After months of construction, work and planning, Keystone Resort’s Bergman Bowl expansion project is finally coming to a close. With the 2023-24 ski season looming, teams worked to fly in lift towers on Sunday, Oct. 10, making Keystone one step closer to being ready to welcome guests to new lift-accessed terrain. 

Although the Bergman Bowl project was initially marred and halted by unauthorized construction in an a sensitive, Alpine environment, Keystone worked alongside the U.S. Forest Service to implement a restoration plan that would not only restore the surrounding environment, but also resume the project. The restoration efforts included creating additional drainage routes, salvaging topsoil and treating damaged soils.

The unglamorous parts of the job took place first, with crews working to grade slopes, implement snowmaking equipment, establish new trails and put in the first pieces of the new Bergman Express lift. 

“Over the last two months, we have fully finished up the snow-making trails, completing the 36 guns that we have out there,” director of mountain operations Kolina Coe said. “… All groundbreaking activities are completely done, which feels great.”

After much of the ground work took place during the summer and early fall, the project really started to gain visible momentum over the last two weeks. Construction crews recently put in lift terminals, lift towers, a ski patrol hut and trail maps.

“The bottom and the top terminal (of Bergman Express) are completely done and ready to go,” Coe said. “And the patrol hut has had a lot of work go into it and is completely dry now, so as we get weather, we can continue to work on the inside of it.”

Coe says that crews at Keystone have been able to move quickly over the last few weeks of the project thanks to the extra help from crews on other areas of the mountain.

“A lot of the pre-work takes a lot of time, and you are kind of problem-solving as you go,” Coe said. “Now that all groundbreaking activities are done, it goes by really quick.”

With summer bike park patrollers, ski lift operators and food and beverage employees all lending a hand, the Bergman Bowl expansion project has officially entered its final weeks. The tow cable and lift chairs are close to being strung up on the newly placed lift towers.

Once the project is fully complete, Keystone will provide lift-served access to more than 550 acres of terrain in Bergman and Erickson bowls. The Bergman Express will be a high-speed, six-pack chairlift that will bring skiers and riders to a welcoming high Alpine environment, offering easier access to the Bergman, Erickson and Independence bowls, which previously used to only be accessible by hiking. 

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In its entirety, the Bergman Bowl expansion project will welcome 16 new trails, featuring three snow-laden bowls, and will be bigger than 11 other Vail Resort-owned ski areas.

Compared to a more mellow-version of Breckenridge’s Peak 6, Bergman Bowl is expected to change the skier and rider experience at Keystone and drastically open up the ski area.

Coe and many of the employees involved with the project are most excited to see how the new terrain will give high Alpine experiences to a wide range of guests. With several green trails branching to and from Bergman Express, the Bergman Bowl expansion is approachable for guests of any age and experience level.

“It is very uncommon to have high Alpine terrain that is so skier friendly,” Coe said. “It is like the ‘Sound of Music.’ It is these big, beautiful rolling hills. Whereas, if you think of other areas where you are above tree-line, it is rocky, steep, expert-only terrain.”

In Bergman Bowl proper, there are several blue and green trails that will be groomed as much as possible in order to keep the terrain skier friendly while Erickson Bowl, to the skier’s left, and Independence Bowl, to the skier’s right, will scratch that itch for expert-level Alpine skiing and riding. 

Independence Bowl is the only bowl in the expansion that will require a hike in order to get back out. With no snowcat skiing this year at Keystone, guests can either complete a 0.75-mile hike from the bottom of Independence Bowl to the access gate at the top of Bergman Bowl, or a 0.6 mile hike to the top of Independence Mountain at 12,614 feet for another lap.

Guests can best lap Bergman Express by staying on the blue and green trails near the lift line or by connecting with the Wayback lift after gliding out of the Erickson Bowl.

“I am excited about the versatility of that area,” Coe said. “Spreading out people is our goal. … It is about giving more options for our families.”

In addition to the new terrain offerings, the expansion project will also feature an eco-friendly ski patrol hut at the top of the Bergman Express lift. Located at 12,200 feet, the patrol hut has some of the best views of Lake Dillon and the surrounding mountain ranges. It is also fully constructed from eco-friendly materials and will run on solar power.

“We at Vail Resorts are striving for a commitment to zero and reaching our net-zero operation footprint by 2030,” Coe said. “So to reduce the impact on the environment and to also reach this commitment to zero, we went with this off-grid patrol hut. For a lot of reasons, it will make sense. We can continue to upgrade those features and not have to worry about breaking ground again if something goes wrong.”

With locally-sourced, beetle-kill pine wood paneling on the exterior, the 600-square foot building will run primarily on solar power with a secondary generator installed in case there isn’t enough sunlight to power it. 

The patrol hut will be heated by a pellet stove, and Keystone is currently looking into installing wind power in order to capitalize on the windy Alpine conditions at the top of the Bergman Express.

Although Keystone is presumably a few weeks away from opening for the 2023-24 ski and ride season, visitors can expect some time to pass before Bergman Bowl has enough snow for skiers and riders to explore the new area. 

“We are so excited to share that terrain, and I am hoping for a good snow year,” Coe said.

Keystone installed 217 wind fences up there, which will help the resort collect more snow. Then crews plan to use snowcats to push the snow around and hopefully open the terrain quicker.

“I am hoping for (opening) late December, early January,” Coe said. “I want to ski that mountain by Christmas.”

To read more details about the Bergman Bowl expansion project, visit KeystoneResort.com.