- 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.
Lift Blog 
Ski in peace, Jim Crown.
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Thank you Skier72 for your lost (mostly) canadian ski area videos. Been watching for months and look forward to whats to come.
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FIVE SuperChair holds 4 people. What a dumb name.
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Its predecessor was called five chair, and it held two people . . . what’s your point? The name comes from back when the resort had numbered and lettered lifts, and they either couldn’t come up with a new name for the detach or they wanted to keep the name for nostalgic/historical purposes.
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I think it’s just the “superchair” part that seems lame. It’s just a typical HSQ. Nothing “Super” about it.
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It is consistent though. All of Breck’s high speed lifts are called SuperChairs (or SuperConnect for Peak 8)
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Not only is it Breck’s preference to call them superchairs, but this is something that I think Aspen SkiCo did for their detachables in the early years (which might be why Breck does it too since they were owned by Aspen SkiCo for a time in the 1980s and even as late as a few years ago, one could still find the occasional sign or two from those days around the mountain).
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What a great initiative and article on Altera’s Lift Mechanic Course at Stemboat
As a former lift mechanic, Mountain Manager and Project Manager for Doppelmayr I find this initiative very long term focused along with there existing Employees Housing initiatives
Really appreciated the acknowledgment of the Critical Importance that lift Ops on the entire Resort Communities in the Mountains and if Disney is any indication, probably future transportation systems in other Resort settings
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It’s something we in the industry have talked about for a while. It’s great to see it finally happen.
I was one of the three teachers in this programme; it was a definite second job getting content and classes set up. Big kudos to Alterra for taking the initiative to get it going and keep development on track, and to my other employer (CMC) for providing the academic framework necessary.
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With Sugarbush, I’m guessing the tentative plans are a high speed six pack replacement for North Ridge, and a fixed grip quad for Heavens Gate.
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