- Smugglers’ Notch abandons plans for a gondola to Stowe.
- Marmot Basin removes the long-closed Caribou double.
- Whitewater names its new quad Raven, posts an expansion map.
- Boyne Mountain’s new map shows two new lifts.
- Ditto for Sun Valley.
- Winter Park’s 23-24 map shows the new mid-station for Wild Spur Express.
- Steamboat introduces a completely new map with Wild Blue and Mahogany Ridge.
- Steamboat begins testing Wild Blue II a.k.a. The Monster.
- Cooper and Mt. Shasta join the Powder Alliance.
- More than 50 new resorts will join the Indy Pass next week, including Great Bear, South Dakota.
- The No Boundaries Pass says Indy Pass banned its resorts from participating.
- Lost Colorado area St. Mary’s Glacier goes up for sale.
- Windham Mountain rebrands as Windham Mountain Club, will no longer sell single day tickets during peak periods.
- The Forest Service says it’s working with Montana Snowbowl to correct lift issues from last season before winter.
- Doppelmayr turns 130.
- An Ontario mountain needs a $100,000 lifeline to operate this winter.
- The Summit at Snoqualmie will sell chairs from the old Easy Rider triple.
- Rabbit Hill, Alberta moves lift towers due to ground movement.
- The Okanagan Gondola project continues to move forward in British Columbia.
Instagram Tuesday: Apollo
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Baldy
- Blue Mountain and Camelback, Pennsylvania join the Ikon Pass.
- Willamette Pass converts its backside chairlift from diesel to electric.
- California’s newest gondola opens October 29th.
- Big Sky’s new trail map shows the new tram route.
- New Hampshire lost ski area Mt. Whittier goes up for sale.
- Vail Resorts resurrects plans for a new six pack at Perisher.
- Silverton Mountain is sold to new owners from Aspen.
- Revelstoke adds more chairs to The Ripper.
- Eaglecrest hopes to open its used pulse gondola in fall 2025.
- Doppelmayr wins a contract to build a six station, 94 cabin urban gondola in Uruapan, Mexico.
- Mt. Ashland plans to build a new chairlift in long lost terrain with $2.5 million from Lithia Motors.
Vail Resorts Plans Lift Upgrades at Hunter Mountain and Blackcomb in 2024
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.
Snowbird to Replace Wilbere Lift
Doppelmayr has been selected to install a new Wilbere Quad next summer at Snowbird, the second new lift announced by Powdr for 2024. The quad will load in a new location in the Creekside base area and terminate near the top of the current Wilbere double, which Doppelmayr built in 1971. The modern AlpenStar fixed grip will feature a loading conveyor and carry 1,800 skiers per hour.
“With a number of short- and long-term projects in the works, we are taking great strides to make our mountain more accessible, more efficient and more engaging for our passholders and our community,” noted Snowbird President and General Manager Dave Fields. Wilbere 2.0 is expected to open for the 2024-25 ski season.
Instagram Tuesday: Final Pieces
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
North America Fuels Growth for Doppelmayr
The Doppelmayr Group reported annual financial results today, and for the first time ever, North America surpassed Austria as the firm’s largest market. Doppelmayr reported total revenue of €946 million (US$1.0 billion) in fiscal year 2022-23, an annual increase of 6.7 percent and near a record high for the 130 year old company. The United States and Canada accounted for 28 percent or approximately $280 million during the fiscal year, which ran from April 2022 through March 2023. The last year before Covid North America represented only 17 percent of global turnover while the domestic Austrian market comprised 24 percent of the business.
The group delivered 104 ropeways globally in 2022-23, 30 of which landed in North America. US ski resorts reported a record 64.7 million skier visits last season and have 31 more Doppelmayr lifts under construction for the coming winter. “One of the reasons for this market development is the continuing attractiveness of outdoor sports,” noted the Doppelmayr Group annual report. “Many ski resorts are replacing outdated installations with modern ropeways in order to offer their guests enhanced comfort. In addition, the new lifts feature higher capacity to provide the growing numbers of visitors with rapid access to the ski slopes.” Doppelmayr went from installing just one D-Line detachable in North America in 2018 to five last year and nine this year. Doppelmayr also increased its global employee headcount to 3,335 full time equivalents, an increase of 5.7 percent. Part of that growth was the group’s acquisition of cabin manufacturer Carvatech last October.
Doppelmayr also reported a strong order book despite some economic headwinds. “The investment strength of ski area operators in North America remains at a very high level,” the company noted. The Alps market is also strengthening with three AURO autonomous gondolas under construction. On the urban front, Doppelmayr is working to build expansive gondola systems in both Paris and Mexico City. Doppelmayr also expects revenue growth from new products, including its clair software platform, upcoming TRI-Line 3S system and new 20-MGD D-Line.
News Roundup: First Day of Fall
- A court finds zoning allowing Wasatch Peaks Ranch to continue as a private ski resort can be put to a public referendum. Three chairlifts already operate there with a fourth under construction.
- The Tennessee State Fair will build a chairlift next year.
- Gore Mountain’s new trail map shows the location of the new Bear Cub Quad.
- Lee Canyon recovers well from a hurricane-fueled flood this summer.
- A snowboarder who fell from Whistler Mountain’s Emerald Express sues Whistler Blackcomb.
- Echo Mountain sells to an investor with a bunch of non-ski businesses.
- Lifts are being removed at Marshall Mountain after 20 years idle.
Monarch Mountain Looks to Expand
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
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.
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