Projects & Plans

New Ski Resort Proposed in Southwest British Columbia

Peter Landsman11 Comments

South Anderson Mountain Resort has joined the growing list of new ski resort and scenic gondola proposals in British Columbia. This week Spuzzum First Nation Chief James Hobart detailed plans for the indigenous-owned and operated mountain resort north of Hope. The site sits two hours east of Metro Vancouver and 40 miles north of the Washington State border along existing logging roads.

Spuzzum First Nation would like to build a four season resort primarily to provide jobs and financial opportunities for its members. The band “aims to create an exceptional all-season mountain resort that will allow visitors to experience the beauty and recreation opportunities in the Cascade Mountains in an environmentally responsible manner.”

Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners of Whistler developed the concept for a mid-sized resort capable of accommodating 9,000 skiers per day. Five lifts would be built in phase one with 11 lifts by phase three. Westernmost phase one lies on Wolverine Track Peak where a base-to-summit combination lift would carry 3,000 guests per hour. This would be the largest lift at the ski area with a vertical rise of 2,215 feet. Phase one would also include two six packs, a fixed grip quad and platter lift. Phase two would see a third six pack built on Winters End Peak along with two short connector quads. Finally, a fourth six pack would be constructed on Iago Peak, topping out at an elevation of 1,730 meters or 5,676 feet. A bi-directional quad chair would be required to connect Iago Peak to Winters End Peak that would feature a mid-loading station in the valley between the two mountains.

The resort would cater primarily to guests from the Lower Mainland but also Western Washington with a total drive to population nearing 3.1 million. Vancouver and Seattle are currently adding about 100,000 people per year and a study showed increased population in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley alone will generate an additional 329,000 skier visits for local mountain resorts by 2032. South Anderson Mountain Resort would be designed to host around 150,000 skier visits its first season and up to 400,000 in year ten.

While British Columbia is much more accommodating to resort development than Washington State, numerous proposals have come and gone without being funded or built. Garibaldi at Squamish, a megaresort proposed near Whistler, recently fell into receivership. Whistler Blackcomb itself has an ambitious master plan to expand west that Vail Resorts has yet to start. Two competing propoents are vying to build on crown land near Chilliwack – the Cascade Skyline Gondola and Bridal Veil Mountain Resort. Nearby Sasquatch Mountain Resort has approval for a $1.5 billion expansion that has yet to get off the ground. Elsewhere in British Columbia, Valemount Glacier and Jumbo Glacier both fizzled in recent years.

The Province of British Columbia is expected to review the Spuzzum First Nation’s initial Expression of Interest and make a positive or negative recommendation in the coming months.

Castle Mountain Plans First Detachable Quad

Peter Landsman44 Comments

Canada’s second largest resort without a high speed lift plans to build one soon. Castle Mountain, located in Southwestern Alberta, today announced it has reached an agreement in principle to acquire Sunshine Village’s outgoing Angel Express for an undisclosed sum. The 1988 Poma detachable quad will be retired this spring to make way for a new six person bubble chair at Sunshine.

“We are excited to be acquiring such a great lift from a reputable industry partner,” said Dean Parkinson, Castle Mountain Resort General Manager. “It is a great thing to be keeping this lift in Alberta and we appreciate Sunshine’s willingness to work with us on this purchase,” he continued. No location or timeline for reinstallation was announced. One logical scenario would see the quad replace the Sundance triple, Castle’s main out-of-base lift which opened in 1996. The used detachable could also replace the Huckleberry or Tamarack lifts. Perhaps more likely than either of those locations is an entirely new alignment. Castle’s latest master plan identified 10 different locations for possible future lifts as the resort grows. “When information is available on the reinstallation location and the expected timeline, we expect to share this in future press releases,” said Castle.

Once this project is complete, the largest remaining North American mountains without detachable lifts will be Red Mountain, British Columbia (4,200 acres); Discovery, Montana (2,200 acres); Bridger Bowl, Montana (2,000 acres); Lost Trail Powder Mountain, Idaho/Montana (1,800 acres); and Silverton Mountain, Colorado (1,800 acres).

Big Sky to Build World’s Longest Eight Seat Chairlift

Peter Landsman75 Comments

Big Sky will become the first US ski area to replace a six place chairlift with a larger machine next summer on the north flank of Lone Peak. Replacing Six Shooter, the new North Side 8 will be the longest eight place in the world and crown Big Sky as the only North American resort with two eight places and three bubble D-Lines. The latest-generation Doppelmayr lift will run at six meters per second, reducing ride time out of Madison base by 30 percent.

Big Sky Resort parent company Boyne Resorts is partnering with local real estate developer Lone Mountain Land Company to realize this ambitious project, which will feature 80 chairs and 29 towers along an approximately 8,700 foot alignment. The outgoing Six Shooter is only 20 years old but was designed for a different era when Moonlight Basin operated separately from neighboring Big Sky. The two ski areas merged in 2013 and Six Shooter quickly became a bottleneck. The Garaventa CTEC lift can only move 1,800 skiers per hour and suffers periodic down time in part due to a line curve necessitated by previous property boundaries. Now that Big Sky owns Moonlight Basin ski terrain, the new lift can run in a straight alignment and carry nearly twice as many riders. “Replacing Six Shooter has long been an ask of our guests,” said Troy Nedved, Big Sky Resort’s General Manager. “The lift replacement doubles the uphill capacity at one of our last remaining pinch points, and will enhance what is one of the resort’s coldest lift rides with bubbles and heated seats.”

Up to 2,745 skiers per hour will load the new lift about 40 feet uphill of the current Six Shooter drive station to create more queuing space. In addition to now-standard Big Sky features of blue bubbles, a loading conveyor and a four ring direct drive, North Side 8 will also feature automatic lowering/locking lap bars and the United States’ first Fatzer Performa-DT haul rope for a smoother ride. Chairs will be parked inside both terminals at night rather than a separate parking building, another first for Big Sky. Construction is set to begin this spring with opening planned for late 2024.

The under construction Explorer Gondola is set to debut for the 2025-26 ski season at Big Sky.

News of North Side 8 comes at an exciting time in Big Sky just days after the new Lone Peak Tram debuted as the latest component of the Big Sky 2025 capital push. “Big Sky Resort is at the forefront of transforming the North American ski experience by adding the most advanced and comfortable lift system to our mountain,” noted Nedved. “This lift replacement, our seventh in as many years, supports our long-standing reputation for having some of the shortest lift lines in the Rockies.” Big Sky also recently commenced construction of a two stage D-Line gondola running from the Mountain Village to the new tram. A second two stage D-Line gondola is planned to link the new One&Only Moonlight Basin to the Madison base area and North Side 8.

Sun Valley Plans Next New Lift on Seattle Ridge

Peter Landsman11 Comments

Fresh off replacing both major lifts on the Warm Springs side of Bald Mountain, Sun Valley today announced its next lift project will enhance the guest experience on Seattle Ridge. Following the debut of new four and six place lifts just last week, Doppelmayr will return to Baldy in 2024 to replace the Seattle Ridge detachable quad with a detachable six pack, increasing capacity by 20 percent. Interestingly the lift will not be a D-Line like the just-opened Challenger but rather a UNI-G à la Flying Squirrel and Broadway. The project is currently under Forest Service review alongside a future Christmas replacement as Sun Valley works to retire its entire fleet of seven Yan detachables built in the 1980s and 1990s.

“Seattle Ridge is home to some of Sun Valley’s most beloved intermediate, family-friendly terrain and more recently with the Sunrise expansion, some of its best off-piste terrain,” said Pete Sonntag, Vice President and General Manager of Sun Valley Resort. “Over the last five years, we’ve been able to increase the skiable terrain serviced by Seattle Ridge chair by over 200 acres, and we believe the chairlift upgrade is coming at the perfect time as we continue our investment in the mountain experience at Sun Valley,” he noted. Construction is expected to begin in April with the new Seattle Ridge six place opening to skiers late next year.

Powder Mountain Plans Four New Lifts in 2024

Peter Landsman32 Comments

Netflix founder and Powder Mountain CEO Reed Hastings will invest $20 million next summer, replacing two lifts and building two new ones servicing parts of the mountain currently accessed by snowcat. Hastings took majority ownership of Powder Mountain earlier this year and already invested in new snowmaking and a conveyor lift for this season. Next year, the first order of business will be replacing the long and slow Paradise quad with a Doppelmayr detachable quad, cutting ride time by more than half. The aging Timberline triple will also be retired for a fixed grip quad.

Two chairlifts in brand new alignments will also debut next year. A fixed grip quad will be installed from the base of Timberline to the top of Lightning Ridge, servicing intermediate and expert terrain currently accessed by snowcat or hiking. A second infill lift called Raintree will open only for Powder Mountain homeowners in Cobabe Canyon. This expert terrain currently serviced by cat will remain open to those willing to hike. All three fixed grip lifts will be constructed by Skytrac, bringing Powder Mountain to six Skytracs in total.

Starting next year, the existing Mary’s and Village lifts will close to the public and, like Raintree, be open only to homeowners. “In order to pay our bills, we need to sell more real estate, and to do that we are introducing private homeowner-only skiing a year from now,” said Hastings. “We believe this blend of public and private skiing secures us decades of exceptional uncrowded skiing for all, funded partially by real estate. To stay independent and uncrowded, we needed to change, and we didn’t want to join the successful but crowded multi-resort pass model (i.e. Snowbasin) or sell to a conglomerate (i.e. Vail).”

Deer Valley Plans Snow Park Gondola

Peter Landsman16 Comments

Tonight Deer Valley Resort and Park City Municipal announced a public-private partnership to redevelop the Snow Park Base Area with a new gondola providing a key transportation link. Under the proposal, Deer Valley would reduce skier parking at Snow Park Village by 15 to 20 percent and devote $15 million to regional transportation and housing. A ten passenger gondola system would connect 1,200 new parking spaces on the Jordanelle side of the mountain to Snow Park, which will transform into a pedestrian-focused base village with lodging and dining. “We’ll have lift and gondola infrastructure that will connect from the new portal all the way to Snow Park, which we think is a really unique opportunity for transportation in the area,” Deer Valley President Todd Bennett told the City Council.

The newly-unveiled gondola would carry skiers and foot passengers year round between Snow Park Village and Silver Lake Village, likely replacing the Silver Lake Express. From Silver Lake, gondola cabins would continue to Park Peak, the 9,400 foot summit of Deer Valley’s upcoming Expanded Excellence expansion. The gondola would terminate just steps from another planned gondola rising from a new base portal along U.S. Route 40. Together a total of four gondola segments would link five points around Deer Valley and reduce the need for skiers to drive through Park City to park. Deer Valley notes that “several new chairlifts and the 10-passenger gondola will seamlessly connect our expanded terrain with the existing resort, ensuring a more balanced traffic flow and reducing congestion.”

The four gondola sections would span 5.4 miles and form one of the largest gondola systems in North America. A ride along the entire line from U.S. 40 to Snow Park would last approximately 25 minutes. The lift would be built and funded by Deer Valley on top of the $15 million Deer Valley is committing to fund other transportation and housing initiatives.

Park City’s City Council plans to hold a public hearing on the proposal next week with a potential vote to move forward before the end of the year. Deer Valley expects to open the first new ski terrain for the 2025/26 season, though Snow Park redevelopment will take the majority of this decade. The entire project is expected to be completed in advance of the potential 2034 Salt Lake Olympics.

Blue Mountain, Ontario Eyes New Gondola

Peter Landsman13 Comments

Alterra Mountain Company’s lift construction push continues. Fresh off projects at Mammoth, Schweitzer, Snowshoe, Solitude, Steamboat and Winter Park, the company plans to build a new gondola at its outpost in Ontario, Canada. Blue Mountain currently operates the Silver Bullet Express as an open air gondola in the summer months but lacks a truly accessible year-round lift attraction. The new scenic gondola will load near the Village at Blue Mountain, where a new base lodge is also planned. The top terminal will sit near the Southern Comfort six pack with the gondola running diagonally up the mountain.

Blue Mountain notes the 20 year old Silver Bullet will need to be taken out of service for an entire summer soon for refurbishment and the new gondola will better serve summer and winter guests going forward. Construction is expected to begin next year, subject to local approvals. No manufacturer was announced but Blue Mountain currently operates a 100 percent Leitner-Poma lift fleet.

Homewood Plans D-Line Gondola

Peter Landsman18 Comments

Lake Tahoe’s Homewood Mountain Resort has abandoned plans for a private club in favor of remaining open to the public alongside selling club memberships. Homewood hopes this hybrid model will pave the way for installation of a new gondola, which was postponed this summer due to public outcry over privatization. The new gondola is the second recent lift project for JMA Ventures, which just yesterday celebrated the completion of the new Stache Express at its resort in Red Lodge, Montana.

Under a new draft agreement sent to the Tahoe Regional Planning Authority (TRPA), Homewood will remain open to the public in both winter and summer via season passes and daily lift tickets. This should allow the TRPA to approve gondola construction under an existing 2011 master plan. In a statement, TRPA said it is “reviewing the information and is in consultation with Homewood Mountain Resort to understand how the earlier proposal to change the character of the resort’s operation is being revised. This information will help the agency determine if the resort will be required to amend the larger resort master plan. A determination on that will be made before action is taken on the gondola project or any other project application at the resort.”

The gondola, which was already ordered and partially delivered to Homewood, will be built by Doppelmayr and run from the North Lodge to mid-mountain, replacing the Madden triple. The gondola will feature eight place Omega V cabins and become the third D-Line lift in California. The gondola will rise approximately 1,000 vertical feet, making Homewood’s entire 1,840 foot vertical drop accessible via detachable lifts for the first time. Homewood plans to build a new mid-mountain facility at the top of the gondola, which will be open to the public alongside club members. Pending approval, the new lift could open as soon as the 2024-25 ski season.

Ski Santa Fe to Build High Speed Quad

Peter Landsman6 Comments

A detachable chairlift will join Ski Santa Fe, New Mexico’s lift fleet for the first time next year. The Forest Service recently completed analysis of the new lift, which will replace the 1988 Santa Fe Super Chief fixed grip quad. “The project is needed to upgrade declining infrastructure, ensuring efficient operations and improved user satisfaction,” the Forest Service wrote in an October 13th decision. Ride time will improve from 10 minutes to just over four minutes.

The new lift will be called Santa Fe Express and be built by Leitner-Poma, the manufacturer for most of Ski Santa Fe’s existing chairlifts. The high speed quad will run just over 4,000 linear feet and serve 865 vertical feet of beginner, intermediate and advanced terrain.

Construction will begin in April 2024 and is expected to be completed in time for the 2024-25 ski season.

Sommet Morin Heights Announces New Quad

Peter Landsman6 Comments

Quebec resort group Les Sommets will build its fourth new lift in six years next summer at Sommet Morin Heights. The group has been investing heavily of late with four of its five mountains receiving new chairlifts since 2019. The Sommet Express opened at Sommet Saint-Sauveur in 2019, La Laurentienne debuted at Sommet Gabriel in 2022 and Apollo will launch this season at Sommet Olympia. Next up will be Sommet Morin Heights.

Morin Heights’ new lift will be called Élévation with the exact alignment to be announced. The planned vertical of 525 feet suggests it will replace Dynastar, a 1980s quad which operated previously at Ski Wentworth, Nova Scota. Élévation will feature 91 chairs moving at 450 feet per minute and will open for the 2024-25 ski season.