Granby Ranch is raising the roof in training and racing opportunities

There are big projects afoot at a small Colorado ski area. For decades, Granby Ranch has been one of the Centennial State’s best kept ski secrets, but under new management the largely unsung slope outside of Granby is getting some major upgrades, many of which are geared toward the alpine racing community.

“There’s a fundamental truth about skiing to which I’ve always held. It’s aspirational in many ways,” says Jace Wirth, who took over the management of Granby Ranch last winter. “One of the key roles we have is to create and inspire skiers and riders, ultimately bringing more people to the mountains. Not only is that good for the ski resort business, but it’s also good for ski racing. Getting enough young people in the development pipeline has always been an enormous challenge. The opportunity we see at Granby Ranch is to introduce more folks to the sport and inspire them when they get here.”

Under the guidance of Wirth and his father, Andy Wirth, Granby Ranch’s new ownership group has invested over $4 million in improvements, including a state-of-the-art snowmaking system and equipment that enabled Granby Ranch to host the opening races of the 2021-22 World Pro Ski Tour this December.

“It was the warmest fall in this resort’s history, so this investment couldn’t have come into place at a better time” Jace Wirth said. “The $4 million went to snowmaking pipe, a great many new snow guns—the most technologically advanced available in the world—pump upgrades and snowcats. The investment covers both East and West mountains, but it is important to note the substantial investments made on West Mountain where we have multiple training and competition venues, including the Desperado track on which the World Pro Ski Tour was held.”

Moving forward, the snowmaking improvements will allow Desperado and the area’s West Mountain to open as early as mid-November for race training. The U.S. Moguls Team will train on a new bumps venue on the West Mountain in preparation for the 2022 Olympics. The hill is also soon to be FIS homologated for slalom racing in the coming weeks and hopefully for giant slalom as well in the coming months.

“Long-term, we’ll have lighted training at night and a new surface lift for even faster laps. Hosting the World Pro Ski Tour as our first event was perfect and was really exciting for the entire staff and the wider community. We are planning on a future of alpine and freestyle lane training for young athletes across USSA’s regional divisions. It will be a venue where anyone can come train — from local clubs to the best in the world. It’s a great hill across a diverse range of levels and disciplines.”

Hailing from the Steamboat Springs area, both Jace and his father have a successful track record of running ski areas—including Steamboat, Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley) and Secret Garden—and hosting major competitions, including many World Cup events. Andy Wirth has also served as chairman for the Steamboat Winter Sports Club and U.S. Ski and Snowboard.

“As a family, we go deep in all aspects of competitive skiing across virtually all disciplines,” Andy Wirth says. “The investments the West Mountain are based on our experience, passion and also are a key part of the overall investment and development thesis here at Granby Ranch. Jace and I have seen for a while now that this can be a remarkable venue and by way of Granby Ranch’s new ownership group, who saw the value of this approach, are well situated to have Granby Ranch play a role in developing athletes for generations to come.”

Granby Ranch will also be home to the forthcoming Bode Miller Ski Academy. With a targeted opening date of 2025, the academy will offer ski-in, ski-out access to Granby Ranch’s West Mountain for roughly 170 day school and boarding students as well as scholarship opportunities for alpine, Nordic, freestyle and adaptive snow sports programs. Miller himself will oversee every aspect of the academy’s construction and development.

“With the Bode Miller Academy and the full integration of race terrain, young athletes across North America can access an elite-level education while also participating in state-of-the-art alpine, Nordic, freestyle or adaptive programs right here,” Jace says. “Granby Ranch is close to Denver — about an hour and 30 minutes — so, it’s a perfect arena for teams and clubs traveling from anywhere. Ultimately, our direction for this place is learning at all levels, from the very first time on skis all the way to world-class training and racing for the very best.”

With 38 trails and 406 skiable acres, Granby Ranch’s terrain is divided evenly across levels, with 36 percent of its terrain rated beginner, 36 percent intermediate and 28 percent expert. The resort has a 1,000-foot vertical drop and a base elevation of 8,202 feet, allowing for consistent snow conditions and cold temperatures throughout the winter. As an independently owned and operated resort, Granby Ranch is considerably more affordable than numerous ski areas across the West, adult lift tickets starting at $99 and numerous multi-day packs and passes available.

“The East Mountain is very approachable and beginner-friendly. It’s a great mountain for people who are still getting comfortable with the sports of skiing or riding. The West Mountain has considerably more expert terrain and is where we focused our training venues for alpine and freestyle. What we’re showcasing is truly an experience for everyone.”