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Aspen Highlands Sk.i Area - Draft Environmental Impact Statement RECREATION AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT The Aspen area, with its four ski resorts. has become an international four-season destinatioo with winter sports being the primary recreation attraction. Each resort provides a different mix of ski terrain types. and each has its own character and ambience determined by its panicular setting. Therefore. each provides a different skiing experience. Under the existing conditions and approved developments at Aspen Highlands. skiable terrain covers 699 acres. of which 577 acres (83 percent) are skiable. The bulk of the ski terrain exists along the center and east of the Aspen Highlands ridge. Beginner and intermediate terrain constitute 49 percent. advanced and expert terrain almost 47 percent of the skiable terrain. and catwalks 4 percent. Under existing conditions and approved developments. the practical mountain capacity was calculated to be 3.230 skiers. 28 percent below the 4.500 SAOT permitted mountain capacity. However. when initial access capacities of the Thunderbowl and Exhibition I Hfts are considered. the combination of the two lifts restricts access to Aspen Highlands to about 3.060 skiers per day. The base area development proposed by Hines would be independent of anyon-mountain developments. Even with implementation of the base area development. ample capacity for all current skier egress exists. Existing snowmaking terrain covers 76 acres. primarily on private land at the base of Aspen Highlands. Several special events (Rolling Stone Cballenge Race Series. Freestyle Friday. etc.) occur in the winter at the ski area. Current swnmer recreation activities at Aspen Highlands include hiking and incidental mountain biking with an estimated 10 people (hikers and/or mountain bikers) accessing the Aspen Highlands trail system daily during the summer. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES Under the No Action Alternative. the permitted mountain capacity would be 4,500 SAOT. Total skiable terrain would remain at 577 acres. Terrain capacity. practical mountain capacity. and initial access capacity would be 6.408. 3.230. and 3.060 skiers. respectively. The estimated base area access capacity would be 3.064 skiers without base area development and 3.591 with base area development. Ski area egress capacity at the base of Aspen Highlands was estimated to be over I] .000 skiers per hour both with and without the base area development. Snowmaking capacity would remain at the current 76 acres up to Midway. No formal summer recreation activities would occur under the No Action Alternative. At present. such activities are limited to informal hiking and very limited mountain biking by about ]3 people per day. Under Alternative B. the permitted mountain capacity for Aspen Highlands would remain at 4,500 SAOT. Total skiable terrain would increase by 54] acres to 1.118 acres. terrain capacity would increase by 5.185 skiers. practical mountain capacity by 2.784 skiers. and initial access capacity by 420 skiers to 3,480 skiers. which is the limit that the ASC would impose on the management capacity for Aspen Highlands. The hase area access and egress capacities would depend on whether the base area is developed or not but would not be affected by anyon-mountain developments. Snowmaking capacity would increase by 227 acres to 303 acres extending up as far as Loge Peale No new summer recreation activities would occur under Alternative B relative to the No Action Alternative. Permitted mountain capacity would not change under Alternative C. However. total skiahle terrain would be 355 acres more than under the No Action Alternative but] 86 acres less than under Alternative B. due to exclusion of Maroon Bowl. Total terrain capacity would be 3.4] 7 skiers greater than under No Action. practical mountain capacity would increase by 2.078 skiers. and initial access capacity would be the same as under Alternative B. Base area access and egress capacities would he the same as under No Action and Alternative B. while snowmaking capacity would increase by 48 acres to 124 acres (] 79 acres less than under Alternative B) extending up only as far as Midway. Under Alternative C. the Loge Peak restaurant would be permitted and swnmer skyrides to the restaurant would be instituted. The number of hikers in the Loge Peak area and down the Aspen Highlands ridgeline is expected to increase by a factor of 6-7 from the current number of ]3. It is also anticipated 26 Section III Recrealion