- Powder Mountain is likely to replace Timberline with a fixed quad next year and leave the Indy Pass.
- Mt. Crescent, Iowa also leaves Indy.
- Norway Mountain, Michigan plans to reopen in 2024-25.
- Closed Val Bialas, New York also intends to reopen with a new chairlift.
- Vail Resorts may announce 2024 lift projects the afternoon of September 28th.
- Attitash’s new Mountaineer quad won’t be ready for opening day.
- Winter Park’s new six pack will be named Wild Spur Express.
- Skytrac President Carl Skylling talks chairlifts with Park City’s public radio station.
- Massanutten opens the first new lift of the year.
- Fresh off building two new lifts, Utah Olympic Park bleeds cash, lays off staff.
- Willamette Pass will reactivate the long-closed Midway chair.
Lift Blog 
Really not seeing the connection or the appeal for the name “wild spur express”. Pioneer was fine as is. They say “new lift, new name” but that clearly didn’t happen with Sunnyside back in 2019.
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Neither do I. It made sense that when the Summit Express was replaced, that six pack was named Super Gauge, for a number of reasons:
1. The new name nicely fit in with the railroad theme of Mary Jane’s chairlifts and trails. (“Super Gauge” because of it being a high speed six pack while the other lifts in the pod are Heron-Poma doubles)
2. When the original lift was built in 1985, it made sense to call it the Summit Express because at the time, the summit of Mary Jane was the highest point on the mountain. That was no longer the case once Parsenn Bowl opened in 1992.
But here, I don’t see the merits. The ‘Pioneer Express’ name fits nicely into a trail pod with trail names like Stagecoach, Sundance, and Wagon Train.
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I’d give them credit for moving from a generic lift name to a more unique one, but Winter Park is still one of the worst offenders for common names.
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I guess I kind of like the name. Like you said, they could have also gone with something more true to the area like “Dynamo Express” or even something simple like “Gambler Express” named after the run.
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NO!! Leave Timberline alone at Powder Mtn!
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Pow Mow peaked 99-06. Every change since has been for the worst.
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Happy to hear Midway is to be reactivated at WP. Better than sitting there doing nothing or to be scrapped.
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Anyone know what to expect from VR’s September 28 2024 lift announcement?
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I don’t think it’s inherent that they announce anything next week (they often wait until December), but a few that are on the radar and some ideas:
– Jersey Cream at Whistler (previously announced)
– Eagle and Silverlode at Park City (previously attempted), now that PCMR has changed up its parking program, which might help with approvals
– Grand Summit Express at Mt. Snow (replacement of a Yan/Poma hybrid)
– 5, A, C, or E at Breckenridge (although it seems unlikely as Breck has had a couple successive summers of lift upgrades)
– Grace Lakes or Northern Exposure at Stevens Pass have MDP approval and there’s a clear need for more terrain in the PNW, though Vail seems completely disinterested in terrain expansion at its West Coast resorts.
– Boulder at Heavenly to encourage more use of that entry portal.
– I still think it would be worthwhile to replace 1 and 2 at Kirkwood with a single HSQ, though again, Vail seems wildly disinterested in the West Coast.
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Breck replaced Lift 5 this year. Though I do think you got a point that Breck might wait a year or two after having just built three new high speed quads in as many ski seasons (Freedom SuperChair in 2021, Rip’s Ride in 2022, Five SuperChair this year) before they start on replacing Lift 6 or the Peak 9 Riblet lifts.
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I can see Breck build the approved beginner area at the top of Rip’s next. Think a triple chair and a few carpets were the plan if I recall.
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I don’t think Park City is going to get anything that will require city approvals until Vail has assurances they won’t be embarrassed again, as it is quite expensive to go through the whole process and be rejected at the last minute. The new Canyons gondola is a 2024 candidate, although 2025 may be a more realistic timeline.
The 2 proposed lifts above Flat Iron will likely be built soon in The Colony as well. At a bare minimum, the north Pinecone Ridge one will be needed to give all new homesites ski-in access.
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