- See how Sigma Composite builds gondola cabins in the French Alps. The company also just delivered the first of two trains for Leitner-Poma’s automated people mover at Miami International Airport.
- Aspen Skiing Co. submits a formal proposal with the Forest Service to replace Lift 1A on Aspen Mountain with a high speed quad, gondola or combination lift as early as next summer. Meanwhile, this summer’s lift upgrade at Snowmass nears completion.
- Another Doppelmayr Eco-drive quad going up.
- Scott Shanaman, who founded Aerial NDT, becomes the proud new owner of Lost Valley near Lewiston, Maine. The resort (if you can call it that) has two classic Hall double chairs and a T-Bar that hasn’t run in quite some time. Congratulations, Scott and family!
- Powdr Corp.’s Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort changes its name (back) to Lee Canyon.
- Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. buys Mt. Washington Alpine Resort on Vancouver Island, becoming the company’s fourth (and largest) mountain resort. The Utah-based group bought Ragged Mountain in 2007, Wisp Resort in 2012, and Wintergreen earlier this year. How’s that for some geographic diversity?
- Some pics of a sharp-looking bubble six-pack being built by Leitner Ropeways in the Czech Republic.
Jackson Hole
Instagram Tuesday: Sunset on Summer
Chairs Going on the Teton Lift
The Teton lift got its haul rope and commline in the last few weeks and Doppelmayr started launching chairs on Saturday. Agamatic grips were being attached to each chair before going onto the maintenance rail at the bottom terminal. Doppelmayr was launching chairs in groups with the lift running slowly in reverse. All 80 chairs should be on by this afternoon. Next up: adjustments and load test. Impressive to see this project nearly finished two and half months before its scheduled opening (which is December 19th.)
Teton Lift Home Stretch
The crew from Doppelmayr is flying through work on the Teton lift with 110 days until opening. Jackson Hole’s fourth high speed quad now has a complete top terminal with the bottom not far behind. The Uni-G model terminals are mostly gray with white ends. The 8,500′ haul rope, which was manufactured in Canada, was brought up the mountain earlier this week. Eighty DT-104 Agamatic grips also arrived in crates last week. The bottom lift shack is the only large component not in already in place besides the haul rope. At this rate I would not be surprised to see a load test by October 1st.
Teton Lift Gets a Drive Terminal
Workers from Doppelmayr began assembling the top terminal of the Teton lift by crane this week. Once the top is finished, crews will move to the bottom return terminal 1,800 feet below. The lift is on schedule to be load tested by mid-October. A new ski patrol station is also taking shape and grading continues on the new Kemmerer, Ridge and Wide Open runs. Weather permitting, the entire expansion will open December 19th.
Lift Profile: Casper at Jackson Hole
Jackson Hole’s Casper lift is an example of how the right lift can revitalize an entire section of a mountain. Prior to 2012, Casper was a 1974 Heron-Poma triple chair with a 10-minute ride time. The lift and nearby trails felt like no-man’s land in between the much newer Bridger Gondola and Apres Vous high speed quad. Casper had a race course and restaurant, but few people wanted to ride the lift.
In the summer of 2012, Jackson Hole invested $5 million to build a new Casper high speed quad and re-grade three major runs in the Casper pod. The race course was moved elsewhere and the entire area dubbed “all new, all-blue.” The new Casper opened December 6, 2012 and completely changed intermediate skiing at Jackson Hole.
Casper is one of Leitner-Poma’s first dozen lifts to utilize the new LPA terminals and grips, which debuted at Vail in 2010. While not without the usual hiccups, Casper is a machine well-liked by mechanics, operators and skiers. The lift shacks and terminals are spacious with many thoughtful features. For example, the chairs have clips that prevent seats from blowing up in high winds. The lift can auto-slow and auto-stop at pre-set wind speeds. A touchscreen at the return terminal gives operators just as much information as at the drive. Tower ladders extend all the way to the top of the lifting frames.
News Roundup: Hilltrac Funicular
- When I was hiking around Park City last week I discovered a large new funicular railway in The Colony development near the new gondola. It was built by Hilltrac, sister company to lift-maker SkyTrac. The funicular serves an entire neighborhood unlike others at Deer Valley that serve only one house. One section is completed with the possibility to add another section later.
- The City Council of Casper, Wyoming, which owns of Hogadon Ski Area, declares one of two Riblet doubles there as surplus property to be sold. Apparently it has not spun in years and parts were cannibalized last season to keep the other lift running.
- Chris Farmer, Saddleback’s Marketing Director says on Facebook that there is no news to announce re: new lift or closure. In case you don’t have Facebook, here is the statement: “Saddleback friends: I know that everyone is eagerly awaiting an announcement on our situation and recognize we are beyond the initial deadline. We remain heads down on finding a solution. As soon as we have news we will announce it. Until then, our full attention is on solving the issue. You are all important and I recognize you all want answers. I fully expect decisions will be made some time this week. Thank you for your consideration and continued support. Please do not be offended by my inability to respond to each of you individually. I hope you understand.”
- Aspen Skiing Company remains committed to building the new Burnt Mountain lift at Snowmass but still has no timeline for it.
- Protesting lifties shut down Chile’s Cerro Catedral, demanding a 30% wage increase. Meanwhile, most of Argentina and Chile’s ski resorts have been getting tons of snow.
- Echo Mountain, the closest ski area to Denver, will reopen to the public this season after failing to make it as a racer-only training mountain. The area formerly known as Squaw Pass has just one lift currently, a Yan triple chair.
- South America solidifies itself as the worldwide leader in urban ropeways with the capital of Peru getting not one but two gondolas by 2017. There are already a dozen gondolas operating in Bolivian, Venezuelan, Colombian and Brazilian cities.
- Vermont lift construction update, thanks to NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com.
- Doppelmayr wins a $21 million contract to build two ropeways in Georgia (the country, not the state, although there is a large Doppelmayr tram in the State of Georgia too.)
- The Teton quad at Jackson Hole is on schedule to be load tested by mid-October. All the large components for the top terminal were installed earlier today by crane.
News Roundup: Adding Lifts
- The Balsams mega-project gets snowmaking water permit and releases its phase one plan which includes six new lifts. That will be the contract of the year next summer if it really happens.
- The owners of Saddleback have extended the deadline to find financing for a new lift before pulling the plug on this season.
- Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe announces an $11.00 minimum wage for all resort employees next season.
- Kitzbuhel in Austria will add another 8-passenger bubble lift for next season to be built by Leitner.
- France’s Avoriaz also announced a new Poma six-pack.
- Whistler will add the Creekside Gondola to its Bike Park starting Friday. The gondola has been outfitted with the latest Deasonbuilt center-pole bike carriers. Creekside will become Whistler-Blackcomb’s 11th lift open for summer operations including three gondolas and six detachable quads.
- The Neptuno double chair (Poma) in Las Lenas de-roped off 5 towers last week thanks to an avalanche. See photo below.
Teton Quad Going Vertical
August is when most new lifts really start to take shape. After months of digging, tying re-bar cages and pouring concrete, the public always seems to wonder whether the lift is going to be done on time. I’ve been hearing it for weeks from locals on the tram here. Then towers get set in a matter of hours and the perception changes. Terminals go up almost as quickly.
The Teton Lift is at that point with towers and terminals going vertical. The Ranch parking lot is getting emptier by the day as terminal parts make their way up the hill for installation. Trail crew is finishing grading the new trails and working on erosion control.
The return lift shack arrived from Salt Lake last week and boy does it have a lot of buttons. An automated maintenance lock-out mode. ‘Start drive station unmanned.’ A really large touchscreen. I can only imagine the drive controls will look like. Remote start will be especially nice on a lift with a top drive terminal in a very rugged spot. On big storm nights, JHMR already has three “night creatures” at the top of the gondola, tram and Thunder to start lifts. (and in the case of the tram, to start digging out the top dock.) The top of Teton will definitely have patrol and possibly a fourth night man.
Jackson Hole Tower Flying Part II
Tower fly day number two for Jackson Hole’s Teton lift went smoothly with crews setting the remaining six towers in less than two hours. Some of the top and bottom terminal parts were also flown up the hill while the helicopter was here. With road access at both terminals, I don’t expect to see any more heli work on this project. Lower Valley Energy is currently running power to the top drive terminal site from Casper and the first lift cabin arrived from Doppelmayr. Footings for the bottom terminal are about halfway done. See below for more pictures of today’s flying.
Lift Blog 