Where do you sit down for lunch on Big Burn at midday on a busy Saturday? Aspen Skiing Co. studied that question before it tore down a restaurant built in 1969, according to the WoodWorks Innovation Network's project profile. In its rebuild application, SkiCo estimated that Snowmass had 460 to 650 fewer restaurant seats than its skier volume called for, and that 380 to 460 of those missing seats were in the Big Burn area alone, according to The Aspen Times.
That number explains the new Ullrhof, which Aspen Snowmass lists as "Reopening November 2026." The rebuild was sized to the place on the mountain where the seat shortage was worst. It is also the first in a series of capacity projects at Snowmass, and the next one is in the village.
The Gap the Rebuild Was Sized To
The old Ullrhof had a loyal following. A 2021 Aspen Times profile called it a retro, diner-style burger joint and bar, known for its Bloody Mary and its reputation as the "old restaurant on the hill." SkiCo gave two reasons for replacing it. The building had structural concerns, and demand for on-mountain dining kept growing.
The design approved in 2024 called for 450 indoor seats and 275 outdoor seats. The Aspen Times reported that this would add 366 seats to the restaurant. Put that next to SkiCo's own estimate and the approved addition comes in just under the low end of the 380 to 460 seat gap it calculated for Big Burn. On SkiCo's own numbers, the biggest single seat project on the mountain covers most of the Big Burn gap, not all of it.
The old building's capacity is reported differently from one source to the next. The Aspen Daily News put it at 250 seats, the WoodWorks profile at 325, and the 366-seat addition reported by The Aspen Times implies a figure in between. Each of these is a separate reported count, and they don't line up exactly.
| Old Ullrhof | New Ullrhof | |
|---|---|---|
| Built | 1969 | Rebuild began summer 2025 |
| Seating | Reported at 250 or 325, depending on the account | 725 in the 2024 approval; "600+" in current official materials |
| Footprint | Single restaurant at the base of Big Burn Lift | About double, across three floors, set into the hillside |
| Energy | Not specified in the reporting | SkiCo's first all-electric restaurant |
The seat count has changed since approval. The Snowmass Tourism winter release dated September 22, 2026, describes the new Ullrhof as having "seating for 600+." That figure is less specific than the 725 in the approval-era plans. Once the doors open, the final number will show how much of the Big Burn gap this building actually covers.
A Building Designed to Move People Through
Everything about the new building is built around throughput. SkiCo senior planning manager Dana Dalla Betta explained the goal to The Aspen Times after the Snowmass Planning Commission approved the project in October 2024:
"It would be a workhorse dining experience. It's our goal to feed as many people as efficiently as possible."
The approved layout follows that goal. The main floor has a high-volume burger bar. Upstairs is a bar and lounge. The outdoor deck serves brats, hot dogs and draft beer. The Aspen Daily News reported that the dining flow would be built largely around kiosk and mobile ordering. Guests find a seat, order digitally and pick up their food when notified, and at least one cashier stays on for anyone who would rather not use the digital system.
Getting there is easy. Ullrhof stands where it always has, at the base of Big Burn Lift. The project plans include ski-in access from the Lunch Line catwalk. The Big Burn pod is served by the Big Burn and Sheer Bliss lifts.
SkiCo roughly doubled the footprint while keeping the building's apparent bulk down. The three-story structure is set into the hillside and stays under 65 feet tall, within the town's development plan limits. Bull Stockwell Allen designed it, and Shaw Construction is the general contractor. The frame is heavy timber, using cross-laminated timber and glulam.
The kitchen is new territory for SkiCo. Aspen Skiing Co. CEO Geoff Buchheister told Aspen Public Radio that the restaurant would use neither propane nor natural gas, and that SkiCo would work with Holy Cross Energy on the change. The menu will feel familiar. The official Ullrhof page promises burgers, fries and shakes all day, with lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The approvals came quickly. Snowmass Town Council approved the redevelopment unanimously in December 2024. The White River National Forest signed its decision on the wider 2025 Snowmass improvements package on March 17, 2025. Dalla Betta called the Ullrhof redevelopment "a key element in a multi-step plan to increase seating at on-mountain restaurants."
The Rest of the Seat Plan, Built and Unbuilt
Ullrhof is the biggest step in that plan, but it isn't the first. Before the 2025–26 season, Elk Camp Restaurant added a 120-seat outdoor deck with retractable weather protection, and the Hot Dogger pop-up opened at Spider Sabich. The former Lynn Britt Cabin, now called The Cabin, gained about 80 seats in a renovation and expansion, according to the Aspen Daily News report on the Ullrhof approval in December 2024.
Some of the plan exists only on paper. In February 2023, the Aspen Daily News laid out the master plan's dining proposals. They included a new restaurant at the base of the Alpine Springs chairlift and a smaller one on the Gunner's View trail, with seating for about 100 indoors and another 100 on an outdoor deck. They also included a Sam's expansion adding about 50 indoor seats plus deck seating. Aspen Public Radio's coverage of the same plan noted that the master plan was a menu of ideas, and that not every project on it was guaranteed to be built. Aspen Snowmass's own master plan page still presents Gunner's View and Alpine Springs as proposals.
Add the built projects together and you have the Elk Camp deck, The Cabin expansion and the new Ullrhof. Snowmass enters this winter with more seats than it has had in years, most of them in the area SkiCo identified as the tightest.
Opening Weeks on the Mountain and in the Village
Here is the early-season calendar as currently published:
- November 23: The Après Deck, the new name for the spot formerly known as Stark's Alpine Grill at the Viewline, reopens.
- November 26: Snowmass opens for the season, with the scheduled close set for April 11, 2027, conditions permitting. Elk Camp opens the same day with a market-style lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Cabin also opens that day, serving lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and après from 2:30 to 4 p.m.
- November 2026: Ullrhof's listed reopening month. No specific day has been announced yet, so check the official page before you plan a first-day lunch there.
- December: The 93-room Stonebridge Inn, managed by CoralTree Hospitality, reopens after a $15.7 million renovation. The Timberline Condominiums finish the last stage of a $25 million renovation this season.
- December 10–13: The 75th Wintersköl, which includes a holiday market in Snowmass Village.
- February 6 and 9: Mardi Gras in Snowmass Village marks its 45th year. The Bead Toss is on the 6th, and the Mother of All Ascensions uphill race is on Fat Tuesday.
High Alpine, Sam's and Up 4 Pizza still show "Closed for the Season" on their official pages, with no 2026–27 opening date posted.
The Next Capacity Fix Is in the Village
The approach SkiCo took with seats on Big Burn is now being applied to the village. The Skittles gondola links Snowmass Mall and Base Village. Construction on its replacement is scheduled to start in August 2027, with a target opening of Thanksgiving 2027, according to the Aspen Daily News. The proposed high-speed gondola would carry 1,000 people per hour. The current one carries 510. The town's proposed 2027 budget sets aside $5 million for the replacement, described as a joint project with Aspen Skiing Co. It also includes just over $6.5 million for the Snowmass Mall Transit Center, aimed at improving pedestrian safety, bus capacity, ADA access and the overall rider experience.
The Aspen Times has reported that first-phase transit center work could begin in summer 2027. On the published schedules, neither village project starts construction this winter. The Skittles gondola and the bus depot run as they do today through the 2026–27 season. The new seats on Big Burn arrive first.
Mike Eaton follows projects like the Ullrhof rebuild and the Skittles replacement because they shape everyday life in Snowmass Village and the value of property near the base. If you'd like to talk through how this next round of on-mountain and village investment affects a Snowmass Village property you own or are considering, Mike Eaton is glad to help. Start the conversation.
