"Very excited to begin this project," Steamboat Resort President Rob Perlman said at The Stockman groundbreaking on August 27, 2026. "It's a part of Full Steam Ahead." Five weeks later, the resort's summer season is over. Starting October 5, the Steamboat Gondola, the bike park, base area activities, and all resort-run dining and retail at the base and on the mountain are closed for the season. The excavators keep running.
Opening Day is Saturday, November 21, 2026. Festivities start at 7:30 a.m. and lifts open at 8:30 a.m. For anyone living around Mount Werner Circle, Ski Time Square, or Gondola Square, the weeks before then are when the base looks emptiest. They are also when the most physical change happens. Most of this fall's work connects to one hole in the ground between T Bar and Slopeside Grill.
A Hole Between T Bar and Slopeside
The Stockman sits at 1965 Ski Time Square Drive, between the T Bar and Slopeside Grill. It is part of the Auberge Collection. Plans call for nine stories, with 59 guest rooms and suites, 95 private residences, and 6,000 square feet of event space. The public spaces include a restaurant, an après bar with an outdoor ski-up deck, a Living Room Bar, a full-service spa, and a pool.
The developer named in the August press release is Stockman Development LLC, led by Marquee Development. The project is expected to finish in 2030. That makes the coming ski season the first with an active construction site in the middle of Ski Time Square.
The resort's September 30 operations update said foundation excavation was already underway. All that excavated dirt has to go somewhere, and where it's going matters more to this winter than the building does.
Where the Dirt Goes
The soil from The Stockman's foundation is being trucked to Bashor Bowl. There it is expanding the base of Maverick's Halfpipe. In its September 9, 2026 capital announcement, Alterra Mountain Company said the reshaping will cut the snowmaking and natural snow needed to build the halfpipe by 60%. Alterra also said the halfpipe should be able to open earlier in the season.
So the hotel excavation has a direct winter payoff. A halfpipe built on a raised earthen base needs less snow on top. Less snow means less time on the snowmaking schedule before the pipe can be cut. Alterra has not given an opening date for Maverick's this season. Its stated goal is earlier than usual, and the extra base came from a construction project a few hundred yards away.
The dirt haul also changed things on the ground this fall. The resort's notice listed flaggers on Fridays on Rustler's, Mutton Buster/Buckin' Bronc, and EZ Rider. Cowpoke, Lasso, and Look See were closed Monday through Friday, and Lickety Split closed for the season. The bike park itself is now closed, but those changes show how far the construction reached across the lower mountain.
A Ramp Moves Down the Hill
The same lower slopes are getting a new training facility. A water ramp and trampoline facility is being built at the bottom of the Park Smalley Freestyle Complex. Athletes will use it to practice aerial skills in a controlled setting. Steamboat Resort provided the land and led planning, design, permitting, and development. Native Excavating is a construction partner, and the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club will run the facility.
The club says the facility lets athletes safely work on flips, twists, and other aerial maneuvers before trying them on snow, which supports training year-round. It replaces the water ramp at Bald Eagle Lake. That facility was set to close after summer 2026 to make way for residential development, according to Steamboat Radio's July 8 report. No opening date has been announced. So far, freestyle training has moved to the mountain's base, and the halfpipe got bigger. Both happened this fall.
The Sidewalk Inside the Circle
The city's projects show which plans are moving and which are stalled. As of the Steamboat Springs Redevelopment Authority's September 15, 2026 meeting packet, most of the Segment 4B Phase II work was done. That includes the last missing sidewalk segment inside Mount Werner Circle. Median landscaping and lighting are still scheduled for this fall. The city's Complete Streets page describes the full scope as a sidewalk between Upper Knoll and the Amble, rebuilt and landscaped medians, and pedestrian lighting from the Amble to the Steamboat Grand.
That sidewalk serves newer neighbors. The Amble has 42 residences at the center of Mount Werner Circle, and its first residents moved in during spring 2026. Nearby, 1700 Ski Time Square was in early development as of May 2026. Its first phase plans nine of 23 residences.
Larger projects are further out or stalled:
- Mount Werner Road and Mount Werner Circle intersection. A roundabout has been chosen. Engineering was expected to start in October and run through most of 2027, with bidding planned before the 2028 construction season.
- Gondola Transit Center redesign. This is still paused. Cost estimates for the city and resort portions together came to about $70 million. The redevelopment authority decided not to raise its funding and told staff to bring the project back within the original $50 million commitment.
- Geothermal study. Phase II is still underway. City staff's early view is that a district system is probably technically feasible, but whether it makes financial sense is still uncertain. The packet's narrative expects the study to finish in late fall 2026, while a presentation slide in the same packet says October.
Projects that are paid for and fit into a construction season, like the sidewalk, the halfpipe base, and the water ramp, are getting built. Projects that depend on a funding decision are still waiting.
Trails Until the Snow Guns Start
Getting out on the mountain is still possible this fall, with conditions. The resort says hiking and biking trails stay accessible until winter snowmaking and grooming begin. It has not published a start date. The same notice asks people to stay off trails when they are wet, since riding saturated bike trails causes ruts and erosion.
Construction reroutes were still in place as of September 30. Right-O-Way is closed and Upper Lasso remains closed. Lower Zig Zag now runs onto the lower section of Lasso and is open to both uphill and downhill traffic. Huckleberry is closed for the season. A September 21 trail report from a local shop listed the Mount Werner trails, Fish Creek Falls, and Spring Creek as open, with $5 parking at the Fish Creek Falls and Spring Creek trailheads. Conditions change, so check the resort's Mountain Report before heading up.
Once snowmaking starts, the rules change, and the 2026/27 rules are not posted yet. The resort's uphill access page still refers to winter 2025/26. Last season's policy required a signed agreement and a $39 season armband. It barred anyone from closed or unopened trails, told users to stay clear of snowmaking equipment and never cross snowmaking lines, strongly discouraged access during pre-season setup, and banned dogs on the mountain at all times except ADA service dogs. Until the resort posts the new version, treat those as last year's rules.
Dinner, Coffee, and a Swap at Howelsen
Food at the base gets thin this fall. The resort's own outlets closed October 5. At the Steamboat Grand, Crooked Antler lists Thursday through Monday service, with food from 2 to 8 p.m. and the bar open until 9 p.m. All three Grand outlets, Crooked Antler, Poolside Bistro, and The Market, close from October 18 through November 9, 2026. The Grand's pool and hot tub close for maintenance October 19 through 30. Crooked Antler took over the former Cabin space ahead of the 2025/26 winter.
T Bar, Slopeside Grill, and Mahogany Ridge have not posted fall 2026 schedules, so call before you walk over. A short drive away, Ore House at the Pine Grove, 1465 Pine Grove Road, lists daily opening at 5 p.m.
The fall's community events happen across town at Howelsen Hill. The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club lists Howelsen Homecoming on October 9. Its Community Ski & Sport Swap is October 24, 2026. Early-bird shopping runs 10 to 11 a.m. for a fee, and free public shopping runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Winter Sports Club runs both the swap and the new water ramp at the base.
The Dates Between Now and First Chair
- October 5: Gondola, bike park, and resort base dining and retail close. Trails stay accessible until snowmaking begins.
- October 9: Howelsen Homecoming.
- October 18: Steamboat Grand dining closes through November 9. The pool and hot tub are closed October 19 through 30.
- October 24: Community Ski & Sport Swap at Howelsen Hill.
- This fall: Median landscaping and lighting on Mount Werner Circle. Geothermal study expected to wrap up.
- November 10: First day after the Grand's dining closure ends.
- November 21: Opening Day at the Mount Werner base, with festivities at 7:30 a.m. and lifts at 8:30 a.m.
The Stockman will be under construction for several winters. If you own near Ski Time Square or on Mount Werner Circle and want to talk through what the construction timeline, the sidewalk and roundabout schedule, and the new residences nearby could mean for your property, The Boyd & Berend Group follows these projects closely and can walk you through the details. Schedule a consultation.
