There’s only one winter left to take a ride on the oldest operational chairlift in Colorado.
As part of a major overhaul, Sunlight Mountain Resort in Glenwood Springs will replace Segundo, a two-seater that’s been ferrying visitors up the mountain’s west side since Richard Nixon was president and “The Exorcist” was in theaters.
Originally installed in Aspen in 1954, the Segundo lift has served Sunlight since 1973. Segundo will be dismantled next spring, and a new triple lift will take its place ahead of the 2025-2026 ski season.
The upgrade also includes a new quad that will replace Primo, a two-seat lift originally built in 1966 that’s currently the main route to the top of Sunlight.
With two of the resort’s three lifts set to be replaced, this is the biggest update in Sunlight’s history, said Matt Ericksen, the resort’s marketing director.
“It’s a huge deal,” he said. “It's an absolutely huge deal for us and for everybody who wants to come up and enjoy Sunlight.”
The new lifts will be sourced from other resorts and will have increased capacity. Primo’s replacement will double how many visitors can ride. Segundo will go from carrying 970 skiers and boarders per hour to 1,400.
Construction is slated to begin this summer.
While Segundo and Primo are retiring, that doesn’t mean the lifts will end up on the scrap heap. Ericksen said a lot of people have expressed interest in owning parts of the lifts, “a piece of Colorado ski industry history, really.” The resort will announce those plans in the future.
Sunlight will spend the upcoming ski season celebrating the lifts, Segundo in particular. The resort hasn’t unveiled what events are planned, but Ericksen said it expects to honor the lifts for their historical significance and the memories they evoke in visitors.
“Generations of families have sat in those chairs and have ridden the mountain at Sunlight and there's definitely an emotional attachment both internally and with our local community,” he said.
Ericksen stressed that while the lift technology is about to change at Sunlight, not much else will. Sunlight is one of a handful of Colorado mountains that’s built a reputation for being affordable and family-friendly, without the long lines that are common at bigger, better-known mountains. Sunlight is also independently owned, a rarity now in the ski resort world.
“The essence of what Sunlight is, that Sunlight experience, won't change,” Ericksen said.
While the lift-replacement project is pending final approval from the U.S. Forest Service, Sunlight officials are “confident” it will get the green light. Garfield County backs the plan.
