Aspen Mountain Is Replacing Two Historic Lifts With One Fast Quad
Nell Bell replaces Bell Mountain (1957) and Little Nell (1986), linking Gondola Plaza to Bell summit for winter 2026-27.
Aspen Mountain is retiring two of its most storied chairs this offseason. The new Nell Bell high-speed detachable quad replaces the Bell Mountain double (1957) and the Little Nell four-pack (1986), and it is scheduled to debut for the 2026-27 winter. One lift now runs from Gondola Plaza straight to the top of Bell Mountain.
According to Aspen Snowmass project details reported by The Aspen Times, Nell Bell will carry 135 chairs across a 2,656-foot vertical rise. That single alignment collapses what used to be a two-lift shuffle for skiers hunting Bell face terrain from the downtown portal. The vintage chairs are headed to charity auctions once the new line is online.
What changes on the mountain
Access is the headline. Nell Bell is designed to put Ajax's core steeps and mid-mountain connectors within one high-speed ride of Gondola Plaza. For destination skiers who arrive by shuttle or park downtown, that removes a classic Aspen friction point: riding one slow or aging chair, then another, before the first real pitch.
The project sits inside a broader Aspen Snowmass capital season that also includes the $42 million rebuild of Ullrhof at Snowmass, plus snowmaking and forest-health work across the four-mountain complex. Aspen Mountain itself stays the expert-forward sibling in that quartet. Beginners and early intermediates still migrate to Buttermilk or Snowmass on the free valley shuttle.
Why destination skiers should care
Aspen Mountain remains an Ikon Pass flagship, and Nell Bell is the kind of infrastructure change that reshapes how a short Ikon window feels. Faster base-to-Bell rides mean more vertical per paid day, especially on storm cycles when downtown lodging guests want to stay off the highway and on Ajax.
It is also a nostalgia handoff. Bell Mountain and Little Nell carried generations of Aspen locals and World Cup traffic. The resort is not pretending otherwise. Auctioning the old chairs keeps a piece of that history in circulation while the mountain modernizes the uphill that matters most from Gondola Plaza.
If you are building a Roaring Fork itinerary around the new lift, pair Aspen Mountain with Aspen Highlands for Highland Bowl days, then use Snowmass when the group needs acreage and mid-mountain dining. Opening targets for Aspen Mountain and Snowmass this winter sit on Nov. 26, 2026, conditions allowing. Confirm dates on the resort site before you lock nonrefundable lodging.