Peter Landsman started Lift Blog in 2015 after years of documenting ski lifts around the United States. He learned to ski at age four at Snoqualmie Pass and Crystal Mountain near Seattle. Even at that age, he was as interested in the ride up as much as skiing down. After high school, he attended Colby College in Waterville, Maine, earning a B.A. in Government in 2012. While there, he made sure to ski as many areas as possible in Maine and New Hampshire. After graduation, he headed back west to Wyoming to work in the lift operations department at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. He supervises lift crews and skis 130+ days a year, travelling as much as possible to other resorts with interesting lifts. Feel free to get in touch at Peter@liftblog.com. You can also follow the blog on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Disclosure: While I am an employee of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, this blog is an independent project. The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of JHMR.
Lift Blog 
Hi Peter. Interesting blog.
Not sure if anybody cares about what might become the worlds shortest detachable at Seven Springs PA; we have some construction activity between two ancient fixed 3-seaters. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=pae1andonly&set=a.4778540265506882
Cheers,
Paul
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Does anyone know what a ski lift is and where I can find any information about them? A friend sent me here and told me you guys would provide information about them.
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What specific type of information are you looking for? This site mainly has articles covering proposed/planned new lifts, lift accidents, and other lift-related content as well as spreadsheets of lift statistics and photos of lifts in the USA and Canada. A few other websites that have information about lifts include skilift.org, chairlift.org (both a bit outdated), as well as remontees-mecaniques.net (in French).
As for your question about what lifts are, they are basically mechanical devices that transport people, usually using some sort of circulating rope or cable (also called the “haul rope”). There are many different types of lifts, but the two main categories featured on this site are surface lifts such as T-Bars (where your skis stay on the ground and you are towed uphill) and aerial lifts such as chairlifts, gondolas and aerial trams (where you are lifted off the ground). In addition to skiing-related applications, lifts are also used as rides at zoos or amusement parks and as urban transportation. These lifts are also featured on this site in addition to the lifts at ski areas.
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Sadly skilifts.org has a bandwidth issue
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What was the tip you had about getting the embedded Google Sheets to reappear? I got a new computer and they don’t show up in Chrome (they work in Microsoft Edge)
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For past week I can’t bring up information on lifts. I go to the area page and where the list of lifts are posted I get this… ” Google Docs encountered an error. Please try reloading this page, or coming back to it in a few minutes.
To learn more about the Google Docs editors, please visit our help center.” Is this on my end or an issue with this site?
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Yes, I’m also having this issue on multiple devices, but Edge works…
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And it’s only the Google Docs for the individual ski resorts, not the embedded ones on the ‘New Lifts’ pages.
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I’ve heard others are having the same problem. They all work fine for me on Google Chrome on Windows and iPhone. I didn’t change anything so not sure why they would stop showing up.
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Found out that I can right click the ski resort I want to visit and hit “open link in incognito window” and it’ll display what I used to see!
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As of today, it started working for me again. I’m not sure what changed….
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Can anyone else confirm? This has been so frustrating.
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The Google Sheets seem to be working for me as well (in both incognito and non-incognito windows).
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Yes! Working again for me.
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sometimes I use lift blog on a school laptop and it does not allow me access to Google sheets but I found a loophole, if I know what lift I want to see, for example, northwest @ mt bachelor in Oregon, instead of clicking lift database and clicking the USA, Oregon, Mt bachelor I just search “lift blog Mt bachelor northwest” into my browser and it shows up with a thing that you can click that will take you straight to the photos and the “thoughts”. also you can just search “lift blog Mt bachelor and now it will have a bunch of the most popular lifts. though I only use this cause I’m using a school laptop but it could still work because I’m still trying to avoid Google sheets. oops looks like im 4 years late, but if anybody is still having this problem!
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This upcoming ski season is going to be huge since everyone can start traveling again. For example, I already had to make hotel reservations for Steamboat next year in December and almost everything was already sold out. At almost every resort all of December and January will soon be all sold out for hotels, renting out houses, etc.
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Peter, have you ever considered adding planned lifts to the spreadsheets? All you would need to put in is the lift name, lift type, and the manufacturer if it is known.
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Isn’t that what the New Lifts pages are for?
Anyway, shouldn’t clicking the New Lifts page in the menu send you straight to 2021 New Lifts instead of 2017 New Lifts?
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Now it does :)
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I tried to look at some pics and got an error from Adobe?! Do your images really need Adobe to view?
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No.
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A tip I have for looking at lift construction and the place does not have web cams is the following:
If you have Snapchat, go to your snap map and go to the location of the lift construction. If there is an active snap story you can click on there, there is a chance you can see lift construction. It’s a low chance but another way to look at lift construction.
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You need to comment on this. Although employees are not responsible for their employer’s political leanings, sometimes you have to take a stance. I personally would strongly voice my opinion to leadership and if it was not heard, I would resign. This kind of support for such a polarizing figure has no place in the resort industry. It is not good for business. Sometimes doing the right thing is more important than a job. I also will never spend another dollar on JHMR, as much as I love the area and resort.
– Peter K.
https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/town_county/local/marjorie-taylor-greene-republican-leaders-raise-money-in-jackson-hole/article_b31d833c-d354-5dd5-bfae-ac6a2e1b2625.html
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This is surprising that the Kemmerers are taking part. Typically, any business that markets on a retail basis, like a ski resort, stays out of politics irrespective of the political sentiments of the owners. It’s just not good business to potentially piss off half of your customer base. Wyoming is as red as a state can get but I’m sure JHMR tries to lure skiers from wealthy blue areas like California. I don’t get it.
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My guy this is a blog about funny flying chair machines, not politics, if you don’t like political polarization and political divides in society then please ask yourself why you’re squatting in a Jackson Hole employee’s personal blog trying to browbeat him for not affirming your political biases
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> I personally would strongly voice my opinion to leadership and if it was not heard, I would resign.
Cool, nobody cares.
Please do go away, I won’t be disappointed to have one less person in the tramline.
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Let’s keep this blog politics free. Please go and complain somewhere else.
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Is it just me or does anyone ever just spam the search button at the top and try to guess which lift appears on the banner page when refreshed?
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How to ride the lift: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snGkpd76RYE
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Yo your missing some of the rope tows in Colorado, specifically Ouray and Durango do you not consider them lifts or what
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Peter does not consider rope toes as lifts.
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Thats some bullshit Peter! Some of our slopes are served by rope
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Feel free to start your own rope site…
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I am a rope tow/magic carpet entusiast, but I don’t think that each one deserves a spot on the blog. I mean they are a couple pulleys and a rope, or a motor and a belt. Pretty vastly differant than actual ariel lifts.
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Most rope tows are not lifts. They are.. tows. Tow tow tow your boat gently up hill..
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Great blog!
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Amazing blog!
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Great site! Is there anyway to see the full database of all the lifts? Or even just a full list for each state/province?
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Does anyone have any info on the winter forecast for 22-23 yet? Hopefully it will be better than this low snow year.
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Lake Tahoe area went 43 straight days without snow until mid february, still lots of bare spots at Palisades Tahoe
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I got a suggestion for the website. Have you thought about a dark mode feature, the plain white can be hard on the eyes.
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Yes, I agree. It would be nice if you could make dark mode Peter.
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A suggestion: On the page for a specific lift, include a link back to the page for the resort. Often in the the stories there are links to specific lifts which I click on, but then find myself wanting to go to the resort page to see the other lifts at that location, and then I have to click on ‘Lift Database’, ‘Country’, ‘State’ – and finally the resort. This would make things easier to go back and forth.
Now, I’m not expecting you immediately do this for all lift pages, but perhaps as they are updated, or new ones added.
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So, did you take all the photos of the lifts. Many are off season, so you must have done a lot of traveling and hiking to get all those!
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Great blog, thanks for doing this. Are you following the new Chair 9 in Telluride? Work has begun on replacing the iconic and ancient triple for a detachable quad.
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didn’t want to bother you with an email but I think a link to the page for the banner image would be fun, I love seeing the random image but I’d also love to learn more about it. (kind like how they do on https://www.remontees-mecaniques.net/ )
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Hi Peter,
Stopping by from Proper Peaks [www.properpeaks.com]. The team just wanted to see say love your content.
Cheers to another great ski season ahead.
See you on the slopes,
Brianna
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Peter, are you ever planning to head to another continent and get some pictures there? Maybe Australia/New Zealand over North America’s summer?
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Peter, Have you ever considered adding a column to your database that identifies which lifts have footrests? Or it maybe simpler to identify which ones do not.
The reason I ask is I have a friend I ski with frequently who has a knee locked 15 degrees. It is excruciating painful for him to ride chair lifts without some kind of footrest. So far we use the database to look at the pictures lift by lift for the presence or absence of footrests to determine if it is feasible for him to ski a particular area. I have met other people who have similar issues who would appreciate that information.
Thanks
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Us non-Twitter users can no longer see the Tweets on the main page. I’m assuming that’s one of Elon’s changes…..
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Good riddance to Twitter.
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What about the Skyway once at Disneyland?
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If it’s this one then I think it was dismantled in the late ‘90s
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Yes, it ran into the early 90s. This type of lift was used almost exclusively at theme parks and fairgrounds.
I wonder if many cabins are still around.
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Hi Peter – Any knowledge of the models of detachable quad lift in the recent Thredbo lift accidents 2023 & 2019 ? thanks – Carl
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1st incident: 2016, 1988 Doppelmayr detach Gunbarrel Express
2nd incident: 2019, Gunbarrel Express
3rd incident: 2023, 1990 Doppelmayr detach Kosciuszko Express
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Have you seen a similar site/blog for ski lifts in Japan?
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The French website Remontees Mechanique has most Japanese lifts on their website. Just sort the lifts by geography and you’ll find them easily. The photos on RM are usually a lot poorer quality than Liftblog’s though
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SnowJapan.com is also a good resource.
https://www.snowjapan.com/
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Anty chance at getting your twitter feed going on the main page again? I enoyed your reposts, pictres, and a few inside scoops. For me, it always says it’s not working or is stuck showing “Good night, Tetons” and previous posts only. Sorry if I’ve missed you posting something on this topic.
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The Twitter widget is showing fine for me on the home page. Elon killed it at one point but it came back a few weeks later. You can always go to X.com/liftblog
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Maybe what I’m missing is simple. X.com/liftblog also shows Feb 15th Goodnight, Tetons as your last post. Have you stopped posting? Thanks for the prompt reply, BTW.
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hi peter Could you possibly consider going down to Australia because try as i might i can hardly find any pictures of specific lifts. Im a surface lift enthusiast and they have SO MANY unique surface lifts down there at perisher, charlotte pass, etc.
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Amazing!
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Next time you’re passing through Golden, CO you should check out Colorado School of Mines’ Ropeway Center in the Arthur Lakes Library.
https://libguides.mines.edu/Ropeway-Center
I’m not sure if you knew about it but wanted to share.
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I’ve been skiing since the age of 5, and after five decades in which I barely gave it any thought, I now find myself highly interested in ski lifts and how they operate. It’s a fascinating subject. And this blog is essential reading. Great work, Peter.
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Steamboat press indicates a new 6 pack is scheduled this summer for the reincarnation of the Stagecoach ski area. And a Sunshine liftie told me their new 6 pack is for 2026 installation.
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anyone know where the red bubble lift that occasionally is the banner at the top of the page is located. I know it’s not in North America because the only red bubbles are at Sunday river and the terrain is much different in the picture.
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That is incorrect.
Also the lift in the banner I believe is the Peak to Peak at Whistler Blackcomb.
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He said bubble – P2P is a 3S Gondola. Peter has some Euro lifts sprinkled in the header images, so the one you are thinking of is likely from there.
Sunday River special ordered their Red Bubbles on Jordan and Barker. Orange Bubbles can be found as a regular order item, like on OBX at PC or TPT LX at Sunshine.
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Found it!
Search up CLD Mullerbahn, Samnaun, CHE on google and you will find the exact picture that I was talking about if you scroll down a little
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Found it!
https://images.app.goo.gl/fT86ZzdfvGmKhXDs5
Doppelmayr has more information
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It is not peak to peak, It’s a bubble 6 pack. If I see the banner again I’ll see if I can determine a manufacturer of the chairs or towers.
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There’s an old rope tow still in use in the hills above Homer, Alaska. It’s been in use for over 70 years.
https://www.homerropetow.org
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Peter does not cover ski areas that just operate with rope tows. Although there are one or two exceptions here and there if the lift profile is unique or worth noting – like Alta’s transfer tow.
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Is there a way to sort the data for a given ski area, such as
https://liftblog.com/mammoth-mountain-ca/
?
Currently, the whole spreadsheet is locked, but it would be useful to be able to sort by, say, opening date.
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It’s very impressive that you managed to ride every lift in the U.S and Canada, and still go back regularly to take pictures of new lifts! And the fact that you managed to get into places like Yellowstone Club is just plain impressive. Your dedication to this site is beyond admirable. Thanks for the pictures, and keep up the good work!
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Any details on what Brodie Mountain Ski Area in Massachusetts used to have for lifts? Understand it was recently purchased.
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Check out New England Lost Ski Areas or New England Ski History…. https://www.nelsap.org/ https://www.newenglandskihistory.com/
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Here is a ridiculously cool bicable model gondola, with a working grip system that actually detaches from the cable!
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