The Stockman Steamboat Construction: What Changes in Ski Time Square

How long has the ground between T-Bar and Slopeside Grill sat empty? Count from the autumn the Thunderhead Lodge came down and the answer is about 18 years. That is longer than some of the kids taking lessons at Steamboat this season have been alive. On August 27, 2026, Alterra broke ground there on The Stockman. The Steamboat Pilot & Today reported in September that the project is a nine-story, $550 million development with $482.5 million in financing from GoldenTree.

The building won't open until 2030. The parcel is already changing the base this winter, though, and in two places most people wouldn't look. Some of its dirt is now part of Maverick's Halfpipe in Bashor Bowl, and its permits reach out to the curb on Ski Time Square Drive. The 18-year gap explains why both of those matter.

The longest pause at the base

Most of what stood in Ski Time Square in 2007 is gone, and what replaces it has taken almost two decades to arrive. Here is how that happened, according to the Steamboat Pilot & Today's archive:

1. 2007. The Atira Group proposed redeveloping Ski Time Square and the Thunderhead Lodge on behalf of Cafritz Interests.
2. 2008. The Ski Time Square buildings were demolished. In September 2008 the Pilot reported that the building that had housed Lupo's was down and the Thunderhead Lodge had already been torn down. Asbestos abatement on the Thunderhead Condominiums was running behind schedule, and the Tugboat Grill & Pub was "standing alone in a pile of rubble."
3. February 2010. City Council approved Atira's plan for five condominium buildings holding 200 luxury units.
4. 2013. That approval expired before any building went up. The Pilot later described the project as "stymied by 2008 recession." The Tugboat, a Ski Time Square fixture since 1972, closed the same year.
5. 2018. The land sold as two pieces. One was the parcel in front of Ski Time Square Condominiums, which included the Tugboat site. The other was the former Thunderhead Lodge and Condominiums site next to Slopeside Grill, divided into three sub-parcels. The T-Bar lot was not part of that sale.
6. May 2024. The city's Historic Preservation Commission put a 30-day stay on demolition of the Tugboat.
7. August 2026. The Stockman broke ground at 1965 Ski Time Square Drive, on the old Thunderhead parcel between T-Bar and Slopeside. That is the same ground where the resort's Wrangler small-surface lift sat earlier this year.

At the groundbreaking, a member of the development team called the parcel land that had been "fallow" for nearly 20 years, as Steamboat Radio reported. The timeline backs that up.

What is going up, and when

Steamboat Radio reports that The Stockman is part of the Auberge Collection. Plans call for 59 guest rooms and suites, 95 private residences, a full-service spa and pool, and 6,000 square feet of event space. Three food and drink spaces are in the plan: a restaurant, an après bar with an outdoor ski-up deck, and a Living Room Bar.

The Pilot reports that the hotel and residences are scheduled to open at the same time in 2030. That puts the new ski-up deck about four winters away. Everything that happens at the base before then comes from building it.

Where the hole went

The first visible result is uphill in Bashor Bowl. Dirt dug out for The Stockman's foundation was hauled up the mountain to build up the base of Maverick's Halfpipe. Steamboat's 2026/27 press kit says the work raised the pipe's dirt walls, so the crew needs less snow each winter to shape it. The goal is to open the halfpipe earlier and keep it open longer. Alterra's September 24 season announcement also says the pipe should open earlier but gives no date.

Anyone who rode the bike park this summer already dealt with the haul. The resort's late-September operations update listed these impacts:

• Cowpoke, Lasso and Look See closed Monday through Friday, open on weekends
• Flaggers on Rustler's, Mutton Buster/Buckin' Bronc and EZ Rider on Fridays
• Lickety Split closed for the season
• Right-O-Way closed for the summer because of construction at the site
• Lower Zig Zag rerouted onto lower Lasso as a two-way trail, with Upper Lasso closed

Summer operations ended October 4, and the haul's winter payoff is a halfpipe built on a higher dirt base.

The curb on Ski Time Square Drive

At street level, the project shows up as permits. The Stockman isn't the only build on the block. Wildair, a 20-residence development at 1830 Ski Time Square Drive, broke ground in September and is expected to finish in early 2029, according to Steamboat Radio. The city's August 18, 2026 City Manager Report covers how each project affects the street:

Both long-running items are on the north side of the street. If you usually park on Ski Time Square Drive or walk its north sidewalk on the way to the snow, plan for that side to work differently for several winters. The Stockman's stall restriction runs to its 2030 opening. If the city grants Wildair's sidewalk request, that closure runs to early 2029. Neither item amounts to a full closure of Ski Time Square Drive.

The base's opening schedule

The construction sits beside the parts of the base that start the season on their normal calendar. Steamboat opens for the 2026/27 season on Saturday, November 21. Festivities start at 7:30 a.m., lifts start turning at 8:30 a.m., and the first 100 guests get a commemorative tee and socks. When this post goes up on October 29, that's 23 days away.

The resort's hours and operations page lists these base openings in Steamboat Square:

• The Range Food & Drink Hall opens November 21
• Timber & Torch and its outdoor Timber & Torch Grill patio open November 21
• Hazie's opens December 11

Lessons start from points other than the Ski Time Square block. The resort's lessons page says group lessons and Learn 2 Ski or Ride meet at Greenhorn Ranch. Students ride up on the Wild Blue Gondola from the base, and the resort suggests allowing an extra 10 to 15 minutes to get there. Young Kids lessons meet at Mountain Camp, next to the Gondola Transit Center. Private lessons meet at the yellow SnowSports sign by the stage at the base. At Greenhorn Ranch, the magic carpets and terrain features are for SnowSports School use, while the Greenhorn Ranch Express chairlift and the Rough Rider trail are open to the public.

The Stockman will add a restaurant and ski-up après deck between T-Bar and Slopeside in 2030. Until then, the project shows up this winter as a rebuilt halfpipe in Bashor Bowl and a north curb on Ski Time Square Drive with fewer places to park.

If you own near the base and want to know how The Stockman and Wildair could affect your street, your building or your walk to the lifts over the next few winters, I'm happy to go through the permits and timelines with you. Sarah Saunders works from Slifer Smith & Frampton's downtown Steamboat office. Let's Connect.