News

New Quad to Debut at Cypress Mountain

Peter Landsman5 Comments

All of Cypress Mountain’s terrain will become accessible by quad chair next season following replacement of the summit lift. Dubbed SkyQuad, the new Doppelmayr fixed grip quad on Mt. Strachan will feature a loading conveyor and move up to 1,800 guests per hour. The lift replaces a 1968 Mueller double relocated from Apex Mountain Resort to Cypress in the late 1980s.

This is the fifth new lift project announced by Boyne Resorts for 2022-23 as part of a major infrastructure push. “With the huge new heated outdoor dining plaza beside the Cypress Creek Lodge, more upgrades to the snowmaking system and now the new loading conveyor equipped SkyQuad chairlift, Cypress Mountain is making great strides in transforming the resort facilities to better accommodate our valued season passholders and four season guests,” said Russell Chamberlain, President of Cypress Mountain Resort. Construction on the new lift will begin in April and be complete before the start of next winter.

News Roundup: Any Day Now

Peter Landsman15 Comments

Bartholet Joins the HTI Group

Peter Landsman27 Comments

The Italian-based giant which owns Leitner, Poma, Skytrac, Sigma, Prinoth and Demaclenko has added yet another ropeway brand to its stable. High Technology Industries (HTI) announced it acquired a majority stake in Bartholet Maschinenbau AG, a Swiss manufacturer of fixed grip and detachable ropeways. The controlling share was previously held by Chinese private equity firm Cedarlake Capital. The agreement once again shifts the global ropeway landscape, which has seen relentless consolidation in recent decades. Chairman and CEO Roland Bartholet and the Bartholet management team will remain in place and the brand will continue to be based in Flums, Switzerland. The company’s founding family will retain a minority stake.

It was just two years ago Bartholet partnered with a different European conglomerate, Mountain and Snow Development Group (MND) of France. MND began to develop its own detachable technology in the mid 2010s and debuted a prototype lift in 2017. That project experienced challenges and MND pivoted to utilizing Bartholet detachable designs from 2020.

MND’s ropeway division and Bartholet are set to debut their first North American detachable lift at Waterville Valley later this year. Much of that six place bubble chair has already been delivered stateside and some foundations are already complete. The Bartholet-HTI press release did not address the future of the MND partnership, though history suggests it will likely wind down. MND did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The now larger HTI Group remains privately held while MND trades publicly on the Euronext Growth exchange under the symbol ALMND.

News Roundup: Maine & More

Peter Landsman41 Comments

News Roundup: Flying High

Peter Landsman30 Comments

News Roundup: First Chair

Peter Landsman4 Comments

News Roundup: Quad For Sale

Peter Landsman13 Comments
  • In an op-ed, Vail Mountain Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Beth Howard says the company is evaluating wages for next season.
  • Mike Goar pens a similar letter to the Park City community.
  • New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu says his office is working to address complaints about Vail Resorts operations at state-owned Mt. Sunapee.
  • Indy Pass adds Sunlight, Colorado.
  • A 7 year old is expected to be okay after falling 35 feet from a chairlift at the Florida State Fair.
  • New York State issues an RFP for the North Creek Ski Bowl detachable quad project at Gore Mountain.
  • Here’s a preview of the Lookout Pass Eagle Peak expansion, set for a CTEC quad this summer: