After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, Keystone’s snow fort returns this year and it’s even bigger and better than before. The World’s Largest Mountaintop Snow Fort opened at Keystone Resort this last December showcasing a massive footprint with new designs.
Sitting at an elevation of more than 11,600 feet, spanning 10,000 square feet and reaching heights of more than 30 feet tall, the World’s Largest Mountaintop Snow Fort lives up to the hype. And this year, the Keystone Snow Fort returns to the top of Dercum Mountain with brand-new features and designs, including a slide made entirely out of ice, ice carvings, a spiral tube slide that runs through the walls of the fort, four towers and an ice cave with handcrafted ice sculptures.
Led by playground pro, Keith Martin, alongside his team from Snice Carvings, the team assembled the massive fort in approximately two weeks. Martin and his team have been building the snow fort at Keystone for ten years now and says he looks forward to it every year.
“Everyone wants to be a part of it,” says Martin. “I bet I turn away 20 to 30 sculptors every year that want to be a part of this.”
The sculpting team partners with Keystone’s Snowmaking and Mountain operations to create a one-of-a-kind experience for all ages to enjoy. A new design is created every year, making each build a new fun challenge and experience.
“It’s really interesting that I get to take my bad ideas, sketch them out on a piece of paper, put them on a computer program and someone says, OK! And we build things that are just unreal,” says Martin.
Guests will be hard-pressed to find anything like this in the country, part of which makes it so special. “No one has a snow fort on top of a 12,000-foot mountain like Keystone,” says Martin.
But, that’s not all. This year, Keystone is doubling the fun with a second Snow Fort experience in the Mountain House Base Area. With this new fun zone, kids will be able to play in the snow while parents pop into the nearby Last Lift Bar for après. Look for a second Snow Fort Experience to open in early 2023.
The Snow Fort is now open daily and will remain open throughout the winter season for as long as the snow lasts.
Guests will need an Epic Pass, lift ticket, or foot passenger ticket to ride the River Run Gondola and access the Snow Fort.