This is an archived list of new lifts built in the United States and Canada during the 2023 construction season. Last updated 10/23/2023.
Blue = Doppelmayr
Yellow = Leitner-Poma
Green = Skytrac
Red = MND
Purple = Partek
Orange = SkyTrans
Gray = Re-installations (used lifts)
White = To be announced
ATW = Aerial Tramway
CL = Chairlift
G = Gondola
SL = Surface lift
D = Detachable
F = Fixed grip
M = Monocable
P = Pulse
J = Jigback
B = Bubble
Lift Blog 
Anyone have any info on what the skytrac and the MND in the spreadsheet will be?
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Shouldn’t Wild Blue Stage II be on the 2022 list?
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I listened to the tram board meeting and the timeline sounded uncertain. The lower section and possibly the lower terminal of the second section are being installed in 2022. The rest of the second section is looking more like 2023 but that is subject to change. It’s a massive project.
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Hi Peter how do we know that the wild blue gondola will be a d line?
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Based on renderings provided by the Colorado Tramway Board, we can safely say it will be d line.
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Signs in the Steamboat Village now clearly state Wild Blue Stage II is a 2023 project along with the Pioneer Ridge lift. The Christie Peak Express bottom terminal looks to be moving to the other side of the Mountain Coaster next year which will require moving 6 towers and significantly modifying the angle station to be sharper. Or maybe they will get rid of the angle station, move all the towers and run the thing straight to Christie Peak. Preview probably also has to go. Not sure about Christie III. What a mess!
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They can’t run the Christie Peak Express straight to Christie Peak because there are houses in the way. I would think both Preview and Christie 3 get removed. An open question is which lifts will be added as part of the new beginner area. Wild Blue is going to be comparable in size to the Whistler Village Gondola. The second stage alone is longer than the current gondola, by a lot. Hopefully it gets an hourly capacity of 4000 and a speed of 7 m/sec. I think it is going to have much higher ridership than the current gondola because it will take you all the way to the top. It will be exciting to watch all of this be implemented. Hopefully it all stays on schedule.
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Preview is going to get removed when the first rage of Wild Blue goes in. Not sure about Christie III although if Christie III weren’t removed Wild Blue would have to cross over it.
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It’s going to be 3,200 passengers per hour at 7 m/s with 10 passenger cabins.
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Is this going to be the first 7 m/s monocable in North America?
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Peter, do you know if capacity will be able to be increased on Wild blue in the future after it is built?
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My understanding from all I’ve read is the Pioneer Ridge terrain expansion at this point does not include adding the new lift. It will include glade thinning, building the egress bridge across Burgess Creek and having a boundary egress run, but no lift – not yet. The lift is planned but the installation of it has been delayed until Wild Blue and other improvements have been completed. It could be 10 years before we see that lift becoming reality.
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The Steamboat website still says “2023 Summer: Pioneer Ridge/Fish Creek Canyon expansion and lift installed” https://fullsteamahead.steamboat.com/
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I have heard from my friends that work at steamboat that some of the terrain has been cut already and will be ready to open next winter but no lift yet. The lift will be installed the next year in 2023 like the plan says. They have already cleared parts of center field and golf course if you know steamboat backcountry. The part that confuses me is in the base area signs say the expansion has only 550 acres when the website says it has 650.
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Exciting!
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Would love to see Mt. Hood Express happen in 2022. The Forest Service is set to approve the project in October because of the minimal environmental impact. Pucci @ Timberline was approved on a similar timeframe (from proposal to approval to construction) so I am still hopeful…
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In a podcast, I thought that Sugarloaf GM said that West Mountain Express would be a “signature lift”. Well that certainly changed…. It had sounded like they wanted to use the revamped Bullwinkle’s restaurant for weddings and conference space. But that’s not going to work well if they aren’t using an enclosed lift.
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The most unsurprising thing to happen this year.
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Plenty of resorts do mountaintop weddings and other events (winter and summer!) without gondolas. You just need to download on the chairlift. 🤷♂️
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I wonder if they might be using the gondola cabins they have from Big Sky (previously Park City). It was stated somewhere that the cabins were stored for a future lift at Sugarloaf. It could be that they are attempting to do something similar to Wildcat Mountain by adding gondola cabins in the summer.
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That is interesting. Those cabins have been at Loaf for years. The Wildcat like concept would work. They have a HSQ that they put the gondi cabins on.
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Boyne also committed to not buying any more new detachable quads, only six and eight packs. If West Mountain will be a detachable quad, then perhaps it will reutilize Jordan Bowl at Sunday River? That lift is looking likely to be replaced by a detachable six in 2022, which would make a 2023 reinstallation at Sugarloaf well-timed.
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I don’t understand why Sunday River wants to replace Jordan Bowl more than Barker but, I think this is probably the most accurate outcome. I wonder if they will still do Barker at the same time but I highly doubt it.
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I think It’s safe to say Jordan will be replaced. https://www.newenglandskiindustry.com/viewstory.php?storyid=910
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I agree. I will admit that my experiences at Sunday River are more limited than some here, but Barker has been the biggest chokepoint at the resort during my visits in recent years. Jordan has usually been fine on my visits, but perhaps I have gotten lucky.
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Barker does have some alternatives when it gets busy – Lock Triple, or continue down to Chondola. At Jordan there are no other alternatives. Although, they really don’t have that much terrain at Jordan to support a six pack. I agree that Barker should be first, but that’s my guess as to why it might not be.
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Relatively speaking Jordan needs an upgrade. Any weekend with decent snow that place is packed but, Barker is definitely in worse shape. Sunday River has serviced that line multiple times so who knows maybe we’ll get a double replacement.
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If Jordan gets replaced with a signature lift, then I would assume that would also entail building a base area there. I’ve never skied there, so I don’t know which lift has the worst lines, just that Barker is in worse shape mechanically.
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The Jordan Hotel is the only thing over there at the moment. Sunday River really has no need for another base area, as they are fine with White Cap, South Ridge, and Barker. My only thought is that if they ever wanted to build a full pedestrian village like Whistler. Tremblant, or Palisades Tahoe, then Jordan would be a great place given the available land.
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Jordan goes on wind hold too often and hotel guests have to be shuttled back. The 8-pack plan also includes mention of expanding the terrain over there. Way back in American Ski Co days there were plans for a new Jordan Village with thousands of condos and an entire new base area. Perhaps some of that will come to pass.
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They’re using Jordan Bowl to replace Barker. So I think they might reuse Swift Current.
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I don’t get why Sunday River hates Barker so much. I think the 8 person lift would have made much more sense there.
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Parts of Swift Current arrived at Sugarloaf this week. Perhaps this will become the “West Mountain Express” listed above. Only 25 years young, so will still be one of the newer lifts at the Loaf!
And yes, there are still a bunch of old Big Sky gondola cabins sitting in the woods around Sugarloaf.
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Snowbasin just announced a large base redevelopment plan that includes a new beginner chairlift and upgraded Littlecat Express. They want Littlecat Express to be, “A multi-use lift with upload and download capabilities to serve both skiers and foot passengers,” which screams chondola to me. The plan is to have it all ready for Winter 2024, so there is a decent chance one of these lift installations happens in 2023.
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What about the new mayflower resort by deer valley with their 2023 lifts?
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Surprised that Snowbird doesn’t have any lifts planned for Mary Ellen yet.
Also, is One Wasatch stalled?
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There is a lot of waste in Mary Ellen Gulch from mining and other activities that Snowbird has been removing over the past couple of years in preparation for a lift. To be honest, I am surprised they are not done, but I am sure the lift will be installed within the next couple of years.
One Wasatch has always been a concept, not a concrete plan. Three things are needed for its completion: Grizzly Gulch lifts, Guardsman Pass lifts, and Deer Valley/Park City allowing people to ski back and forth. Alta is planning to build a lift in Grizzly Gulch on its side and Solitude has expressed interest in a short Honeycomb lift on its end, so that connection is absolutely possible. As far as I am aware, Brighton has no plans to build the two lifts necessary in Guardsman Pass to connect itself to Park City. Park City and Deer Valley have existed side by side as neighbors for decades without allowing people to ski back and forth, so I do not see that changing in the near future. Perhaps if it was the last link they would come to some sort of agreement. Regardless, I am slightly optimistic about a LCC/BCC connection but pessimistic about everything else.
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Disclaimer- I’ve only ever looked at Mary Ellen once, and it was late spring so there was still a bit of snow. However, from my experience in my hometown, which happens to have vacant lots absolutely full of mine waste, it’s difficult and expensive to remove. I’m actually not surprised Snowbird is taking some time to remove things there. They have other things to spend money on, I’m sure.
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So wait a minute. Aspen wants to add a chondola at their resort, but which lift is it gonna replace? The main gondola or Bell mountain?
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Neither. It will be replacing Shadow Mountain.
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I could see Alterra finally build its first eight-pack in 2023 after Vail joins the party in 2022.
Location rankings:
1) Duncan Express at Tremblant: The liftline is long, the ride is cold, and the wait times are high. Plus, it will be 32 years old and give the north side a signature lift.
2) Broadway Express at Mammoth: This lift is the workhorse of Mammoth, allowing it to open early and close late. The lines get long and Alterra admitted it needs to be replaced by announcing a six-pack here in 2020 before canceling the plans due to Covid. Given that Alterra chose to not do anything here in 2021 and has not mentioned much since I am inclined to believe that the six-pack could easily become eight.
Unlikely for 2023 but eventually:
1) Ursa Express at Stratton: Snow Bowl Express has done wonders with the lines here, but it can still get pretty bad. Plus, the lift has had mechanical issues in the past couple of years, so removing it and refurbishing it for reinstallment elsewhere would not be the worst idea. If it were not for the fact that the mountain has higher priorities (Tamarack upgrade, renovations of both Sun Bowl and Mid-Mountain, the construction of the Summit Lodge), it would be a possibility for 2023.
2) Thunderhead or Storm Peak or Sundown at Steamboat: Sunshine will be alleviated with Sunshine II, so that leaves either Thunderhead, Storm Peak, or Sundown as congested detachable quads. I would argue Thunderhead would be the best place, but it is close. Steamboat is getting a lot already, so anything here would likely be later than 2023.
3) TBD at Palisades Tahoe: Red Dog is getting a six-pack in 2022 and KT-22 is getting alleviated by the California Express Gondola. I feel as though Wa She Shu could be realigned as to have more of a purpose and receive an eight-pack upgrade. Gold Coast is also old enough (would be 24 in 2023) where it could be refurbished and moved elsewhere, and it certainly receives enough traffic to increase capacity. Skier flows will undoubtedly shift with the debut of the gondola and Red Dog upgrade, so perhaps a logical location will emerge upon completion. However, that would likely be beyond 2023.
4) TBD at Winter Park: Winter Park has gotten a lot of love from Alterra, but there is no standout place to put an eight-pack at the moment. Super Gauge arguably needs it the most for capacity, and they could also remove the redundant Pony Express and/or Iron Horse in the process, but it is a pretty young machine. Pioneer is very old and needs replacement, but it is getting a six-pack in 2022. Elsewhere, I just cannot see Winter Park needing an eight-pack at the moment.
5) TBD at Blue Mountain: I believe the L-Hill lift is still in the works, so that will come before anything else and likely be a six-pack to match the rest of the mountain. Once the existing six-packs are due for retirement, eight-packs make sense.
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Regarding which upper detachable at Steamboat gets the upgrade, I think the Sundown Express is the likelier one, since the Storm Peak Express is more geared towards advanced skiers..
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Storm Peak doesn’t need the extra capacity, it rarely has lines. Sundown I would say needs it most as it gets the longest lines at Steamboat. On the Storm Skiing podcast, COO Robert perlman said 8 passenger chairs are in play for steamboat future lifts. Wonder if they would go bubble though as some of steamboats lifts has had bubbles in the past.
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From what I’ve heard, ASC never wanted bubbles on Storm Peak and Sundown. The bubbles had been ordered by the previous owner when ASC bought Steamboat. This resulted in improper maintenance for the bubbles which led to the bubbles themselves causing so many problems that it made more sense to remove them entirely.
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I agree with Tremblant and Mammoth, but I see Canyon and Broadway being replaced at the same time, just so they get the Yans off their hands, and since Canyon is a major lift. The carriers might end up making their way to June Mtn.
Not sure what they’ll do at Ursa, since an 8 pack usually doesn’t actually improve effective capacity by much. I’d prefer a new alternate route up the mountain (perhaps a wind sheltered or surface lift, perhaps in the Kidderbrook area). The worst Ursa lines I wait in are the days where every other summit lift is on wind hold.
Wa She Shu/Squaw One Express does what it needs to. It’s the backup to the funitel. Would it be more useful if it accessed Gold Coast/Emigrant? Yeah, definitely. Either way though, will people use a chairlift route up the mountain post-COVID? Probably not much. The lift runs through a valley itself which is windy and cold from my experience. Bubbles would go a long way to increasing ridership (but even then, would people use it over the funitel? Probably not). This lift didn’t even run much at all until last season.
I don’t see a huge point in upgrading Gold Coast. That area has an insane amount of capacity with Gold Coast, Siberia and Big Blue all sharing parts of each others pods, with a combined capacity of nearly 8,000 pph.
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Not sure why you think that 8 packs can’t make much of a difference when it comes to capacity. Most six packs can’t comfortably reach 3600 pph and both Doppelmayr and Leitner can build 4000 pph 8 packs. With URSA not running close to full speed, I would say that an 8 pack would be the most logical answer for a bottleneck area, but I haven’t skied Stratton and I don’t know much about the problems with URSA.
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If you can get eight people to load at the same time with no fumbling or misloads, sure. But the same factors are in play that realistically limit sixpacks to under 3600/hour. I’d guess our marquee lift (although the guy who owns the Eagle might disagree on that title ;) )is closer to 3000 right now. 4000 on an eight-pack is probably pushing it unless you have a top-notch lift ops crew.
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“(although the guy who owns the Eagle might disagree on that title ;)” Can’t the American Eagle and American Flyer both be Copper’s marquee chairlifts?
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Most six packs run ~3200 PPH (a conservative estimate) and 8packs mostly are 3600pph, with a few ones that carry more. Realistically, it’s a difference of ~400 pph, or a 12% increase in capacity. Doesn’t feel worth it.
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Donald, it’s an inside joke. The old Eagle was called the Showgirl because it was always the lift pictured in the local paper. The Flyer is more recognisable now because of the bubbles.
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I agree Canyon and Broadway may be replaced at the same time, but I would personally only put an eight at Broadway and let Canyon have a six.
Ursa rarely runs at its design speed, so a new identical lift alone would improve capacity. Having an eight-pack with the same 3600 capacity would improve actual capacity because the chair spacing would be a lot wider, allowing fewer stops. Even boosting the capacity to 3800 or 4000 would still have wider chair spacing and theoretically fewer stoppages. Honestly, Stratton/Alterra should just take a trip to fellow Ikon pass mountains Loon and/or Big Sky to see how they load Kanc8 and Ramcharger, as I think it works really well to have the loading carpet when the chairs are so wide.
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Isn’t the Timber Express going in at Tremblant soon? I think that should spread out people a little more there and lessen the waits at other lifts such as Duncan.
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Timber was originally scheduled to be installed last summer, but the pandemic delayed the project and it is unclear when it will occur. It should help move more people over to Soleil, but Tremblant has the traffic where it will likely still be busy elsewhere. As things stand right now, both south side detachable quads and Duncan Express could use a capacity boost. If they ever want to draw more people over to the Edge, they should also make that lift detachable (and cut more trails).
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I could see replacement of REX or the Mt. Rainier Gondola (with a full-capacity setup) happening in 2023 at Crystal Mountain if either of those don’t happen in 2022. But given what we heard on one of the recent Storm Skiing podcasts, I see the 2022 construction season at Crystal being more about base area/parking/arrival improvements than on-mountain.
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From my varied sources up there, that’s the plan. While I disagree with their new approach to the mountain, that sounds like their opening move. Lifts will happen in future seasons.
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Can confirm the base area stuff. . .my and PBRT’s Pa pushes snow in the winter and makes stumps in the summer as needed. He said they already took out my old shop and that whole side of the lodge. He’s going to be doing any felling for the new parking lot–which replaces employee housing–that Britschi can’t get with the danglehead. Timeframe is the next handful of weeks. He does also say that the rumblings about reopening Bullion Basin are still. . .um. . .rumbling. Here’s hoping.
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I could see Breck considering a replacement for the Beaver Run SuperChair or Lift C on Peak 9 some time in the next few years. The former is now 31 years old, while Lift C being upgraded could move some lapping traffic away from the Mercury SuperChair (because most people lapping Peerless, Gold King and Volunteer are more likely to take Lower American back to the Mercury SuperChair and enjoy that lift’s 7.5 minute ride time rather than endure the 12 minute ride on Lift C when it runs).
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where is the White Peaks T-bar going to be put in?
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Loveland ski area will be replacing lift 6 with a poma 3 person fixed grip
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When/where was this confirmed? I saw the scoping approval but no go ahead on the replacement.
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I was under the impression that the Mt. Hood Express replacement at Mt. Hood Meadows was slated for 2022. Does anyone know why/if it was pushed back?
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I’m curious about this, too, as Mt. Hood Express has seen a lot of downtime this season. Do we think Mt. Hood Meadows didn’t get their order placed in time/does anyone know for sure? The forest service still lists the project with an implementation date of June 2022.
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Source for the 2023 timeline: https://www.koin.com/local/mt-hood-meadows-to-upgrade-with-faster-6-person-chairlift/
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Thanks!
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The 2022 Steamboat Magazine claims the Wild Blue Gondola will be 4,000 pph. It states that “Set to open during the 2023/23 ski season, the Steamboat Ski Area’s new 10-passenger Wild Blue Gondola will be the longest of its capacity in North America, and will improve the resort’s out of base capacity from 6,000 to 10,000 people per hour.” This comes as a surprise since I remember the original announcement being 3,200 pph or something like that.
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It appears from a direct source that Leitner Poma won the bidding process to build the Pioneer Ridge high speed quad.
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Could the HSQ that arrived from Big Sky at Sugarloaf be for a Double Runner replacement, instead of West Mountain? Has it been confirmed to be for West? I know DR is on their list to replace and would likely be a HSQ…..
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Does anyone know where Park City’s Silverlode chair will end up? I was expecting it to be used for Eagle, but it seems like they’re using a new lift.
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Parts donor for the other three vintage six packs is my guess.
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When did Pioneer Ridge get changed from Doppelmayr to Leitner Poma? Does anyone know the reason why?
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I’ve been talking to the mechanic who runs Pony up at Steamboat, and he said LPA won because of a cheap bid. Also, most likely because Dopp is almost sold out for 2023. LPA might have also given them some discounts, especially with the fact that they are re-aligning CPX.
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Everyone (LPOA, Dopp, Skytrac) has a large number of orders for 2023 from what I have heard.
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This is gonna make Steamboat a dream place to go for different detachable grips, because it means you’ll get:
DS grips: Storm Peak Express and Sundown Express
AK grips: Pony Express
DT grips: Thunderhead Express
TB-41 grips: Sunshine Express
Omega grips: Christie Peak Express
AG grips: Elkhead Express and Steamboat Gondola
D-Line grips: Wild Blue Gondola
LPA grips: Pioneer Express
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And a nightmare for lift mechanics to learn how to fix all those different grips.
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Not really. That’s the fun part of our job, learning new things. The person who will have a have a (insert sarcasm here) fun time is the warehouse/parts guy, trying to keep all those different parts in stock.
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I was talking to a Lift Maintenance Supervisor at Winter Park a couple weeks back, and he told me that a guy from Steamboat Lift Maintenance was down at Winter Park checking out the LPA lifts they have there. It will definitely be interesting to see an LPA at steamboat especially after having many Doppelmayr projects.
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Barker 2.0 is now listed as a brand new lift with a TBD chair size? I thought Boyne announced it will be a reusing Jordan.
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Perhaps they’ve decided to go with a six pack for Barker.
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Maybe Barker will now go to Sugarloaf to replace Double Runner.
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I think Jordan is going to Shawnee
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That would actually be perfect for both Sunday River and Shawnee.
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Hey, if you scroll down to question 11 on this form, it says they’re going to try and get the White Peaks T-Bar in for the 22-23 season, not 23-24. https://www.fs.usda.gov/nfs/11558/www/nepa/117188_FSPLT3_5750598.pdf
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That document is from last fall and plans have changed.
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Are the mammoth mountain’s old broadway and canyon express lifts going to be relocated to other parts of the mountain? Mammoth needs some detach upgrades too.
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Probably not considering they are Yan retrofits which means they likely have mechanical issues.
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Where is Sunlight getting the used Poma triple?
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Our legendary neighbours across the county, if I had to hazard a guess.
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Lenawee Mountain
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Makes sense, Lenawee Mountain is close to the same vert and length as Segundo.
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This is pure speculation, but after the myriad parking challenges it experienced this winter, a very successful sale of 20 luxury condo units, and the completion of the Humbird, I would be pretty surprised if Schweitzer weren’t added to 2023 (or 2024, especially given the way the order books are going).
This would be for a lift to begin to enable its new Mid-Mountain base area (which is a terrible misnomer, by the way) –– either a detachable replacement and extension of Musical Chairs/Chair 2 or an entirely new two-stage detachable from this new parking lot to the Chair 5 Saddle. I’d expect any addition there to be a multi-year project over at least three summers, including parking and one new lift first, then adding a day lodge, beginner runs/lifts/carpets, and other amenities in future phases.
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I think both of those projects are proposed in the master plan.
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where did lift 1A at aspen go? I thought that it was supposed to be built in 2023?
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Perhaps it is on hold due to the recent Gorsuch site sale?
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Confirmed it is on hold as a result of the sale. The new owners have yet to establish a firm timeline for the project, so the project will be delayed in tandem with the property development.
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Does anyone know if Vail Resorts will be relocating Big Red Express from Whistler-Blackcomb? The same can be said for Silverlode Express from Park City.
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No to Red. Being scavenged for parts and scrapped.
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When did Sugarbush announce a replacement for Heaven’s Gate? Also, I wonder why they’re going fixed grip instead of detachable since it’s the main upper mountain workhorse, though I guess fixed grips handle wind better. A fixed grip quad with a loading carpet (like on Valley House) should be a decent increase in capacity.
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I think if they have thoughts of upgrading Super Bravo to a six, they would need to upgrade this first…. North Lynx should also move to a quad. I think the loading carpet would be a good idea as well.
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I wonder if LPOA, Doppelmayr or skytrac will build the new lift
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I have always thought they should move Super Bravo here and make Super Bravo a six. Regardless, not making Heaven’s gate a detachable is a mistake. I understand most of the terrain served by the lift is advanced, but Jester is there and this is not like Castlerock given the snowmaking. The lift is long enough, Alterra has the money, it should be a detachable.
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No. No it should not. There are precisely four ways down from the top, of which 3 are for expert skiers only. Moreover, the ridgeline at the top of LP is super exposed to wind and, as someone who skies the East should know, quite prone to icing. It’s highly unlikely that whatever benefits would accrue from the shorter ride time would outweigh the operational and financial downsides from moving to a detatch. Moreover, with an 8/5 minute ride at present, it’s not like the ride time is a key challenge here. Per a suggestion up thread, far better to go with a fixed grip quad and loading carpet. You could reduce ride time by a minute or more while having more wind-resistant chairs that could be spaced such that you don’t overwhelm that pod – current capacity of HG is just 1500/hr.
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1) A detachable has no greater capacity than a fixed-grip. Making it a detachable quad will not crowd the trails more than a fixed-grip quad.
2) The wind (and windchill) is precisely why I would make the lift detachable. Yes, the ride time is not terrible, but the wind can make it unpleasant. I also do not believe modern detachable lifts have a worse wind performance than fixed-grips.
3) There is no detachable to the top of Lincoln Peak, Castlerock, North Lynx, Inverness, or Mt. Ellen (although North Ridge does come close). It makes sense for at least one summit to have a detachable, and at least the flagship mountain of Sugarbush deserves one.
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The trail capacity shouldn’t be a huge issue here; Sensation at Stowe is a similar situation, with 3-4 runs off the top and only 1 being a blue. I’ve always found it odd that Sugarbush has a bunch of great terrain but the vast majority of the expert stuff is only serviced by fixed grips. North Ridge is the only upper mountain detachable.
I don’t think icing is a big enough problem to prevent a detachable here. I’m not sure about if detaches are worse in the wind or not, if that’s the case than that’s a valid reason to go fgq. I think this lift warrants a detachable though.
I’m also not sure exactly why they’re replacing it now. 1984 isn’t thaaat old, and replacing FGT with FGQ feels like an age-based upgrade. If the plan is to just replace with a fixed grip, I think this investment would be better spent somewhere else, and heaven’s gate should be revisited in 5-10 years.
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God no. There are three trails off North Lynx, only two of which have snowmaking, and this pod is open about as frequently as Castlerock b/c it’s the last on the snowmaking plan, facing due South. It’s also a 3000′ lift with a 7 minute ride time – speed and capacity are not real challenges here.
Assuming the Super Bravo lift could even be re-used (LOTS of hours on that machine since installation in 1996), the only spot it would make sense to install at SB would IMO be as a replacement for Inverness. Longest ride time of any lift at the resort save for Castlerock, and if they ever move forward with the mooted Upper Inverness pod, you’d want a detatch as capacity out of the base to get people up to what would be mid-mountain at that time. Could then shift Inverness quad or heck maybe even Heaven’s Gate Triple to be the Upper Inverness lift.
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I think if they have thoughts of upgrading Super Bravo to a six, they would need to upgrade this first…. North Lynx should also move to a quad. I think the loading carpet would be a good idea as well.
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Curious why you don’t have the replacement of the Thunder fixed grip quad at JH? Turning into a high speed quad?
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Because this list is for 2023 projects and Thunder is being built in 2022. https://liftblog.com/2022-new-lifts/
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Mayflower Mountain says they are starting work now for the installation of six chairlifts and a gondola, with the first actual lift components being installed next summer. I see Peter updated the spreadsheet with two chairlifts in 2023, so I guess the remaining four plus gondola will be in 2024 onward? Seven installation would be a ton for one summer…
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I got in touch with Mayflower to clarify with them. They are going to have another company run ski operations. The obvious candidate is Alterra but they are not ready to name the operator yet. They are working with the operator on finalizing lift specifications and hope to sign with a manufacturer by the end of June. Lift construction will likely take multiple years and they are planning to open in 2024-25, not 2023-24. That would put the majority of the lift installation in 2024, not 2023.
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The 2022 construction season has barely started and there are only 31 fewer lift orders for 2023 compared to 2022. None of the commitments are from Vail, and if they come close to the 19 they did this year, 2023 may sell out before the 2022 ski season begins.
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I am hoping we get another September lift announcement from Vail rather than December. It makes sense to do it when passes are on sale and I think required early ordering is here to stay.
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From what I hear from the grapevine, 2023 is already sold out, atleast for detachables.
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I have heard that as well. I can’t say how true it is, but there are so many confirmed orders already. Unfortunately our L-lift isn’t one of them, and I’m afraid if we don’t order soon we’ll be pushed out to ’24. That may already be the case.
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The days of spring orders for fall delivery are definitely over, It is looking like 18-24 month leads are here to stay not just due to demand but also due to component lead times.
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I have to think manufacturers are at least able to boost production if the backlog goes this far down the road. Given that 2022 has had incredible demand and 2023 is following suit this far in advance, I would like to think that Doppelmayr and LPA are able to increase capacity 12-24 months down the road.
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Probably only a few things holding them back- materials and component lead times; production staff; installation staff.
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I had heard that the Sunlight lift will be for the East Ridge area, rather than as a replacement.
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Whats going on with the Aspen 1A project?
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The map shows a gondola but the table just lists the Pandora’s project
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It is because there used to be a 1A Telemix on there. That cursed project has moved from next year to the next year more times than I can count.
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Anybody have any idea what the status of that project is? Been in the works so long that ASC got an entirely different expansion planned and approved (Pandora’s) and the FIS has now moved past its own recommendation that Aspen not host World Cup Races until the lift is replaced. Seems like a desperately needed lift replacement, but appears to be stuck in development hell a la Ever Vail.
https://www.aspentimes.com/news/fis-great-job-hosting-races-aspen-replace-lift/
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Did Pioneer Ridge switch manufacturers again? Before it got switched back to “to be announced” it was tagged as being built by Leitner Poma and before that Doppelmayr. Did they lose the contract on that one?
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Nope. Pioneer Ridge will be a Leitner-Poma installation. I was in contact with the North American sales manager, and he said they won the Pioneer Ridge bid about a month ago.
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I’m slightly confused about the Skyliner replacement at Bachelor. The spreadsheet says its going to be Doppelmayr, but the cell color shows Leitner-Poma.
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Fixed it. Doppelmayr.
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What is the T-bar at Waterville?
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https://usfs-public.app.box.com/v/PinyonPublic/file/935631157117
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I noticed the Waterville T-bar got removed from the list. Did it get postponed?
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Waterville told me they are focused on a successful launch of their six pack before committing to a timeline for the T-Bar. They are still working through the approval process though. MND doesn’t have any projects in the US announced yet for 2023.
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Are both new lifts at Park City D-Line?
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Just Silverlode.
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guys i hope that mount snow’s 2 new lifts are bottom drive
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Is the Pioneer 6-pack at Winter Park ever going to get built?
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They’re hoping for next year. I doubt it though given the lead time for brand new lifts. I was told by one of the electrical mechanics that they might do the Gemini project before pioneer gets replaced. They recently did the 7-year load test on Pioneer, hopefully it’s the last one.
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Update: Confirmed for next year. Not so sure on the manufacturer but I would have to guess LPOA since Doppelmayr is sold out according to previous comments.
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Hey Peter, can you show me where you found that International is going to be built in 2023?
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Boyne announced it last April, here’s a link to the announcement https://liftblog.com/2022/04/20/the-summit-at-snoqualmie-unveils-big-plans/
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I have to think Doppelmayr is building Wilbere at Snowbird given the mountain’s lift inventory history.
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Two things.
1) Doppelmayr is about sold out for 2023 if not already sold out.
2) Powdr has a pattern lately of applying for and gaining approval for lift projects then not building them. See Copper, Eldora and Lee Canyon. We’ll see.
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Taos is throwing off the alphabetical list of the 2023 lifts
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https://kdvr.com/news/local/ski-resort-changes-you-can-expect-in-colorado/
says that in 2023 Sunlight will replace their Segundo lift. New lift is in their parking lot now, if above link is correct.
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Peter, it looks like you’ve confirmed the new lift at Schweitzer as a LPA detachable. Have you heard any more details on which lift they’re looking at from their master plan? Curious if it’s the one with a mid-station and unload at the Stella saddle.
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Schweitzer has a deposit down with Leitner-Poma for a 2023 lift but they have not released the chair size or location yet.
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Some updates here!
https://www.schweitzer.com/schweitzer-life/master-plan/
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Winter Park is replacing the Pioneer Express with a six-pack for the 2023 ski season. I’m calling it now, I emailed the park and they said they are working toward a replacement for the 2023-24 ski season. Anyone with arguments, come at me, try and change my mind.
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Not trying to ‘come at you’ or ‘change your mind’, but no lift is for certain until the project is approved and the contract is signed…
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Looks like I was right almost 2 months ago.
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Looks like there will be 3 new lifts for 2023 that will be named “Pioneer” or have “Pioneer” in its name. 2 of these will be in Colorado while the other is in New Mexico.
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Any details on the new lift at Crystal?
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Sounds like despite what the Crystal website says it’s not happening next year because the manufacturers are sold out.
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If the two historically big manufacturers are already sold out, then why aren’t any ski areas contracting with MND for new lifts next year?
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Or is this an oppertunity for more Partek? Maybe its more of a detachable problem. If the unfufilled fixed grip market market gets big enough, surely Byron Riblet himself will rise from the dead…
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Purely because barely anyone has heard of them. Like it or not, they’re new on the North American market and it will take time for them to gain recognition. I can almost guarantee that if I proposed to our management that they consider MND for our next lift, they’d say ‘Who? Why?’
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This would be the first time in history that the manufactures are sold out a year in advance. With the energy situation in Europe it could certainly be a problem for manufacturing. I guess I need to do a little research and find out what’s really going on??
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I see only three Skytracs in 2023, compared to nine in 2022. Perhaps it’s just the detachable market?
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It certainly seems like it’s the detachable market , which is what prompted me to say MND
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Yet, Sugarbush delayed a fixed grip quad, citing trouble contracting for one for 2023.
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Skytrac also does a decent amount of business doing refurbishments and terminal replacements. Those don’t necessarily make the “new lift” list but they generate business for the company.
Their market outlook looks promising for the future as there are a ton of fixed grips in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast that are coming due for overhaul, refurbishment, replacement in the next decade. All the Riblet, Hall, Borvig stuff that is out there and with the the big boys getting sold out on detachable work, Skytrac is going to hopefully be able to fill the void in the market. Look at a place like Nubs that basically has gone on record, they Skytrac is the future for the ski area and they anticipate to replace all their lift infrastructure with them in the decade(s) ahead. I imagine other midwestern areas are having the exact same thought process.
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Yah three skytrac new lift projects are listed there are more than that signed plus retrofits projects. We thankfully build most of our lifts in SLC with US made components, but some drive components, diesels, gearboxes, electrical components are imported, in tight supply, or have enormous lead times of six months or more.
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Getting anyone qualified to build a lift is probably as much of the problem as anything. None of the lift manufactures have enough installers of their own. They need to sub-contract out a lot of the construction to one of the lift building contractors.
Which I know most of them have more work they can handle.
With all that being said I wouldn’t be surprised to see several new lifts added to the 2023 list and some removed.
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Yes there are almost certainly lifts which have been ordered but not yet announced and missing from this list. And there are also probably some on here that have been announced but not ordered.
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Solitude should really reevaluate their upgrade plan with Eagle, as they have to acknowledge the mountain’s current visitation is way beyond what was needed in the 80s when they originally settled on a 2800 pph quad. This weekend was abnormal due to the resort opening with limited terrain when most neighboring Ikon destinations were closed, but the fact Solitude was that crowded at all is a sign of the overall increase in visitation that has occurred in the past decade. Amber Broadaway was at Sugarbush and had a front row seat to see nearby Stowe mistakenly keep FourRunner as a quad when upgraded and have long lines from Day 1, with them now having to spend millions of additional dollar upgrading Mountain to manage crowds. Do not make the same mistake here!
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Wasn’t the new Pioneer Express postponed from 2022?
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