- 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.
News
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.
News Roundup: Enhancement
- Four years after the Sea to Sky Gondola’s haul rope was first cut, the criminal case remains open.
- Adventureland, Iowa decommissions its SLI double chair.
- An assessment finds extensive damage to lifts at Snow Ridge.
- Echo Mountain, Colorado appears to be for sale.
- Tremblant’s gondola reopens a month after a fatal accident.
- Fernie shifts hiking and biking operations from one side of the mountain to the other due to a mechanical issue with the Elk chair.
- Utah Governor Spencer Cox says the Little Cottonwood gondola should be a public-private partnership.
- Baghdad, Iraq plans an urban gondola.
News Roundup: Great Causes
- Alpine Ski Club, Ontario lists the Arrowhead Quad for sale with a replacement planned for 2024.
- Big Moose Mountain, Maine fundraises to revive trails abandoned since the summit double last ran in 2004.
- Snow Ridge, New York shares more photos of devastating tornado damage and fundraises for rebuilding. A volunteer cleanup day is scheduled for August 26th.
- Nonprofit Skiland, Alaska seeks donations to operate next season.
- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay teases a reopening of its gondola that has been closed since Covid.
- A power outage strands hundreds of guests overnight at the Banff Gondola.
- Seven Oaks leaves the Indy Pass.
Instagram Tuesday: Centennial
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
Tornado Damages Lifts at Snow Ridge, NY
An large tornado damaged several lifts and other buildings at Snow Ridge Ski Resort late last night. The ski area, located in Turin, New York, posted this morning that all three of its chairlifts sustained damage from extreme wind and falling trees. Photos showed lift buildings overturned, safety bars blown off chairs and towers de-roped.
All of the lifts at Snow Ridge date back the 1950s through 1970s. The Little Mountain and North doubles appeared to sustain the most damage from the storm. “The Ridge got hit pretty hard by last evening’s tornado,” Snow Ridge wrote this morning on Facebook. “Everyone is safe, which is the most important thing but this damage really hurts. We are devastated but will rebuild,” the mountain wrote.
Update: The National Weather Service determined the tornado was an EF-3 with peak wind gusts estimated at 140 mph near Snow Ridge.
News Roundup: Ponderosa
- Garaventa commences building the first TRI-Line tricable gondola in Switzerland.
- The Kemmerer family sells Jackson Hole to a local investor group.
- Lee Canyon’s expansion lift to be called Ponderosa.
- Lutsen backs away from proposed expansion to consult with local tribes.
- More chair sales: White Pass, Washington and Lutsen, Minnesota.
- A new trail map shows the rebirth of lost terrain at Holiday Mountain, New York.
- Park City shows renderings of the proposed Sunrise Gondola.
- I took a break from skiing at Mammoth last week to snap some pictures of the Canyon Express project.
News Roundup: Ahead of Schedule
- Cockaigne Resort is listed for sale at $3.5 million.
- Steamboat releases renderings of a possible future detachable parking lot gondola.
- Steamboat also closes the Christie Peak Express until further notice due to ground movement.
- Sterling Vineyards plans to debut the first Omega V 8 passenger gondola cabins in the USA in October.
- A sightseeing gondola in Idaho Springs, Colorado moves toward reality.
- Windham Mountain promises further lift infrastructure upgrades as part of a new master plan.
- BigRock, Maine commits to building a new quad next year.
- Park City will host an open house regarding the future Sunrise Gondola next week.
- Brundage expects to sell Centennial‘s old chairs for a total of $135,000.
- Another chair sale in Quebec.
- Whistler’s 8 pack project is ahead of schedule and construction begins early on Blackcomb’s new lift.
News Roundup: Repaired
- Really big trees fall on an Italian gondola.
- Whistler Blackcomb details construction to date for Fitzsimmons 8.
- I join the UK-based Ski Podcast to chat about my quest to visit every lift in North America.
- Bartholet begins constructing the first Ropetaxi gondola with a network concept.
- The proposed sightseeing gondola near Vernon, BC inches forward.
- Aspen Skiing Company’s resort, hospitality and retail arms reorganize as Aspen One with a new CEO.
- Aspen also gives a Pandora’s expansion update.
- Sunday River offers old Barker chairs for sale.
- A new ski area is proposed near Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
- Brundage’s key base-to-summit lift is repaired after 22 days of downtime.
News Roundup: Lifts Matter
- Lake Louise reopens a week after an intentionally-set fire displaced hundreds of employees.
- Okemo temporarily closes due to Vermont flooding.
- Lift-free Colorado resort Bluebird Backcountry fails after three seasons.
- Sterling Vineyards load tests its new D-Line gondola, with wine of course.
- Both Solitude and Brighton offer old high speed quad chairs for sale.
- Summer operations at Brundage remain paused due to issues with the Bluebird Express.
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