News Roundup: Stairway to Heaven

Peter Landsman36 Comments

Bretton Woods to Replace Bethlehem Express

Peter Landsman4 Comments

At least four new lifts will be constructed in New Hampshire this summer following the state tramway board’s approval for Bretton Woods to begin construction on a new high speed quad. The new lift will replace the Bethlehem Express, the oldest of five detachables on the mountain. Doppelmayr constructed the current lift in 1989 but the new one will be built by Leitner-Poma. It will be the first Poma lift constructed at Bretton Woods since 1973, when three Heron-Poma lifts debuted for the resort’s inaugural season. In addition to retiring Bethlehem Express, Bretton Woods is also retiring the nearby Fayban’s Express triple and auctioning the chairs.

Bretton Woods is part of the Omni Mountain Washington Resort, itself a subsidiary of Omni Hotels & Resorts. The company has invested heavily in its New Hampshire ski area over the past decade including building an eight passenger gondola and expansive summit lodge. Bretton Woods and Leitner-Poma plan to start construction on Bethlehem in April and the new lift should be substantially completed in October.

Waterville Valley to Build New T-Bar

Peter Landsman7 Comments

MND Ropeways will construct another lift at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire this summer, replacing the existing World Cup T-Bar and Exhibition Poma. The lift will run in a new alignment, serving athletes and training programs as well as the general public. The new T-Bar will span 2,226 feet with a vertical rise of 602 feet and capacity of 1,100 skiers per hour.

“This new T-Bar is an exciting investment in our mountain’s infrastructure,” said Tim Smith, President & General Manager of Waterville Valley Resort. “It will greatly improve our ability to support training camps, race and freestyle programs, and provide enhanced access for recreational skiers.”

This will be the fifth MND Ropeways installation at Waterville following the High Country T-Bar, Tecumseh Express and two conveyors. As part of this summer’s work, Waterville will install redesigned bubbles for the Tecumseh Express’ 83 chairs. A new bubble material has already been tested and found to be more durable than the original Bartholet version.

One Dead in Lift Incident at Red Lodge Mountain

Peter Landsman63 Comments

A person was airlifted to a Montana hospital on today following an incident on the Triple Chair at Red Lodge Mountain. “Red Lodge Mountain Patrol Dispatch received a call at 11:51am regarding an incident that occurred with the Triple Chair,” the mountain said in a statement. “Patrol was on-scene of the incident at 11:53am,” the statement continued. “A patient was transported to the base area where the patient was loading into an emergency medical services ambulance at 12:23 pm.” A local TV station reported the person was later flown by helicopter from Red Lodge’s hospital to a larger one in Billings. The rest of the 135 passengers on the chairlift were evacuated by rope and the mountain was closed for the day.

It was windy today in south-central Montana and Red Lodge acknowledged the incident may have been wind-related. The resort posted on X at 8:45 am that all lifts would start the day on wind hold with gusts forecasted as high as 55 miles per hour. Three base area lifts, including the Triple Chair, began loading passengers at 9:30 am. After the incident a few hours later, Red Lodge Fire Rescue said strong winds prevented the patient from being airlifted directly from the ski area.

The Triple Chair was built by CTEC in 1983. It spans more than 5,000 feet from the base of the ski area with 195 chairs on the line. Owing to their age, the chairs do not have restraint bars. Red Lodge Mountain said the lift will remain closed while an investigation is completed. Unfortunately a parallel lift called Willow Creek has also been closed since February 23rd due to maintenance. That leaves just The Stache Express for out-of-base access.

Montana’s Board of Passenger Tramway Safety was disbanded in 1997 so there is unlikely to be any state investigation. Parts of Red Lodge Mountain are under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service and the Triple Chair runs partially within the Custer Gallatin National Forest. In addition to oversight from the Forest Service, ski areas like Red Lodge are also typically inspected by their insurance company.

Update 3/11 6:30 pm: The Carbon County Sheriff’s office reports the victim of this incident, a 37 year old male from Billings, died today of his injuries. Local media reports he was thrown from the chair he was riding on the upper part of the lift line.

Gondola Falls From Kicking Horse’s Golden Eagle Express

Peter Landsman52 Comments

The gondola at Kicking Horse, British Columbia suffered a serious incident this morning when a hanger snapped, causing a cabin with eight riders to fall to the ground. Thankfully the fully loaded carrier had just departed the bottom station and was approximately one meter off the ground. There were no serious injuries among affected passengers. Crews worked for hours to evacuate guests from the rest of the lift by rope and helicopter. It was a powder day with 23 centimeters falling in the previous 24 hours and the lift was reportedly quite full at the time of the incident.

“At 9:20 am, an incident occurred involving a cabin at the base terminal of Golden Eagle Express gondola,” a statement from the resort read. “Our patrol team and first responders were rapidly dispatched on scene,” the statement continued. “Our trained maintenance team will be working to unload the passengers as per standard operating procedures. A full inspection has been initiated to determinate and analyze root causes. Teams from the manufacturer and relevant authorities have been called in to further assist. No lifts will be open to the public today, the resort will be closed for the remainder of the day. Please note Golden Eagle Express gondola will remain closed until further notice. An update will be provided later today with regards to regular operations.”

Photo credit: Justin Baun

The Golden Eagle Express was constructed by Leitner-Poma in 2000 and is a workhorse, operating daily in both winter and summer as well as nights. It’s one of the longest and tallest gondolas in North America with 55 cabins carrying skiers more than 3,500 vertical feet. Without the gondola, approximately 70 percent of the mountain cannot be accessed.

Technical Safety BC oversees passenger ropeways in the province and will conduct an inspection and investigation before the lift can be re-opened.

Update 8:00 pm: Kicking Horse reported all guests were safely evacuated from the lift by rope and helicopter by late in the day. “Our sincere apologies go out to every one of our guests who have had to go through this experience today, and we thank them all for their patience and understanding” said Richard Oszust, Area Manager. Kicking Horse will reopen the lower mountain tomorrow, serviced by the Catamount and Pioneer chairlifts. The gondola and upper mountain will remain closed until further notice.

News Roundup: Pass Edition

Peter Landsman12 Comments

Welch Village Announces New Quad Chair

Peter Landsman2 Comments

Minnesota gem Welch Village plans to continue upgrading its lift fleet this summer with a new quad from Skytrac. The chairlift will replace the Skilink double in a completely new alignment. The existing Hall double dates back to 1967 and originally operated at Birch Park, Wisconsin. It was moved to Welch circa 1989 and services exclusively beginner terrain. “With the upgraded lift, beginners will have quicker access to the slopes, and more space will be available to practice and develop their skills,” said Welch.

Skilink will be the mountain’s seventh fixed grip quad and follows three recent Doppelmayr installations. It will take the place of an existing rope tow and terrain park. As part of the project, the rope and park will move near Skilink’s former location, allowing for a steeper terrain park.

Welch’s project is one of just two installations announced in the Midwest for next season thus far, the other being at Spirit Mountain, also in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Master Plan Outlines Extensive Lift Upgrades at Copper Mountain

Peter Landsman48 Comments

One of outgoing White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams’ final actions last week was accepting a new master plan for Copper Mountain, one of eleven ski areas he oversaw for 15 years. The plan, prepared by SE Group, includes three direct lift replacements, four lift replacements in extended alignments, four new infill lifts within existing terrain and two expansion lifts. Notably, all projects reside within Copper’s existing 7,343 acre permit boundary. Copper’s operation today spans 3,641 acres and that would grow to 4,154 acres, an expansion of 14 percent. “The upgrade plan works to improve circulation around the mountain with updated lift infrastructure, as well as provide guests with access to new and unique terrain within Copper’s existing Special Use Permit area,” notes SE Group.

Two lift projects in the plan have already been approved but not yet implemented. The first is a six person replacement for Lumberjack on the far west side of the resort. The existing Lumberjack triple dates back to 1981 and takes more than nine minutes to ride. The replacement detachable would run 4,818 feet and access excellent beginner terrain. This project was originally approved as a quad but was later re-approved as a six place.

The second approved project is an Alpine replacement, green lighted since 2006. Even though Alpine recently received a new return terminal, the rest of the lift is nearing 50 years old and lacks sufficient capacity for planned development around the Alpine base. Detachable Alpine’s top terminal would be extended uphill, providing riders access to more terrain.

The most exciting component of the plan is a lift up Jacque Peak, located west of Tucker Mountain, which gained lift service in 2020. A 5,900 foot long detachable quad called Jacque East would service intermediate and advanced terrain in the Tucker Gulch drainage, becoming the highest lift in North America. It would top out at 13,150 feet, soundly beating Breckenridge’s Imperial Express record of 12,840 feet (Loveland’s master plan includes a lift to just over 12,900 feet which could be constructed before Copper gets to Jacque Peak.) “The [Jacque East] lift is strategically positioned to reduce potential impacts to known wetland areas with its alignment and minimize habitat impacts with its location above tree line, while still providing exceptional access to high alpine terrain,” notes SE Group.

A second expansion lift would be installed between Tucker Mountain and Jacque Peak called Thunderbird. This fixed triple would service advanced terrain similar to Three Bears. The short lift would also provide essential egress from Tucker Gulch back toward Copper’s base areas. “The Tucker Gulch expansion is designed to emphasize the high alpine experience,” the plan notes. “The vast majority of the terrain is above treeline, lee to the predominant westerly winds, and well-suited to provide a breathtaking but accessible guest experience.”

Related to the Jacque Peak expansion, both Blackjack and Mountain Chief in Copper Bowl are slated for replacement. These doubles date back to 1973 and 1977 and would see increased traffic as guests come and go from Jacque Peak. Blackjack would likely be replaced with a detachable quad and Mountain Chief a fixed triple in existing alignments.

Another major lift addition is called Union Meadows. This nearly 8,000 foot detachable quad would load west of the new Timberline Express and unload at the top of Union Meadows, providing access to the future Jacque East lift. Union Meadows Express would rise 1,366 vertical feet and carry up to 2,400 riders per hour.

Elsewhere on the front side, numerous lifts are earmarked for replacement. Chief among them is Super Bee, Copper’s first six pack dating back to 1998. The new Super Bee would become Copper’s first eight place chairlift and include a mid-station near the top of Rosie’s Run. The intermediate station would be useful for Copper’s extensive early season race training program. At nearly 9,000 feet long with an hourly capacity of 3,400 skiers, Super Bee 8 would be a monster lift. Alternatively, it could be constructed as two separate lifts like Copper had for decades prior to Super Bee’s construction.

Excelerator is slated to go from a quad to a six pack with the bottom terminal extended downhill to reduce crowding and cross traffic near the Aerie. Capacity would jump from 2,450 to 3,200 skiers per hour.

Rendezvous is also slated for extension with the bottom terminal shifting significantly east and downhill. “Upgrading the Rendezvous lift to a detachable quad and extending its current alignment will improve access to the Copper Bowl area while still providing an incredible beginner experience in the high-alpine,” notes the plan. A high speed Rendezvous would also reduce pressure on American Flyer and Timberline Express, which service similar terrain.

Just below the new Rendezvous lift, another detachable quad is proposed in the Sail Away Glades area. This lift would fill the void between American Eagle and American Flyer, servicing several new trails. This pod would add to Copper’s intermediate terrain, take pressure off base area lifts and improve cross-mountain circulation. Sail Away Express would run 968 vertical feet and transport 2,400 guests an hour.

Finally Copper intends to improve access to freestyle terrain, embracing its mantra as The Athlete’s Mountain. An 825 foot long platter lift is planned to run alongside the existing Superpipe, providing quicker laps. Similarly, a 2,500 foot long fixed grip chairlift is envisioned to service a terrain park near Woodward Express.

The plan also includes significant snowmaking improvements, new parking, restaurants and maintenance facilities. Overall comfortable carrying capacity would increase from 12,940 guests per day to 17,860 – not a goal or cap but rather a planning benchmark. This would allow Copper to maintain its current surplus of terrain for the number of skiers it hosts and continue to provide a high quality experience.

As always, master plans are conceptual in nature and do not constitute approval or timelines for specific projects. However, given Powdr’s recent sale of Killington and pending sales of Eldora, Mt. Bachelor and SilverStar, they may have the cash to follow this ambitious plan at their flagship mountain in the coming years.