Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
Chairs Collide on Comet Express at Heavenly
A lift incident occurred on the Comet Express at Heavenly this morning, injuring five people. Two quad chairs could be seen stacked together near the base of the lift with several guests on the ground below being assisted by ski patrol and one guest pinned between the chairs. “Chair slid backwards with people on it into the chair behind it,” wrote a witness on Reddit. “The people in the front chair fell off,” the person said. The lift was closed for the day and remains closed. “Heavenly Mountain Resort can confirm an incident occurred on its Comet Express chairlift today, Monday, December 23, 2024,” the resort said in a statement. “The safety of our guests is our top priority and the resort is investigating the incident.” A flight tracking website showed a medevac helicopter landed in one of Heavenly’s parking lots before continuing to a Reno hospital.
Comet Express was built by Doppelmayr and opened in 1988. It is the oldest detachable lift at Heavenly and features DS series grips.
Winter Park Gondola Closed Following Incident
A tower component failed on The Gondola at Winter Park Resort today, leading to a five hour rope evacuation. Photos show a rocker arm that connects two sections of a 16 sheave assembly cracked nearly in half. The affected assembly is located on tower 1 and holds the haul rope down on the heavy side of the lift, adjacent to the bottom terminal. A total of 174 guests were roped down by ski patrol, concluding at 6:00 pm. “At 12:15pm on December 21, 2024, the Gondola had a mechanical issue and immediately shut down as the system is designed to do so for guest safety,” said Winter Park in a statement. “At this time the Gondola is closed for repair and further inspection. All guests were safely evacuated thanks to our Patrol team.”
Leitner-Poma constructed The Gondola in 2018, providing a high capacity link between the Village at Winter Park and Sunspot. The lift is a workhorse, operating both day and night throughout the year. Each of the system’s 75 cabins can carry up to 10 passengers.
“A replacement part and crane have arrived, and repairs are underway,” Winter Park said on 12/22. “Once the repair is complete, the Colorado Tramway Safety Board will complete a thorough inspection process. Once we have approval from the Tram Board we will be able to re-open the Gondola. We do not currently have a timeframe for when that will be but are working to complete the repair and inspection as soon as possible while prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of our guests.” Both Arrow and Gemini also provide access out of the Village.
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.
Chair Falls From Lift at Montana Snowbowl
A chair fell in the LaVelle double chair’s loading area at Montana Snowbowl Sunday, the resort’s third day of operations for the season. “Earlier today, an incident occurred on LaValle chairlift that required us to temporarily halt lift service,” Montana Snowbowl said in a statement posted to Facebook. “We are grateful to report that no injuries occurred. Our maintenance department was able to inspect the lift and ensure it was safe to operate. LaVelle was then reopened to the public for the remainder of the afternoon.”
LaVelle Creek is a 1984 Riblet double. The incident is the latest in a string of unfortunate mishaps involing Riblet lifts at Snowbowl. In March of 2023, a Riblet chair hit a tower and broke apart on the TV Mountain lift, causing a child to fall. The Forest Service sent a notice of noncompliance to the resort, preventing the lift from operating until it was repaired for the following season. Prior to that incident, the Grizzly lift was rope evacuated due to a power outage in February 2021. Another chair fell from the LaVelle lift in January 2020, requiring a rope evacuation.
Snowbowl plans to close midweek this week and reopen on Friday, December 20th.
Update: Montana Snowbowl issued a second statement on Monday clarifying why the chair detached from the haul rope: “Yesterday, an empty chair collided with a lift operator, causing it to swing abnormally and subsequently become dislodged. This was a highly unusual and isolated incident. No one was injured, and the lift was thoroughly inspected and confirmed safe before resuming operations later that day.”
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.
Instagram Tuesday: Pipestone
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
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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