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Leitner-Poma Breaks Ground on Utah Factory

Peter Landsman7 Comments

Elected officials joined Leitner-Poma of America yesterday in Tooele, Utah to turn the first dirt for what will become the company’s largest North American facility. The 130,000 square foot campus will complement an existing 100,000 square foot factory in Grand Junction, Colorado opened in 2007. Leitner-Poma subsidiary Skytrac Lifts will move from leased space near the Salt Lake City airport to Tooele. The state-of-the-art facility will allow the firms, which are owned by HTI Group of Italy, to increase production and expand headcount up to 120 employees, with further growth possible in additional phases of the project. In addition to Skytrac and Leitner-Poma production, the building will also house a parts warehouse and offices for HTI snowmaking brand DemacLenko and HTI grooming brand Prinoth. All told HTI plans to invest $27 million in Tooele.

When the new facility opens in May 2024, LPOA and Skytrac will manufacture 85 to 90 percent of lift equipment for the North American market in the United States. “Today, we are thrilled to mark a new era of our company here in Tooele,” said Daren Cole, president of LPOA. “We are really invested in the State of Utah and the resort industry. We are focused on Made in America here in Utah and the U.S.” He noted Leitner-Poma’s primary competitor imports much of its equipment from Europe. Leitner-Poma is Italian-owned but offers a largely North American-designed and manufactured product line.

The Tooele facility will support not only the ski industry but also future projects for amusement parks and urban transit. “We want to welcome Leitner-Poma to the fastest growing county in the fastest growing state in the nation,” said Utah Lieutenant Governor Diedre Henderson. “Here in the heart of Utah’s industrial landscape our partnership with Leitner-Poma will pave the way for groundbreaking new developments in the transportation industry with its cutting edge new manufacturing facility.”

Leitner-Poma plans to install solar panels and a 250 kilowatt wind turbine from fellow HTI brand Leitwind to provide 100 percent of the factory’s energy needs.

Mountain Capital Partners to Reopen Sandia Peak

Peter Landsman14 Comments


New Mexico’s Sandia Peak will become the 12th ski area in Mountain Capital Partners’ fast-growing resort collective. Closed since 2021 and located near Albuquerque, Sandia Peak features three double chairs operated by the Abruzzo Family for decades. Under a joint venture agreement announced today, the Abruzzos will continue to run the Sandia Peak Tramway and restaurant while MCP will operate the ski hill. “Skiing in the Southwest offers unique challenges that have been amplified over the last several years,” noted Sandia Peak General Manager Ben Abruzzo. “This partnership will help address those challenges and provide a future for skiing in Albuquerque,” Abruzzo continued. In addition to the tram, the Abruzzo family will continue to own and manage Ski Santa Fe in Northern New Mexico.

Sandia Peak is MCP’s fourth new mountain in two years. In April the company acquired Lee Canyon, Nevada from Powdr and quickly began work on a new chairlift. Earlier this year MCP acquired a majority stake and assumed operation of Valle Nevado in Chile. Prior to that, Mountain Capital Partners reached a joint venture to operate Oregon’s Willamette Pass Ski Area. MCP also operates two other New Mexico ski areas, resorts in Arizona, Colorado and Utah as well as a lift-served bike park near Austin, Texas. “The foundations of our company were built on the lessons we learned from skiers and snowboarders in New Mexico,” said James Coleman, managing partner of Mountain Capital Partners. “Sandia Peak presents an incredible opportunity for us to bring the best practices we’ve learned for the benefit of Albuquerque and visitors from around the region.”

The reopening timeline for Sandia Peak’s ski operations has not been determined. When it does welcome skiers back, Sandia will join the Power Pass family of season passes.

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Snowbird to Replace Wilbere Lift

Peter Landsman14 Comments

Doppelmayr has been selected to install a new Wilbere Quad next summer at Snowbird, the second new lift announced by Powdr for 2024. The quad will load in a new location in the Creekside base area and terminate near the top of the current Wilbere double, which Doppelmayr built in 1971. The modern AlpenStar fixed grip will feature a loading conveyor and carry 1,800 skiers per hour.

“With a number of short- and long-term projects in the works, we are taking great strides to make our mountain more accessible, more efficient and more engaging for our passholders and our community,” noted Snowbird President and General Manager Dave Fields. Wilbere 2.0 is expected to open for the 2024-25 ski season.

North America Fuels Growth for Doppelmayr

Peter Landsman5 Comments

The Doppelmayr Group reported annual financial results today, and for the first time ever, North America surpassed Austria as the firm’s largest market. Doppelmayr reported total revenue of €946 million (US$1.0 billion) in fiscal year 2022-23, an annual increase of 6.7 percent and near a record high for the 130 year old company. The United States and Canada accounted for 28 percent or approximately $280 million during the fiscal year, which ran from April 2022 through March 2023. The last year before Covid North America represented only 17 percent of global turnover while the domestic Austrian market comprised 24 percent of the business.

The group delivered 104 ropeways globally in 2022-23, 30 of which landed in North America. US ski resorts reported a record 64.7 million skier visits last season and have 31 more Doppelmayr lifts under construction for the coming winter. “One of the reasons for this market development is the continuing attractiveness of outdoor sports,” noted the Doppelmayr Group annual report. “Many ski resorts are replacing outdated installations with modern ropeways in order to offer their guests enhanced comfort. In addition, the new lifts feature higher capacity to provide the growing numbers of visitors with rapid access to the ski slopes.” Doppelmayr went from installing just one D-Line detachable in North America in 2018 to five last year and nine this year. Doppelmayr also increased its global employee headcount to 3,335 full time equivalents, an increase of 5.7 percent. Part of that growth was the group’s acquisition of cabin manufacturer Carvatech last October.

Doppelmayr also reported a strong order book despite some economic headwinds. “The investment strength of ski area operators in North America remains at a very high level,” the company noted. The Alps market is also strengthening with three AURO autonomous gondolas under construction. On the urban front, Doppelmayr is working to build expansive gondola systems in both Paris and Mexico City. Doppelmayr also expects revenue growth from new products, including its clair software platform, upcoming TRI-Line 3S system and new 20-MGD D-Line.

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