• Fairfax County will host an open house tomorrow regarding the proposed Alpine-X indoor mountain resort.
• Attitash fully removes what remained of the Top Notch double
• The Icy Strait Point Mountain Top gondola is now scheduled to debut in May 2022.
• I’m thrilled to report the quad chairlift in Wears Valley, Tennessee is open for business, nine years after construction!
• Summit Ski Area officially merges into Timberline Lodge, which becomes the largest vertical ski area in America at 4,540 feet.
• The former Colby College ski area in Maine fundraises to resume downhill operations for the first time since the ’70s with a T-Bar planned for a future phase.
• Also in Maine, Sunday River and Doppelmayr near completion of the Merrill Hill project as survey markers appear under the Jordan Bowl Express.
• In Australia, Thredbo closes a week early due to lack of guests.
• The Forest Service signs off on Copper’s Lumberjack Express project, though the resort does not yet have a timeline for construction yet.
• In a lawsuit, Alterra says it’s owed more than $200 million for lost business during the pandemic which should have been covered by insurance.
• Vail Resorts plans to load lifts to full capacity this winter at all 34 of its North American resorts. No passholder reservations required, employees must be vaccinated by November 15th and guests must show proof of vaccination to dine at indoor cafeterias.
• Vail also reports strong full year financial results with lift revenue up 17.9 percent from a year ago and operating expenses down 5.4 percent.
• Sierra at Tahoe says both Nob Hill and Short Stuff were damaged by the Caldor Fire.
• Great Bear will unveil the naming rights partner for its new chairlift on October 16th.
• Searchmont gets a new trail map showing two new lifts. Also its Blue Mountain triple chair will be inoperable until early February.
• Purgatory says its six pack will be closed at least two more weeks, gives summer season passholders next summer for free due to continued lift problems.
• Bartholet announces a major five section gondola contract with Switzerland’s LAAX. The Ropetaxi system will feature cabins which move autonomously in stations and can be directed to a specific destination by passengers.