Aspen is about to move the front door of its mountain. Not the one most visitors know at the Silver Queen Gondola, but the quieter western entrance at the foot of South Aspen Street, where Lift One first carried skiers uphill in 1946.
The proposed new lift has attracted the headlines. Aman Aspen has attracted the curiosity. But the more interesting story is how much of the area between them is changing—and what that will mean for the way people arrive, ski, walk, and live at the base of Aspen Mountain.
First, what is the Lift One corridor?
The Lift One corridor runs between Dean Street and the former base of Lift 1A on the west side of Aspen Mountain. It is not one hotel or one developer’s project. The City of Aspen describes a coordinated plan for a new lift and base area closer to downtown, a skier return, restored historic structures, public spaces, and two separate hospitality developments: Aman Aspen and Chalet Alpina, formerly known as Lift One Lodge.
The planned lift is a telemix, designed to carry both chairs and gondola cabins. Its lower terminal would bring access back near the site of the original Lift One, shifting the western mountain entrance closer to town. That is a meaningful change in a place where the journey from a front door to a lift is often as important as the view from the living room.
Where does Aman Aspen fit?
Aman Aspen is the planned hotel at the upper end of South Aspen Street, on the west side of the ski corridor. The site was previously proposed as Gorsuch Haus; the city now refers to it as Aman. It is a separate development from Chalet Alpina, although both projects must coordinate with Aspen Skiing Company and the city for the new lift and public improvements to come together.
Aman’s arrival will bring an internationally recognized hospitality name to this side of the mountain. What we cannot responsibly tell buyers yet is a confirmed opening date, residence offering or pricing, or precisely how the finished experience will operate. Those details deserve current project documents, not assumptions drawn from other Aman properties. The city’s project page identifies the hotel as undergoing building-permit review in a status update dated April 2025; more recent local reporting describes the projects moving toward their next construction phases in 2026.
And what is Chalet Alpina?
On either side of the planned ski corridor sits Chalet Alpina, the project previously called Lift One Lodge. Its developer describes it as a resort and residential destination with ski-in, ski-out access and serviced residences. It is distinct from Aman in both ownership and concept.
The broader plan also calls for the historic Skiers Chalet Lodge and Steakhouse to be relocated and restored. According to the city, the lodge is intended to accommodate skier services and an Aspen Historical Society ski museum; the Steakhouse is proposed as a restaurant. This is the part of the development that interests us most: an ambitious new base area will be better for Aspen if people can still recognize the history that made this slope matter in the first place.
When will the new Lift One open?
There is a schedule, but it is an estimate, not an announced opening date. Aspen Journalism’s August 2026 reportingon the construction-sequencing agreement describes a scenario in which Aspen Skiing Company orders the lift in fall 2028, installs it in 2029, and opens it for the 2029–30 ski season. The timeline depends on permitting and sufficient progress on both lodging projects. It can change.
Lift 1A is being removed as the area prepares for redevelopment. During the transition, the Silver Queen Gondola remains the familiar Aspen Mountain access point, with the new Nell Bell lift also serving the eastern base. For anyone considering a home near South Aspen Street, the distinction between future ski access and access during construction is essential.
What should an Aspen buyer take from all this?
Proximity to the Lift One corridor is already a particular kind of Aspen address: close to town, connected to the mountain, and a little removed from the energy of Gondola Plaza. The redevelopment could change the experience of that location substantially. It will also bring years of construction to the neighborhood before the finished picture comes into focus.
We would look at a nearby property in two ways at once: how well it lives today, and how its approach, views, privacy, pedestrian access, and ski route may work once the corridor is complete. Those answers are address-specific. A rendering of the finished base cannot tell you what a particular window will overlook or what a particular walk home in ski boots will feel like.
Aspen has never been interesting because it stood still. The question for Lift One is whether this next chapter can create a genuinely useful western entrance to the mountain while keeping some of the character that made it worth returning to. We will be watching both the construction and the details.
This article is an independent overview, not an advertisement for or affiliation with Aman Aspen or Chalet Alpina. Plans and schedules may change. For a property-specific assessment near the Lift One corridor, contact the Duncan Gals.