Projects & Plans

Vail Resorts Plans Lift Upgrades at Hunter Mountain and Blackcomb in 2024

Peter Landsman16 Comments

Vail Resorts today announced its initial 2024 capital plan, which includes three new lifts. The largest project will be at Hunter Mountain, where Vail intends to replace the Broadway quad with a six seat detachable. The top terminal will be relocated near the bottom of Lower 42nd Street to improve access to Eisenhower and Gun Hill. Existing Broadway Limited equipment will be moved to replace Lift E, a Hall double dating back to 1968. E’s alignment will move east to the middle of the learning area. Vail says these new lifts will provide “a meaningful increase in uphill capacity and improved access to terrain that is key to the progressive learning experience for our guests.”

At Whistler Blackcomb, Vail will build its fourth new detachable in three years. The new Jersey Cream Six will utilize parts originally intended for Eagle Express at Park City before local approval was revoked in 2022. Vail then sought to replace the Jersey Cream quad in 2023 alongside the Fitzsimmons 8 project, but labor shortages only allowed one project to be finished this fall. Doppelmayr Canada did complete 11 of 15 tower bases for Jersey Cream over the summer and the UNI-G six pack will now open for the 2024-25 ski season.

Finally Vail announced its intention to complete the new Sunrise Gondola at Park City’s Canyons Village in 2025. The 10 passenger gondola will run from near the new Pendry Hotel to Red Pine Lodge. The third out-of-base lift will be funded in part by the Canyons Village Management Association.

The company reported season pass sales increased approximately 7 percent in units and 11 percent in sales dollars in dollars compared to the equivalent period last year. Vail Resorts also reported a decrease in net income from $347.9 million for fiscal year 2022 to $268.1 million for fiscal 2023. The decrease was primarily attributed to “a large gain on disposal of fixed assets in fiscal 2022 and an increase in fiscal 2023 expense associated with a change in the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration liability related to our Park City resort lease.” Vail also said higher employee wages, a poor winter in Australia and lower demand for summer mountain travel negatively impacted results.

Monarch Mountain Looks to Expand

Peter Landsman1 Comment

Independent Monarch Mountain would expand lift service to No Name Basin in a plan under review by the Forest Service. No Name sits over the Continental Divide from the existing Breezeway terrain pod and is currently skied via snow cat. If approved, the first new lift at Monarch since 1999 would be a fixed grip triple or quad rising 960 vertical feet. It would be approximately 2,700 feet long and carry 1,800 skiers per hour to an elevation of 11,700 feet.

Monarch plans to clear 62 acres of developed trails and glade additional acreage within the proposed 377 acre expansion zone. A new service road, warming hut and restroom are also planned. “The development of No Name Basin for downhill skiing would improve the recreation experience for guests of Monarch by offering more lift-served terrain that caters to intermediate and advanced ability level skiers,” the ski area notes. “In addition, Monarch hopes to meet evolving guest demand for more varied and interesting terrain.” The expansion lies in a different National Forest than the rest of Monarch so the Pike-San Isabel National Forest and the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest are both seeking public comments on the project here. An Environmental Assessment is expected to be completed in April 2024.

Three New Lifts Coming to Lake Louise

Peter Landsman14 Comments

One week after Sunshine Village announced a new bubble chair with heated seats, Lake Louise says it will build one too. Foundation work is already underway for the Upper Juniper detachable quad, which will connect the top of the two year old Juniper Express with the Top of the World. Upper Juniper Express will be constructed by Doppelmayr Canada and open for the 2024-25 ski season. “This new lift should not only enhance accessibility to the upper mountain, but substantially alleviate base area congestion even during peak days,” said Lake Louise.

Two additional chairlifts will debut for the 2025-26 season, one a beginner lift called Sunny Side and the other an expansion behind Paradise Bowl. Richardson’s Ridge Express will service a “vast expanse of intermediate and advanced terrain,” said the ski area. Construction of the second new high speed quad will take two years with foundations installed in 2024 and steel following in 2025. The Sunny Side beginner chairlift will also be constructed in the summer of ’25. “This new chair will provide comfortable and quick access to our superb beginner terrain,” noted Lake Louise.

Sunshine Village to Build Canada’s First Bubble Six Chairlift

Peter Landsman46 Comments

Leitner-Poma will install its first ever bubble chairlift in Canada at Banff Sunshine. The six place chairlift with heated seats will replace the aging Angel Express, built in 1988. The move follows construction of Sunshine’s first bubble lift, the Tee Pee Town LX quad in 2015. When the project is complete within the next two years, all lifts at Sunshine will be under 30 years old.

Parks Canada approved the project in March and Sunshine crews spent this summer widening the lift line and pouring select foundations for the new lift. No opening date has been set but Sunshine intends to have the Angel Express 6 operational for either the 2024-25 or 2025-26 ski season.

Wolf Creek to Debut New Beginner Chair

Peter Landsman5 Comments

A surprise eighth chairlift is under construction at Wolf Creek Ski Area in Southwest Colorado this September. The Tumbler quad will service a modest new beginner pod in the area of Engelmann Glades. With this late season addition, Colorado is up to six new chairlifts and a new gondola for the upcoming 2023-24 ski season.

The Forest Service only approved the project on August 10th and satellite imagery shows tree clearing began shortly thereafter. Wolf Creek has not formally announced details but a teaser shows a Doppelmayr fixed grip quad in the parking lot and tower foundations under construction. The Forest Service notes Tumbler will “provide additional infrastructure to the ski area to support operations, disperse use and provide for a quality recreation experience.”

Forest Service Weighs Bear Mountain-Snow Summit Interconnect

Peter Landsman43 Comments

Three new chairlifts may be coming to Alterra’s outpost in Southern California. Under a plan unveiled today, Big Bear Mountain Resort would link neighboring Bear Mountain and Snow Summit via a series of new lifts and trails to form a cohesive mountain. The project would be remarkable given the two mountains haven’t seen a single new lift in 25 years. The two came under common ownership in 2002 and Alterra added nearby Snow Valley to the resort earlier this year. In addition to the interconnect, Big Bear also plans to add a new beginner terrain pod at Bear Mountain, expand snowmaking, construct mountain bike trails, build a zip tour and install an alpine coaster.

The interconnect would require two detachable chairlifts spanning approximately 4,000 feet apiece. Lift C on Bear Mountain would rise about 850 vertical with significant new ski terrain. On the Snow Summit side, Lift D would service approximately 525 vertical feet and include three connector trails. The two lifts would meet at a central low point with a skier bridge completing the link. All told the project would require approximately 300 acres to be added to Big Bear’s special use permit area, about 60 of which would be developed trails with snowmaking. A third new chairlift is planned to service a new beginner pod near the Access Express on Bear Mountain.

The San Bernadino National Forest is preparing an Environmental Assessment and accepting public comments on the proposal over the next 30 days. The Forest Service’s schedule of proposed actions suggests the project could be approved by May of next year.

Copper Mountain to Build Fourth Six Pack

Peter Landsman15 Comments

This season will be the last for Copper Mountain’s aging Timberline Express. Copper announced yesterday work has already begun to replace the 1994 build detachable quad with a Leitner-Poma six seater for the 2024-25 season. The new machine will become the fourth Leitner-Poma six place at Copper, following Super Bee, American Eagle and American Flyer.

Timberline Express 2.0 will span 4,825 linear feet and carry skiers 1,129 vertical feet on Union Peak. Capacity will increase to 3,000 guests per hour, up from the current high speed quad’s 2,400 per hour. “The Timberline Express chairlift services some of the most popular intermediate terrain,” said Dustin Lyman, President and General Manager of Copper Mountain. “With the introduction of a 6-pack high-speed lift, we are boosting uphill capacity significantly, effectively reducing wait times and granting skiers and riders quicker access to one of our most treasured mountain areas,” he continued. The project has already been approved by the United States Forest Service.

Copper Mountain also received approval to replace the Lumberjack triple with a detachable quad, though no timeline for that upgrade was set.

Deer Valley Unveils Dramatic Expansion Plan

Peter Landsman56 Comments

Deer Valley will embark on one of the largest terrain expansions in US ski history over the next decade in partnership with Extell Development Company. As part of the Expanded Excellence vision, Alterra Mountain Company will develop ski operations in the area previously known as Mayflower with nine new lifts opening in the 2025-26 season and seven more to follow. All told, Deer Valley will more than double in size to 5,726 acres with 37 lifts.

Deer Valley Resort President Todd Bennett introduces the Expanded Excellence vision today at Silver Lake Lodge.

The majority of the new terrain will launch in late 2025 with 110 new runs and a 2,900 foot vertical drop. Extell will continue to develop the base portal it has been building along US-40, which guests can reach seamlessly from Salt Lake City. Alterra will manage the mountain experience under a long term operating agreement and skiers will enjoy the same elevated service and amenities they have since 1981, albeit on a dramatically larger footprint. Deer Valley expects to hire 2,000 employees to support this expansion along with additional parking and workforce housing.

New York-based Extell embarked on the Mayflower project years ago with a purchase of 40 acres and acquired more than 20 parcels since. Company founder and President Gary Barnett noted negotiations with Alterra were intense at times and a deal was only finalized this week. With the two companies in agreement, skiers will enjoy an improved ski experience under the Deer Valley brand rather than having to choose between two adjacent, competing ski resorts.

Construction has already begun on the base portal and new terrain. The flagship of the expanded lift system will be a 10 passenger gondola spanning nearly 10,000 linear feet from the new base portal to Park Peak with a mid angle station. A dozen detachable chairlifts and three fixed grip lifts will also service the expansion at full buildout. A majority will be quads in Deer Valley tradition with manufacturer(s) to be determined.

“Deer Valley Resort is committed to building upon our legacy as one of the world’s most exceptional ski areas while staying true to our founding principles created over four-decades ago,” said Todd Bennett, President and COO of Deer Valley Resort. “This expansion will facilitate even better access to the resort for our guests, while offering a substantial increase in world-class amenities consistent with the resort’s original vision.” 

Marmot Basin Announces New Knob Chair

Peter Landsman4 Comments

It’s been an open secret for months but Marmot Basin made it official this weekend: a new summit chairlift will debut this winter. Not only will the new Knob Quad replace the mountain’s oldest lift, it will also increase Marmot Basin’s lift-served vertical by 415 vertical feet. The Doppelmayr fixed grip quad will replace a 47 year old Doppelmayr double of the same name but run in a modified alignment. The new machine will be longer and taller, rising 1,289 vertical feet over 3,566 feet of slope length. A Chairkit conveyor will enable loading at 2.3 meters per second with up to 1,200 skiers per hour enjoying a sub eight minute ride. The new lift will improve access to the Cirque terrain as well as Marmot Peak.

When the project is complete, Marmot Basin will feature one of the youngest lift fleets in Canada. Marmot and Doppelmayr plan to open the Knob Quad this coming season as soon as snow permits.

Sun Valley Plans Two More Six Packs

Peter Landsman26 Comments

Two of Bald Mountain’s most popular lifts – Christmas and Seattle Ridge – will be upgraded from quads to larger lifts under a plan up for Forest Service approval. The project follows hot on the heels of two similar upgrade projects taking place this summer at Sun Valley. Construction crews with Doppelmayr are working to replace Greyhawk and Challenger with new four and six seat chairlifts on the Warm Springs side of the mountain. When both projects are complete, Sun Valley Resort will have replaced four of its seven Yan detachable quads built in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The last three up for replacement will be Frenchman’s, Lookout Express and River Run Express in future seasons.

The new Christmas lift will feature both six passenger chairs and enclosed gondola cabins. This will create a base-to-summit gondola route in conjunction with the existing Roundhouse Gondola, which runs from River Run Day Lodge to the mid mountain Roundhouse. Christmas Chondola will load at the Roundhouse and increase capacity from 2,400 guests per hour to 3,000 per hour. The top terminal location will move slightly to provide better connectivity with the Lookout Day Lodge for foot passengers riding the new chondola.

On Seattle Ridge, another new six pack will similarly increase capacity from 2,400 to 3,000 skiers per hour. This new lift will also travel in a slightly modified alignment to accommodate a new ski patrol facility. “Both of the existing lifts are over 35 years old and are nearing the end of their operational lifespans,” the Forest Service wrote in its scoping letter. “Replacement of the lifts would ensure a safe and reliable user experience, and increased lift capacity would help address the long lift lines experienced at both lifts in their existing condition.”

A public meeting about Sun Valley’s latest projects is scheduled for Thursday, August 31st from 4:30 to 6:00 pm at the Ketchum Library. Public comments can also be submitted online to comments-intermtn-sawtooth-ketchum@usda.gov.