- A ranch in Hawaii scales down its proposed gondola in hopes of allaying community concerns. Even so a State Representative plans to introduce a bill to ban chairlifts and gondolas from ever being constructed in Hawaii.
- A lightning-caused fire burns the drive terminal of Camp 10, Wisconsin’s Red T-Bar.
- Mountain High revives the Discovery lift damaged in a 2024 wildfire.
- Alterra introduces Reserve add-on passes with line cutting privileges and other perks at Big Bear, Blue Mountain, Crystal Mountain, Solitude, Sugarbush and Tremblant.
- Thousands of Crystal skiers aren’t happy about the Reserve Pass.
- Steamboat takes another step toward a detachable base area transit gondola.
- Hermon Mountain, Maine will close after this season if a buyer can’t be found.
- Hickory, New York leaves Indy Pass.
- Skytrac commissions its on-site wind turbine.
- Waterville Valley shares a wild picture of bubble chairs during a fall winds and a T-Bar construction update.
- Deer Valley unveils its 25-26 trail map depicting eight new lifts.
Alterra
News Roundup: Chinook
- Kicking Horse’s gondola reopens after a six month closure with new hanger arms.
- Vail Resorts might announce new lift projects on Monday, September 29th with fiscal year end earnings.
- Arizona Snowbowl to use gondola cabins as dining rooms for five course dinners on select nights.
- Colorado Mountain College in Leadville to reinstall Steamboat’s former Rough Rider platter as a training lift.
- Purgatory postpones construction of the Gelande lift to next summer, citing permit delays.
- Mt. Bachelor will upgrade the Northwest Express next summer with new operator houses, controls, a night drive system and expanded parking.
- Alterra outlines $400 million in improvements for this season.
- A Doppelmayr gondola station is set on fire in Nepal as part of widespread protests.
- Doppelmayr’s first vertical RopeCon material ropeway to be built somehwere in the Americas.
- The bottom terminal for Alpental’s new Chair 2 is set by Chinook helicopter.
- Aspen receives county approval to build the Nell Bell detachable quad next summer.
- America’s first Bike Cab gondolas arrive in Colorado.
- Two people are killed when a chairlift de-ropes on Russia’s Mt. Elbrus. Videos show challenging conditions for a rope evacuation.
- Lake Louise’s Richardson’s Ridge expansion to open early spring 2026, eventually will include a surface lift from Temple Lodge.
- Doppelmayr reports a 13 percent increase in revenue for fiscal 2024-25, completing 93 ropeways in 25 countries. Approximately 24 percent of €1.2 billion in turnover came from the US and Canada.
- Doppelmayr also reveals a contract to replace a Poma-Otis automated people mover at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
- The new gondola at Hawks Nest State Park in West Virginia nears completion.
Deer Valley Readies Ten New Lifts
Each morning, roughly 200 workers converge on Deer Valley’s east flank, putting finishing touches on the largest ski expansion in US history. It’s hard to believe Alterra Mountain Company and Extell Development Company unveiled their partnership to bring the Mayflower project under Deer Valley’s brand less than two years ago. By December, a three mile gondola, two six packs and seven quad chairs will be ready for skiers, completing the majority of the Expanded Excellence vision. After a limited preview last season, Deer Valley’s footprint will more than double this winter to 4,300 acres and 31 lifts. The expansion spans 2,850 feet of vertical relief, with the gondola alone rocketing 2,570 feet skyward in 14.5 minutes.
Deer Valley Senior Director of Mountain Operations Garrett Lang and Alterra Senior Manager of Construction Pete McKinnon graciously took time to show me around this week. I’ve never seen so many lifts at every stage of construction from concrete to rope pulling. Beyond lifts, some 1,250 fixed snow guns, a ridgetop snowmaking pond, several pumphouses and a maintenance facility are also nearing completion. It feels like Deer Valley’s building a city’s worth of infrastructure on the side of a mountain. Of course every fan gun, every lift tower and every terminal sport Deer Valley green.
The only way to complete such an ambitious project in three construction seasons was to divide and conquer. While Doppelmayr supplied all the lifts, they’re only assembling some of them. Big-D Construction crafted numerous foundations while already on site working on buildings. Highlander Ski Lift Services & Construction tackled roughly half the chairlift installations from start to finish. Doppelmayr brought in lift construction experts from all over, including Canada and Europe.
Most readers know Deer Valley launched the six place Keetley Express and two nearby quad chairs last season. While Keetley’s gorgeous, she represents a small portion of the overall project. Within that initial footprint, Layton Construction continues work this summer to complete a parking building for Keetley’s 102 bubble chairs. Right next to the top of Keetley sits the top of Galena Express, one of two detachable quads finished and commissioned last spring. The second is Pioche Express, connecting the bottom of Aurora to the northernmost summit in the 2,274 acre expansion.
The smallest lift under construction is Neptune Express, set to load below Pioche Village and top out next to Pioche Express. This is one of the two machines Highlander’s installing this summer on top of several last year. The Highlander team was completing the top drive terminal this week with the bottom to follow.
The flagship East Village Express gondola will run all the way to Park Peak. A behemoth of a mid-station sits on Big Dutch Peak, where the lift’s two sections connect at an angle. Each segment features its own direct drive and a Fatzer Performa-DT haul rope with cabins able to switch between lines. All three stations and most of the 40 towers were installed earlier this summer. Fatzer subsidiary Rigging Specialties worked to pull ropes this week with the lower line already on most towers. The upper rope, being installed now, will pass over several extremely tall towers and travel downhill at several points along the line.
142 Omega V cabins are set to begin arriving from Switzerland next week. Similar to Steamboat’s Wild Blue Gondola, they’ll feature individual logoed seats. At Deer Valley, they’ll be heated. Big-D Construction is piecing together the gondola’s parking facility, located underneath the future Park Peak lodge. Lodge services won’t be ready for this winter but the first floor parking system should be. It will be fully automated and the plan is to park cabins nightly. The Park Peak complex is designed for a possible third gondola segment down to Silver Lake Village.
For now the D-Line Pinyon Express will connect historic Deer Valley to new terrain. It’ll load between Bald and Flagstaff mountains, lifting six guests at a time to Park Peak with optional bubble. Pinyon will closely mimic Keetley Express, though with longer terminals for in-station parking. Nine of eleven towers and the top station are complete with the bottom station going up now.
The last two pieces of the chairlift network are what the development team call 6A and 6B, originally planned as one lift with an intermediate station. Now dubbed Vulcan Express and Revelator Express, these steep UNI-G quads will service some of the best fall line skiing in Utah. Revelator will cross underneath the gondola and reach the high point of the expansion – 9,370 feet. Revelator’s bottom terminal is in with concrete almost complete and towers to follow in early September. “We’re almost out of the concrete business,” McKinnon noted.
Highlander is working on 6A/Vulcan, the lower lift that will provide egress from a large bowl that makes up the southern boundary for now. From the Vulcan Express unload, skiers will head right toward the East Village or left to continue up Park Peak via Revelator.
Last but not least are three SunKid conveyors to be situated in the East Village. These form the beginning of a ski school progression from carpet to beginner chairlift to Keetley Express or the gondola. Every lift in the expansion will service at least one green route, including a 4.85 mile snake named Green Monster.
Deer Valley notes 1,200 day skier parking spots will be ready this season in the East Village, up from 500 last winter. A permanent skier services building won’t be but guests can ride a tram to temporary facilities by the gondola (the ride will be shorter than last winter’s to Keetley.) For destination visitors, the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley is already open with a Four Seasons and Canopy by Hilton under construction.
The Hail Peak Maintenance Facility includes a 10,000 gallon per minute pumphouse and space for vehicle maintenance with three cat bays. A 10 million gallon storage pond is being excavated near Park Peak, fed from the Jordanelle Reservoir below. The snowmaking system will include central air lines, meaning no onboard compressors needed for 150 TechnoAlpin fan guns. The vast majority of the system’s 1,100 HKD stick guns will be fully automated.
This season won’t mark the end for Alterra and Extell’s construction teams. Deer Valley recently announced an additional UNI-G detachable quad to open for 2026-27 on Hail Peak, serving seven runs and providing direct lift access from the day skier parking lot. Even once that lift is completed, guests needing rentals or lessons can opt for a tram ride through a new tunnel to the village. There will be escalators.
Several additional lifts remain in the master plan with no set timelines for construction. Possible future projects include a quad on the backside of Bald Mountain, a longer Crown Point lift starting below Keetley Point and a lapable six pack on Big Dutch Peak. Beyond lies South Peak, an expert’s paradise with two possible chairlift alignments. Resort leaders are taking a wait and see approach, watching how skiers flow the next few seasons. With nearly 100 new trails this winter, it’s going to be awhile before Deer Valley needs more terrain.
Thanks to Lift Blog reader and pilot Auston C. for flying me over the expansion and to the Deer Valley team for hosting me.
Crystal Mountain to Replace Rainier Express
Washington’s oldest detachable chairlift will be retired this spring to make way for a next-generation high speed quad. Crystal Mountain’s Rainier Express, or “Rex” for short, dates back to 1988, when a group of local shareholders purchased two Poma chairlifts for the mountain. By the mid-1990s, Boyne Resorts acquired Crystal and replaced nearly every lift between 1997 and 2014. Rex endured, however, and has now carried skiers for 37 seasons.
Alterra Mountain Company bought Crystal in 2018 and Rainier Express 2.0 will be their first lift project at Washington’s largest ski area. “Referred to locally as ‘REX,’ this high-speed quad was the first detachable chairlift built in Washington State,” noted Crystal. “Since its construction in 1988, it has represented Crystal Mountain’s pioneering spirit in big-mountain, skier-focused operations and investments.”
Leitner-Poma will build the new high speed quad and expects to break ground in June. The new lift will carry skiers 1,600 vertical feet to the Summit House in under five minutes. For Rex’s final weekend May 2nd-4th, Crystal plans a rail jam, photo contest and 1988 themed party. Most of the old lift will be scrapped and chairs auctioned to the public to benefit the Northwest Avalanche Center. The new Rainier Express is expected to be completed in December 2025.
Expanded Excellence Takes Shape at Deer Valley
Hundreds of workers are racing to finish the initial phase of Deer Valley’s Expanded Excellence addition, scheduled to open in December. Garrett Lang, Deer Valley’s Director of Mountain Operations and Mike Walker, Senior Construction Manager, kindly gave me a personal tour of the megaproject yesterday.
This winter will be a 316 acre preview of what will be a much larger expansion totaling 2,900 acres over two years. Winter 2024-25 will launch the mountain’s first six pack – a bubble – and two quad chairs rising from the new East Village. Additional lifts are in varying states of completion, including a monster 10 passenger gondola set to open in 2025-26. Simultaneously, a Grand Hyatt hotel, 500 new day skier parking spaces, miles of snowmaking pipe, electrical infrastructure and temporary skier services are also coming together.
Those driving by on U.S. Route 40 probably won’t grasp the full scale of the expansion, which encompasses 2,850 vertical feet and 110 new trails by 2025-26. Several new lifts will be among the longest at Deer Valley. While 500 paved parking spots will open this season, 700 more are being reserved for lift construction laydown. Workers from both Doppelmayr and Highlander Ski Lift Services & Construction are piecing together the lifts, which are being manufactured in Austria, Canada and the United States.
Rocky Mountain Power built an entire new substation to service the vast snowmaking system and burgeoning village. A brand new mid-mountain maintenance facility will support lift, snowmaking and vehicle maintenance needs. Employee housing is also included in the project.
The main attraction this season will be Keetley Express, a D-Line sixer loading steps from the Hyatt. Keetley is the name of the town once buzzing nearby but overtaken by the Jordanelle Reservoir in the 1990s. Like all Deer Valley lifts, Keetley Express will sport a thoroughly green livery with white accents. The flagship will feature gray bubbles and European-made seats. From the top of Keetley Express, skiers will gain access to Deer Valley’s existing footprint via either Mayflower or Sultan Express.
Directly adjacent to Keetley is Hoodoo Express, a UNI-G high speed quad (the word Hoodoo means a column or pinnacle of weathered rock; all the expansion’s trail and lift names were chosen from a pool of 500 historic mining claims in the vicinity.) Hoodoo will parallel Keetley but stop after only a handful of towers, creating an ideal beginner area above the East Village. Because of its proximity to Keetley Express, the bottom terminal will be modeled to look like a D-Line.
Finally a quad named Aurora will load in a drainage near the East Village and return skiers to the Hyatt zone. Aurora is the only fixed grip lift in the entire expansion and will feature a loading conveyor. Three carpet lifts are also planned for beginners.
Several other lifts are well on their way to reality. Near the top of Keetley Express, foundations are also complete for Galena Express, a UNI-G high speed quad set to open next winter. The East Village Gondola, made up of seperable upper and lower segments, is coming along with foundations being formed. Two major lifts have yet to start construction: the upper mountain Pinyon Express bubble and the giant Revelator Express six pack on Park Peak. These two systems will service a vast network of high elevation trails miles above the East Village. The final two lifts set to open next year are Neptune Express and Pioche Express, detachable quads primarily serving lower elevation real estate.
The East Village and planned terrain expansion are just part of Deer Valley’s ambitious roadmap. Later phases may include lifts on both South Peak and Hail Peak. Simultaneously, Alterra Mountain Company aims to redevelop the Snow Park base, including the replacement of Silver Lake Express with a gondola and Carpenter Express with a six seat detachable. A third new gondola is being eyed to connect Silver Lake Village to Park Peak, where the gondola from East Village lands. Both gondolas landing on Park Peak will share an underground cabin parking and maintenance facility. Deer Valley also plans to begin replacing aging existing lifts such as Northside Express and Wasatch Express in the coming years.
Although no specific grand opening date has been announced, we are likely only around 90 days out from what’s sure to be a celebration and huge milestone for Deer Valley.
News Roundup: Megaprojects
- Alterra details its 2024 capital plan, totaling $300+ million with six new chairlifts.
- Following yesterday’s announcement of three new lifts this year, Deer Valley also outlines the seven detachable lifts opening in 2025 for a total of 10 in two years (counting the two section gondola as two.)
- A presentation details massive construction underway at Deer Valley.
- Deer Valley will hold an open house to update the community on construction and future plans next Thursday.
- Park City continues to explore a gondola connection from Main Street to Deer Valley.
- Speaking of megaprojects, here are some unofficial photos of the two D-Line gondolas with six total stations under construction at Big Sky.
- The world’s largest indoor ski area opens near Shanghai with a detachable chairlift and gondola from Poma.
- Parks Canada approves the Banff Gondola owner’s purchase of the Jasper SkyTram.
- A Swiss newspaper reports Alterra may be as interested as Vail in acquiring Swiss resorts.
- Vail Resorts to report earning September 26th, traditionally when lift projects are announced for the following year.
- Vail to sell Wildcat Express gondola cabins, run only chairs in the future.
- Solitude will auction 29 chairs from the Moonbeam quad, which operated only four years.
- Wachusett orders a Doppelmayr UNI-G six pack to replace the Polar Express.
- A rider is injured and airlifted after falling while boarding Schweitzer’s Great Escape Quad.
- Five years since the Sea to Sky Gondola‘s haul rope was first cut and four years since it was cut again, police are still looking for the perpetrator(s).
- Maintenance workers on London’s IFS Cloud Cable Car plan a strike.
Deer Valley to Open Three New Lifts This Season
Deer Valley has unveiled the names for three chairlifts that will open this winter in phase one of the Expanded Excellence expansion. The three inaugural lifts, being constructed by Doppelmayr, include a high speed six pack with bubbles, a detachable quad and a fixed grip quad. Skiers will gain access to 300 acres and 20 trails this season via a temporary gateway with 500 parking spaces, a rental shop and ticketing services. “In just a couple of months, we are looking forward to welcoming our guests to experience the beginning of Deer Valley’s Expanded Excellence vision,” said Todd Bennett, President & COO of Deer Valley Resort.
The flagship D-Line Keetley Express will load near the new Grand Hyatt Deer Valley and lift skiers to Keetley Point. This lift will feature Deer Valley’s first-ever bubble comfort chairs and provide access to the existing Sultan Express lift. Next door, the shorter Hoodoo Express quad will service beginner terrain above the East Village. This lift will be a UNI-G detachable designed to look like the D-Line next door. The third new lift for this season, called Aurora, will provide a short return route back to the East Village. This Alpenstar quad will feature a loading conveyor to maximize efficiency. Keetley Express is expected to open in December with Hoodoo Express and Aurora to follow shortly thereafter.
Concrete work is also underway for six additional lifts set to open for the 2025-26 season. These include a two stage, 10 passenger gondola and five detachable chairlifts. The final four lifts in the expansion will open in future seasons with the exact timeline yet to be determined. When the expansion is complete, Deer Valley will have added 3,700 acres of skiable terrain and 135 new ski runs, making it one of the largest resorts in North America.
News Roundup: Antitrust Scrutiny
- Deer Valley initiates construction on Lifts 2, 3 and 4A with the rest of Expanded Excellence lifts in final engineering and procurement.
- Detroit Mountain’s mountain biking lift goes down for the much of June due to a mechanical problem.
- Proponents of the Cascade Skyline Gondola project criticize British Columbia’s slow approval process.
- Snowbird and Jackson Hole both offer very expensive chairs with portions going to charity.
- Doppelmayr introduces an underground vertical ropeway for the mining industry.
- The American company which owns the Banff Gondola acquires the Jasper SkyTram from the Canadian firm that owns Marmot Basin for CA$25 million.
- The Department of Justice seeks information on Alterra’s proposed purchase of Arapahoe Basin.
News Roundup: Sunrise
- An avalanche crushes a six pack terminal in France.
- Doppelmayr’s latest customer magazine focuses on North America overtaking Europe as the company’s largest market and achieving more than 50 percent market share in our highly competitive region.
- Two bears climb a very tall tower on Steamboat’s new Wild Blue Gondola.
- A prototype MND Orizon detachable is under construction at the factory and expected to be operational in early summer for testing. The first customer installation may be in Uzbekistan.
- Sun Peaks resumes construction on the West Bowl Express after a winter break.
- Homewood seek approval for its Madden Gondola in a modified alignment.
- Huff Hills, North Dakota to close following a lease dispute with the mountain’s landowner.
- Tenney Mountain eyes replacing Hornet with a detachable lift.
- Alterra’s CEO discuses lift construction costs and more in a wide ranging interview.
- Plans show four major lifts at the planned Stagecoach Mountain Ranch near Steamboat.
- Legoland New York’s new gondola appears mostly complete with the first Diamond EVO cabins in North America.
- Quebec Ski Resorts Company says if it acquired the lease to Mont-Sainte-Anne, it would install a 10 passenger Doppelmayr gondola in 2025 and two detachable chairlifts in 2026. Resorts of the Canadian Rockies insists the mountain is not for sale.
- The Park City planning Commission delays a decision again on Deer Valley’s proposed Lift 7, citing wildlife concerns.
- Park City’s upcoming Sunrise Gondola will be constructed by Leitner-Poma with Vail Resorts’ first direct drive.
- An unnamed New Hampshire resort is looking for CTEC quad chairs for an upcoming relocation.
Alterra to Buy Arapahoe Basin
Alterra Mountain Company has reached an agreement to acquire Arapahoe Basin, Colorado from Dream Unlimited, a Canadian developer which has owned the Basin since 1997. Alterra did not disclose the sale price but Dream Unlimited said in a release that “management believes this sale will result in after-tax profit of CA$110 million” before closing costs and adjustments. Under Dream, Arapahoe Basin nearly tripled in acreage and replaced its entire lift fleet. “Arapahoe Basin has been a great investment for Dream and one that we are very proud of,” said Michael Cooper, Chief Responsible Officer of Dream. “We have had the honour of taking care of this Resort over the last quarter century, with a constant commitment to the visitor experience. We are thrilled that Alterra recognizes and shares the same values and will continue to foster its unique and incredible culture.”
Arapahoe Basin will become Alterra’s 18th owned destination in North America and third in Colorado when the sale closes later this year. Veteran Chief Operating Officer Al Henceroth will continue to lead A-Basin under Alterra and guide the next phase of capital improvements, to include expanded snowmaking and parking. Henceroth noted on his legendary blog that “it has been a wild and fun 27 years, but it is time for the next step. Through the Ikon Pass, Alterra has created a partnership of the greatest resorts in the world. They know and understand The Basin and are enamored by its culture and vibe. I think they are the best team to help us through our next phase of growth and maturation.”
A-Basin partnered with Alterra to join the Ikon Pass in 2019 and Ikon access will remain unchanged for the current season. In Colorado, Ikon offers unlimited access to Copper Mountain, Eldora, Steamboat and Winter Park along with limited access to Aspen Snowmass and Arapahoe Basin. “Arapahoe Basin is considered legendary for a reason,” said Jared Smith, President & CEO of Alterra Mountain Company. “From its unparalleled terrain, to its commitment to sustainability, A-Basin has a team that has a passion and commitment for this unique place and its traditions, making it an ideal fit for the Alterra Mountain Company family.”
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