Month: March 2025

News Roundup: USFS

Peter Landsman18 Comments

Inside Skytrac’s New Home Base

Peter Landsman14 Comments

In between Utah lift visits last week, I ventured to Tooele, a sleepy town west of Salt Lake to see America’s newest lift factory. Skytrac Lifts opened its 25-acre campus last summer, which will supply chairlifts and surface lifts to customers throughout the US. During my visit, the Skytrac team was finishing getting settled while gearing up to build at least nine new lifts this summer.

Skytrac has grown substantially since building its first drive terminal at Monarch Mountain, Colorado in 2010. With the late Jan Leonard as one of the founders, the company quickly found a niche providing ski areas high quality yet uncomplicated fixed grip chairlifts. As of this winter, Skytrac has built 82 lifts in three countries along with numerous retrofits, modifications and relocations.

Leitner-Poma of America acquired Skytrac in 2016. The two companies remain distinct brands under Italian conglomerate High Technology Industries (HTI). Skytrac and Leitner-Poma often bid separately on the same projects and retain unique product lines. While both subsidiaries make fixed grip chairlifts, Skytrac recently took over the surface lift (T-Bar and Platter) side of the business while Leitner-Poma focuses on larger chairlifts and gondolas. For a surface lift, Skytrac manufactures operator houses, towers and control systems but imports carriers and terminals from Leitner’s specialized facility in Slovakia. Skytrac’s original products, the Monarch fixed grip chairlift and Hilltrac inclined elevator, are produced almost entirely in Tooele.

HTI’s 130,000 square foot building replaced a smaller site Skytrac leased site near the Salt Lake City airport. Tooele lies roughly 30 minutes west with ample land and two nearby technical colleges. With Skytrac occupying 90,000 square feet, the $27 million facility can produce nearly an entire chairlift under one roof. Everything from chairs and towers to bullwheels and control systems are made here. Electrical, engineering and sales departments work right alongside the production hall. Skytrac lifts are truly made in America with typically only the haul rope and gearbox imported from abroad.

The new facility is even larger than LPOA’s Grand Junction plant with ample room for growth. Bobby Langlands, Skytrac’s Sales Engineer and my tour guide, said the factory could probably pump out 20-plus lifts a year, up from the eight to ten they generally do now. In addition to production, there’s a cavernous parts warehouse, which will expand to include stock for the growing number of Leitner-Poma lifts in the Intermountain region. HTI sister companies Prinoth and Demaclenko also have space for parts and service in Tooele.

One of the coolest things when touring a lift factory is seeing parts tagged with names of mountains they’re headed to. Lift manufacturers generally produce components in order of contract signing and I saw pieces destined for Pats Peak, Ski Butternut, Monarch and Snowmass. Skytrac produces the most common components in advance based on a forecast. As an example, the company is producing 120 tower crossarms this spring and will do a second production run later if orders warrant. One thing that makes a Skytrac lift relatively affordable is the number of parts that are common among every lift. The chair bail, for example, is the same regardless of whether a customer orders a double, triple or quad.

Recently Skytrac has been busy engineering and fabricating restraint bars for older lifts that did not previously have them.

Skytrac utilizes several robotic welding machines in Tooele along with automated plasma cutters. Hard working people do the rest of the work by hand. The new facility includes a state-of-the art sandblasting and paint booths for finishing operator houses and motor room enclosures. Galvanizing is completed offsite by contractors.

In addition to Skytrac, Leitner-Poma, Demaclenko and Prinoth, a fifth HTI company is also involved with the Tooele project. Wind energy manufacturer Leitwind supplied a 250 kilowatt wind turbine capable of powering the entire plant. Italians were on site last week testing the turbine to prepare to hook up to Rocky Mountain Power’s regional grid.

Skytrac built nine complete lifts in 2024 and plans to do at least that many again this year. During my visit, the construction team was outside preparing to fan out across the country as Skytrac nears its 100th new lift.

News Roundup: Riverbanks

Peter Landsman11 Comments

Report Sheds Light on December Chair Collision at Heavenly

Peter Landsman37 Comments
Photo credt: TGIFaanes via Reddit

We now know more about what happened on the Comet Express at Heavenly in December when two chairs collided, injuring six people. The Forest Service recently completed an Incident Review Report which I obtained via a public records request.

Comet Express is the oldest detachable chairlift at Heavenly and was constructed by Doppelmayr in 1988. At roughly 9:45 am on December 23rd, a DS103 grip failed to close completely but did not trigger any safety switches when leaving the bottom terminal. The chair, number 66, reached tower 2 before sliding backward into the chair behind it, number 67. Three of the four adults on the slipping chair were ejected and fell approximately 24 feet to the snow below. The fourth passenger jumped from the chair. On the chair that was hit, one teenaged male rider fell and another teen remained pinned between the chairs. The lift was eventually run in reverse to unload him. It is unknown if passengers on chair 66 had lowered the restraint bar but the bar was down on chair 67. Remaining passengers on the lift were unloaded safely without the need for a rope evacuation. A total of six people were injured, five of whom were transported to area hospitals. At least one person was airlifted by helicopter to Reno.

Heavenly Mountain Resort promptly contacted the Forest Service as required following a serious lift incident in a National Forest. Representatives from the USFS, Doppelmayr and Vail Resorts collaborated to review the incident over the following days. “[Heavenly Mountain Resort] was able to take corrective steps and develop a DS-103 Grip Quality Assurance plan to correct the causes leading to the grip failure and provide additional standard operating procedures to reduce future incidents on other HMR ropeways with similar euqipment,” the Forest Service wrote. The resort and Forest Service also “discussed the importance of compliance with Service Bulletins issued by Manufacturers and written documents verifying compliance.” Comet Express was cleared to reopen on December 29th and returned to service the following day.

The Forest Service noted “the purpose of an incident review is not to determine fault or liability” and said it does not conduct investigations. Ski areas generally conduct internal investigations of incidents but it is not standard to submit those to the Forest Service. Vail Resorts has not released details of the curcumstances publicly other than confirming an incident occurred. Though Heavenly operates lifts in both California and Nevada, this incident occurred in Nevada where there is no tramway board to conduct a state investigation.

“We recognize the significance of the incident on Comet Express and offer our sympathy and support to everyone involved,” said Shaydar Edelmann, Heavenly Vice President and General Manager in a statement. “While chairlift incidents like this are extremely rare, we are constantly working to ensure the safety of our employees and our guests on all chairlifts at the resort,” he continued. “In this instance, we identified the cause and worked with the U.S. Forest Service and lift manufacturer to resolve the issue and safely reopen Comet chair. I am grateful to those partners who assisted us throughout the incident, and to our team members who responded quickly and professionally. Safety is our top priority, and we are committed to providing an excellent guest experience at Heavenly.”

Red Lodge Mountain Confirms Deropement Caused Lift Rider’s Death

Peter Landsman4 Comments

An “unexpectedly strong wind gust” caused the Triple Chair at Red Lodge Mountain to derope on Monday, leading to the death of a guest, the resort confirmed this morning. Thirty seven year old Jeffrey Zinne of Billings was riding alone when he was thrown from the lift following the “unusually aggressive derailment.” Zinne died from his injuries early Wednesday morning. 135 other passengers were rope evacuated without incident. “On behalf of the Red Lodge Mountain team, we would like to send our most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Zinne, and to everyone impacted by the tragedy that occurred on Monday,” the resort said in a statement.

“We are working in collaboration with the US Forest Service, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, and Iron Mountain Engineering, an independent professional lift inspector, to understand how this tragedy occurred,” Red Lodge Mountain said. The 42 year old CTEC Triple Chair did not have a restraint bar and this incident is sure to bring renewed scrutiny to the hundreds of lifts still operating without them throughout the west and midwest. In January 2023, a similar incident occurred at Park City Mountain when a ski patroller was thrown from a triple chair and killed when a tree fell on the line, causing the lift to violently de-rope. That chair did have a restraint bar but it is not known whether the patroller had it down. Even on lifts with bars, riders can still fall out, especially in the case of a violent deropement.

Although Red Lodge is a relatively small operation with an old school feel, the mountain is owned by San Francisco-based real estate investment firm JMA Ventures. JMA also operates Homewood Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe along with numerous hotels, apartment complexes and mixed-use developments.

“Chairlift safety is a top priority, and something we take incredibly seriously,” Red Lodge said. “Until the lift assessment is complete, the lift is repaired, tested and evaluated again by inspectors and regulatory agencies, it will remain closed. Currently, there is no estimate as to when the Triple Chair will reopen.” The resort added the Willow Creek chair is also closed for maintenance. “We are optimistic that [Willow Creek] will reopen soon, however once maintenance has been completed, it will also undergo a full inspection before reopening as part of our standard operating procedure,” Red Lodge wrote. Two other lifts – Cole Creek and Grizzly Peak, have also remained closed since the accident. With limited terrain open, the resort has reduced ticket prices until further notice.

A GoFundMe has been set up to support Mr. Zinne’s wife, Meghan, and their two year old child. The family would also like to spread awareness about organ donation. “Jeff spent his final moments donating his precious organs,” the family wrote.

News Roundup: Stairway to Heaven

Peter Landsman36 Comments

Bretton Woods to Replace Bethlehem Express

Peter Landsman4 Comments

At least four new lifts will be constructed in New Hampshire this summer following the state tramway board’s approval for Bretton Woods to begin construction on a new high speed quad. The new lift will replace the Bethlehem Express, the oldest of five detachables on the mountain. Doppelmayr constructed the current lift in 1989 but the new one will be built by Leitner-Poma. It will be the first Poma lift constructed at Bretton Woods since 1973, when three Heron-Poma lifts debuted for the resort’s inaugural season. In addition to retiring Bethlehem Express, Bretton Woods is also retiring the nearby Fayban’s Express triple and auctioning the chairs.

Bretton Woods is part of the Omni Mountain Washington Resort, itself a subsidiary of Omni Hotels & Resorts. The company has invested heavily in its New Hampshire ski area over the past decade including building an eight passenger gondola and expansive summit lodge. Bretton Woods and Leitner-Poma plan to start construction on Bethlehem in April and the new lift should be substantially completed in October.

Waterville Valley to Build New T-Bar

Peter Landsman7 Comments

MND Ropeways will construct another lift at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire this summer, replacing the existing World Cup T-Bar and Exhibition Poma. The lift will run in a new alignment, serving athletes and training programs as well as the general public. The new T-Bar will span 2,226 feet with a vertical rise of 602 feet and capacity of 1,100 skiers per hour.

“This new T-Bar is an exciting investment in our mountain’s infrastructure,” said Tim Smith, President & General Manager of Waterville Valley Resort. “It will greatly improve our ability to support training camps, race and freestyle programs, and provide enhanced access for recreational skiers.”

This will be the fifth MND Ropeways installation at Waterville following the High Country T-Bar, Tecumseh Express and two conveyors. As part of this summer’s work, Waterville will install redesigned bubbles for the Tecumseh Express’ 83 chairs. A new bubble material has already been tested and found to be more durable than the original Bartholet version.