Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
Author: Peter Landsman
Chair Falls From Lift at Montana Snowbowl
A chair fell in the LaVelle double chair’s loading area at Montana Snowbowl Sunday, the resort’s third day of operations for the season. “Earlier today, an incident occurred on LaValle chairlift that required us to temporarily halt lift service,” Montana Snowbowl said in a statement posted to Facebook. “We are grateful to report that no injuries occurred. Our maintenance department was able to inspect the lift and ensure it was safe to operate. LaVelle was then reopened to the public for the remainder of the afternoon.”
LaVelle Creek is a 1984 Riblet double. The incident is the latest in a string of unfortunate mishaps involing Riblet lifts at Snowbowl. In March of 2023, a Riblet chair hit a tower and broke apart on the TV Mountain lift, causing a child to fall. The Forest Service sent a notice of noncompliance to the resort, preventing the lift from operating until it was repaired for the following season. Prior to that incident, the Grizzly lift was rope evacuated due to a power outage in February 2021. Another chair fell from the LaVelle lift in January 2020, requiring a rope evacuation.
Snowbowl plans to close midweek this week and reopen on Friday, December 20th.
Update: Montana Snowbowl issued a second statement on Monday clarifying why the chair detached from the haul rope: “Yesterday, an empty chair collided with a lift operator, causing it to swing abnormally and subsequently become dislodged. This was a highly unusual and isolated incident. No one was injured, and the lift was thoroughly inspected and confirmed safe before resuming operations later that day.”
News Roundup: Explorer
- Vail Resorts reports improving pass sales and will build four new lifts in 2025 at Andermatt-Sedrun, Perisher and Park City. Vail also teases future projects at Vail Mountain and Park City.
- A snowboarder is airlifted after falling 47 feet from the Ruby Express at Keystone.
- Nordic Valley, Utah looks to public tax dollars to fund new lifts.
- The State of Colorado contributes $250,000 toward reopeing Cuchara’s Chair 4.
- The union representing lift mechanics, electricians and patrollers at 13 western resorts changes its name to United Mountain Workers to reflect broadening ambitions.
- Drayton Valley, Alberta permanently closes, will liquidate assets including its T-Bar.
- The proposed private ski resort with D-Line gondola near Steamboat submits permit applications.
- It takes 8,400 horsepower worth of generators to run Steamboat’s Wild Blue Gondola off the grid.
- Meanwhile a dispute over using natural gas for snowmelt delays progress on a detachable replacement for the Wildhorse Gondola at Steamboat.
- Homewood’s master plan is recommended for approval next month.
- Grouse Mountain may replace the cabins on the Red Skyride.
- Sponsored job: Shop Technician at The Gondola Shop in Fruita, Colorado.
Instagram Tuesday: Pipestone
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Comfort Chairs
- Shuttered Sleeping Giant, Wyoming is listed for $500,000.
- Ariel at Mt. Ashland will open weeks late due to a tree strike.
- New York’s Olympic Regional Development Authority plans $70 to $155 million in capital spending annually for the next four years.
- Big Tupper’s new owners plan to reactivate at least one lift.
- Chicopee, Ontario’s new trail map shows a new lift his season on the front side and a backside expansion next year.
- Snowmass’ new map shows the new Coney Express with mid-station.
- Public tax dollars will fund a portion of lifts in Deer Valley’s East Village.
- Google abruptly removes tens of thousands of lifts from Google Maps.
- Grouse Mountain’s newest ropeway to be called Blue Grouse Gondola.
- Jay Peak nears replacing Bonaventure with a detachable quad; no West Bowl expansion any time soon.
- Powder Mountain CEO Reed Hastings talks about skiing as a subscription like Netflix, privatizing half the mountain and skiing as a real estate play.
- A gondola system is the preferred alternative for a transit corridor in Oshawa, Ontario.
- Vail Resorts readies its second D-Line detachable at Perisher.
- Belleayre’s Catskill Thunder Gondola is rope evacuated, will be down until further notice for repairs.
- The tram that crashed last month in Val Thorens will miss the entire season, photos show why.
Instagram Tuesday: Leitner-Poma
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Mega Order
- A Nevada county rejects re-zoning for a new ski area in the Ruby Mountains.
- Le Massif, Quebec is reportedly for sale or looking for an equity partner.
- Sandia Peak, New Mexico apologizes for recent lift downtime.
- Arctic Valley, Alaska’s new master plan envisions three new chairlifts.
- Mantis Ropeway Technologies debuts unmanned autonomous stations on six ropeways in Austria and Switzerland this winter with US expansion planned.
- Consulting firm SCJ Alliance expands its cable-propelled transit division.
- A Denver TV station explores the history of the only lost Vail Resorts mountain.
- Eleven Telluride residents seek to invalidate the successful ballot measure funding a new Mountain Village gondola.
- A Swiss resort group splits a $79 million lift order between Garaventa and Leitner. The former is Garaventa’s largest-ever order and includes the second-ever TRI-Line gondola.
- A straw poll suggests strong resident support for a gondola linking Park City’s Main Street with Deer Valley Resort.
Castle Mountain Announces Haig 1 Expansion
Alberta’s Castle Mountain will expand lift-served terrain by 25 percent next season as it opens its first detachable quad on Haig Ridge, located above the existing Huckleberry lift. Castle is currently the second largest resort in North America without a high speed lift behind only Red Mountain, British Columbia. Installation of the quad chair, which previously operated as Angel Express at Sunshine Village, represents the largest capital investment in Castle’s nearly 60 year history. Independent Castle Mountain has a long history of repurposing used lifts from Sunshine, Beaver Creek in Colorado and Angel Fire, New Mexico. “The addition of a lift serving this phenomenal terrain will forever transform our guests’ experience”, said Dean Parkinson, General Manager. “The terrain that will soon be available to all has been well loved by our cat skiing guests for over a decade, primarily for its deep snow and great skiing. We are excited to finally be opening up this terrain for everyone to enjoy.”
The 20 tower Haig 1 lift will span 4,757 linear feet with an impressive 1,805 foot vertical rise and five minute ride time. It’s is expected to open for the 2025-26 season, marking the end of cat skiing in the expansive Haig zone. The project is known for now as Haig 1 but will receive a new name before opening. “Castle Mountain Resort is proud to be taking on this project, utilizing its fantastic team, augmented with subject matter experts to ensure the success of the project,” the resort said in a release. “The lift will receive mechanical, electrical, and operational upgrades in order to be ready to go for December 2025.”
Instagram Tuesday: Summit
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Pleasant
- Snoqualmie’s Alpental and Summit West maps show new chairlifts in new alignments.
- Bear Valley’s 24-25 map shows the new Koala quad and Kuma shortened to become Cub.
- The new Pipestone Express hits Lake Louise’s map.
- Lost Valley shows off its first new lift since 1971.
- New legislation in Alberta I mentioned last week could revive Fortress Mountain.
- Doppelmayr publishes a fresh magazine issue.
- A nearby town is interested purchasing Eldora from Powdr.
- Alterra officially owns Arapahoe Basin.
- Snowhaven, Idaho may not open this season.
- Local leaders aren’t thrilled about the Forest Service’s proposal to only allow ticketed guests on the future Taos gondola.
- Human error is eyed in a French aerial tram crash that injured eight workers.
- A hearing is scheduled for next month re: Homewood’s revised master plan.
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