Lift Blog

Resorts of the Canadian Rockies today unveiled a landmark order for four Leitner-Poma and Skytrac quad chairlifts set to debut at three British Columbia mountains over the next two years. The news follows RCR’s similar deal with Doppelmayr for three detachable lifts at Mont-Sainte-Anne in March. The total commitment for seven new lifts is remarkable considering the company last built a lift in Western Canada in 2011 and Eastern Canada in 2017. Over the next three years, RCR will add a 10 place gondola, two six packs, three detachable quads and one fixed grip quad across four of its six mountains. From the Leitner-Poma/Skytrac order, two lifts will go to Fernie Alpine Resort, one to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and one to Kimberley Alpine Resort. “This is a major investment in our BC resorts and shows our company’s commitment to providing excellent experiences for our guests and our resort communities,” said John Shea, President & Chief Resort Officer at RCR.

First up, Leitner-Poma and subsidiary Skytrac will head to Kimberley, replacing the Tamarack double with a fixed grip quad. The current chair is the oldest in RCR’s nationwide fleet, dating back to 1972. Tamarack was originally installed at Lake Louise before moving to Kimberley in 1998. The Tamarack Quad will follow the existing alignment and is expected to debut in December 2026. It will become just the second Skytrac in Western Canada following Whistler Blackcomb’s order for a Monarch quad earlier this year.

The following season, Leitner-Poma will construct two detachable quads at Fernie. The first will replace the 1989 Elk Quad, an out-of-base workhorse that spins both summer and winter. Elk Express will reduce ride time by nearly 50 percent and better accommodate downhill mountain bikers. Equally exciting is the installation of Cedar Bowl Express, a brand new lift from the bottom of Cedar Bowl to the summit of Great Bear Express. This lift will effectively replace the Haul Back T-Bar and eliminate a three lift ride from Cedar Bowl to Bear. Both of Fernie’s new detach quads are slated to debut in late 2027.

Finally comes huge news for Kicking Horse, which has suffered from lack of redundancy and lift downtime in recent seasons. A new Pioneer Express quad will more than double out-of-base capacity and travel to Stairway to Heaven, providing a sorely-needed alternate to the Golden Eagle Express Gondola. As part of this project, a 1986 Riblet also called Pioneer will retire. Pioneer Express will follow a completely new alignment to Crystal Bowl, rising some 2,600 vertical feet over 8,200 feet of slope length. This beast of a machine is expected to open for the 2027-28 ski season.

Resorts of the Canadian Rockies also announced major new real estate projects at Fernie and Kicking Horse. “Undertaking these new projects is a significant investment into our resorts and allows us to modernize our infrastructure and to significantly improve the experience for our guests, focusing on performance, comfort and innovation,” said Matt Mosteller, Senior Vice President of Resort Experience.