On Nov. 3, 2023, Winter Park Resort opened for the season. In a long list of improvements that the resort implemented, one improvement included a new lift. The Wild Spur Express had many riders excited because it replaced the Pioneer Express and promised access to more exciting terrain.
The Wild Spur Express officially opened the afternoon of Dec. 27. This season, guests can take their first ride up the mountain in a six-passenger, high-speed lift. The lift has the capacity to move 2,800 people up the mountain in an hour. It is the only lift that grants access to the challenging Vasquez Ridge territory after the four-passenger Pioneer Express was retired after the 2022-23 season.
“People get to ski the stuff they want,” Public Relations and Communication Manager Jen Miller said.
Vasquez Ridge includes nearly 285 acres of mostly intermediate trails and more advanced, steeper bump runs. The territory is off the beaten path, where guests can enjoy more solitude and find secret powder stashes. It will serve blue runs through the trees, like the Quickdraw or Shootout, up to black diamond runs like Aces and Eights.
Wild Spur will also have a mid-point loading zone, so guests can make quicker laps on intermediate and advanced trails. Formerly, on Pioneer Express, guests had to take a flat beginner section at the end of their run.
Megan Soyars Van Hauen contributed reporting for this article.