- Park City’s patrol strike ends after 12 days; Vail apologizes to guests and a class action lawsuit is filed.
- Spirit Mountain, Minnesota solicits bids to replace Gandy with a quad this summer.
- Bald Mountain, Idaho may not open this season due to inability to secure insurance.
- Leitner-Poma President Daren Cole joins Banff Sunshine’s podcast to discuss the Super Angel Express and lift business more broadly.
- A sit skier who fell from Winter Park’s Explorer Express and was seriously injured files suit.
- Pursuit completes its acquisition of the Jasper SkyTram.
- Saskadena Six, Vermont will not operate Chair Two this season, looks at a replacement.
- Eaglecrest, Alaska continues to look toward a sightseeing gondola to subsidize its money-losing ski operation.
- Killington’s Superstar six pack will cost $12.16 million,
- Mt. Bachelor plans several enhancements to the Northwest Express.
- Sugarbush to bring in additional staff from across Alterra to try and get non-functional lifts open.
- Four Seasons, New York is listed for sale.
- Sandia Peak proposes replacing Chair 1.
News
Ski Butternut to Build New Quad Chair
Family-owned Ski Butternut plans to build its second Skytrac in five years this coming summer. The new lift, to be called Jane’s Quad, will replace the 50 year old Overbrook triple. The quad will load lower on the mountain and unload higher, following a modified alignment. The lift will be named for Jane Murdock, who founded the ski area with her husband Channing in 1963 and passed away last winter. Jane’s will be quite large, spanning 3,633 feet with 125 chairs and 15 towers. Vertical rise will increase from 721 feet on the current Thiokol lift to 757 feet.
Site preparation began last spring in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation. “After a multi-year planning, engineering, and permitting phases, we are excited to bring this modernization to Ski Butternut,” said Dillon Mahon, Marketing Director of Ski Butternut. “This area of the mountain is a favorite among our guests, and this new lift will enhance the overall experience. It’s a long term investment in the future of Ski Butternut and in the enjoyment of our skiers and snowboarders,” he continued.
Jane’s will be the second Skytrac constructed at Butternut following Paddy Wagon in 2021. The area also operates three CTEC quads and will become a 100% fixed grip quad mountain for the 2025-26 season.
News Roundup: Tough Holiday
- Heavenly reopens the Comet Express following a serious incident that sent five to the hospital but declines to specify what went wrong. From Heavenly: “Comet Express is open and operating normally. Safety is our top priority at Heavenly Mountain Resort, and we take this incident very seriously. Following a thorough inspection by the Heavenly team and the lift manufacturer, the issue was identified and resolved, and the lift was cleared for operations by the U.S. Forest Service.”
- A chair bail on the Lookout Express at Sun Valley cracks in two; the lift has since reopened and the resort declined a request for comment.
- As the Park City patrol strike drags on, most of the mountain remains closed, the COO posts a video message to frustrated guests and Vail looks to hire new patrollers.
- A piece of guidage fails on the only chairlift in the Yukon, leading to a rope evacuation.
- Sugarloaf’s SuperQuad misses some of the holiday week.
- Panama looks to build a six station, 6.6 km urban gondola.
- Sasquatch Mountain, BC’s triple chair will be down for the foreseeable future due to a maintenance issue.
- Mt. Hood Meadows’ Heather Canyon double is damaged by a falling tree.
- Mont Orford opens a pop up bar in a gondola cabin.
- Ski Martock, Nova Scotia closes for the week due to a lift issue.
- Waterville Valley formally seeks approval for a village to summit gondola and southeastward expansion.
News Roundup: Auxiliary
- Mt. Ashland reopens on the tree-damaged Ariel double, opens one of the first all-electric chairlifts in the country.
- Sugarbush explains what’s going on with five lifts that have either gone down or not opened yet this season.
- California OSHA tells me it won’t investigate the lift incident that hospitalized five people at Heavenly because most of the Comet Express is in Nevada, including where the collision occurred.
- Whitefish is without Chair 2 while a systems modernization is completed.
- Black Mountain, New Hampshire seeks to raise $5 million to form a co-op.
- Winter Park reopens The Gondola just 48 hours after last week’s tower crack.
- Construction begins on a third Mexicable line in Greater Mexico City with 10 stations and 278 cabins at a cost of $149 million.
- A tower collapses on a fair chairlift in Mexico during operations.
- The Chondola at Telluride is rope evacuated.
- Alpental’s new Internationale chair opened today but was offloaded on auxiliary shortly thereafter due to a mechanical issue. “Our lift maintenance team is working with Doppelmayr and plans to complete full diagnostics and testing in the morning, with the goal of reopening the lift tomorrow once we are 100% satisfied we’ve eliminated all potential issues,” says The Summit.
Park City Ski Patrol Goes on Strike
Nearly 200 unionized ski patrollers and mountain safety staff walked off the job at Park City Mountain this morning after months working without a contract. The escalation comes a day after mediation between Vail Resorts and the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association failed to produce an agreement. “We are deeply disappointed the patrol union has walked out of mediation and chosen drastic action that attempts to disrupt mountain operations in the middle of the holiday season, given we invested significantly in patrol with their wages increasing more than 50% over the past four seasons, and we have reached agreements on 24 of the 27 current contract terms,” said Deirdra Walsh, VP & COO for Park City Mountain. “We want to reassure skiers and snowboarders, our employees, and this community that despite the union’s actions, Park City Mountain will remain open with safety as our top priority, and all planned terrain will be open thanks to experienced patrol leaders from Park City Mountain and our other mountain resorts,” she continued.
After hanging up their jackets, the union and supporters spent the day picketing at both Canyons Village and Mountain Village in full view of guests. The union stopped short of telling the public not to ski but urged the public not to patronize Vail Resorts restaurants, retail stores, rental shops and ski schools. “Vail Resorts forced this walkout by bargaining in bad faith and repeatedly violating the National Labor Relations Act,” said the union, which is part of United Mountain Workers, itself a unit of the Communications Workers of America. “Consistent with Vail’s bad faith tactics, after yesterday’s seven hour negotiation session with a mediator present, the company continued to refuse to give a counteroffer on wages or benefits. They have had two weeks to prepare a counter proposal,” the union said.
Patrollers are seeking a $2 wage increase for new hires from $21 to $23 per hour with an annual cost of living adjustment. They are also calling for improved wages for senior patrollers and an equipment allowance for all members, among other benefits. In addition to the strike in Park City, the union organized an informational picket tonight in front of Vail-owned Epic Mountain Gear in Frisco, Colorado. The majority of United Mountain Workers’ roughly 1,100 members work in Colorado. The union represents patrollers, lift mechanics and electricians at 13 resorts in four states.
Vail Resorts prepared for a strike in Park City, making clear in advance the mountain would continue operating and flying in patrollers from across the company to stand in for workers who walked out. Park City patrol managers and supervisors are not part of the union and remain working alongside colleagues from other states. The company calls this the “Patrol Support Team” with the union preferring the term “scab.” Vail also created a website outlining the company’s position, including recent compensation increases and contract proposals.
Strike-related impacts on mountain operations were not entirely clear. Today was a powder day on the heels of historically low snowfall, resulting in limited terrain open before the strike started. High winds also impacted lift operations and this holiday week is always crowded. Still, many lifts opened hours late, frustrating guests. One employee who wished to remain anonymous said, “As a long time Park City skier and employee this definitely feels abnormal. Tombstone not opening is very, very unusual.” More than 20 lifts did open, however, a number similar to yesterday. The employee said a lack of normal on-snow signage was noticeable. “Generally the vibe here is that guests are mad,” they said. “In my experience about 50% are mad at Vail and 50% are mad at patrol.”
News Roundup: Deer Valley Green
- The nonprofit that operates Big Moose Mountain, Maine seeks to buy the resort.
- Local Boulder investors are interested in purchasing Eldora.
- The Seattle Times looks at why Riblets are slowly being retired across the Pacific Northwest.
- A remarkable $145 million 3S gondola opens in France.
- One of La Grave’s most popular lifts will be closed for a month or longer after an inspection finds an in-season rope change is needed.
- The world’s steepest aerial tram launches in Switzerland.
- A child is injured falling from a lift at Mt. Ski Gull, Minnesota.
- Multiple people fall from the Beaver Run SuperChair at Breckenridge.
- The new Black Bear 6 is rope evacuated at Camelback, Pennsylvania.
- Doppelmayr USA appoints former DPS Skis President and CEO Alex Adema as Vice President of Sales, promotes Shawn Marquardt to Senior Director of Sales.
- Leitner-Poma and Skytrac celebrate on time completion of 22 projects before the Christmas holiday.
- Gondolas are staging a comeback at theme parks, zoos and fairs.
- The Sky Cab gondola at Snowmass could be replaced and repurposed to run from the town center to base village.
- Brush cutting in the area of a possible future Lower Faces lift at Jackson Hole riles conservation groups.
- Skytrac is the low bidder to replace Gore Mountain’s Topridge triple and move the old lift to Mt. Van Hoevenberg.
- Thanks to reader Tyler for these pictures of the five new chairlifts in Deer Valley’s East Village.
Quebec to Inject $50 Million at Mont-Sainte-Anne
The Government of Quebec today announced a CA$50 million investment in Mont-Sainte-Anne, the crown jewel of Resorts of the Canadian Rockies eastern operations located near Quebec City. Under the deal, RCR will be required to invest an equal amount of private capital over the next five years. Half the government’s contribution will come as a forgiveable loan while the other half must be paid back with future revenue.
Mont-Sainte-Anne operates on provincial land under a 99 year lease inked in 1994. Since that time, Alberta-based RCR has installed just one new lift, the Panorama Express in 2013. The mountain suffered several lift incidents in recent years and many called on the province to terminate its lease and partner with a different operator. Groupe Le Massif and Compagnie des Montagnes de Ski du Quebec both expressed interest but the province concluded the current lease with Resorts of the Canadian Rockies should continue. One condition of the loan to RCR is periodic, independent safety audits.
A large chunk of the infusion is earmarked for new lifts characterized as “ultra modern.” Newspaper La Presse reported that the mountain’s 1989 Doppelmayr gondola, 1987 Doppelmayr detachable quad L’Express du Nord and 1986 Samson quad La Tortue will all be replaced. No specific timelines or lift types were shared but anything new will be a welcome upgrade. The main lodges and snowmaking system will be modernized and a mountain coaster installed. “Our government has chosen the best option to ensure the sustainability of the mountain, ensure safety for users and make this jewel of the Côte-de-Beaupré region once again,” said Kariane Bourassa, Member of Parliament for Charlevoix-Côte-de-Beaupré. “The $50 million invested by the Government of Quebec comes with clear conditions that RCR must respect. These investments will help restore the reputation of the resort, with new ski lifts and modernized infrastructure that will improve the customer experience while reducing energy consumption.”
Instagram Tuesday: Banner Break
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Explorer
- Vail Resorts reports improving pass sales and will build four new lifts in 2025 at Andermatt-Sedrun, Perisher and Park City. Vail also teases future projects at Vail Mountain and Park City.
- A snowboarder is airlifted after falling 47 feet from the Ruby Express at Keystone.
- Nordic Valley, Utah looks to public tax dollars to fund new lifts.
- The State of Colorado contributes $250,000 toward reopeing Cuchara’s Chair 4.
- The union representing lift mechanics, electricians and patrollers at 13 western resorts changes its name to United Mountain Workers to reflect broadening ambitions.
- Drayton Valley, Alberta permanently closes, will liquidate assets including its T-Bar.
- The proposed private ski resort with D-Line gondola near Steamboat submits permit applications.
- It takes 8,400 horsepower worth of generators to run Steamboat’s Wild Blue Gondola off the grid.
- Meanwhile a dispute over using natural gas for snowmelt delays progress on a detachable replacement for the Wildhorse Gondola at Steamboat.
- Homewood’s master plan is recommended for approval next month.
- Grouse Mountain may replace the cabins on the Red Skyride.
- Sponsored job: Shop Technician at The Gondola Shop in Fruita, Colorado.
News Roundup: Comfort Chairs
- Shuttered Sleeping Giant, Wyoming is listed for $500,000.
- Ariel at Mt. Ashland will open weeks late due to a tree strike.
- New York’s Olympic Regional Development Authority plans $70 to $155 million in capital spending annually for the next four years.
- Big Tupper’s new owners plan to reactivate at least one lift.
- Chicopee, Ontario’s new trail map shows a new lift his season on the front side and a backside expansion next year.
- Snowmass’ new map shows the new Coney Express with mid-station.
- Public tax dollars will fund a portion of lifts in Deer Valley’s East Village.
- Google abruptly removes tens of thousands of lifts from Google Maps.
- Grouse Mountain’s newest ropeway to be called Blue Grouse Gondola.
- Jay Peak nears replacing Bonaventure with a detachable quad; no West Bowl expansion any time soon.
- Powder Mountain CEO Reed Hastings talks about skiing as a subscription like Netflix, privatizing half the mountain and skiing as a real estate play.
- A gondola system is the preferred alternative for a transit corridor in Oshawa, Ontario.
- Vail Resorts readies its second D-Line detachable at Perisher.
- Belleayre’s Catskill Thunder Gondola is rope evacuated, will be down until further notice for repairs.
- The tram that crashed last month in Val Thorens will miss the entire season, photos show why.
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