One of Colorado’s most iconic ski resorts is looking to upgrade a beginner area and replace lifts.

The authorizing U.S. Forest Service recently announced proposals from Vail Mountain Resort, as detailed in a 2023 master plan. They include improvements to the Eagle’s Nest teaching terrain, along with the replacement of Chair 21 (Orient Express), which accesses Vail’s highly sought Back Bowls.

Eagle’s Nest is increasingly sought, a scoping document explains: It’s “one of the most visited areas on the front side of the mountain but lacks sufficient lift and terrain capacity for beginner guests.”

Trees would be removed across 1.5 acres to expand terrain, and upgraded snowmaking would extend a new Chair 15. By replacing with a detachable quad, capacity would expand to 2,400 people per hour — 1,040 more than the current capacity, according to planning documents.

Meanwhile, Chair 21 is described as more than 30 years old and “nearing the end of its service life.” A six-person lift is proposed to replace the quad chair — growing capacity from 2,400 people per hour to 3,600.

For the widened lift, trees would be removed across less than half an acre, and grading would span a half-acre at the bottom of the lift and a half-acre at the top, according to a scoping document. 

“There is also a need to regrade terrain between Chair 21’s top terminal and the Two Elk Lodge to improve skiable access, eliminate the need for the Wapiti surface lift (Lift 24), and improve movement and circulation across the upper mountain,” the document reads. The plan calls for grading about 6 acres along the Two Elk ridgeline between the top terminal and lodge.

The Forest Service is collecting public comment ahead of a decision that could come by fall. Vail would look to start construction in 2026.