Overview
- 9 Beginner
- 18 Intermediate
- 17 Advanced
- 19 Expert
Monarch Mountain, located in South Central Colorado, is what you expect from a real Colorado ski area.
Abundant natural snow (350+ inches) and friendly people are two of our strongest attributes. You can walk from your car right to the lifts, prices are reasonable, and the runs flow naturally back to the base area. At Monarch you'll lose the crowds but... not your friends.
We have been improving the skiing and riding experience by adding backcountry terrain in Mirkwood Basin for the advanced and putting in two conveyor lifts for our less experienced guests. We are not about Real Estate developments and shopping villages at Monarch. You won't find time share salesmen in the base area, but you will find friendly employees wanting to share our mountain with you. The only 'bling-bling' you'll see at Monarch is from beaming smiles. Read more
Abundant natural snow (350+ inches) and friendly people are two of our strongest attributes. You can walk from your car right to the lifts, prices are reasonable, and the runs flow naturally back to the base area. At Monarch you'll lose the crowds but... not your friends.
We have been improving the skiing and riding experience by adding backcountry terrain in Mirkwood Basin for the advanced and putting in two conveyor lifts for our less experienced guests. We are not about Real Estate developments and shopping villages at Monarch. You won't find time share salesmen in the base area, but you will find friendly employees wanting to share our mountain with you. The only 'bling-bling' you'll see at Monarch is from beaming smiles. Read more
Operations
Status
Closed
Lifts Open/Total
0 of 7
Weekday Hours
--
Trails Open/Total
0 of 63
Weekend Hours
--
Stats & Conditions
Base Elevation
10,790 ft
24-hr Snowfall
0"
Vertical Drop
1,161 ft
Avg Base Depth
0"
Peak Elevation
11,961 ft
Photos
Monarch Mountain Logo
Monarch Mountain Trail Map
Reviews & Tips (21)
Ski Dates: Dec 19-21, 2011.
Monarch Mountain was one of the best ski places I have been to. My decision began as a search for the cheapest place near Texas that had good reviews.
Our group had skiers of all levels and one of the best features of Monarch was the large amount of powder and relatively small number of people. One of our group members signed up for a beginner group session and actually ended up getting a "private" lesson because nobody else had signed up. This meant a 2 hour lesson, for a price cheaper than private lessons.
The nearby town of Salida, CO, (a few miles away, full of lodging) is a small town with a nice, homely environment. All the people we met were very friendly and welcoming. There was also a Wal-Mart on Main St, but everything else seemed to close around 8-9 PM.
I will definitely be taking a trip here at least once a season, if possible.
written Apr 17 2012 - 05:07 AM
@ Ken "One of the employees barked at my son for going in the "ski school only" line, but hey, there was hardly anyone there and no ski school going on. That guy just needs to RELAX. I chose to spend my money there. At least act like you appreciate me funding your paycheck."
So you paying money to be there gives your son the right to break the rules? I don't think so. The employee did his job rightfully so and shouldn't be criticized. The comment on the life operator is fair.
I love Monarch but the snow this year hasn't been great. The good thing is the lines and waits are reasonable. It's definitely worth the 3-hour drive from Cherry Creek.
written Mar 20 2012 - 08:34 AM
My family and I love skiing at Monarch! It has a great family atmosphere and the staff is very friendly and professional. Keep up the good work, guys! See ya soon!
written Feb 05 2012 - 10:01 AM
Went on a Wednesday. Virtually nobody there. No lift lines. Had the whole moutain to (almost) ourselves. Snow was a little thin but skiing was good. All but one lift was open. There was one lift operator who need a little more training. Each time I got on the lift when he was there, he guided the seat into the back of my legs, not the bend of my knees. Almost spit me out a couple of times and left us swinging in circles one time. One of the employees barked at my son for going in the "ski school only" line, but hey, there was hardly anyone there and no ski school going on. That guy just needs to RELAX. I chose to spend my money there. At least act like you appreciate me funding your paycheck. Overall, pretty darn good.
written Feb 03 2012 - 02:18 PM
Nobody listen to Angela please. Monarch is awesome. It has ben a bad year for snow so far but it's getting better and mirkwood is now open. Please Angela do not come back to my beautiful state and stay in the south. Thank you
written Jan 31 2012 - 06:13 PM
Powder under Breezway can be fun find your legs hit the jumps of powder good. Tree line powder is good, in between trees find a good line stay away from the rocks. Steep parts rocks exist. Keep your speed on the catwalks or you will be pumping. Just have fun !
written Jan 30 2012 - 05:47 PM
bad year for snow in CO, but just got 10 inches, love monarch, very friendly place. Angela below is funny, cause the lifts here ARE low speed lifts except for one, that's the only bummer. But monarch is great, mostly locals and not a crowd. Angela -you'll spend nearly twice as much on lift tickets any where bigger. How can you claim to be an intermediate snowboarder, and want a slow lift?
written Jan 22 2012 - 07:40 PM
Spent 3500.00 to fly out to Monarch for 8 days. Did not enjoy as much as we did in the past. Only two lifts open most days. As we snowboard in States with slower lifts and safety bars, we do not enjoy fast lifts. We were told if we requested the lift operators would slow down the lifts..FALSE!!! Snow was just ok and some of the staff was rude. We will not return for many years if ever. Our final day we didnt even bother going up to Monarch, we called and told them to put our boards back and threw our lift tickets away. We also heard from some of the staff that many think southerners arent very smart because of our accents, well this Southerner will go somewhere else with her 3500.00 next time!!!!
written Jan 19 2012 - 02:10 PM
Wonderful experience at Monarch the week before Christmas! GREAT place for families and reasonably priced. Very courteous, friendly and helpful staff! Little or no lift lines, last lower lift always open, good variety of terrain. Looking forward to going back!
written Jan 04 2012 - 10:22 AM
I went skiing for the first time in December, and the snow was amazing. Falling on a few inches of powder on groomed runs was very nice.
They have a conveyor belt for the beginner/bunny hill, and the slope was steep enough to get you moving, but a small enough the you didn't slide and wipeout when you fell. That small hill was key to allowing my buddy and I get a hang of it before a green run.
Enjoy!
written Dec 18 2011 - 02:00 AM
Skied opening day. had a great day.
written Dec 11 2011 - 02:05 PM
No lift lines over Spring Break. Very friendly, fun place to ski. The mountain was big enough that we never got bored, yet small enough we could turn the kids loose without concern they would be lost. Tried to walk to Mirkwood...very steep hike. Some told us not worth it in the bar.
Children ticket's on Liftopia were really a bargain price.
written Mar 21 2011 - 11:57 AM
Went to Monarch the past two Wednesdays and had a great time. No lift lines. Free parking. Got great deal through Liftopia!
written Feb 26 2011 - 01:51 PM
I have been skiing Monarch my whole life, I live in Alaska now, but Monarch still holds its own in my heart. Amazing place to ski, a great place to get away from the stupid expenses of the "resorts."
written Feb 09 2011 - 02:21 PM
We went on a Tuesday. No lines, lots of open space. They only had four chairs open, out of five, for unknown reasons. I think they serve a large area with a few lifts. Would like them to update with a extra quad or two.
Overall, a great day of snowboarding!!!
written Jan 20 2011 - 03:14 PM
Monarch didn't have the capacity for the crowds that came out last Wednesday. The staff did their best I'm sure but it was far too crowded to be much fun. Our first trip there, might be the last but probably should try again outside of the week between Christmas and New Years.
written Jan 01 2011 - 09:51 AM
Great mountain, excellent terrain. Just a few older lifts though, wouldn't be great on a high volume day.
written Dec 20 2010 - 09:16 PM
Had a blast. No crowds and great people.
written Dec 12 2010 - 06:05 AM
Awesome early season skiing. Had a lot of fun.
written Dec 03 2010 - 06:53 PM
If lift lines seem heavy, drop down to the last ski lift and ride it up. You can even work over to the other side of the mountain from the top, or just play on the runs below that lift... beginners don't go there, so it's much less congested and some good cruising runs.
written Dec 03 2009 - 01:39 PM
great place to ski, extremely fun
written Nov 24 2009 - 09:48 AM
