Aspen Mountain 2026-27: Nell Bell Lift and Life Without Lift 1A

"I used to ride the old Bell Mountain lift up to work at Sundeck in the winter season of 1979, and it was a long, sometimes cold, 45-minute ride up to work," Aspen Mayor Rachael Richards said at a City Council meeting last November, as reported by The Aspen Times.

That lift is gone now, and so is the Little Nell chair below it. When Aspen Mountain opens on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, 2026, the Nell Bell, a new high-speed detachable quad, will run from Gondola Plaza to the top of Bell Mountain. On the west side of the mountain, Aspen Skiing Co. began removing Lift 1A in July, and its replacement isn't expected to spin until the winter of 2029-30.

For at least three seasons, every ride up Ajax starts in one place. The Nell Bell is the town's second way up the mountain, and the west side becomes terrain you reach from the top and ski out of at the bottom.

Two Ways Up, Both From the Same Plaza

Council Member John Doyle made the connection when council first approved the Nell Bell. "I am very excited that the ski company is, in my eyes, taking this step forward because of the removal of the 1A lift in the near future," he said, according to The Aspen Times. "So that, I think, answers a lot of the community's questions about two ways to access the mountain."

Those two ways are the Silver Queen Gondola and the Nell Bell, and both load at Gondola Plaza. Aspen Daily News reported in July that the construction schedule leaves the west side without a working lift for several years, and that Aspen Skiing Co. said it was working to limit the effect on ski operations.

Seen that way, the Nell Bell does more than replace two old chairs. It's the backup to the gondola for anyone who used to start their day at the top of South Aspen Street.

What the Nell Bell Actually Replaces

The old lifts it retires barely ran, which explains why the new one matters so much. Here's how they compare, using Aspen Skiing Co. figures reported by The Aspen Times in December 2025 and again on Oct. 13, 2026.

The new lift covers about 2,650 vertical feet, and the June announcement put it at 135 chairs. Mak Keeling, Aspen Skiing Co.'s vice president of mountain planning, called it "a logical alternative to the Silver Queen Gondola by getting guests to mid-mountain faster than any other way." He added that it will "enable quicker laps on Bell Mountain and Gent's Ridge."

The Nell Bell has no midway station. On Little Nell, skiers could find out whether they were ready for the rest of the mountain before going any higher. Mayor Richards told council she worried that skiers "far beyond their ability" might now end up much higher than they meant to. That matters if you're bringing visiting friends or family out for their first Aspen Mountain day. An eight-minute ride now takes them straight to the top of Bell.

The West Side, From the Top Down

Losing Lift 1A doesn't close the west side. It changes how you get there. Kaya Williams of Aspen Journalism, speaking on Aspen Public Radio, summed it up for skiers with a favorite stash over there: "you're going to have to find another way to get up there."

As currently described, a west-side day this winter works like this:

1. Ride up from Gondola Plaza on the Silver Queen Gondola or the Nell Bell.
2. Traverse across to the west side of the mountain from above.
3. Ski down toward the Lift One corridor. The construction sequencing agreement requires the Aman Aspen crews to keep a ski corridor open past their site for the length of construction.
4. Use Schuss Gully to get there. Aspen Skiing Co. says it intends to keep it open "as conditions allow."
5. Leave Norway and Normandy off the plan. Both runs will be closed.

With no lift at the bottom, every west-side run ends at South Aspen Street rather than back in a lift line. If you want another lap, you have to get back to Gondola Plaza. Williams also said ski racing on that side of the mountain is "pretty unlikely" while there's no chairlift and a large construction site at the base.

What Is Happening at the Bottom of South Aspen Street

The construction at the bottom of the west side is the reason the ski-out is a corridor and not an open slope. Chalet Alpina broke ground at the historic Lift One base on Sept. 3, 2026, and expects to finish in 2030, The Aspen Times reported. The neighboring Aman Aspen hotel is part of the same corridor plan, and Aspen, Aspen Skiing Co. and both developers finalized a construction sequencing agreement on July 31.

"Starting very soon, the entire area will have significant disruption," City of Aspen Community Development Director Ben Anderson told Aspen Journalism in August.

Here's what to watch for along the corridor:

• Lift 1A's 1947 base terminal stays on site while the rest of the lift is removed.
• The Skiers Chalet Lodge and Skiers Chalet Steak House could be moved as early as this fall, but Anderson said "a fair amount of grading" has to happen first.
• The new lift base goes on Dean Street, about 500 feet closer to town than Lift 1A was.
• Dean Street will get two acres of new park space, public lockers and dedicated bike and pedestrian access.
• The Skiers Chalet Restaurant, closed for more than 20 years, is slated to reopen.

The agreement's estimated timeline explains why this winter is the first of several just like it. Aspen Skiing Co. would order the new Lift One in fall 2028, install it in 2029 and open it in the winter of 2029-30. Kelly Murphy, president and CEO of the Aspen Historical Society, said early 2030 "seems the most reasonable at the moment" for opening the Aspen Snowsports History Museum at Skiers Chalet, though that could change with fundraising and construction progress. The relocated lodge will also house a ticket office and locker rooms.

The Smaller Details Around Opening Day

A few smaller details come with the new setup.

The uphill route. Aspen Skiing Co.'s posted uphill policy for Aspen Mountain still carries the 2025-26 label. Its route starts at Little Nell and climbs by way of Bingo Slot, Spar Gulch, Deer Park and Silver Bell. Little Nell is now where the Nell Bell loads, so check for an updated 2026-27 map before your first early-morning skin.

The bus. RFTA's winter schedule starts Nov. 23, three days before the mountain opens. Woody Creek and Aspen Cross Town service return then, according to The Aspen Times.

The old chairs. The Little Nell and Bell Mountain chairs went to an online auction in July, with starting bids of $250 and $500. Two dozen were donated to community groups, including the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, Aspen Hope Center and Ski Noir, The Aspen Times reported. You may start seeing the old chairs in places around town.

The calendar. Aspen Mountain opens Nov. 26 and is scheduled to close April 18, 2027. Aspen Highlands follows on Dec. 12. For the next three-plus seasons, every Ajax day starts at Gondola Plaza.

Will and Sarah Burggraf follow the Lift One corridor closely, from the Dean Street plans to the timeline for the new lift. If you'd like to talk through how Gondola Plaza, South Aspen Street and the coming construction years affect a property you own or are considering, The Burggraf Group is glad to share what we're seeing. Connect with Will & Sarah for a private consultation.