- Izzy Lidsky
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- powder.com
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- January 29, 2026
The plans for Monarch Mountain's massive terrain expansion were laid out more than a decade ago in the ski area's Master Development Plan. Now, as of January 29, 2026, skiers will finally get to enjoy more than 370 acres of new terrain in No Name Basin.
After a quick storm dropped almost a foot of snow on Monarch last week, the mountain announced that No Name Basin would make its debut. The access to No Name Basin via Breezeway lift was scheduled to open at 9:30 am on Thursday, with Panorama terrain access via Great Divide opening at 10 am.
The first 10 chairs were set to be guaranteed to the first skiers in the Breezeway Lift line that morning, and Monarch encouraged folks to line up early if they wanted to snag one of those spots. Conditions in No Name Basin might be variable, and caution is advised.
Since the announcement, Monarch Mountain took to social media Thursday morning, sharing footage of excited skiers and snowboarders getting ready to check out the slopes.
The 2026 POWDER Photo Annual is here! Look for a print copy on a newsstand near you, or click here to have a copy shipped directly to your front door.
No Name Basin drops skiers from the top of Monarch's new Tomichi lift onto the backside of the mountain, where skiers can look over the Western Slope and Gunnison Valley. The lift was built with its motor terminal at the top to make skiing in No Name Basin a quieter, more serene experience.
The zone will feature both fully lift-accessed and hike-to terrain. A variety of intermediate and advanced terrain in bowls, glades, and fall-line ski runs, with nearly as much vertical as the Panorama lift terrain, adds significant variety to the mountain.
Monarch Mountain is farther south than many of Colorado's massive resorts, just west of Salida, on the Continental Divide. Its location, culture, and historically deep snowpack make it one of the state's most unique ski areas, as demonstrated by the following (hilarious) video announcing the new zone's opening.
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