- Mont Sutton, Quebec becomes the latest resort to announce a loading conveyor addition this season.
- Mt. Bachelor says the new Skyliner Express is on track to open in December despite some shipping delays.
- Sunlight releases a fresh master plan with a series of lift upgrades and additions.
- Vail Resorts plans to wrap gondolas at multiple resorts with messages of diversity and inclusion.
- Breckenridge offers old Five chairs for sale.
- Park City says new, heavier cabins will require Red Pine Gondola towers to be reinforced, acknowledges the Sigma cabins list 2 degrees when empty.
- Aspen Mountain’s new Pandora’s lift will now be called Hero’s.
- Ikon Pass resorts invest over one billion dollars in improvements for this season.
- The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania names a new operator for closed Denton Hill.
- Multiple factors contributed to the deadly collision between a gondola cabin and drill rig at Tremblant this summer.
Sunshine Village to Build Canada’s First Bubble Six Chairlift
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.
Instagram Tuesday: West to East
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Coming Back
- Powder Mountain is likely to replace Timberline with a fixed quad next year and leave the Indy Pass.
- Mt. Crescent, Iowa also leaves Indy.
- Norway Mountain, Michigan plans to reopen in 2024-25.
- Closed Val Bialas, New York also intends to reopen with a new chairlift.
- Vail Resorts may announce 2024 lift projects the afternoon of September 28th.
- Attitash’s new Mountaineer quad won’t be ready for opening day.
- Winter Park’s new six pack will be named Wild Spur Express.
- Skytrac President Carl Skylling talks chairlifts with Park City’s public radio station.
- Massanutten opens the first new lift of the year.
- Fresh off building two new lifts, Utah Olympic Park bleeds cash, lays off staff.
- Willamette Pass will reactivate the long-closed Midway chair.
Wolf Creek to Debut New Beginner Chair
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.”
Instagram Tuesday: Blue Moon
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Von Rolls
- Wolf Ridge, North Carolina re-brands as Hatley Pointe.
- New tram cabins land in Big Sky after a journey from Switzerland.
- Steamboat advances construction of a parking lot transport gondola.
- The Forest Service explains why it rejected Lutsen’s expansion proposal.
- Snow Ridge will host another tornado cleanup this month.
- Cleanup begins after the epic flood at Lee Canyon.
- Massanutten plans to open the first brand new lift of 2023 next weekend.
- Holiday Valley will open its new six pack in October for pre-winter rides.
- MND reports a 27 percent revenue increase with €140.1 million in outstanding orders.
- The former Tulsa Skyride will live on at an Iraqi amusement park.
Forest Service Weighs Bear Mountain-Snow Summit Interconnect
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.
Instagram Tuesday: Lined Up
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Timbertown
- For the third time in seven years a chair falls off a Doppelmayr detachable quad in high winds at Thredbo, Australia.
- Loon Mountain’s expansion lift will be called Timbertown.
- The Forest Service rejects Lutsen Mountains’ entire expansion proposal.
- Brighton plans to build a chondola to its new mid-mountain restaurant.
- Alterra closes its acquisition of Schweitzer, makes access unlimited on the Ikon Pass.
- Schweitzer to sell retired Riblet double chairs for charity.
- Snowriver previews its new trail map showing a transformation from nine lifts to five at Jackson Creek Summit.
- Big Sky nears completion of the new Lone Peak Tram.
- The British Columbia Supreme Court will determine possession of Powder King Mountain Resort following the owner’s death.
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