Doppelmayr

Loon Mountain to Build New Lift at South Peak

Peter Landsman26 Comments

Loon Mountain Resort today unveiled plans for its tenth chairlift, a quad servicing 30 acres of new terrain on South Peak. The expansion will feature a Doppelmayr Alpenstar fixed grip lift with loading conveyor, a guest service facility and fully automated snowmaking. This will increase Loon’s beginner terrain by over 50 percent and bring the resort above 400 acres total. Initial work is already underway and the long-awaited expansion will open for the 2023-24 ski season.

The yet-to-be-named quad chair will load at the bottom of the existing Escape Route trail and service 500 vertical feet of beginner and low intermediate terrain. For guests looking for more advanced skiing, the new lift will also serve as a connection from parking lots in the town of Lincoln to the Lincoln Express and the rest of Loon Mountain. “Providing lift access and more skiing and riding closer to downtown Lincoln is exciting—and unique—particularly in the East,” said Brian Norton, Loon’s president and general manager. “Adding lift service just a mile and a half from Interstate 93, in the center of Lincoln, improves the guest experience immensely and is something we’ve been focused on for many years,” Norton added.

The South Peak expansion comes hot on the heels of two major lift upgrades, both part of the Flight Path: 2030 capital improvement roadmap. Kancamagus 8 opened in 2021 and a new Seven Brothers Express quad will debut this season, making the South Peak lift will Loon’s third new lift in three years. “The South Peak expansion has been a key part of Loon’s master plan for decades and we are thrilled to be moving towards the next major milestone of Flight Path: 2030,” noted Jay Scambio, COO of Boyne Resorts. Future phases of the plan include a replacement of the gondola and upgrades to the North Peak and Lincoln Express lifts.

With Loon’s announcement of South Peak expansion, Boyne Resorts is on track to build at least five new lifts across its network in 2023. Other projects include the new Lone Peak Tram at Big Sky, Camelot 6 at The Highlands, the West Mountain expansion at Sugarloaf and a Barker Mountain Express replacement at Sunday River.

Snowriver to Build Six Pack at Jackson Creek Summit

Peter Landsman3 Comments

The rumors were true – the first detachable chairlift in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will debut for the 2023-24 season at Snowriver Mountain Resort. The Doppelmayr six place will replace Chippewa, Leelinaw and Voyagers at Jackson Creek Summit, formerly Indianhead. The existing double, triple and quad have a combined design capacity of 5,250 passengers per hour, though that capacity has not been realized for years. The replacement lift will include 53 chairs yielding a capacity of 2,800 skiers per hour with the opportunity to go to 3,200 per hour if needed. It will take the name Voyageur Express and run from the bottom of Leelinaw to the top of Chippewa. With a line speed of 1,000 per minute, ride time will decrease from eight-plus minutes to just 3.5 minutes. “The new lift will greatly enhance our guest experience at Jackson Creek Summit,” said newly-hired General Manager Benjamin Bartz. “Because the new lift will be much easier for guests to load and unload, we anticipate smoother operations, meaning guests will spend more time skiing and less time sitting on a lift.”

The project is the second announced for next year by Midwest Family Ski Resorts, which already operates five detachable lifts across its resorts. The company previously announced plans to build another six pack at Lutsen Mountains next summer. “High speed lifts are a perfect fit for our Midwest ski areas,” explained Charles Skinner, President and owner of Snowriver, Granite Peak and Lutsen Mountains. “Most skiers need to stop and rest every 500-700 vertical feet, about two-thirds of a mile, which happens to be the length of our runs. So, rather than stopping to rest on the side of the trail as is the case for most skiers on a longer Western slope, skiers at our resorts simply rest on the three minute ride back up the mountain. High speed lifts transform the ski experience at our resorts from spending most of the ski day riding the chairlift or waiting in line to enjoying most of the day skiing down the hill,” Skinner continued.

The Voyageur Express line has already been cleared and the lift will be completed for the 2023-24 winter season.

News Roundup: Game Creek

Peter Landsman2 Comments

Doppelmayr Acquires Cabin Manufacturer Carvatech

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Austrian ropeway cabin producer Carvatech has joined the Doppelmayr Group effective today. Carvatech, which manufactures gondola, aerial tramway, funicular and automated people mover carriers, will remain an independent brand under the Doppelmayr umbrella. Carvatech’s 50 employees will continue to be based in Oberweis, where the company has operated since 1956.

Doppelmayr also owns Swiss cabin manufacturer CWA Constructions, which it acquired in 2002. While the majority of Doppelmayr and Garaventa ropeways built today feature CWA cabins, Carvatech and Doppelmayr routinely partner on projects. The largest example in the USA is the Oakland Airport Connector, a Doppelmayr Cable Liner automated people mover in California.

“With Carvatech and CWA under one umbrella, we will strengthen our utmost expertise in carrier engineering and vehicle bodymaking on the world market within our Group,” noted Thomas Pichler, Executive Director of Doppelmayr Holding SE. “Carvatech is a profitable company that is optimally positioned in the market,” he continued. “We are convinced that the integration will create new impetus and valuable synergies for our business.”

From left: Robert Vockenhuber (Managing Partner Carvatech), Michael Köb (Head of Finance and Law Doppelmayr Seilbahnen GmbH), Reinhard Aschauer (Managing Partner Carvatech) and Thomas Pichler (Executive Director Doppelmayr Holding SE).

The deal came together over the last few months as Carvatech owners Robert Vockenhuber and Reinhard Aschauer approached Doppelmayr. “When looking to secure ownership succession following our retirement, the top priority was to place our company in good hands,” said Aschauer and Vockenhuber. “We are firmly convinced that we have achieved that goal.”

News Roundup: Falling Trees

Peter Landsman15 Comments
  • Doppelmayr wins the contract to build Cablebus Line 3, a six station/40 tower gondola in Mexico City with a bid $19 million under Leitner.
  • Steamboat’s new gondola won’t open until mid to late December.
  • A falling tree de-ropes the Busch Gardens Williamsburg gondola off multiple towers.
  • NSAA reports the number of US ski areas operating last season increased by 11 to 473.
  • A brand new chairlift at Ski Wentworth gets battered by wind and falling trees from Hurricane Fiona but is believed to be undamaged.
  • Lake Louise says both Upper Juniper and Sunnyside high speed quads could be constructed as early as 2023 (map here).
  • A new map shows the location of Vail’s upcoming Chair 17 in Sun Down Bowl.
  • Deer Valley’s new map shows where the new Burns Express goes.
  • Apex Mountain uses video footage and social media to identify a group who tampered with the resort’s detachable quad.
  • The Los Angeles transit authority expects to release the draft Environmental Impact Report for the Dodger Stadium gondola October 17th.

The Highlands to Build First Six Place Bubble Lift in the Midwest

Peter Landsman12 Comments

The fifth Boyne Resorts property to launch a D-Line detachable will be The Highlands, Michigan come 2023. Camelot 6 will include the first modern bubble chairs in the Midwest and the first fully automated safety bar system in the United States. Ergonomically designed D-Line seats will also feature heating and individual footrests. The lift will be the fastest in the Midwest with a line speed of six meters per second and ride time of just three minutes.

The flagship chairlift will replace three Riblet triples – Camelot, MacGully and Valley – all of which date back to the 1960s and the earliest days of triple chairs. Unlike the current Camelot, the new Doppelmayr will extend to the top of the Upper Camelot slope on the southern end of the mountain.

The Camelot zone features some of The Highlands’ most popular beginner and intermediate terrain adjacent to the Day Lodge. Appropriately, Camelot 6 will feature the first fully automated closing, locking and opening bar mechanisms in the US in addition to a height-adjustable loading conveyor. “We’re coming full circle in lift innovation from the world’s first bubble chairlift in 1963, to the Midwest’s first modern bubble lift with unrivaled guest comfort, speed, energy efficiency, and safety in 2023,” said Mike Chumbler, President and General Manager of The Highlands. “This will be the most kid-friendly and safest lift ever built. The addition of Camelot 6 will transform the guest experience on the southern end of our slopes for all levels of skiers and riders,” he added.

Camelot will become the fifth Boyne destination to debut Doppelmayr D-Line technology. Big Sky Resort, Boyne Mountain, Loon Mountain and Sunday River all feature six and eight passenger D-Line detachables, many with bubbles and heated seats. While Alterra, Vail Resorts and other operators have also purchased D-Line lifts, Boyne’s level of commitment to the technology remains unrivaled in North America.

Camelot 6 is the first significant on mountain investment as part of The Highlands’ Transformational Journey, a vision guiding resort growth with an array of new offerings and enhancements through the year 2030. More lift upgrades are expected to follow in the coming years.

Camelot 6 will debut for the 2023-24 ski season. Once complete, it will serve both day and evening skiers as well as becoming the primary access lift for summer sightseeing and mountain biking.

Doppelmayr Introduces TRI-Line Three Cable System

Peter Landsman26 Comments

A Swiss ski resort will become the launch customer for a new hybrid ropeway design by Doppelmayr. TRI-Line (pronouned “treeline”) will combine the benefits of a tri-cable 3S ropeway with Doppelmayr’s D-Line detachable generation. The new system offers throughput of up to 8,000 passengers per hour with a smaller footprint and lower cost than a 3S. “The TRI-Line is a detachable continuous-movement system and a compact further development based on two proven ropeway systems,” explains Peter Luger, head of TRI-Line development in Wolfurt. “It combines the benefits of the D-Line with those of the high-capacity 3S system.” The concept is similar to Leitner’s new 2S system but utilizes two track ropes rather than one. Doppelmayr notes two track ropes provide a stable running surface and the highest wind stability. Multiple ropes allow for very long spans between towers, a hallmark of 3S systems.

TRI-Line cabins will combine elements of CWA’s newest Omega V gondolas with those of Atria 3S cabins. The new cabins will accommodate up to 20 passengers in a 12 seated, 8 standing configuration. The carriage will utilize two D-Line detachable grips and eight running wheels. Cabins can be ordered with electronic sliding doors on two sides for high capacity and urban applications.

TRI-Line will utilize D-Line stations modified to accommodate track ropes and larger carriages. The new system will feature tubular towers rather than lattice towers. In addition to reducing tower footprints, this brings advantages in the construction phase such as the suitability of the components for air transport. Direct Drive gearless technology, Doppelmayr Connect controls and AURO autonomous operation are all compatible with TRI-Line.

The first TRI-Line installation is already underway at Hoch-Ybrig, Switzerland replacing a 55 year old reversible tramway. “With the TRI-Line, we’ve found a ropeway system that meets all our requirements – and does so for a reasonable price,” said Urs Keller, CEO of Hoch-Ybrig. “While a monocable gondola would have been an option from a technical point of view, it would have entailed various challenges with our particular terrain and therefore been difficult to build. The 3S lift, as an alternative, was beyond our budget. The TRI-Line is compact and can cope with our wind conditions thanks to the 3S benefits, which is a decisive criterion for our important feeder lift. Thanks to the new cabins with their comfortable seats and the generously proportioned glazing, we can now offer our guests a far higher level of comfort.”

News Roundup: All Good Things

Peter Landsman19 Comments

News Roundup: Early August

Peter Landsman12 Comments

Park City Mountain Appeals Lift Approval Revocation

Peter Landsman5 Comments

Park City Mountain on Wednesday appealed the Park City Planning Commission’s decision to revoke approval of the permit to upgrade the Silverlode and Eagle chairlifts, which were scheduled to be built this summer. “The City Planning Director made the right decision to issue this permit, supported by her extensive, four-month-long analysis and the advice of three outside experts,” said Sara Huey, Vail Resorts Senior Manager of Communications in a statement. “There is no evidence that she made a mistake, and we believe her decision will be upheld in this next step in the process.” Silverlode was scheduled to become Vail Resorts’ first eight passenger and first D-Line chairlift in North America and Eagle was to be a detachable six with a mid unloading station. The appeal was filed in District Court.

Four citizens appealed the initial approval, arguing the project should not have been approved by administratively by city staff. They also questioned the degree to which the new lifts would increase traffic and said the mountain’s parking mitigation plan was insufficient. The residents’ appeal was granted by a vote of 3 to 1 at a June Planning Commission meeting. “While we disagreed with the outcome, we respect the right of four residents to appeal the Planning Director’s decision and likewise we have the right to appeal the Planning Commission’s decision,” continued Vail’s statement today. “In parallel with this appeal, we, of course, remain committed to working with the City to explore options to ensure that the resort moves forward with these important replacements of equipment that was installed many decades ago.”

While the process plays out, Doppelmayr and Park City are placing lift equipment which has already been delivered into storage. When I stopped by last week, parts were being sorted and loaded onto trailers.