Tomichi is a Skytrac fixed-grip triple. Monarch puts its vertical at about 1,000 feet. A January report from SnowBrains measured 980 feet and a ride of about six minutes.
Monarch describes the terrain as intermediate to advanced, with groomed, bump and gladed sections. SnowBrains' report named Ambush, Muletrain, Buckhorn, Northstar Glades and Sunset Glades among the runs. When the basin opened, Monarch warned that conditions could vary on the way down, particularly near road cuts. The thinner the snowpack, the more that warning matters.
The November deadlines
Early-season pass pricing is good through Nov. 30, and prices go up Dec. 1. Monarch's current pass page lists these adult, youth and senior prices:
- Renewal pass: $639, $379, $489
- New full-benefit pass: $659, $399, $529
- Monarch-only pass: $549, $329, $429
If you only ski a few days, the transferable four-pack is $259 in person, with blackout dates.
On opening day, CPR's roundup of Colorado opening dates projects Dec. 3 for Monarch. OnTheSnow lists Dec. 4. Monarch's homepage tells skiers to stay tuned for opening-day updates.
Your pass also works off the mountain. Through the Monarch Mountain Pass Perks program, you show your physical pass at participating Arkansas Valley businesses for offers like these:
- Browns Canyon Brewing Company: a buy-one-get-one pint, limited to one redemption per pass
- Elevation Brewing: a buy-one-get-one pint
- High Side! Bar & Grill in Salida: 10% off the whole tab
- 50 Burger: happy hour pricing all day
- Shorehouse Hotel in Buena Vista: 10% off a stay with code MONARCHLOVE2026
- Simple Lodge & Hostel: 15% off lodging
Those are handy when relatives come for a ski weekend and need a room in town. The perks page lists other lodging partners too, including Creekside Chalets, Salida Inn & Monarch Suites and Silver Ridge Lodge.
At Rocky Mountain RLA, Danni factors winter access to places like Monarch into how she values Chaffee County cabins and acreage along the US-50 corridor. If you own land or a cabin between Poncha Springs and the pass and want an appraisal-backed read on what it's worth, request a free property valuation and consultation. Danni will walk the parcel with you before the snow flies.
