LATEST UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 8, 2026
Chalet Alpina Breaks Ground — Construction Is Officially Underway
Chalet Alpina officially broke ground on September 8, marking a major turning point for the redevelopment of Aspen's historic Lift One corridor. Construction is now underway, with completion currently anticipated in 2029.
The latest announcement also brings the larger Lift One picture into sharper focus. The planned new lift will move approximately 500 feet closer to town, reconnecting this historic base area more directly with downtown Aspen. The redevelopment is moving forward through coordinated work involving Chalet Alpina, Aspen Skiing Company, the City of Aspen and OKO Group.
Aman Aspen is a separate adjoining project controlled by OKO Group — it is not Chalet Alpina's hotel brand. But the projects are physically and operationally connected through the larger Lift One redevelopment and its construction sequencing. Chalet Alpina, Aman Aspen, Aspen Skiing Company and the City are coordinating work across the corridor as the new lift, skier services, historic structures and public improvements take shape.
I Went Up to See for Myself
Just hours after the groundbreaking announcement was released, I took a walk from where I live up to the Lift One site because I wanted to see for myself what was happening.
On my walk back, I passed a neighbor sitting on his deck in one of the new townhomes across from the development, watching the activity. We started talking.
He told me it had been pretty quiet until that day. Then, suddenly, there were construction crews on the hillside, heavy equipment moving, and dump trucks going by. He described it as an explosion of activity.
He loved watching it unfold and told me he couldn't wait to see what the neighborhood would become when everything was finished.
I knew exactly what he meant. I had walked up to the site because I wanted to see for myself what was happening after the groundbreaking announcement. By the time I arrived, around one o'clock that afternoon, the site had come alive. There was activity everywhere.
This wasn't simply another announcement about what was going to happen. I was standing there watching it happen.
