Monarch Mountain

Ski resort in south-central Colorado, USA. Part of Colorado.

At a glance

Source	Author	Role	In one line
‘Snow Farming’ Is Making Spring Skiing More Sustainable	Jennifer Cole	subject	The article opens and closes at Monarch, which sits over 11,000 feet on the Continental Divide and has never had traditional snowmaking.

‘Snow Farming’ Is Making Spring Skiing More Sustainable — Jennifer Cole (2025)

Source: Original · Readwise highlight

Instead, since the resort opened in the late 1930s, the runs have been groomed and the snow depth has been augmented with snow harvested primarily from the resort’s parking lots.

• Role: subject
• In the article: The article opens and closes at Monarch, which sits over 11,000 feet on the Continental Divide and has never had traditional snowmaking. It has farmed snow from its parking lots for 85 years, and manager Malcolm Wilber says the snow holds up better than elsewhere.
• Why it matters: It is the long-running model of the practice the piece describes, and it frames the article. Its high elevation and natural snowfall are why it can avoid snowmaking.