Citing the pandemic, Hermitage Club founder Jim Barnes seeks to delay today’s auction of resort assets. A judge orders the auction to proceed at 10:00 am via telephone.
A group intends to sue to stop the State of Alaska from awarding a new lease of public land to Arctic Valley Ski Area.
For the first time since it opened, the Disney Skyliner gondola lines are completely devoid of cabins.
Vail Resorts reveals Coronavirus will cost at least $180 million and the company is reviewing preciously announced capital expenditures including six planned lifts.
The Indy Pass will include at least 47 resorts for 2020-21.
Though the Alaska cruise ship season is delayed until at least July 1st, Icy Strait Point still plans to welcome passengers aboard its new gondola system.
One of Colorado’s Senators asks the Forest Service to waive remaining 2020 rent payments for 122 ski areas located on National Forest lands.
Skyline Investments, owner of two ski resorts and many other hospitality businesses, reports record revenue but warns Coronavirus will have significant impacts including the possible closure of resorts through summer.
Vail Resorts has made the difficult decision to suspend operations of all its North American mountain resorts beginning March 15 through March 22. Please read this letter from our CEO Rob Katz. https://t.co/8082XVtCFr
North America’s ski industry is following in the unfortunate footsteps of its counterparts in Asia and Europe, forced to end winter operations early to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Among the first to pull the plug the past two days were Berkshire East, Jay Peak, Taos and Nub’s Nob.
What started as a trickle became a deluge Saturday. In Colorado, Governor Jared Polis issued an executive order compelling all resorts to close following outbreaks in Eagle, Pitkin, and Summit counties. Even before the order, the continent’s two largest resort companies almost simultaneously announced complete shutdowns effective tomorrow. The 37 Vail facilities will remain closed until at least March 22nd and will continue to pay scheduled employees. Many independent mountains are staying open for now.
Alta Ski Area will be suspending operations starting Sunday morning, March 15, until further notice to limit the spread of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Lift operations, food service and retail and rental services will be closed.
This is uncharted territory but I’m certain the ski business will be okay. Unlike other industries, we are used to doing this between seasons, albeit under very different circumstances. The United States government has promised help to small and mid-sized businesses along with hourly employees who are missing work and pay. Canada and governments around the world will likely do the same. Hopefully many full time, year rounders can keep working and get important maintenance done.
We are skiers at heart and understand the therapeutic nature of our shared passion. But, by order of the Governor of the State of CO, we are closing all ski operations immediately and ancillary businesses over the next week. Please view full details here: https://t.co/xj2Diz5rmg
Normally March on this blog features announcement after announcement of exciting new projects from lift manufacturers and their customers. At this point, already formalized projects are pacing about the same as last year and none have been publicly canceled. Hopefully production can continue and this mess abates in time for construction to get going as snow melts. There are many unknowns, however.
Glacier Bowl Express yesterday at Alyeska Resort, my 417th ski area. Alyeska and most of Alaska’s ski resorts remain open.
Those of you on Instagram know I’m in one of the world’s most amazing places right now: Alaska. Operations at resorts were normal across the board the past few days and the weather was perfect in a state with only one confirmed case of COVID-19. Tomorrow I will attempt to fly home and reassess. As of this writing, Jackson Hole intends to stay open and I will be in on Monday if there is work to go to.
With so many resorts shut down and the global economy struggling, there may not be much lift news to report for awhile. When there is, I’ll write, and will get back to exploring as soon as I can.
Vail Resorts reports financial results: skier visits are down 5.3 percent percent this season through March 1st but lift revenue is up 0.8 percent. On a conference call, CEO Rob Katz addresses coronavirus, lift lines at Vail and possible future acquisitions.
Timberline Mountain promises to make multiple big announcements at a media event Tuesday. All three existing lifts are in poor condition and being dismantled.
Arctaris Impact Fund doesn’t expect to realize a profit on its Saddleback investment until it sells the resort in 7-10 years.
An enterprising family is building the first Australian-designed and manufactured chairlift in 30 years for private use only.
Alterra Mountain Company CEO Rusty Gregory will deliver a keynote address on Monday in Park City covering the rise of Alterra, industry consolidation and multi-resort pass products.
For the second time in three weeks, a sudden stop on the Mont-Sainte-Anne gondola elicits an emergency response and the lift is once again closed indefinitely.
North America’s second largest resort operator today announced the purchase of two lifts for Mammoth Mountain, new terrain at Steamboat Resort and a two year project to build new trails and lifts at Tremblant. Alterra Mountain Company will complete $223 million worth of capital improvements in total for next season, up from $181 million in 2019-20 and $130 million the year before. Rival Vail Resorts announced back in December spending of $210 to $215 million across 37 mountain resorts, including construction of six new lifts in 2020.
Mammoth’s Broadway Express #1 and Canyon Express #16, both built by Yan and upgraded by Doppelmayr, will be replaced this summer.
At Mammoth, one of the most utilized lifts in the Alterra system, Broadway Express, will be replaced with a high-speed six place detachable, increasing uphill capacity by 42 percent to 3,200 skiers per hour. Sister lift Canyon Express will be replaced with a 3,000 people per hour six pack, increasing uphill capacity out of Canyon Lodge by 66 percent. Both of these lifts are likely to be supplied by Doppelmayr.
This will be the last season for the Canyon Express, a workhorse lift above the Village at Mammoth.
In Colorado, Steamboat Resort will expand onto 355 acres of Pioneer Ridge, providing skiers and riders with more terrain to explore. Pioneer Ridge will feature 1,800 vertical feet of advanced and expert gladed terrain accessible via the Pony Express lift. Twenty five new chairs will be added to the Garaventa CTEC high speed quad, increasing capacity from 1,200 people per hour to 1,800. The Steamboat master plan calls for Pioneer Ridge to eventually feature its own detachable chairlift.
Steamboat will open up hundreds of acres of new terrain beyond Pony Express and become Colorado’s third largest ski area.
This summer, Tremblant will begin a two-year expansion project called Timber. Quebec’s most popular mountain will open a new beginner zone with a magic carpet on Versant Soleil for 2020-21 to enhance the learning experience for new skiers and riders. In late 2021, the Timber summit will open with a new high speed quad and eight trails leading to Versant Soleil and the North side. “This project, which aims at diversifying the ski area, is part of the continued development of Versant Soleil and reaffirms Tremblant’s leader position as the #1 ski resort in Eastern North America,” said the resort.
“Three years ago, when we formed Alterra Mountain Company, an initial priority was to commit to investing a half a billion dollars by 2023 across our family of North American destinations,” said Rusty Gregory, CEO of Alterra Mountain Company. “To date, we have invested more than $350 million and are committed to exceeding our original plan, spending $575 million by 2020 on lifts and gondolas, snowmaking, summer activities, real estate development, hospitality and technology, all in the name of creating memories for our guests through an elevated mountain experience.” Privately-held Alterra owns 14 resorts, having recently completed its acquisition of Sugarbush.
Dave Brownlie, former head of Whistler Blackcomb and current Revelstoke President, weighs in on the state of the British Columbia ski industry and his company’s plans for Grouse Mountain.
The Colorado Sun interviews three Colorado resort pioneers about industry trends and challenges.
As the gondola at Mont-Sainte-Anne reopens, the resort says an external power issue caused last month’s sudden stop. A lawsuit has been filed and the power company denies responsibility.
Just the Leitner portion of Mexico City’s new urban gondola network will feature seven stations and 300 cabins.
Experienced resort executives Andy and Jace Wirth may take over operations at Granby Ranch.
Limited Ikon/Mountain Collective visits to Arapahoe Basin are 69 percent lower than unlimited Epic visits last year and the “experience is way up,” says Al Henceroth.
Another informative podcast from Stuart Winchester features an executive from Mountain Creek and Big Snow talking about the next new lift and a possible Big Snow Miami.
Smugglers’ Notch has no intentions of losing its independence or ditching its fleet of fixed grip double chairs.
Whitefish will begin work in Hellroaring Basin this summer and move the current Hellroaring triple to a new alignment in 2021.
Gatlinburg, Tennessee already has five scenic lift rides but an outfit called Pigeon Forge Snow plans to build a sixth.
A U.S. Department of Labor inspector finds 14 and 15 year old ski instructors riding chairlifts and lowering restraint bars constitutes “operating heavy machinery.”
Tremblant will announce its next major investments on March 10th, a day we may hear from other Alterra resorts as well.
Arizona Snowbowl’s fourth new lift in six years will be the largest yet – a chair/gondola combo lift rising almost 2,000 vertical feet. The new base-to-summit workhorse will operate year round for skiers, snowboarders and sightseers beginning next winter. “Since its inception, Agassiz has been the beating heart of Snowbowl,” notes the resort. “With the replacement of the lift, we’re ushering in a new era. More than an upgrade, the new Agassiz lift completely redefines the Snowbowl experience.”
Unlike most combination lifts, Agassiz will feature eight passenger gondolas between every two chairs (usually the ratio is more like one in four or five.) Agassiz reaches an elevation of 11,500 feet and enclosed cabins will offer guests a comfortable option in inclement weather. The gondolas will also provide improved access for guests with disabilities and ride time will decrease from 15 minutes to seven. Capacity will remain a modest 1,200 skiers per hour so as not to overwhelm expert trails off the summit.
In addition to summer and winter, Agassiz operates all fall for scenic rides.
The Leitner-Poma Telemix will be the third lift in the Agassiz alignment over six decades of history. The existing Agassiz triple opened in 1986 and is currently inoperable due to a mechanical issue. The CTEC is expected to be repaired this week and will finish out the remainder of the season. Once removed, it will be stored for eventual re-installation at a location to be determined.
Mountain Capital Partners has invested heavily in Arizona Snowbowl since purchasing the resort back in 2014. Improvements to date include a new lodge, two different fixed-gripquads and a six place called the Grand Canyon Express. 2020’s project will be the largest in resort history and one of the most significant lift additions in North America this year.
Timberline’s quest to become an all-detachable mountain will become closer to reality this fall with the replacement of Pucci by a new quad chair. Already approved by the Mt. Hood National Forest, the project will see the retirement of Timberline’s oldest operating chairlift, a Poma triple dating back to 1987. Another Poma fixed grip lift built the same year, Bruno’s, is slated to be replaced with a conveyor in the near future.
We are excited to announce that we will be upgrading Pucci to a modern high speed quad this summer. We will also be selling 80 of the chairs from the current lift to raise funds for the Friends of Timberline and the Mt. Hood Cultural Museum. Details: https://t.co/ks7Qzzxa91
Timberline’s sixth high speed quad will re-use most of the existing towers and maintain the same 1,800 passenger hourly capacity. Ride time will decrease to just 4.5 minutes. The new lift will enhance the beginner and intermediate experience at the next lift guests progress to after Bruno’s. Timberline did not announce a manufacturer, though Doppelmayr built the area’s last four new lifts.
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