Sunshine Area and Wild Blue Gondola

Go from the base to Sunshine peak in just 13 minutes and enjoy the Champagne Powder® snow all day long.

What are the operating hours of Wild Blue Gondola?

8:00am - 8:15am: Open for First Tracks only.
8:00am - 9:00am: Open for SnowSports lessons to Greenhorn Ranch (mid-station) only. Parents may escort their child free without equipment, and no ticket is required.
9:00am: Open to the public. No special access for Base Club and no Scenic Gondola Rides (Steamboat Gondola only).
10:30am: Open to the public from mid-station to the top terminal.
3:15pm: Last upload from base and mid-station.
3:45pm: Last download from the top and mid-station.

Can I download Wild Blue Gondola?

Yes, guests can download from the mid-station or the top of Wild Blue Gondola.

Why did you add Snowmaking to Sunshine?

The intermediate terrain in the Sunshine Bowl is some of our most sought after terrain on the mountain. Opening this section of the mountain is dependent on natural snowfall and requires 3-4 feet of snowpack to open. By adding snowmaking, we will be able to open this area of the mountain earlier in the season regardless of natural snow.

Can Wild Blue Gondola still operate even if the upper mountain is closed?

Yes, what is unique about the Wild Blue Gondola is that the lower section up to mid-station can work interdependently from the upper section. Meaning we can run just the lower, or just upper, section depending on operations and weather.

Fun Facts

Sunshine Bowl opened in 1985 and offers some of the best intermediate terrain in the world.
Wild Blue Gondola is 3.16 miles long and gets you from the base area to the top of the mountain in just 13 minutes.
Starting winter 23/24, Sunshine Bowl will have new snowmaking capability on 40.18 acres with 35 new fan guns.
By winter 24/25 there will be a total of 83.67 acres of new snowmaking capability in the Sunshine area with 57 fan guns.

A CLoser Look

From The Steamboat Blog

Steamboat's Top 10 Runs for Kids

Steamboat has long been known as a family-friendly ski resort, here is a list of the top ten ski runs for young kids in Steamboat that are fun for the whole family.

Snowmaking Expansion & Efficiency

Expansion and efficiency are two key words in describing future snowmaking plans at Steamboat Resort. As part of Full Steam Ahead, we are not only expanding our snowmaking capabilities to cover additional terrain, but we are doing so with the most efficient and sustainable equipment on the market.

World Class learning at Greenhorn Ranch

Greenhorn Ranch, located near the previous Rough Rider/Bashor Basin area, will feature Terrain Based Learning® to give Snowsports School guests the ultimate and most successful experience when learning to ski and snowboard.