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.
Here are details on the upcoming Hermitage auction including removal deadlines, the proposed asset purchase agreement with Boyne and the original lift quote.
Sugarloaf’s General Manager and VP of Mountain Operations joinWSKI TV to break down Sugarloaf 2030 and plans for a D-Line lift.
Nearly two dozen passengers suffered injuries this morning when a gondola lift came to an abrupt stop at Mont-Sainte-Anne, a large resort near Quebec City. The incident occurred just before 10:00 am and cabins stopped suddenly enough that skis and snowboards fell from exterior racks. At least one cabin became lodged at an angle in a station with a broken window. Other cabins reportedly contacted towers. Out of the 21 people injured, 12 were transported to hospitals by ambulance.
By around 10:45, the gondola was restarted in reverse to unload riders. The rescue operation was completed by noon and the lift is now closed. A spokesperson for Mont-Sainte-Anne said there were 80 cabins on the line today and an investigation will be undertaken. “Our main objective is to make sure that everyone is taken care of quickly, then, afterwards, we will have more details on the mechanical aspects,” said Simon Lefebvre with the ski resort.
C est ce qui arrive quand tu veux voler une journée pour aller skier : Gondoles décrochées au @MontSainteAnne ..après de forts mouvements inquiétants ..il y aura évacuations . #patiencepic.twitter.com/iNNQ4POyZ2
The gondola, known as L’Étoile Filante, was constructed by Doppelmayr and opened in 1989. It is the largest of seven lifts at Sainte-Anne, a mountain owned by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies. Calgary-based RCR operates a total of six ski resorts in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec.
With two prominent new gondola systems recently opened at private venues in Florida, Miami area leaders look to gondola transit.
Last week’s death was not the first time someone fell through chair with a flipped up seat at Vail and Beaver Creek. It also happened on the very same lift in 2009.
Removal of a second lift begins at Timberline in preparation for this summer’s new construction.
Boyne Resorts will embark on a major investment campaign at Sugarloaf in the coming years called Sugarloaf 2030, similar to plans revealed recently for Big Sky, Loon Mountain and Sunday River. The central Maine resort will begin work this summer on a 450 acre expansion of West Mountain with a variety of new trails. The area will eventually feature a big new lift. As part of the expansion, the current West Mountain double will be shortened to about half its current length. The expansion includes a modest new base area with expanded parking, tubing and a small lodge.
“This development will expand Sugarloaf’s beginner and intermediate terrain, and will greatly alleviate traffic congestion at the SuperQuad by shifting significant numbers of riders to this new area,” says the Sugarloaf 2030 website. “Several options are being considered for size and type of lift for this location, with lift construction expected to begin in the summer of 2021.” The lift will be designed with foot passengers in mind as Bullwinkle’s will see expanded use for weddings and conferences. West Mountain will also be home to a future lift-served mountain bike park. “This will be the most significant project at Sugarloaf since the SuperQuad was built in the mid 1990s,” noted Sugarloaf General Manager Karl Strand. “We’re thankful for leadership of Boyne Resorts, which, over the past 13 years, has helped us get Sugarloaf to a position of growth that allows for development projects like this.”
Lifts across the mountain will be replaced over the next decade. Timberline, a Borvig quad serving the summit will be replaced with another new lift supporting varied year round experiences. A third near term priority is the DoubleRunner double-double, which is approaching 50 years of age. A new quad would better serve ski school programs and increase out-of-base capacity. Carrabassett Valley Academy also plans to partner with Sugarloaf on a new alpine training surface lift servicing race trails above Double Runner.
Further out, Boyne plans to replace two more aging quads. A new King Pine would run in a modified alignment with better wind resistance and improved reliability. A future SuperQuad replacement is more about increasing capacity with state-of-the-art equipment.
Between this new plan, Sunday River’s vision announced two weeks ago and the rebirth of Saddleback, the 2020s are already proving to be an exciting time in Maine. The Pine Tree State is well positioned to be a great place to ski in a changing climate and companies are responding with big investment plans.
A man dies in a terrible accident involving the Skyline Express at Vail. A preliminary investigation suggests he slipped through a chair’s seat, was caught by his jacket and asphyxiated.
Former Vail Resorts mountain division head Chris Jarnot becomes a consultant for the upcoming Mayflower Mountain Resort in Park City.
Mountain Capital Partners no longer plans to build nine new chairlifts and one of the world’s longest gondolas in Northern Utah but a scaled back expansion of Nordic Valley is moving forward. The previous vision hinged on use of Forest Service lands and received chilly public reception.
The resort recently applied for a conditional use permit to add a new lift on 347 acres of entirely private land south of the current ski area. The updated project includes 50 acres of new snowmaking coverage and an approximately 4,400 foot chairlift dubbed Lift 5. Photos included with the application depict Skytrac lifts, indicating the new lift would be fixed-grip.
Back in 2018, Mountain Capital Partners forged an agreement to operate Nordic Valley, becoming the firm’s first property in Utah. MCP specializes in modernizing historically under-capitalized resorts across the Southwest. “The proposed project will allow for an improved guest experience for the surrounding communities and will compliment and improve the existing ski operations at Nordic Valley,” said the Colorado-based company. “With the addition of snowmaking, Nordic Valley will be able to minimize the impact of low natural snowfalls and offer a more consistent product to its customers.”
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