Projects & Plans

Powder Mountain Announces Several More Lifts

Peter Landsman22 Comments

Three more chairlifts are coming to Utah’s Powder Mountain over the next two years, though you’ll need to purchase a house or know someone with one to ride two of them. First, a bit of background. Ever since Powder Mountain’s founding in 1971, the ski area struggled to generate enough cash for growth and capital improvements. The volume of skiers venturing beyond more accessible resorts like Park City and Snowbird was never enough to match the ambition and available terrain at PowMow. Not a single new lift was constructed from 1976 to 1993 while dozens popped up across the Wasatch including an entire new ski area named Deer Valley. Fixed grip doubles and triples serviced the bulk of Powder Mountain’s terrain well into the mid-2000s. A couple different owners tried their hands at PowMow over the following years with only modest growth.

Fast forward to 2023 and Netflix co-founder and chairman Reed Hastings purchased a controlling stake in Powder for $100 million. He quickly pivoted to a bifurcated model where real estate sales and private skiing would subsidize a smaller public mountain. The public side would continue to be known as Powder Mountain with the private complex dubbed Powder Haven. Two existing lifts, Village and Mary’s, were removed from the public area and reserved for homeowners only. Last year, Hastings constructed four new lifts, three of which opened to the public. Raintree became the first all-new lift to be reserved exclusively for real estate owners. The public gained new access to Lightning Ridge. This season Powder will span 8,000 acres, making it the largest mountain in North America (with several caveats.)

Powder Haven Davenport expansion and Primetime lift alignment.

Powder broke ground on three more lifts this summer, one of which will be public and two private. I’m told the initial plan was for all three to be completed this summer but permitting delays recently pushed two to next year. The first to open will be Primetime, a Leitner-Poma detachable quad servicing the all-new Davenport territory and topping out next to Raintree. Davenport makes up “1,000 gnarly acres of powdery glades and cut runs on the northeast face of the mountain,” notes Powder Haven’s sales site. “Serviced by a new high-speed detachable lift, Davenport is ready and waiting for those ready to push their limits and let it rip on some of North America’s most uniquely challenging terrain.” Primetime will become the first detachable quad at Powder open exclusively to homeowners and their guests. It will also be the lowest elevation lift at Powder, increasing the mountain’s vertical to 3,346 vertical feet – if you have means to access it.

Powder Haven Half Pint lift line.

Next summer a fixed grip quad will rise to service the private Shelter Hill neighborhood. Its 39 homesites will encompass “a blend of family retreats and bespoke enclaves, each one rare and distinctive in its own way,” the sales deck notes. Skytrac will install the lift, called Half Pint, utilizing CTEC equipment from the former Paradise quad. “Private ski slopes glide down the mountain below,” says the website. “All around, panoramic views and a closeness with the wild world around you.”

By next season Powder Haven will swell to 2,700 private acres, making it larger than most US ski areas with five dedicated chairlifts. A 73,000 square foot lodge is set to open for winter 2027-28, designed by the same architect as the Yellowstone Club, Spanish Peaks and the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch. The private facility will include a rock climbing wall, thermal pools and omakase experience, among other amenities.

Powder Mountain DMI expansion

The public can look forward to a new DMI lift, scheduled to open for winter 2026-27. This Skytrac triple will service some of the steepest terrain at PowMow, currently accessed only via guided expedition. The lift will rises out of Wolf Canyon and terminate at the top of Sundown. DMI will add 900 acres of lift-served and 147 acres of hike-to access, for a total of 1,047 acres of public advanced terrain. With the addition of DMI, Powder Mountain’s public lift fleet will span two detachable quads, four modern fixed grip chairlifts and several surface lifts. The future of the Sunrise Poma is unclear, woefully under capacity with equipment over 30 years old and a potentially private Cobabe lift earmarked for the same vicinity.

Powder continues to buck industry trends, shunning multi-mountain passes and reserving peak weekends for season passholders again this season. “Escape the Masses,” Powder’s public homepage proclaims. I hit Powder Mountain several times last winter and its was indeed uncrowded and powder-filled, even on weekends. In a letter to passholders last year, Hastings wrote “the previous business model was failing. While we’ve historically been uncrowded and inexpensive, we’ve been losing money, not upgrading lifts or lodges, and building up debt,” he said, simultaneously announcing increased prices but eliminating a cap on the number of season passes sold. “The rise of Epic and Ikon have made the independent ski resort business very challenging, and we likely would have been acquired by one of the mega pass owners had we stayed on the old model…Our Wolf Canyon expansion, alongside limiting day ticket sales and not accepting mega passes, continues to fulfill our promise of keeping Powder Mountain uncrowded, independent, and truly a special experience for generations to come.”

Stratton to Replace Tamarack Lift

Peter Landsman5 Comments

Stratton Mountain plans to build its seventh detachable lift, a quad replacing the aging Tamarack triple. The new chair will follow the existing alignment with the top terminal shifting slightly uphill. Stratton applied for Vermont Act 250 approval on August 22nd. Drawings show Doppelmayr as the builder utilizing UNI-G equipment at a cost of $8.5 million. The new lift will utilize a bottom drive, top tension configuration with a manual parking rail adjacent to the bottom station. The alignment will utilize 10 towers along a 575 foot vertical rise.

Tamarack Express will be Stratton’s first new chairlift in eight years and improve access to beginner and low intermediate trails. I’m told the goal is to install the lift ahead of the 2026-27 season, subject to environmental approval.

Sun Valley Plans Two New Lifts in 2026

Peter Landsman5 Comments

Sun Valley Resort’s Bald Mountain will see two upper mountain lift upgrades for the 2026-27 season. Lookout Express will be upgraded to a detachable six pack and Christmas will be replaced by a modern detachable quad. Both outgoing machines are Yan high speed quads dating back to 1993 and 1988, respectively. A new Christmas was originally approved as a gondola-chairlift combination lift but in the end will only include chairs. A new lift maintenance facility is also planned near the summit of both lifts. “With today’s announcement, Sun Valley is embarking on another round of major investments in the mountain,” said Pete Sonntag, COO of Sun Valley Resort. “The replacement of Christmas and Lookout Express chairlifts will ensure fast, reliable access to some of Sun Valley’s best terrain for many years to come,” he continued. A manufacturer was not announced as Sun Valley is still working through the contract process. Baldy currently operates a mostly Doppelmayr fleet.

These projects will be the fourth and fifth new lifts for family-owned Sun Valley in four years. New Challenger and Flying Squirrel opened in 2023 and an upgraded Seattle Ridge debuted in 2024. By winter 2026-27, Sun Valley will have replaced five of its seven Yan detachable quads built between 1988 and 1994. The final two, Frenchman’s and River Run, are going through replacement scoping now with no set timeline for construction. They probably won’t be around for long as Sun Valley’s parent company, Grand America Hotels & Resorts, has been investing heavily in both its ski resorts of late. Sun Valley’s sister mountain, Snowbasin, has similarly added three marquee lifts in the past five years. That’s eight new lifts in five years for the company – all detachable.

In partnership with the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, Sun Valley will host a community open house and public comment opportunity next Monday, July 21st. It will be held at the Community Library from 4:30 to 6:00 pm.

Park City Looks to Replace Canyons Village Cabriolet

Peter Landsman32 Comments

Park City and the Canyons Village Management Association today announced plans (pending approval) to retire the aging Cabriolet, which carries guests from a lower parking lot and transit center to Canyons Village. The new lift would be a gondola, though specifics on cabin size and design will be detailed later this month. The one year build is expected to follow closely behind the Sunrise Gondola, slated to open this coming winter between Canyons Village and Red Pine Lodge.

Open air cabriolets became popular in the 1990s as a way to efficiently move guests over relatively short distances. These lifts were usually chosen to quickly move crowds between parking lots and villages. On the plus side, they’re efficient people movers and rarely stop. On the less great side, they require guests to remain standing while exposed to the elements and don’t easily accommodate bikes.

Intrawest installed four cabriolets between 1994 and 2008 (at Tremblant, Mountain Creek, Panorama and Winter Park) while American Skiing Company’s lone cabriolet debuted at The Canyons in 2000. At opening, The Canyons Cabriolet carried 3,000 passengers an hour in 40 eight place carriers. Talisker Corporation inhereted the lift when it acquired The Canyons in 2007 and Vail Resorts took over operations in 2013 while combining Park City and The Canyons into one mountain. The Cabriolet kept spinning through all this change, reliably transporting thousands of skiers each day from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

The new gondola would be designed to “enhance mountain accessibility for lodging guests, base and mid village area residents, and day skiers and snowboarders,” Vail Resorts said in an email to media. This opens up the possibility of an intermediate station. The new lift would also likely feature larger cabins to service the new Canyons Village Parking Structure. Park City broke ground on the expansive new garage and pedestrian plaza this spring. The first phase will open in 2025-26 with 653 parking spaces. The full five story, 1,850 stall facility is expected to debut in winter 2026-27 alongside the new gondola, again pending approval.

Residents can learn more about the project at an Open House on July 14th.

Sugar Bowl to Build New Gondola

Peter Landsman7 Comments

Seventy three years after building the West Coast’s first gondola, Sugar Bowl will invest in a brand new gondola for 2026. The eight passenger, Doppelmayr D-Line system will anchor a major revitalization encompassing multiple lodges and facilities. The new gondola will run from an overhauled parking garage along Donner Pass Road to North America’s only snowbound village at the base of the Disney Express.

CTEC manufactured the current Village Gondola in 1983, carrying four passengers at a time between the parking area and village. The low angle gondola traverses over several roads, past several railroad tracks and under high voltage power lines. Historically the system ran 24 hours a day during the winter season. Recently it has operated less and become subject to frequent maintenance closures. The new lift will be more reliable and one of two new D-Line gondolas in Tahoe next year, the other being at Homewood Mountain Resort.

The new Sugar Bowl gondola is expected to be completed in November 2026.

Quebec’s First Skytrac Coming to Mont Sutton

Peter Landsman4 Comments

Mont Sutton plans to revitalize its teaching side of the mountain in 2026 with a fixed grip quad from Skytrac. The new lift will replace three aging Mueller doubles and become the first Skytrac in Quebec. The news marks a significant milestone as Doppelmayr dominates the Quebec market and its 75 ski areas (more mountains than any other Canadian province or US state.) Skytrac’s expansion into Canada has been measured thus far with the first Monarch in Canada debuting in 2018 and three projects following at Searchmont, Ontario in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The Leitner-Poma subsidiary has yet to build any lifts in Western Canada.

Sutton’s new lift will load near the main chalet and transport 2,400 skiers per hour. It will feature a loading conveyor and greatly improve the learning experience for beginners and intermediates. As part of the project, Mont Sutton will move an existing conveyor lift, add a second conveyor, implement RFID gates and improve snowmaking around the new chair. The CA$8 million lift project, funded in part by the Government of Quebec, represents the largest investment in the resort’s 65 year history. “This announcement is the culmination of the planning work of all the teams over the past few years,” noted Jean-Michel Ryan, President and CEO of Mont Sutton. “The Skytrac quadruple chairlift, thanks to the quality of the overall proposal made by Poma Canada, meets all the essential criteria sought by Mont Sutton.” Construction is expected to commence in spring 2026 and be complete in time for the 2026-27 ski season.

Cooper Master Plan Prescribes Four New Lifts

Peter Landsman25 Comments

Colorado gem Ski Cooper is thriving among giants. Over the past ten seasons, visits have grown 63 percent, fueled in part by affordable lift tickets. Last winter, a midweek ticket cost $45, regardless of the time or method of purchase. Peak days cost $110 with Fridays and Sundays running a bit less. Surrounded by Copper Mountain, Vail, Breckenridge and Beaver Creek; Cooper’s customer base naturally skews local. But the hill also attracts a growing number of skiers from the Front Range and surrounding states, owing to its accessible tickets and laid back character.

Cooper is an outlier, especially in Colorado. Lake County owns the fixed assets like buildings and the hill straddles two National Forests. Operations are handled by Cooper Hill Ski Area Inc., a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization. Last year the mountain brought in $6.8 million in revenue, more than triple its sales in 2011. Expenses have also creeped up but not as quickly as revenue. The ski area netted $1.1 million in 2024 and carries no debt. This model has allowed consistent re-investment including a new conveyor lift in 2006, the Little Horse T-Bar expansion in 2019 and overhaul of the Piney Basin triple in 2021. Future improvements will be funded by retained earnings, not debt or taxpayer funds.

View down the Little Horse T-Bar line with Chicago Ridge and the proposed Sawmill double lift line in the background.

Because Cooper sits on Forest Service land, it’s required to periodically file a Master Development Plan (MDP.) The current master plan dates back to 1999 and Cooper is in the final stages of perfecting its 2025 Master Development Plan. The ski area expects to submit the plan to the Forest Service in July for acceptance. Like with all MDPs, projects are conceptual in nature and subject to NEPA approval before implementation. Unlike most master plans, Cooper’s 2025 MDP includes projected costs and phasing. In true Cooper fashion, it was prepared in house rather than by a consulting firm.

Phase one includes relief for the base-to-summit 10th Mountain Double. Replacement of the workhorse 10th has long been envisioned and was first approved in 2000. Instead of replacement, Cooper now plans to run a new fixed grip quad alongside the double and utilize both on peak days. The new quad combined with water/sewer upgrades, a lodge addition and parking expansion in phase one would cost $13 million.

Phase two would see a new lift constructed on Chicago Ridge called Sawmill. This double chair would serve 250 acres within Cooper’s existing permit area but never previously lift-served. Sawmill would rise 1,093 vertical feet and increase Cooper’s overall vertical drop by 382 feet. “A future Master Plan may envision further lift served use of the Chicago Ridge area within the SUP,” the plan notes. New double chairs are exceedingly rare in the United States with the last one installed at Arapahoe Basin in 2020. The last instance before that was six years earlier at Crystal Mountain, Washington. Like with those examples, a double would allow Cooper to service intermediate and expert terrain with a relatively fast lift (550 ft/min) at relatively low cost. Expansion up Chicago Ridge would also require a new patrol facility, skier bridge and trail improvements. Together with a second beginner conveyor in the base area, phase two totals $12 million.

Phase three includes Cooper’s first-ever snowmaking system and a second new double chair called Hoyt’s. This lift would service 60 acres of intermediate-pitched meadows on the west-southwest face of Cooper Hill. Hoyt’s double would span approximately 4,000 feet with a vertical of 942 feet and five new trails.

A third project in phase three is a replacement for the Buckeye Platter, which dates back to 1983. This project is planned as a T-Bar, increasing capacity by 120 percent. The mountain’s second T-Bar could run at a speedy 600 feet per minute with an intermediate unload station. Combined with a new lodge and additional parking, phase three is estimated to cost $14.5 million.

Cooper’s current comfortable carrying capacity (CCC) totals 1,819 guests but gets exceeded several times most winters. If all MDP projects are completed, the ski area could comfortably accommodate 3,682 guests, effectively doubling capacity. “Ski Cooper’s goals are to continue operating at less than full capacity, but add lifts, lift capacity, and terrain in order to improve circulation, keep wait times at lifts at a comfortable level, improve overall terrain offerings, and therefore maintain the reliably high-level ski experience Ski Cooper’s guests have come to expect,” the plan notes.

Lake County is currently soliciting feedback on the plan before submittal to the feds.

Sundance Resort Announces Upper Mountain Expansion

Peter Landsman12 Comments

Sundance, Utah today revealed plans for its fifth new lift in ten years, the Electric Horseman Express. The mountain’s second detachable quad will run from near the bottom of Wildwood to the top of Red’s, rising an impressive 1,850 vertical feet in six minutes. The back mountain expansion will open in phases with nine new trails and 60 acres opening this winter. The new lift will debut in 26/27 along with 105 acres adjacent to Bishop’s Bowl. The nearby Flathead lift, a 1975 Thiokol, will remain for now but eventually be removed.

Doppelmayr will construct the Electric Horseman Express along a steep, 4,400 foot alignment requiring 16 towers. The lift’s eccentric name is a nod to a 1979 film starring Robert Redford, who owned Sundance for 51 years. Redford sold the mountain in 2020 to two real estate investment firms, which have pumped tens of millions into new lifts, terrain, parking, a daylodge and hotel over the past five years.

“The addition of the Electric Horseman Express will transform how our guests experience the back mountain, allowing skiers and riders to lap all of the new and existing terrain in a single high-speed lift ride,” said Czar Johnson, Chief Operating Officer. “The expanded acreage gives locals even more reason to choose Sundance Resort for their season pass, and provides our traveling guests enough variety to make our new Inn at Sundance their home base for exploration,” he continued.

Arapahoe Basin Master Plan Envisions Two Gondolas & More

Peter Landsman4 Comments

Arapahoe Basin today announced it submitted a new Master Development Plan (MDP) to the Forest Service for review. The plan includes several lift additions within the mountain’s existing 1,800 acre permit area with a focus on out-of-base capacity and improving the experience for beginner and intermediate skiers. Arapahoe Basin already operates one of the most modern lift fleets in the industry with six Leitner-Poma chairlifts, all built between 2007 and 2022. The MDP builds on that fleet with a new detachable gondola, pulse gondola and detachable quad all running in new alignments.

Alterra Mountain Company bought Arapahoe Basin last year and Alterra will offer unlimited access on the Ikon Pass next season. “Alterra intends to keep the legacy of “The Legend” alive and build upon its existing infrastructure and enrich the guest experience, while maintaining its reputation of challenging terrain with a laid-back essence,” the plan notes. “A-Basin will continue to limit ticket and pass sales to preserve the guest experience even with the construction of upgrade plan projects,” the mountain noted.

Two relatively short gondolas are planned. The first would provide access from near the Last Chance and Upper Chance parking lots to an existing pedestrian tunnel under U.S. Highway 6. This would replace bus service with an environmentally-friendly and comfortable alternative. The gondola would include pulses of three cabins, each seating six guests. This design would move 500 foot passengers per hour in each direction.

An eight passenger detachable gondola is planned to run from the main base area to Sawmill Flats. This 2,000 foot long lift would increase out-of-base capacity by 1,800 skiers per hour and service a new mid-mountain learning center. A-Basin’s base area is constrained and lacks sufficient beginner terrain. As part of this project, the Pika conveyor would be relocated to mid-mountain. The new learning center would sit 425 vertical feet above the lodge, out of the hussle and bustle with scenic views.

Finally, a high speed quad called Wrangler is envisioned from the new learning center to the bottom of Lenawee Express. Combined with the lower gondola, this 1,684 foot long lift would provide an alternate route to the upper mountain from the congested Black Mountain Express. The primary purpose of this lift, however, would be the next progression for beginners after learning to ski at mid mountain. Wrangler Express would rise 245 vertical feet with a capacity 1,800 skiers per hour. “The new gondola, conveyor and Wrangler lift would all enhance progression and utilization by servicing gentle terrain on the east side of the resort,” the plan notes.

The plan also includes expanded parking, new snowmaking and additional skier services. SE Group calculated A-Basin’s future design day at 4,840 guests, an increase of 18 percent from existing conditions. It’s important to note the Forest Service hasn’t yet accepted the plan and all projects identified would require site-specific environmental analysis and approval per the National Environmental Policy Act.

Arapahoe Basin and the Forest Service plan to hold an open house about the master plan on Saturday, May 31st from 4-6 pm on the 2nd Floor of the A-Frame.

Mount St. Louis Moonstone Announces Second D-Line

Peter Landsman9 Comments

Canada’s third D-Line lift will debut at Moonstone, Ontario next winter, just steps from the groundbreaking Adventure8. Mount St. Louis Moonstone has again partnered with Doppelmayr to build the Elfriede Huter Xpress, a 3,000 passenger per hour six pack. The new lift will replace the Easy Street and Outback fixed grip lifts on the north flank of the mountain. “We’re saying goodbye to two legendary lifts,” said Robert Huter, General Manager of MSLM. “We’re thrilled to be writing the next chapter in our commitment to delivering the best lift infrastructure in Eastern Canada.” The project is named for Elfriede Huter, co-founder of the resort and matriarch of the Huter family who passed away last winter at the age of 86 (the six year old Josl Huter Express bears the name of Elfriede’s late husband and co-founder.) “Elfriede’s strength, warmth, and quiet determination helped build the resort from humble beginnings into the iconic destination it is today,” the resort noted.

MSLM will move some 100,000 cubic meters of fill to add 28 vertical feet for the new D-Line to land on. The Elfie Xpress will feature a direct drive, heated seats, manual locking restraint bars and a raiseable loading conveyor. When the lift is complete, MSLM will operate five detachable lifts moving more than 3,000 skiers an hour apiece. “Our goal is to stay ahead of the curve, investing where it matters most—on the slopes,” said Operations Director Andre Huter. “This new lift is not just about speed, it’s about guest experience, comfort, and continuing to build on the legacy of innovation that’s been our family’s foundation since 1964.” Lift construction has already begun and the new ride is expected to be complete by December.