Snowmass opens on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26. Will the new Ullrhof be serving burgers that morning? Aspen Snowmass's Ullrhof page says the restaurant is "Reopening November 2026." The same page puts it at the base of the Big Burn lift.
Snowmass Tourism's opening day listing describes a smaller Nov. 26. "Snowmass opens the Meadows beginner terrain area only, served by the Elk Camp Gondola and the Meadows Lift." Big Burn isn't on that list, and neither is Village Express. The restaurant has a reopening month. Lunch on that deck depends on the Big Burn lift opening, and the published plan doesn't give that date.
A 1969 Lodge Replaced by a Three-Story Building
The old Ullrhof went up in 1969. When Snowmass Town Council approved the rebuild in December 2024, the Aspen Daily News reported that the plan required "a total demolition of the existing building" and called for three floors with access from the Lunch Line catwalk. The project record from the WoodWorks Innovation Network describes a mass-timber building of cross-laminated timber and glulam. It is set into the hillside and stands under 65 feet tall. Bull Stockwell Allen is the architect and Shaw Construction is the general contractor.
| Original Ullrhof | Rebuilt Ullrhof | |
|---|---|---|
| Built | 1969 | Reopening for winter 2026-27 |
| Seating | About 325 | Approved for up to 725 indoor and outdoor; marketed as 600+ |
| Floors | One lodge | Three stories, including a new bar and lounge level |
| Energy | Not specified in project coverage | Fully electric, no propane or natural gas |
The seat counts above come from different stages of the project. The about-325 baseline and the 725 ceiling are from the approval coverage. Aspen Snowmass now describes the new restaurant as "seating for 600+." Under any of those figures, the restaurant holds close to twice as many people as the one it replaced.
Why the Big Burn Pod Needed the Seats
The size of the building follows from a shortage Aspen Skiing Company named in plain terms. "We're short roughly 400 seats within the Big Burn skiing pod alone," SkiCo senior planning manager Dana Dalla Betta told council, according to the Aspen Daily News. She added that the design "builds in capacity" for year-over-year skier growth over the term of the ski area's master plan.
The same report said the expansion was also meant to take pressure off the Elk Camp and Alpine Springs pods. Skiers in the Big Burn area who couldn't find a seat were eating somewhere else on the mountain. The Cabin, formerly Lynn Britt Cabin, sits in the same pod and had already been renovated and expanded by about 80 seats. That wasn't enough to close a 400-seat gap.
Last Winter Ran on Stopgaps
Construction started in summer 2025. It was part of what Aspen Snowmass called nearly $80 million in summer 2025 investment projects across its mountains. The announcement didn't give a separate figure for Ullrhof. That left the pod with less lunch seating for the 2025-26 season, when it was already short.
Aspen Snowmass covered the gap with a few changes, listed on its recent improvements page as 2025-26 offerings:
- The Hot Dogger at Spider Sabich. "As Ullrhof transforms," the Spider Sabich Race and Picnic Area reopened for the first time in many years with a quick-serve pop-up featuring Los Angeles-based Sumo Dog.
- Elk Camp's new deck. Elk Camp added 120 deck seats with retractable "umbrella"-style walls.
- High Alpine and Alpin Room. High Alpine moved to a rotating global menu, and Alpin Room shifted to French-inspired fare under chef Emily Oyer.
Snowmass Tourism's winter 2026-27 announcement names Ullrhof as the season's on-mountain dining news. It doesn't say whether The Hot Dogger comes back once the permanent building reopens.
Nov. 26 Opens the Meadows Only
The opening-day plan for the 2026-27 season is specific. The Meadows beginner area opens with the Elk Camp Gondola and the Meadows Lift. The gondola runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with the last download at 4 p.m. The Snowmass Sky Cab, known locally as the Skittles, runs from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily between Snowmass Village and Snowmass Mall. The season is scheduled to run through April 11, 2027.
Ullrhof is listed at the base of Big Burn, with lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The restaurant's "November 2026" reopening and the mountain's Nov. 26 opening are two separate milestones. For a Thanksgiving lunch on Ullrhof's deck, the date to watch is the first day Big Burn spins. Aspen Snowmass's Snowmass terrain page is where lift openings will be posted as the season goes on.
What Changes Inside
The menu stays close to the old Ullrhof. Aspen Snowmass promises a "new and improved favorite burger joint" with "burgers, fries and shakes" served all day. Most of the changes are in the building and how it runs.
- Ordering. At approval, the dining flow was designed around kiosk and mobile ordering. Guests would find a seat, order digitally, and collect their food when notified. Dalla Betta said at least one cashier would remain for guests who prefer not to use the digital system. Aspen Snowmass hasn't said whether that system is in place for this season.
- Power. Ullrhof is Aspen Snowmass's first fully electric restaurant. Aspen Skiing Company told Aspen Public Radio that it would use no propane or natural gas and would work with Holy Cross Energy on the switch.
- Restrooms. Council's approval conditions asked SkiCo to study adding stalls to the women's restroom. Councilmember Britta Gustafson pointed to parents waiting in line with children. SkiCo noted that the plans include a family restroom.
- The roof. The approved roof sat just under the code maximum, at 63 feet 11 inches, and council asked SkiCo to consider a lower pitch. Chris Kiley, SkiCo's senior vice president of planning and development, said the steep pitch "helps open up views for guests in the building."
Where Snowmass Adds Seats Next
Snowmass Tourism calls the rebuild part of "a multi-year initiative to elevate guest dining experiences at Snowmass and add restaurant seating across the mountain." Aspen Snowmass's Snowmass master development plan lists the next candidates. They include expansions at Sam's and The Cabin, and possible new restaurants on Gunner's View and near the Alpine Springs lift. When the plan was introduced, Aspen Public Radio reported that it was a set of proposals over a decade or more, not a construction schedule.
That puts Ullrhof first in line. For now, it is the only one of these projects with a building under way, a stated opening month and a seat count. Once Big Burn opens, it will be serving lunch in the pod that SkiCo said needed it most.
If you'd like to talk about what a slopeside address near Big Burn looks like this season, or how Snowmass's on-mountain upgrades factor into a property's story, Soffia Wardy is happy to walk through it with you. Let's Connect.
