- After years of gondola negotiations with the Town of Jackson, a frustrated Snow King Mountain presses pause while it waits for the U.S. Forest Service to weigh in.
- Doppelmayr completes the final link in the world’s largest gondola chain. The stats: 10 lines, 21 miles, 34 stations and 1,324 cabins carrying 300,000 daily passengers.
- Crested Butte’s longest lift goes down for more than four days due to communication line damage.
- The announced sale of Montana’s Great Divide won’t happen.
- Peak Resorts posts a solid financial quarter with organic growth in revenue and earnings.
- The Whistler paper highlights what happens when the big Blackcomb Gondola goes down.
- SkyTrans Manufacturing says it’s not to blame for the Ohio State Fair’s delay in replacing potentially corroded chairs on its skyride. As a result of the chairlift situation, Ohio will require all ride operators to forward manufacturer directives to state inspectors going forward.
- After tons of hard work by its lift mechanics and contractors, Attitash concedes it won’t be able to fix Summit‘s gearbox this season. “We’ve heard your calls for a new lift to replace the Summit Triple, and while we appreciate all your feedback, this is not a project our parent company, Peak Resorts, is looking to do in the near future,” says GM John Lowell.
- Leaders of Alta, Aspen Snowmass, Big Sky and Jackson Hole all pen letters addressing the chorus of Ikon Pass crowding criticism.
- The Glenwood Caverns gondola takes flight tomorrow with 17 Sigma cabins. 27 more are on a delayed boat from France and will be put on line when they arrive.
Lift Blog 
Why aren’t there any chondolas/telemixes in North America with bubbles in the chairs?
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There’s one at Beaver Creek.
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None of the North American chondolas have bubbles on the chairs. Apparently this is common in Europe.
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Why do people keep blaming the IKON pass for crowding on the weekends? That doesn’t make any sense.
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Because it’s an easy target and people tend to not like change.
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Because it just is drawing crowds. I’m an ikon pass holder and agree. Stratton weekend lines have suddenly been a lot longer this year, and I don’t think it’s because of the new lift.
I went out to Jackson a few weeks ago and had to wait in line for 45 minutes for bridger. Rumor was that the tram line was a hour and a half (it stretched out of the entrance, up the walkway, and around the block and up past bridger center).
When people say the ikon pass causes long lines, they aren’t wrong. I mean there’s nothing they can do about it, and I don’t know why they are bothering to complain, but they are right.
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The numbers out West paint a different picture as the epic snowfall is what seems to be generating the crowds. The IKON pass is primarily being used by vacationers that would be making a ski trip anyways. The crowding is occurring on weekends and powder days…you know, the days when the locals are most likely to be skiing.
The crowds are there because of the great snow, in my opinion. Most resorts’ numbers reflect that, yet the locals are griping about the IKON. I just got back from Alta and Snowbird where there were no crowds at all during the week, yet all the Alta locals are complaining about how IKON has ruined Alta because it is so crowded on the weekends.
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I have to agree. I’ve met very few Ikon passholders at Copper this winter, while we’ve had exceptionally busy days (even weeks).
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Come on Peak Resorts! Invest in Attitash!
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Add Deer Valley to the list of Ikon resorts with record crowds. Not just because of Ikon but interesting nonetheless.
https://www.parkrecord.com/news/deer-valley-city-hall-suddenly-thrust-into-parking-dispute/
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