- Copper Mountain proposes replacing the Timberline Express although a representative says there’s no timeline or model selected yet.
- An empty cabin falls from a gondola in South America.
- Palisades Tahoe tells the story of declining to purchase the White Wolf property for $400,000 and now paying the landowner rent where much of the Base to Base Gondola runs.
- A new book about prolific lift builder Hans Burkhart will be released this fall.
- The Highlands, Michigan teases something faster, quieter and warmer coming soon.
- Plattekill says the lightning-damaged Northface Express will be repaired before ski season.
- Someone allegedly gets left on the Icy Strait Point gondola system, is offloaded unharmed.
- Doppelmayr will build the new Skyliner Express at Mt. Bachelor.
- Big White offers the rare opportunity to own a gondola cabin as Lara’s Gondola transitions to all Sigma cabins.
- Idaho surpasses 2 million skier visits for the first time.
- Shawnee Peak, Maine reverts back to Pleasant Mountain.
- On the second anniversary of the second cable cut, Sea to Sky Gondola doubles the reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of a suspect to CA$500,000. Police also release a video of the incident and photo of the saboteur.
- Sea to Sky also sues the company that installed a security system between the two vandalism incidents, alleging it did not work reliably and allowed the cable to be cut the second time.
- Maine conditionally approves redevelopment of the ski area on Big Moose Mountain.
- Mayflower reaches 300 acres of ski run cleared, still plans lift service in late 2024.
- Lift mechanics at Nordic Valley put out a fire which may have been intentionally set.
- The newest lift in Tennessee will be called the Horizon Skyride and open soon.
- Indy Pass sales are up 52 percent in units and 67 percent in dollars over 2021-22 with more resorts to be added in the coming weeks.
Lift Blog 
Am I the only one who can never access any of the documents in the new forest service website? I click download of the zip file and nothing is included. Does anyone else have this problem?
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I think the folder is empty right now.
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The entire website is screwed up.
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Yeah they made a bunch of changes in the spring that are not the best. Pages are often down entirely, lots of folders are empty and none of it works properly on a mobile device. Also I can’t search for projects and have to browse through hundreds of proposed toilet installations and grazing permits to find the ski lift projects!
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I don’t see a reason to upgrade Sierra or Mountain Chief. They are pretty short lifts and the terrain is tailored towards more advanced skiers. Alpine could be a HSQ with how long the lift is and if they ever make another portal over there. I believe there were hotel plans by Alpine. They do typically groom one run off that lift so there could be enough traffic to justify it.
But Timberline could definitely be a HS6. There is always a line as it’s the best lower intermediate terrain at Copper.
On another note, I wish there was a better way to transfer from East to West. I hate taking Flyer and dropping off the top of Super Bee/T-Bar the options aren’t always open or ideal (Lillie G run, trees, etc.). Maybe extend Rendezvous down further so you could access from Eagle and cut a path from bottom of Rendezvous towards Highpoint run to access Timberline runs, I believe there is an access road that cuts that way already. Going all the way to the base isn’t ideal.
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More information now. Seeking to build a six pack.
https://usfs-public.app.box.com/v/PinyonPublic/file/1019876096178
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While I get that Timberline is quite a big chokepoint on the mountain, I’m still hoping one day Copper will get around to upgrading some of their slow chairs (Sierra / Alpine / Mountain Chief / etc.) to high-speed rather than replacing existing high-speed lifts.
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None of our ‘slow chairs’ are chokepoints. Moreover, they serve a clientele that isn’t as concerned with ride time. Also, with the exception of A-lift (and L-lift, which is already scheduled for replacement at some point), none of our remaining fixed-grips are all that long, and we run them at full design speed. I-lift is a solid machine and gives us very little trouble on the maintenance side, but it’s possibly our most popular lift and terrain pod so it makes sense to upgrade it.
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Pretty much what he said. Though A lift is a bit too long. I always wondered if it ever got upgraded if that would bring more people over there vs the tiny numbers that ski that lift today. I’d be much more interested in Copper expanding within their permit boundary or etc… But if any lift needs a capacity upgrade, it is definitely Timberline. That thing always has lift lines
(even short ones still when I get there late day after backside/Sierra shut, etc…). If they do that upgrade, they desperately need to turn that food facility into a real indoor lodge too though.
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Is I-Lift Timberline?
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Can I ask what A-Lift, L-lift and I-lift are?
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A- Alpine, L- Lumberjack I- Timberline. The lifts used to be lettered not named.
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They will. It is in the works, just not going as fast as some may want.
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Copper’s 2011 Master Plan calls for detachable upgrades for Alpine, Sierra and Lumberjack. Timberline is roughly 28 years old, but it wouldn’t be crazy for some of its equipment to get reused for one of them (in particular, Sierra seems similarly dimensioned).
The Timberline trail pod is the definition of a crowd pleaser: relatively high altitude (and north-facing), with a mix of low-intermediate and upper-level beginner runs. It rises 1100′ in just under a mile, just enough to feel big and satisfying without leaving folks exhausted. Definitely a great candidate for an upper mountain six pack.
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From my experience, which is more limited than others here, Timberline has the worst lines of anywhere at Copper since the Eagle/Flyer upgrades. As others mentioned, the elevation and blue/green terrain make it a perfect pod for a good chunk of the skier market, and a six-pack will work well here.
Alpine will need an upgrade soon to simply expand its viability as a portal for those folks driving to the mountain. The base will need a bit of a rework with the golf course, and a pedestrian bridge or tunnel across the road to access Far East Lot will have to be built, but it is all necessary given the volume of cars pouring into Copper these days. Getting cars off of Copper Road is a near-term necessity.
I do not think Sierra needs an upgrade in its current alignment, but I wish it was extended to the top of Mountain Chief. I understand that it gets windy up there, but Union Peak is not as windy as Copper Mountain or Tucker Mountain and modern anti-sway technology has made a lot of strides in recent years. Plus, Mountain Chief runs to the summit on the backside. I firmly believe a detachable with heavy chairs, so likely a six-pack, will work in the alignment.
Lumberjack has been on and off listed in Peter’s database of lifts to be constructed, so I will assume it will happen soon.
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A Copper spokesperson told me both Lumberjack and Timberline replacements have been approved by the Forest Service but neither one has a timeline for construction. There are a bunch of projects across Powdr approved but not funded or contracted.
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I figure it may take a couple of years. Powdr has a history of doing multiple detachable projects across its mountains at once, likely to receive bulk order discounts for expensive lifts. 2017 was Alpenglow/Kokomo from Doppelmayr and 2018 was Flyer/Eagle/Snowdon from LPA. Mt. Bachelor already has a Doppelmayr project lined up for 2023, but that is also an emergency project so I could see that being a standalone job. It would not surprise me at all to see Lumberjack/Timberline/Superstar all replaced as a group at some point in the near future.
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I’m still waiting for Powdr’s other Colorado area, Eldora and their new lift in the Jolly Jug area that was approved back in 2019. Powdr has alot of approved projects just sitting there.
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The bottom of A-lift is currently a muddy construction zone. Public parking there has been eliminated, and a new development is going in there. We’re in the process of moving the bottom terminal uphill 100′ to make room for all of that. The developer loves the lift as it is; that said, I can’t see a high-end clientele being satisfied with their ski-in/ski-out lift being a 1979 Yan double. Additionally it hasn’t been made clear (at least to us in the shop) whether there will be a public portal there at all, or just an access point for the (future) homeowners and guests.
S-lift was built before modern wind-fighting techniques and operating procedures, which is why it ends where it does. There is currently no room on the Peak for another lift, what with the tops of 6 and CRP there. S will not go further than it does now, even if it’s replaced. And if you think Union isn’t as windy as Copper or Tucker, we have a couple of smashed 1977 Yan carriers in the recycle bin that can tell you otherwise.
I have quit assuming L-lift will be replaced anytime soon.
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Bit of a wild tidbit from the Bachelor article:
Additionally, McLeod said pricing is going to change, linked to release of liability. The lower price will be available to those who sign the resort’s standard liability release. The higher price will allow users to skip the release of liability.
“This change is a result of the current legal landscape in Oregon,” McLeod said. “In recent years large lawsuits against outdoor recreation providers in Oregon, including many related to the inherent risks of skiing, snowboarding, and mountain biking, have started to significantly threaten the outdoor recreation industry.”
The exact prices were not laid out in the email
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Maybe Copper could use current T Rex to replace L lift or better yet, for an expansion onto Jaques peak…
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It’s been discussed (the replacement of L by I, that is). No lift expansion onto Jacques is on the table as of now; we’re aiming at some hike-to terrain in the near future but, again, no timeline.
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Anyone know if Poma Europe still makes their own proprietary lifts, or are they just reskinned Leitner Terminals and equipment?
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They don’t, Poma Europe and leitner have a joint detachable product called the multix but overall the skins are really the only difference between the two companies offerings all the mechanicals are pretty much the same.
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I wish that there was the option to put a glass skin on the Leitner-Poma lifts here like they have in Europe without it being a custom skin. I think there should be more than 1 option like how Doppelmayr has multiple options for Uni-G and D-Line skins.
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Thanks Vons, didnt know that! Also fully agree Myles, LPA def needs some more variety in its enclosures, especially with Dopp now offering 4 different terminals with the UNI-G, the Uni-G Viper, D-Line Ramcharger style terminal, and the Glass box enclosure that will be used on the new big sky gondola.
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That sound great for Timberline getting a replacement. But again, I do wonder what model they will add to replace the existing lift. Would Leitner POMA replace Timberline Express or Doppelmayr?
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Depends on who puts in a more competitive bid. We like the idea of a Doppelmayr, especially if we move the current lift to L. They’ll be able to add any upgrades to that lift that we think we may need. I wouldn’t be unhappy with an LPA, especially since we have one right next door with the Flyer, but I think I’m in the minority with that view in the shop. Ultimately the decision isn’t up to us, although Powdr does take our input seriously.
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Regarding the Sea to Sky Gondola- what do they believe the security camera system should have been able to do? Catch exactly every angle at every spot on the mountain or every tower?
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