- Sugarbush affirms plans to build both a detachable and fixed grip chairlift next summer.
- Jackson Hole applies to replace Sublette with a detachable quad.
- Alterra partners with Colorado Mountain College on an intensive four week lift maintenance training course at Steamboat.
- Breck’s new high speed quad will be named FIVE SuperChair.
- Whiteface’s will be called The Notch.
- Park City puts more old gondola cabins on sale, new Red Pine cabins debut.
- Crested Butte mechanics and electricians vote 7-3 to unionize.
- Aspen Skiing Company managing partner and Alterra part owner Jim Crown dies unexpectedly.
- Brundage loses its only summer lift until further notice due to a mechanical issue.
Month: June 2023
Instagram Tuesday: Upgrading Existing Lifts
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Public Dollars
- California Mountain Resort Company (owner of China Peak/Dodge Ridge/Mountain High) buys Taos’ outgoing Lift 4 for reinstallation next summer.
- One of New Zealand’s largest ski resorts faces liquidation right before ski season.
- Solitude’s next three lift replacement priorities, in order, are Link, Sunrise and Powderhorn II.
- Buck Hill holds a chair sale. Middlebury Snowbowl too.
- Gatlinburg SkyLift Park simplifies its name to SkyPark.
- A New York public broadcaster highlights the Olympic Regional Development Authority’s $700 million in recent spending subsidized by taxpayers.
- A one year delay over sewer issues increases the cost of Gore Mountain’s new Ski Bowl detachable quad by $681,000, will now be built next year.
- New Hampshire commits $18 million to a major overhaul of the Cannon Mountain tramway.
- The Forest Service approves the replacement of Wilbere at Snowbird with a fixed grip quad.
- Leitner releases its 2022 annual report showcasing installations across Europe.
- Loon Mountain shares a South Peak construction update.
- Big Sky’s new tram cabins are complete and ready for shipping.
Instagram Tuesday: South Peak
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
New Gondola Planned for Canyons Village at Park City
Visitors to Park City’s Canyons Village will soon have a third out-of-base lift option. Today the Canyons Village Management Association board voted to sign a joint funding agreement with Vail Resorts for construction of a new 10 passenger gondola linking the south end of Canyons Village to Red Pine Lodge. Canyons Village has seen immense growth in recent years with new hotels, commercial space and employee housing opening while lift investment lagged. Once the project is complete, Park City skiers will be able to choose between the new Sunrise Gondola, the existing 8 passenger Red Pine Gondola and four passenger Orange Bubble Express chairlift at Canyons Village. The new machine will provide a much-needed out-of-base capacity and create a second downloading option for end-of-day egress.
The 6,512 foot long gondola will replace the Sunrise double and run along an undulating alignment crossing the existing Over and Out quad. 10 passenger cabins will carry riders 1,103 vertical feet between the village and mid-mountain. The bottom terminal will be located near the new Pendry hotel and the top will sit near the Saddleback Express and High Meadow Express lifts.
No manufacturer has been announced but lift equipment is expected to cost $18 million with an additional $9 million non-lift costs. The Canyons Village Management Association will fund up to $9.24 million of the $27 million total, though Vail Resorts will own and operate the gondola. The agreement between the two parties stipulates the new lift is to be completed within 36 months. “Park City Mountain and CVMA are pleased to be moving forward together toward this important future investment,” the two parties said in a statement. “A future gondola will enhance the Canyons Village experience and contribute to the operation of a world-class resort. Today’s CVMA board vote was one step in a process we are excited to continue as we partner to reimagine Canyons Village as a world-class destination.”
Snowbird Debuts Tram Rooftop Balconies
Starting today, anyone over 42 inches tall can ride on the roof of the legendary Snowbird Tram and enjoy unobstructed views of Little Cottonwood Canyon. The first-of-its-kind experience in the United States will cost $20 on top of a tram ticket, which currently runs between $37 and $42. I took a preview ride last night and enjoyed the open views of the carriage, towers and mountains during the trip. In addition to hosting the first public riders on the balconies today, the tram is also carrying the last skiers of the season up Hidden Peak this weekend.
Grouse Mountain in Canada debuted a similar rooftop option on its Garaventa tram in 2016 but it has been closed since Covid. At Snowbird, balconies are certified for up to 14 people but Snowbird plans to start with no more than 11 guests per trip. Riders ascend a staircase within the tram cabin during boarding and stand in a designated L-shaped area while the tram is in motion. Speed and capacity of the tram are limited when the system is in balcony mode. CWA and Garaventa designed a safety gate that is tied into the lift control system to prevent passengers from ascending or descending the staircase while the trip is underway. Cabin operators also have live video feed of the rooftop and Snowbird plans to have an additional operator on the balcony during each trip.



The new balconies, along with glass floor sections, are a summer-only offering and will be removed each winter season. This summer the tram is open 11:00 am to 8:00 pm daily, weather permitting.
News Roundup: No Refunds
- Bogus Basin proposes replacing Coach with a quad servicing a new, longer alignment.
- Maine reaches its second highest skier visit total ever.
- Vermont also reports strong results with visits up 10 percent over last year.
- The new owner of Holiday Mountain intends to install not one but two used chairlifts next summer.
- West Mountain looks toward building a detachable in 2025.
- Stevens Pass to sell center pole chairs from Kehr’s.
- A court decides Vail Resorts doesn’t owe Epic Pass holders refunds for the Covid-shortened 2020 season.
- Burke Mountain gets a purchase offer.
- Mechanics and electricians at Crested Butte will vote whether to unionize on June 30th.
- Two new lifts for next winter are already nearing completion at Loon Mountain and Massanutten.
- Deer Valley-Mayflower talks continue.
- Le Massif gives up trying to purchase struggling Mont-Sainte-Anne.
Instagram Tuesday: A Canadian First
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Reimagining
- The Canyons Village Management Association budgets $8 million for a Cabriolet replacement and $9.24 million toward a new gondola on the Canyons side of Park City Mountain.
- The Summit at Snoqualmie adds more chairs to Armstrong Express at Alpental.
- Mt. Bachelor offers Skyliner Express chairs for sale.
- Keystone releases an all new trail map showing the Bergman expansion.
- New owners of Holiday Mountain, New York will host a stakeholder meeting tomorrow to outline rebuilding plans.
- The Whistler Blackcomb Peak 2 Peak Gondola may open late for the summer due to an issue related to ice buildup.
- A former employee who fell 30 feet from a Riblet double without a safety bar while downloading accuses Stevens Pass of negligently operating an old, unsafe chairlift.
- Colorado reports a record 14.8 million skier visits.
- New Hampshire also reports strong results from last season.
- Vail Resorts says season pass sales are trending up 6 percent in units and 11 percent in dollars for next season.
- Le Massif will operate two of its longest lifts for a unique night time sound and light show this summer.
- Highland Mountain Bike Park to close its chairlift for a week to replace the communications line.
- Snowmass receives approval to replace Coney Glade with a realigned and extended detachable quad in 2024.
- Five years after closing, Deer Mountain, South Dakota will reopen as a private club.
Instagram Tuesday: Up and Down
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.





