- A lawsuit against the proposed Los Angeles gondola is thrown out.
- Durango, Colorado works to replace both lifts at its community ski hill.
- The owner of closed Toggenburg Mountain agrees to maintain and not liquidate the property while it’s for sale.
- An upcoming eight seater in Austria will acheive the world’s highest chairlift capacity: 4,570 skiers per hour.
- The Rock Snowpark in Wisconsin changes its name back to Crystal Ridge.
- The new chairlift that was supposed to open at the Tennessee State Fair this year didn’t get finished in time.
- A few more hours to vote for the Ski Area Management & Leitner-Poma lift mechanic Rise Up Challenge.
News
News Roundup: Winter Park Unlocked
- Bear Mountain, California’s new trail map shows the upcoming Midway six pack.
- The former owner of Pleasant Mountain, Maine to operate Blue Hills, Massachusetts.
- Winter Park launches a master plan website.
- Middlebury Snowbowl to refurbish the Bailey Falls triple, which missed last season.
- Sandia Peak to reactivate Lift 4, closed for a number of years.
- Sponsored: Leitner-Poma is hiring for multiple service positions.
News Roundup: Silver Fir
- The Jasper SkyTram remains standing after a wildfire but assessment continues and the lift may remained closed for the year.
- Phase one of the Wyler Aerial Tramway replacement project in El Paso, Texas goes out to bid.
- Telluride plans to begin construction on a new Mountain Village gondola in 2028.
- Alyeska’s former CEO says Girdwood could eventually host a second ski resort.
- The Summit at Snoqualmie’s bike park will miss this weekend due to an electrical issue on the Silver Fir Express.
News Roundup: Olympic Games
- Colorado’s Governor, Doppelmayr and investors break ground on the Mighty Argo Cable Car project in Idaho Springs.
- Alterra presses pause on a new parking gondola at the base of Steamboat.
- The Forest Service weighs whether to allow chairlifts at a proposed bike park in Arkansas.
- The International Olympic Committee selects Salt Lake City to host the 2034 games with events at Deer Valley, Park City and Snowbasin.
- A wildfire tears through Jasper, Alberta with Marmot Basin cautiously optimistic but no word on the fate of the Jasper SkyTram.
- Mt. Abram’s Mainside chairlift will miss the rest of the summer due to maintenance.
- An update on Jackson Hole’s new Sublette detachable quad:
News Roundup: Exploration
- Arizona Snowbowl will replace the Aspen double with a Skytrac quad beginning next week.
- Eaglecrest may eliminate features such as restrooms to get its used gondola project off the ground.
- Red Deer, Alberta considers building a river crossing urban gondola.
- A gondola is one option for connecting two parts of Snowmass Village.
- Twin VonRoll gondolas disappear from the map and list of attractions at Six Flags Great Adventure.
- The urban gondola in Medellín that suffered a fatal cabin detachment last month reopened today.
- Public hearings on the proposed Shadow Mountain Bike Park in Conifer, Colorado are set for September.
News Roundup: Wilderness
- The former Lake Catamount ski resort site near Steamboat may be designated wilderness.
- Discovery Land Company details plans for a private ski resort at Stagecoach, also near Steamboat.
- Mt. Baldy, California escapes damage from a wildfire.
- Burke Mountain could be sold soon via auction.
- Utah reports 6.75 million skier visits, second most ever.
- An all-glass aerial tramway cabin debuts in the Swiss Alps.
- More Lift Blog media coverage in Powder and the Salt Lake Tribune.
Instagram Tuesday: Hot
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Last Journey
- Indy Pass adds Ragged Mountain, NH; Middlebury Snowbowl, VT; Camden Snowbowl, ME; Mt. Abram, ME; Hatley Pointe, NC and Cape Smokey, NS to its roster.
- The public operator of Belleayre, Gore Mountain and Whiteface reports an annual operating loss in excess of $47 million, not including approximately $80 million in capital spending.
- Grouse Mountain’s only current means of access breaks down, closing the mountain for most of the Canada Day long weekend.
- Five people remain hospitalized from last week’s deadly gondola incident in Colombia, the investigation is focused on an issue with one cabin rather than the entire system.
- The Dodgers Stadium gondola in Los Angeles eyes a 2028 opening.
- Brian Head proposes adding 1,570 acres to its permit area.
- A confirmed Six Shooter sighting near Sugarloaf.
- A woman is killed in Italy falling from a material cableway not designed for people.
- Mt. Bohemia reopens its triple chair with a new Skytrac return terminal.
Instagram Tuesday: Independence Week
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
Doppelmayr to Expand US Headquarters in Salt Lake City
Today Doppelmayr announced a major expansion of its longtime facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. The project will nearly double the size of the US headquarters to include 120,000 square feet of indoor production and warehouse space, 68,000 square feet of covered outdoor space and 40,000 square feet of office and training space. The expansion will be constructed directly east of an existing building, which originally served as CTEC’s headquarters near the Salt Lake City International Airport. “As ski resorts across the USA continue to invest in state-of-the-art infrastructure to enhance guest experience, including new ropeways, the facility expansion positions Doppelmayr USA to better meet the growing demands of the thriving North American ropeway market,” the company said in a release.
Doppelmayr currently produces tower components, control systems, electrical cabinets, operator houses and fixed grip terminals for projects across North America in Salt Lake. “The current facility has served us well for over 20 years, but we are bursting at the seams,” said Doppelmayr USA President Katharina Schmitz. “The new facility will be a state-of-the art manufacturing facility where we will continue to design and produce the highest quality ropeway systems in North America. We are excited to expand our production capabilities and our workforce and continue Doppelmayr’s legacy of building ropeways in Salt Lake City,” she noted. The Doppelmayr Group operates one other North American production site in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec and also produces components for the North American market in Wolfurt, Austria.
This news comes less than two weeks after Doppelmayr’s main competitor HTI opened a new 130,000 square foot facility to support both Skytrac and Leitner-Poma in Tooele, Utah. The Utah ski industry is booming with new lift projects underway or planned at Deer Valley Resort, Park City Mountain, Powder Mountain, Snowbird, Sundance Resort and Wasatch Peaks Ranch. The state reported a record 7.1 million skier visits in 2022-23 and expects to host the Olympic Winter Games for the second time in 2034.
Architecture and engineering designs for Doppelmayr’s new Salt Lake facility are currently being developed. Construction is anticipated to start in early 2025, with the target to be producing out of the new facility by mid-2026.
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