Aspen Snowmass – Lift Blog

News Roundup: Chances for Chairs

May 20, 2022Peter Landsman7 Comments

Sipapu is threatened by New Mexico’s largest-ever wildfire.
Other New Mexico ski areas postpone summer operations due to National Forest closures.
Blue Mountain, Pennsylvania has 247 double chairs for sale.
Ditto for Cascade Mountain, Wisconsin.
Steamboat will auction chairs from Christie III along with retired gondola cabins next week.
Heavenly’s rescheduled North Bowl chair sale will take place June 3-4.
Aspen Snowmass forges the Silver Queen Gondola’s old haul rope into anniversary tokens.
Snowbird provides a tram modernization project update.
Park City won’t issue a building permit for Park City Mountain’s new lifts until at least June 8th, when an appeal will be heard. Vail Resorts tells me it still intends to complete the projects ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Stowe also remains committed to replacing the Mountain triple this summer despite approval still pending.
The Caribbean island of Dominica plans to build one of the world’s longest gondolas from a cruise port to a mountain lake.
Tenney Mountain’s new owner plans to reopen next season.
Beartooth Basin won’t open this year due to low snow.
Kimberley and Leitner-Poma work to get the Northstar Express back operational 5 months after being idled by arson.
The Sierra-at-Tahoe rebuild may include new lifts.
New York’s Cockaigne won’t operate this summer and is listed for sale.
Big Sky and Garaventa begin building Lone Peak Tram 2.0.
Silver Mountain Lift Maintenance rescues a lost goat and gives him a gondola ride.
Here come the terminals for Palisades Tahoe’s base to base gondola.

News Roundup: Bounty

February 11, 2022Peter Landsman15 Comments

Sandia Peak won’t open for skiing this season due to weather and staffing challenges.
A snowboarder falls from Vail Mountain’s Avanti Express.
The mall where Big Snow American Dream operates faces mounting financial problems.
Kimberley offers a CA$100,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the Northstar Express arsonist.
Castle Mountain loans Kimberley another passenger snow cat and Leitner-Poma prioritizes repairs in its production schedule.
The Bode Miller Ski Academy at Granby Ranch will include a high speed surface lift for race training.
Elk Mountain rope evacuates for the second time in a week, this time the C double.
The same day, nearby Montage Mountain rope evacuates the Long Haul triple.
Also last Sunday: 150 people evac’d from the double chair at Song Mountain.
A Colorado mountain will join the Indy Pass for the first time next week.
Tamarack removes a North Bowl lift from its expansion proposal, hopes to begin the NEPA process soon for its proposed gondola, south expansion lifts and Wildwood Express extension.
The reincarnated Big Squaw would include a six person chairlift and new T-Bar.
Outside Magazine talks with numerous Vail Resorts employees about operational challenges.
Town of Vail leaders discuss the situation at the namesake company.
A Sea to Sky-style gondola is planned for interior British Columbia.
Sunshine Village posts some fascinating stats about its very unique gondola.
Four men plead not guilty to felony vandalism charges following last month’s incident at the San Diego Zoo.
Soldier Mountain closes for the weekend due to unspecified lift issues.
Alaska’s first gondola system is complete and will open to the public in April.
Cannonsburg laments contractor and supply chain delays which have kept its triple chair from operating this season.
Aspen Skiing Company raises its minimum wage to $20 per hour, effective the day after tomorrow.
Argentinian actress Vero Lozano breaks an ankle falling from height off an Aspen chairlift.
The South Korean resort where a detachable quad rolled back on January 22nd won’t reopen any of its lifts this winter.
Multiple parties file objections to Purgatory’s Ice Creek expansion approval.
The State of New Hampshire will host a public meeting next week regarding the future of the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway.

News Roundup: Retirements

November 12, 2021Peter Landsman11 Comments

Snow Ridge, NY retires its Snowy Meadows double in favor of a conveyor.
Ditto for the J-Bar at Suicide Six, Vermont.
The San Francisco Chronicle checks in on Sierra at Tahoe‘s recovery.
An electrician is hospitalized following a possible lightning strike at Cypress Mountain.
An anti-gondola candidate is elected mayor of the town where a Little Cottonwood Gondola would begin.
A local author tells the story of how a hodgepodge of used chairlifts set the stage for Big Sky’s cutting edge lifts.
The Italian tram car involved in last May’s deadly incident is removed from the mountain by helicopter.
The Breckenridge Town Council approves a plan for the Breckenridge Grand Vacations gondola and stipulates its developer must choose a detachable model.
Sun Peaks Resort won’t operate the West Bowl T-Bar for the second year in a row.
Reopening Hickory, NY intends to operate all three lifts this season when snow permits.
The Prairie Sky Gondola is officially under development in Edmonton.
Shawnee Mountain’s next new lift will likely be a fixed quad replacing the double–double.
Prague looks to build an urban 3S gondola with three stations.
Discussions continue regarding the future of the aging Telluride-Mountain Village gondola system.
Palisades Tahoe confirms the new base-to-base gondola won’t open this winter.
Aspen Snowmass ups its minimum wage to $17 for hourly employees and $50,000 for salaried workers.
Brundage says new lifts and terrain are coming, though specifics are pending.
Loon Mountain gets ready to welcome guests aboard the new Kanc 8.

News Roundup: Planning Ahead

October 1, 2021Peter Landsman12 Comments

Indy Pass signs on Manning Park, British Columbia; The Rock, Wisconsin; and Seven Oaks, Iowa.
Big Snow American Dream will remain closed several more weeks following last week’s fire.
Leitner-Poma to build the previously announced Lakeview Express at Mt. Rose next year.
The gondola to the gondola at Breckenridge nears approval.
Rad Smith completes his largest illustration yet – a new map for Big White in the style of James Niehues.
Another protest takes place against a gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Nitehawk continues fundraising for a new chairlift as it nears a second season without one.
Lookout Pass works to convert Timber Wolf from a double into a triple.
Alpine-X seeks to raise up to $5 million through crowdfunding.
An Iowa county agrees to purchase Sleepy Hollow, a chairlift-served tubing park.
Palisades Tahoe renames two of its chairlifts Resort Chair and Wa She Shu.
Doppelmayr arrives on site to assess and make recommendations regarding the storm-damaged chairlift in Gallix, Quebec.
Amsterdam could see a river crossing 3S gondola.
Sundance will host a party on October 10th to celebrate the final rides on Ray’s Lift before removal.
Another gondola concept emerges in Los Angeles.
Lake Louise’s new high speed quad will be called Juniper Express.
Camelback says it has completed an extensive inspection and certification process for its lifts and implemented additional safety protocols in the wake of last season’s chair fall.
Stuart Winchester gets the latest from Aspen Snowmass CEO Mike Kaplan on 1A, Pandora’s, Coney Glade, Burnt Mountain, Goldenhorn and other lift projects.
The Superior National Forest will host a virtual open house Tuesday regarding the Lutsen Mountains expansion.
West Mountain unveils plans for its first detachable lift, including an intermediate station.

News Roundup: Firm Orders

August 13, 2021Peter Landsman18 Comments

Mexico’s Grupo Vidanta will build a second SkyDream gondola system, this time at Vidanta Riviera Maya.
Sundance auctions chairs from the former Arrowhead triple.
The team at Craigleith, Ontario wins the inaugural Ski Area Management/Leitner-Poma Rise Up Challenge.
Four Japanese resorts sign on to the Indy Pass.
Arizona Snowbowl’s new gondola has been down for two weeks and the ski area moves its entire summer operation to a different base area and the Grand Canyon Express.
Beaver Creek’s two new quads will be named McCoy Park Express and Reunion.
The sale price for Blue Mountain, PA is revealed as $31.9 million.
MND reports annual results with ropeway sales up 32 percent and a firm order backlog of €91.7 million.
A group continues to push for a West Seattle gondola as a planned rail project gets delayed.
Squaw Alpine and Leitner-Poma make great progress on the base to base gondola, though they aren’t publicly committing to a completion timeline.
Citing staffing and fire danger, Mt. Shasta ends its summer season early.
After missing a year, Searchmont plans to reopen this season with two new triple chairs.
Manitoba’s Holiday Mountain announces it won’t open in 2021-22.
Vail Resorts unveils a succession plan with CEO Rob Katz moving to an Executive Chairperson role and Chief Marketing Officer Kirsten Lynch becoming CEO November 1.
Icy Strait Point and Norwegian Cruise Line cut the ribbon on the Transporter gondola with another 8 passenger system set to open later this summer.
Jay Peak’s former President and CEO will plead guilty to a single charge of providing false statements and other charges are expected to be dropped.
Keystone posts a big update on the Peru Express replacement project.
Aspen Snowmass introduces a new brand and logo which is already on some gondola cabins.
Snowbasin’s Middle Bowl replacement project gets off to the races.

News Roundup: Chairless

June 11, 2021Peter Landsman3 Comments

Wildcat plans to replace the chairs on the Wildcat Express.
Jay Peak and Burke Mountain could receive more than $9 million under a proposed settlement with the law firm of former owner Ariel Quiros.
Here’s another chance to own a classic double chair.
Mayflower Mountain Resort secures up to $260 million in bond financing.
Catamount’s second new lift this year will replace the last SLI in the Northeast.
The United States tallies 59 million skier visits in 2020-21, 5th most in history.
Aspen Snowmass had a tough season with traffic 20 percent below average.
Digging into the unsolved Sea to Sky Gondola crimes.
Two Disney Skyliner cars bump into each other, causing some down time.
Vail Resorts reports strong earnings, continues to look at strategic acquisition opportunities and will be aggressive at reinvesting across its resorts post-pandemic.
Arizona Snowbowl converts the Arizona Gondola combination lift into a pure gondola for the summer.
The bike park at Purgatory will open many weeks late due to an unspecified problem with the Purgatory Village Express.
Doppelmayr releases a 30 page urban brochure.
France may provide the financing for a six station, 180 cabin urban gondola in the Filipino capital of Manila.

News Roundup: Watch Live

May 7, 2021May 7, 2021Peter Landsman35 Comments

Copper Mountain seeks Forest Service approval to replace Lumberjack.
More details emerge on the Argo Cable Car construction delay.
The Canadian Ski Council says resort revenues fell 35 to 40 percent this year but it varied by province.
Lots of jobs are available right now at Leitner-Poma and subsidiary Skytrac.
Aspen Skiing Company will spin lifts across three mountains for the first time ever this summer.
Another Gatlinburg tram update.
Wasatch Peaks Ranch launches a website, though not much is on it yet.
Squaw Alpine says its name change process is taking longer than expected but a historic announcement will come soon.
In case you missed Doppelmayr Insights, product announcements included modular aerial tramway technology called Peak Line, resort management software clair and a new rotating gondola bike carrier dubbed Bike Cab. The entire event can be replayed here.
Want to watch construction this summer? Great Bear, Seven Springs, Snow King and Sugar Mountain all have webcams pointed toward lift projects.
Doppelmayr Cable Car is one of four finalists to supply a new automated people mover to Newark Liberty International Airport.
Insurers appeal a NZ$12 million verdict against Christchurch Adventure Park for running a chairlift during a wildfire, allegedly spreading it.
Steel prices reach all time highs.
French ski resorts can finally reopen lifts May 19th.
Snow King’s Cougar triple moves uphill to make way for the new gondola.
Duluth, Minnesota looks to pump $25 million into Spirit Mountain.

News Roundup: No Reservations

March 19, 2021Peter Landsman3 Comments

The Forest Services releases its Environmental Assessment for a modified Purgatory Ice Creek expansion and seeks public comments.
Bluewood closes for a weekend due to drive line issues with the Skyline Express triple (now back open).
For the first time in 15 years, The Summit at Snoqualmie sends a cat to the top of Alpental to clear snow from the Edelweiss lift line and top terminal.
A Canadian resort trains a very good dog to catch and hold Ts for skiers.
One of only two chairlift operations in Kentucky goes up for sale (asking price $750,000).
Aspen Snowmass visitation falls significantly.
Another chairlift fall video, this time from China.
Also in China, Poma nears completion of a world first: three interconnected 3S gondolas.
There was a serious grip slip incident at Snowstar, Illinois a few weeks ago.
A company called Towpro tries breaking into the surface lift business with a low cost rope tow.
Ski Area Management and Leitner-Poma launch a contest to recognize top lift maintenance teams.
Arapahoe Basin will continue limiting both season pass and day ticket sales next season.
No reservations will be required for passholders across Vail Resorts next season.
After a few weeks idled, Big Sky announces Dakota will remain closed for the remainder of the 20-21 season due to “mechanical challenges.”
Warner Brothers abandons plans to build a Hollywood gondola, opting to focus on its core business.
A wild Red Bull video features an athlete sliding down a six pack’s haul rope under a parachute.
A maintenance worker is injured when the chair he was riding falls from a Bartholet lift in Luxembourg.

News Roundup: Busy Season

January 8, 2021Peter Landsman6 Comments

At Mont Sutton, an empty chair falls from one lift while the mountain’s lone detachable quad remains out of service due to a technical issue.
A Victoria, BC suburb considers building a transport gondola.
Purgatory loses its workhorse six pack over the busy holiday (now back open).
Ontario ski resorts, many of which are family businesses, try to stay optimistic during the provincial shutdown.
Royal Mountain, New York changes hands.
Italy postpones reopening ski resorts until January 18th.
Jay Peak and Burke Mountain are set to receive $5.2 million under a settlement between a law firm and investors.
Kimberley continues to spin two upper mountain lifts for hikers and skinners while repair work continues on the Northstar Express.
Wolf Creek has a new James Niehues trail map.
Open only one day before the pandemic, the SkyView gondola at Hard Rock Stadium gets set to reopen March 22nd.
The new T-Bar at Sugarbush is named KBRA (Kelly Brush Race Arena).
A fall and catch are caught on camera at Bristol Mountain.
A newspaper profiles how lift maintenance and operations teams work together at Snowmass.
Winter Park safely evacuates 143 people from the Pioneer Express. Public records show a component in the return terminal failed due to fatigue.
Testing finds further work is needed to make the Mont-Sainte-Anne gondola safe. It may not open for four to eight weeks and season passholders are being offered refunds.
Porkies, Michigan shuts down to complete a required chairlift inspection.
Bousquet Mountain will open tomorrow under new ownership with a new lift.
Hunter Mountain reopens today after a three day Covid-related closure.

News Roundup: Merry Christmas

December 25, 2020Peter Landsman10 Comments

Sunrise Park Resort considers building a combination lift.
Mont-Sainte-Anne works diligently toward reopening its gondola with a reduced capacity of 30 cabins at first.
A Vancouver developer scraps a gondola from its plans.
Ontario’s more than 40 ski areas are ordered to close as part of a multi-week lockdown beginning tomorrow.
The City of Sioux Falls orders a Skytrac quad for Great Bear Ski Valley.
Fashion designer Rachel Zoe shares the story of her son falling from a Buttermilk quad chair on social media.
Another fall at Sundance gets featured on Reddit.
An 8 year old raises $10,000 to support a struggling nonprofit ski area in North Dakota.
Snow King Mountain previews its gondola cabins which are being fabricated in France.
Michigan’s Blackjack and Indianhead are both for sale with a listing price of $3.49 million.
Blizzard Beach, chairlift and all, will reopen March 7th after a year-long closure.
A group proposes connecting West Seattle to the regional transit network with a four station gondola.
Steamboat creates a virtual gondola line powered by text message.
With Europe’s ski industry struggling particularly hard, MND Group focuses on international markets including North America.
The reimagined Bousquet Mountain opens with a new triple chair January 1st.
Mission Ridge’s new summit lift opening later this winter will be called the Wenatchee Express.
Lake Louise updates its trail map to show the West Bowl expansion, Summit lift and two future lift alignments.
The New York Times checks in with ski resorts across the country about business during the pandemic.

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