Loveland's Lift 2 Gets One Last Winter, Then a New Line Through the Trees

Loveland's oldest base-area chairlift is about to change. This coming winter is the last one for Lift 2.

In summer 2027, Loveland will replace the aging Yan three-person chair with the ski area's second high-speed detachable quad, called the "Forest Meadow Lift." The new line is cut through the gladed, double-black trees of Cat's Nix. Since construction is slated for the 2027 offseason, the new lift would first spin for the 2027-28 season.

A slow ride, and a new destination

The lift being retired is easy to overlook. It is a 42-year-old Yan triple that takes riders on a low, slow trip from the village to just below mid-mountain. Another outlet puts its installation at 1985, which would make it a year or so younger. It once ran all the way to Ptarmigan Bowl but was shortened when a new Ptarmigan lift went in in 2018.

The replacement changes where riders end up. The new top terminal will sit in the open Forest Meadow below Cat Walk Trees, with access to Ptarmigan, Lift 6, Lift 9 and Lift 4 without adding to congestion at the current intersection. That congestion is the main reason for the project. General manager Rob Goodell told Krystal 93 the current top terminal sits at "one of the most congested parts of our mountain," and said the new alignment opens a fresh line through the Cat's Nix trees while also making beginner terrain easier to reach.

The idea has been around for years. A 2017 post on Lift Blog described a Loveland master plan that showed Lift 2 realigned as a high-speed quad running from the base to the flats of Forest Meadows, with another on-mountain restaurant planned there. No restaurant appears in this year's reporting.

Why it wasn't sooner

Last winter played a part in the timing. The project was delayed partly by the poor snow year, when Loveland also paused several capital projects, including an already approved 500-space parking expansion at Loveland Valley. Goodell said the ski area's ownership was being fiscally responsible and wanted the work handled in-house, adding that the mountain has to learn from last season.

The winter was rough across the state. By late December 2025, no Colorado ski area had recorded more than 70 inches of snowfall for the season. In November, Colorado's snowpack ranked second lowest since the 1980s, behind only 2016. The parking project had been on a schedule of its own. Loveland said in April 2025 that a new parking lot was planned for the 2026-27 season.

Colorado ski areas suffer, nobody has measured over 70 inches of total snowfall for winter 2025-26

Loveland's lift-building decade

Lift 2 is the latest step in a run of upgrades at a ski area with a reputation for modest investment.

• 2018: Chet's Dream, Loveland's first high-speed lift, opened.

• 2022: Lift 6 was upgraded to a Leitner-Poma triple, replacing a fixed-grip double installed in 1977. The Forest Service had approved the project in 2019, saying it could raise capacity from 1,200 to as many as 2,400 skiers per hour.

• 2025: Lift 7 at Loveland Valley, a 42-year-old fixed-grip double, was replaced by a fixed-grip quad. Loveland deliberately loads it with no more than three riders, giving beginners extra room. Some outlets date this project to 2024, but Loveland's own announcement points to summer 2025.

• 2026: Lift 5, a Heron Poma double installed in 1975, was removed after more than 50 years. The half-mile lift crossed Highway 6, connecting Loveland Basin and Loveland Valley, but hasn't run since 2002, and shuttle buses now carry skiers between the two areas. Loveland offered 130 of its chairs through a lottery for season pass holders. Winners could buy one for $650.

The Valley also has a new permanent surface conveyor.

What to watch

Loveland hasn't published a cost, a manufacturer or a firm opening date for the Forest Meadow Lift in the reporting reviewed here, and the project has not been through the public approval steps described for earlier lifts. Those details will matter, since Loveland operates on national forest land under a Forest Service permit, and the agency reviewed the Lift 6 and Lift 7 projects before construction.

For now, locals have a winter to ride the old lift. The snow outlook is better than last year. OpenSnow forecasters expect a strong El Niño, which could bring above-average snowfall to eastern-slope mountains such as Loveland. Loveland plans to open for 2026-27 in late October or early November.