- The Eglise expansion at the Yellowstone Club looks like something straight out of Europe! Thanks Everett K. for the photos.
- The Alameda County Fair will debut a Skytrac skyride next year, the fourth such lift in California.
- Disney teases more Skyliner renderings and the first tower footings going in the ground are massive.
- Gearbox problem turns into a rope evac at Windham Mountain.
- Power surge blamed for a three hour evacuation at Sasquatch Mountain.
- Belleayre’s gondola proves itself from day one in subzero temperatures.
- If it can raise enough money, Frost Fire, North Dakota plans to build a Skytrac fixed-grip chairlift next summer to replace two broken lifts.
- A clearance issue needs to be resolved before Bear Valley can launch the Mokelumne Express.
- A mechanic dies while working on a carpet lift at Loveland and a GoFundMe page has been set up to support his widow and three children.
- With a “full pipeline,” Skytrac is hiring for construction positions.
- North Korea’s second ski resort reportedly includes lifts manufactured locally, a result of UN sanctions prohibiting the import of luxury goods.
- Silver Mountain celebrates a storied 50 years with a look back to construction of the world’s longest gondola, uniquely funded by federal, state and local governments along with VonRoll Tramways.
- As we enter prime time for lift construction announcements, keep track of the 2018 roster here.
Lift Blog 
I remember Hunter having the same issue as Bear Valley when they installed their HSQ like 30 years ago. Nothing a little post construction blasting cant fix!!!
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when I had to chance to ski the Yellowstone club I was surprised by th lack of vertical— over the top amenities, yes. Didn’t look like the new terrain remidies that problem. Is it more or a real estate lift/ or family oriented area? Trail map anyone? I also wonder if the sale of Crystal Mt frees up capitol for Big Sky to actually get moving with their 2025 vision…
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Big Sky 2025 is actually farther along than you would think. Powder Seeker is now in its second season, upgrades have been made to Lone Tree and Ramcharger, Stagecoach has been completed, and Challenger has been replaced (which wasn’t part of the plan, but should have been). The “near term” part of Big Sky 2025 is complete, and the “mid-term” part (2018 to 2021) is next. It’s really right on schedule.
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This is the only reference that I could find to Ramcharger upgrades:
https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/two-chairlifts-at-big-sky-set-for-million-upgrade/article_1ffeff1c-8418-5883-9eba-724c6dde7c4b.html
I could have sworn that they had a conveyor for Ramcharger in the near-term plan, but it seems I was mistaken. It seems kinda wasteful, when they’re going to upgrade to a D6C-B/D6C-BH in the next few years. Based on the plan, my year-by-year predictions would be:
2018: North Village Gondola
2019: Shedhorn upgrade
2020: Ramcharger D6C
2021: Lower Moonlight
We Also have a Swift Current D6C-B, a Thunderwolf D6C-B, an upper south face lift, a mid-Moonlight lift, a Headwaters extension, an expansion into West Moonlight, a Tram upgrade, and maybe an Iron Horse upgrade. Altogether, that’s a minimum of eight new high-speed lifts in the next eight summers, which I think is unprecedented. If Iron Horse gets upgraded, and Moonlight West is sizable, that’s ten new high-speed lifts. All I can say is to wish Boyne “Good Luck”.
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What did they do to Charger Ram
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It is mostly family oriented, the goal of the Expansion is almost solely to spread people out to keep crowds down. the Terrain itself is nothing special, still fun though.
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Ramcharger got an new AC motor and drive plus braking upgrades to handle downloaders it is planned to replace Ramcharger soon (rumor has it, with what may be the first D line in NA) and relocate the current lift to Shedhorn.
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Really? Are we sure that they’re not going to put the gondola in first? That, more than Ramcharger, makes sense as a first D-Line. Also, isn’t there a pretty good chance that the new Blackcomb gondola is going to be D-Line? If it is, then Big Sky would have to put one in this summer, and open before Whistler.
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The Blackcomb Gondola won’t be D Line.
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Do you have a source on that, Peter?
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Yep ;)
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Confidential, I’m guessing? Oh well. It’s a shame that Vail isn’t experimenting.
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Some fun at Mammoth
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Update on the lift mech killed at Loveland:
http://www.9news.com/video/news/worker-shouldnt-have-been-near-lift-that-crushed-ski-worker-report/73-2876661
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