- 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.
Author: Peter Landsman
Wolf Creek to Debut New Beginner Chair
A surprise eighth chairlift is under construction at Wolf Creek Ski Area in Southwest Colorado this September. The Tumbler quad will service a modest new beginner pod in the area of Engelmann Glades. With this late season addition, Colorado is up to six new chairlifts and a new gondola for the upcoming 2023-24 ski season.
The Forest Service only approved the project on August 10th and satellite imagery shows tree clearing began shortly thereafter. Wolf Creek has not formally announced details but a teaser shows a Doppelmayr fixed grip quad in the parking lot and tower foundations under construction. The Forest Service notes Tumbler will “provide additional infrastructure to the ski area to support operations, disperse use and provide for a quality recreation experience.”
Instagram Tuesday: Blue Moon
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Von Rolls
- Wolf Ridge, North Carolina re-brands as Hatley Pointe.
- New tram cabins land in Big Sky after a journey from Switzerland.
- Steamboat advances construction of a parking lot transport gondola.
- The Forest Service explains why it rejected Lutsen’s expansion proposal.
- Snow Ridge will host another tornado cleanup this month.
- Cleanup begins after the epic flood at Lee Canyon.
- Massanutten plans to open the first brand new lift of 2023 next weekend.
- Holiday Valley will open its new six pack in October for pre-winter rides.
- MND reports a 27 percent revenue increase with €140.1 million in outstanding orders.
- The former Tulsa Skyride will live on at an Iraqi amusement park.
Forest Service Weighs Bear Mountain-Snow Summit Interconnect
Three new chairlifts may be coming to Alterra’s outpost in Southern California. Under a plan unveiled today, Big Bear Mountain Resort would link neighboring Bear Mountain and Snow Summit via a series of new lifts and trails to form a cohesive mountain. The project would be remarkable given the two mountains haven’t seen a single new lift in 25 years. The two came under common ownership in 2002 and Alterra added nearby Snow Valley to the resort earlier this year. In addition to the interconnect, Big Bear also plans to add a new beginner terrain pod at Bear Mountain, expand snowmaking, construct mountain bike trails, build a zip tour and install an alpine coaster.
The interconnect would require two detachable chairlifts spanning approximately 4,000 feet apiece. Lift C on Bear Mountain would rise about 850 vertical with significant new ski terrain. On the Snow Summit side, Lift D would service approximately 525 vertical feet and include three connector trails. The two lifts would meet at a central low point with a skier bridge completing the link. All told the project would require approximately 300 acres to be added to Big Bear’s special use permit area, about 60 of which would be developed trails with snowmaking. A third new chairlift is planned to service a new beginner pod near the Access Express on Bear Mountain.
The San Bernadino National Forest is preparing an Environmental Assessment and accepting public comments on the proposal over the next 30 days. The Forest Service’s schedule of proposed actions suggests the project could be approved by May of next year.
Instagram Tuesday: Lined Up
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Timbertown
- For the third time in seven years a chair falls off a Doppelmayr detachable quad in high winds at Thredbo, Australia.
- Loon Mountain’s expansion lift will be called Timbertown.
- The Forest Service rejects Lutsen Mountains’ entire expansion proposal.
- Brighton plans to build a chondola to its new mid-mountain restaurant.
- Alterra closes its acquisition of Schweitzer, makes access unlimited on the Ikon Pass.
- Schweitzer to sell retired Riblet double chairs for charity.
- Snowriver previews its new trail map showing a transformation from nine lifts to five at Jackson Creek Summit.
- Big Sky nears completion of the new Lone Peak Tram.
- The British Columbia Supreme Court will determine possession of Powder King Mountain Resort following the owner’s death.
Copper Mountain to Build Fourth Six Pack
This season will be the last for Copper Mountain’s aging Timberline Express. Copper announced yesterday work has already begun to replace the 1994 build detachable quad with a Leitner-Poma six seater for the 2024-25 season. The new machine will become the fourth Leitner-Poma six place at Copper, following Super Bee, American Eagle and American Flyer.
Timberline Express 2.0 will span 4,825 linear feet and carry skiers 1,129 vertical feet on Union Peak. Capacity will increase to 3,000 guests per hour, up from the current high speed quad’s 2,400 per hour. “The Timberline Express chairlift services some of the most popular intermediate terrain,” said Dustin Lyman, President and General Manager of Copper Mountain. “With the introduction of a 6-pack high-speed lift, we are boosting uphill capacity significantly, effectively reducing wait times and granting skiers and riders quicker access to one of our most treasured mountain areas,” he continued. The project has already been approved by the United States Forest Service.
Copper Mountain also received approval to replace the Lumberjack triple with a detachable quad, though no timeline for that upgrade was set.
Following Storm, Lee Canyon Closes for the Season
Remnants of Hurricane Hilary dumped nearly 10 inches of rain on Nevada’s Mt. Charleston last weekend, causing major infrastructure damage to Lee Canyon. “In light of the limited initial assessment, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the end of our summer mountain operations,” the ski area announced this afternoon. “We understand the anticipation and excitement surrounding this season, and we will be reaching out to our mountain biking day pass and season pass holders with information as soon as possible due to this unforeseen closure. Trails, chairlifts, and essential facilities that encompass our summer offerings have borne the brunt of this unexpected occurrence,” the statement continued.
Photos posted to social media showed lift terminals buried up to haul rope level and tower footers undercut. As soon as road access is restored, crews will begin working to repair the ski area for the winter season. Adding to the work load, Skytrac is currently part way finished with the mountain’s new Ponderosa Quad, which is still expected to open this winter.
Deer Valley Unveils Dramatic Expansion Plan
Deer Valley will embark on one of the largest terrain expansions in US ski history over the next decade in partnership with Extell Development Company. As part of the Expanded Excellence vision, Alterra Mountain Company will develop ski operations in the area previously known as Mayflower with nine new lifts opening in the 2025-26 season and seven more to follow. All told, Deer Valley will more than double in size to 5,726 acres with 37 lifts.
The majority of the new terrain will launch in late 2025 with 110 new runs and a 2,900 foot vertical drop. Extell will continue to develop the base portal it has been building along US-40, which guests can reach seamlessly from Salt Lake City. Alterra will manage the mountain experience under a long term operating agreement and skiers will enjoy the same elevated service and amenities they have since 1981, albeit on a dramatically larger footprint. Deer Valley expects to hire 2,000 employees to support this expansion along with additional parking and workforce housing.
New York-based Extell embarked on the Mayflower project years ago with a purchase of 40 acres and acquired more than 20 parcels since. Company founder and President Gary Barnett noted negotiations with Alterra were intense at times and a deal was only finalized this week. With the two companies in agreement, skiers will enjoy an improved ski experience under the Deer Valley brand rather than having to choose between two adjacent, competing ski resorts.
Construction has already begun on the base portal and new terrain. The flagship of the expanded lift system will be a 10 passenger gondola spanning nearly 10,000 linear feet from the new base portal to Park Peak with a mid angle station. A dozen detachable chairlifts and three fixed grip lifts will also service the expansion at full buildout. A majority will be quads in Deer Valley tradition with manufacturer(s) to be determined.
“Deer Valley Resort is committed to building upon our legacy as one of the world’s most exceptional ski areas while staying true to our founding principles created over four-decades ago,” said Todd Bennett, President and COO of Deer Valley Resort. “This expansion will facilitate even better access to the resort for our guests, while offering a substantial increase in world-class amenities consistent with the resort’s original vision.”
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