- New York’s state-owned ski areas report record visitation – a nine percent increase from last season.
- Meadowlark, Wyoming sells to a Florida hedge fund.
- Hermon Mountain, Maine sells to new local owners.
- Hawaii’s legislature passes a complete ban on aerial lifts under any private entity anywhere in the state.
- An interesting but imperfect analysis of European vs. North American lift construction economics. (video version)
- Powder Mountain removes Doodle from this summer’s lift program.
- A GoFundMe is launched for the mechanic who survived a deadly work chair detachment at Mt. Hood Skibowl.
- Little Switzerland auctions Riblet doubles from historic Lift 1/2.
- An Oregon county solicits proposals for a new operator of closed Spout Springs.
- Outgoing detachable quads from the Yellowstone Club may head to Red Lodge and Lost Trail.
- The haul rope is already on Angel Fire’s upcoming Angel Express.
- Anakeesta to open the Crystal Express a week from today – the first gondola in the world with all glass cabins.
- The cost of Steamboat’s proposed transit center and base detachable gondola balloons to $75 million.
- An update on Boone’s Ridge in Kentucky, set to include an MND gondola in phase two.
- Bogus Basin plans to replace and realign Showcase within the next couple years.
- The Park City Planning Commission and public express positivity on Eagle and Silverlode replacements with a final vote possible on May 27th.
- Juneau elected officials to vote Monday whether to end the city’s used gondola nightmare.
- Nordic Valley says goodbye to Crocket.
- Lively, Ontario to replace its Samson T-Bar with a Doppelmayr platter from a nearby lost ski area.
- The Utah Department of Transportation acquires a parcel for the possible Little Cottonwood Gondola base station.
News
News Roundup: Two Thirds
- NSAA reports a 14.7 percent decline in skier visits from last season to this season.
- Tenney Mountain eyes big development including a detachable lift.
- The mechanic who died in a fall at Mt. Hood Skibowl last week is identified as 29 year old Gregory Hunter of Government Camp.
- The Goldbelt Tram to remain closed for at least several weeks following last week’s mishap.
- Juneau plans to sell two gondolas it once hoped to install at Eaglecrest Ski Area.
- Both Sugar Bowl and Park City offer retired gondola cabins for $10,000.
- A court strikes down one set of tariffs but President Trump threatens new tariffs on European Union imports.
- Mont Kanasuta, Quebec looks to replace its chairlift with the government footing two thirds of the bill.
- While the lawsuit continues between Bluewood and Steelhead Systems over a used chairlift, a judge orders shipment of remaining equipment from Austria to Washington as soon as possible, though a completion timeline remains uncertain. I stopped by to snap a few photos last week.
News Roundup: Probes
- The Goldbelt Tram closes indefinitely after cars entered stations at higher than normal speed last night, injuring several employees.
- Powder Haven announces a sixth private chairlift called Foxtrot.
- The Town of Mountain Village continues investigating the circumstances surrounding elected officials’ attempted purchase of Telluride Ski Resort last December.
- Alberta ski resorts worry permanent daylight savings time will reduce competitiveness with other regions.
- New Hampshire launches an investigation into Vail Resorts charging a blended sales tax for passes that include both in state and out-of-state mountains. Vail responds with plans to offer a New Hampshire-only pass tax free.
- Doppelmayr may finance part of a proposed sightseeing gondola in Butte, Montana.
- Lifts at the former Talisman Mountain Resort in Ontario to be demolished.
- Doppelmayr’s latest customer magazine highlights projects at Big Sky and Killington.
- Poma releases its 2025 Reference Book.
- Leitner-Poma previews new North American-specific surface lift and detachable terminal models.
- The only ski area in Tennessee changes its name back to Ober Gatlinburg.
- A local school district may provide 20 percent of funding for a new chairlift at Hogadon, Wyoming.
- London’s urban gondola loses corporate sponsorship and plans a pivot toward tourists.
- Snow Partners to introduce both a national Indy Pass competitor and a Midwest Snow Triple Play.
News Roundup: Pure
- Poma reveals a new gondola cabin called Pure mimicking “egg” cabins from the company’s past.
- In Turkey, eight people are sentenced to prison for negligence related to a deadly 2024 gondola crash.
- Parents in Pennsylvania face felony charges for allowing a five year old who fell off a lift to ride alone.
- Worldwide skier visits reached 399 million in 2024-25, a new record.
- Aspen comments on the status of both Nell Bell and 1A replacement projects.
- Colorado’s new sightseeing and biking gondola to open for public rides on May 9th.
- Doppelmayr reaches €500 million in sales in Vietnam with 32 installations and zero skiing.
- Casper, Wyoming to fund a new chairlift for Hogadon Basin with a mix of public and private money.
- Whaleback, New Hampshire seeks $350,000 in donations to replace a haul rope and perform offseason maintenance.
- A proposal to revive Brodie Mountain, Massachusetts includes four lifts.
- Vail Resorts visitation and revenue trended worse in March and April than earlier in the season; pass sales for next season are also trending down.
- Vail’s new Chief Revenue Officer signals a shift toward improving service and experience at existing resorts.
- A landowner opposes Vail’s efforts to get a lawsuit over Park City lift easments thrown out.
- Steelhead Systems opposes Bluewood, Washington’s efforts to force delivery of lift parts via an injunction.
News Roundup: Revival
- Americans flock to Canada to ski, particularly Banff.
- Jay Peak also proves popular; in a podcast episode, Jay President Steve Wright says “we will be adding more high speed detachable lifts” and is about to make a down payment on one.
- An update on the accelerating revival of Black Mountain, New Hampshire.
- Possible approval of a new sightseeing gondola in Georgia is delayed while traffic and sewer studies are prepared.
- The new bike park lift in Arkansas will be named OZ Express.
- Vail Resorts seeks dismissal of a lawsuit disputing Park City Mountain’s right to operate Iron Mountain Express and Timberline.
- Telluride’s proposed replacements for lifts 7 and 8 inch closer to approval.
- Sugarloaf is around halfway through approval for a Timberline replacement.
- Meetings continue regarding Loon Mountain’s proposed pulse gondola with no timeline for construction.
- Colorado Governor Jared Polis to help cut the ribbon of the Mighty Argo Cable Car April 24th.
- Le Massif reportedly remains interested in a merger with Mont-Sainte-Anne.
- Reed Hastings discusses the favorable economics of private ski areas like Powder Haven.
- Poma teases “a new icon for travel” to be revealed Tuesday.
- Leitner, Poma, Skytrac and Bartholet’s parent company reports record revenue – 60 percent from ropeways and nearly $500 million from North America.
- Homewood to auction chairs from the Madden triple with an unspecified portion going to charity.
- Utah Governor Spencer Cox visits Garaventa in Switzerland in advance of Doppelmayr opening a new facility in Salt Lake.
- Juneau set to formally cancel the Eaglecrest gondola agreement on May 18th and may try to resell the lift for $1.5-2.75 million.
- Following several recent postponements, 2026 lift construction will be down approximately 40 percent from the post-Covid high in 2022.
- As a legal dispute remains pending in a BC court, Ski Bluewood seeks an injunction to force shipment of four remaining containters to complete the Skyline Express project with a used lift from Austria. A hearing is scheduled for Monday and shipment would need to commence by May 1st in order for the lift to open next winter.
News Roundup: Fireside Chat
- Doppelmayr releases its 2026 Yearbook.
- Doppelmayr wins the contract to supply a 2,452′ long surface lift at Snowland, Utah.
- A haul rope snaps on a material ropeway in Switzerland, causing damage but no injuries.
- A cigarette thrown from a lift starts a spring wildfire in Italy.
- As a lawsuit with a used lift broker continues, Bluewood, Washington says it still hopes to complete the Skyline Express one year late but delays could continue.
- Blackcomb’s Crystal Ridge Express closes due to gearbox failure.
- Telluride shutters the Village Express for summer to complete an extensive systems modernization.
- Two proven and one unproven gondola manufacturer present their technologies for potential use in downtown Denver.
- Mammoth rope evacuates the High Five Express.
- Owners of Mt. Norquay discuss future plans plus competing with American-owned sightseeing ropeways and why Parks Canada no longer approves of a Banff-Norquay gondola.
- Neither possible manufacturer for the new Telluride gondola may meet Buy America requirements, potentially procluding the project from receiving federal funding.
- Whitefish Mountain Resort reports 457,000 skier visits, the fifth highest ever despite warm weather.
- A gondola to Winter Park Resort could shift the Town of Winter Park’s downtown around a future station.
News Roundup: End of the Road
- Indy Pass adds Upper Midwest mountains Whitecap, Camp 10, Paul Bunyan and Coffee Mill.
- Ikon signs SilverStar, BC as a full partner and Giants Ridge, Minnesota to its bonus tier.
- Alaska’s capital city is poised to cancel installation of a used gondola at Eaglecrest Ski Area after spending $8.3 million (this detailed presentation shows the project could be revived with private investment and would likely be profitable.)
- Pico retires the Outpost double with no immediate replacement.
- Lonesome Pine, Maine fundraises to replace its T-Bar.
- Also in Maine, Mt. Jefferson might install a used double from a larger resort.
- Germany’s Zugspitze blows up two glacier T-Bars due to melting.
- Switzerland opens a criminal investigation into last month’s Engelberg gondola detachment.
- Marquette Mountain, Michigan to install a new chairlift this summer, details TBA.
- Antelope Butte, Wyoming envisions a Westside intermediate lift.
- Colorado’s Mighty Argo Cable Car could open this month.
- The Boone’s Ridge wildlife center in Kentucky, which would include an MND gondola, to sell $70 million worth of bonds.
- Ski profiles the process to install new Elk Camp at Snowmass from factory to load test.
- After losing $1.6 million, the private operator of the Stone Mountain aerial tram will end its contract with the State of Georgia early and lay off staff. Aramark Destinations will take over operations June 1st.
- The Forest Service to close regional offices and relocate headquarters to Salt Lake City.
News Roundup: Skyway
- Berkshire East and Catamount to join Burke Mountain and Smugglers’ Notch under unified ownership.
- Quebec’s CMSQ takes over management of a fifth mountain, Belle Neige, and sets sights on a sixth.
- A private ski area with five chairlifts is approved in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains.
- Doppelmayr’s CEO highlights the importance of the United States market.
- In the wake of a fatal crash, Swiss media report Garaventa offered a voluntary retrofit for DT-108 grips on the Titlis Xpress several years ago.
- One person is killed and six injured when an aerial tram cable snaps in India.
- A law firm files an antitrust lawsuit against Alterra and Vail, claiming both “unlawfully inflated prices and suppressed competition through anticompetitive bundling practices tied to their multi‑mountain season passes.”
- Park City’s Cabriolet replacement to be called the Canyons Village Skyway.
- Park City officials get another chance to approve Eagle and Silverlode replacements.
- MND provides an update on its 10 lift project in Uzbekistan, including the first Orizon detachable.
- A Denver TV station looks back at the 1976 Vail gondola disaster with a multi-part series.
- Here’s a cool primer on how a splice comes together.
- Jackson Hole to debut a golden gondola in honor of Olympian Breezy Johnson.
- A tree falls on the Silver Mountain gondola.
- Alaska public radio explores how a gondola project supposed to cost under $10 million more than tripled in price.
- Big Sky will shorten Powder Seeker 6 this summer, slightly lowering the top terminal due to moving glacial rock.
- The Zincton proposal in BC faces local opposition.
- Nub’s Nob to replace the Orange triple with a Skytrac quad this summer.
- Skytrac will also build Lee Canyon’s expansion lift.
- Sponsored job: Electrical Lift Installer – Okanagan Project – Doppelmayr Canada
News Roundup: Spring Winds
- The Hermitage Club’s new detachable quad to cost $6.25 million and include a chair parking facility.
- Oregon ski areas celebrate passage of an outdoor recreation liability reform bill.
- Castle Mountain rope evacuates the new Stagecoach Express.
- An investigation into the fatal Swiss gondola crash this week focuses on weather and operational factors, not a design issue. The lift was being unloaded at the time and the cabin involved likely hit a tower.
- A tree falls on the BreckConnect Gondola at Breckenridge.
- Red Lodge Mountain’s owner and an insurance company argue over coverage related to a wrongful death lawsuit by the family of a man who died on a lift last season in high winds.
- Wind blows the roof off the Silver Fir Express at Snoqualmie, shuttering it until further notice.
- Alberta opens public consultation for the proposed Silvertip Gondola in Canmore.
- Aspen skiers struggle to ride the new T-Bar atop Snowmass.
- Holiday Mountain, New York to install new Partek chairs on Roman Candle this fall.
- A child is unharmed after falling from a lift and being caught at Pats Peak, New Hampshire (video)
- Oz Trails Bike Park to open June 12th.
- Sun Valley confirms construction of two new detachables this summer.
- Lee Canyon to construct the final lift from its master plan this summer, manufacturer TBA.
- Hogadon, Wyoming likely to construct a new chairlift next summer.
- Craigleith, Ontario addresses downtime on the Funnel chair.
- Last day riders of Killington’s Snowdon triple tomorrow will be entered to win a chair.
- Little Switzerland, Wisconsin give skiers the opportunity to own a Riblet chair.
- In an interview with the Vail newspaper, Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz makes the case mega passes have kept crowds stable or even reduced crowding.
- Vail also releases an insightful investor presentation outlining shifting priorities.
News Roundup: Spring Debuts
- Whaleback’s chairlift is back in action after being closed all season.
- Angel Fire performs a mid-season splice on the Southwest Flyer, now back open.
- A child is okay after falling from a chairlift at Blue Knob, Pennsylvania.
- Another child falls from a chair and is airlifted from Sierra-at-Tahoe.
- Telluride sues several current and former elected officials seeking millions of damages incurred during the December patrol strike.
- The latest Eaglecrest gondola complication: cabins shipped on their side rather than upright.
- The Mighty Argo Cable Car in Colorado will soft open next month.
- OZ Trails Bike Park to open with Arkansas’ first detachable chairlift in June.
- BC’s Okanagan Gondola set to open in April 2027.
- Vail Resorts reports an 11.9 percent decline in North American skier visits and lowers financial guidance.
- Park City Billionaire Matthew Prince still wants to buy Park City Mountain from Vail.
- Alterra CEO Jared Smith steps down.
- Vermont considers regulating both lift operator breaks and staffing levels.
- Leitner to build the world’s first jig-back tramway with a direct drive in Italy.
- Both the Green Mountain Express and North Ridge Express go down at Sugarbush’s Mt. Ellen, leaving hiking as the only access to the summit.
- Black Mountain, New Hampshire won’t become a co-op after all, will continue to be managed by Entabeni Systems.
- Mt. Sima, Yukon to reactivate its T-Bar after many years.
- A massive nearby rockslide closes Whistler’s Peak Chair indefinitely.
- Magic Mountain, Idaho won’t open this season.
Lift Blog 