Bartholet Ends Detachable Partnership with MND

Peter Landsman18 Comments

After five years of working together, Bartholet of Switzerland and MND Group of France have terminated their joint venture partnership effective December 13th. Under the agreement, MND Ropeways utilized Bartholet’s detachable lift technology in select markets such as France and the United States while continuing to offer its own surface lifts and fixed grip chairlifts. One final MND-Bartholet detachable project under construction in France will be completed as planned.

The end of MND’s deal with Bartholet comes as little surprise. HTI Group, the conglomerate behind Leitner Ropeways and Poma, purchased a majority stake in Bartholet in March of 2022. Bartholet and MND only completed one project jointly in the United States, the Tecumseh Express at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire in 2022. That project was contracted before HTI bought Bartholet and MND hasn’t sold a chairlift in the United States since. Bartholet continues to operate as a subsidiary of HTI in Europe with a product line distinct from Leitner and Poma.

Going forward, MND Ropeways will need to find another partner or utilize its own technology in order to continue offering detachable lifts. Prior to the Bartholet deal, MND built one detachable chairlift in La Plagne, France, which opened in March 2017 but has suffered periodic technical problems. It is rumored MND may outline its future detachable plans at the Mountain Planet trade show this spring.

News Roundup: Winter Maintenance

Peter Landsman5 Comments

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).”

News Roundup: Utah, Utah, Utah

Peter Landsman14 Comments

News Roundup: Utah Olympics

Peter Landsman7 Comments

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.