- Vail Resorts reports a 0.3% decline in North American skier visits through 1/5 with revenue up 4.5%, ski school up 1.1%, dining up 6.6% and retail/rental down 5.4%.
- Park City offers guests who visited during the patrol strike partial credit toward a season pass next year.
- Park City businesses report a drop in business following the patrol strike.
- Kimberley, BC’s Tamarack chair goes down for awhile.
- Another snowboarder falls from a lift in Colorado – this time at Copper.
- A man who fell from Willamette Pass’ Peak 2 triple in high winds seeks $3.6 million in damages.
- Europeans poke fun at the lack of bars on lifts and Americans’ refusal to use them on lifts that are equipped.
- A trial in British Columbia finds proper signage increases bar use dramatically.
- The Atlantic runs a story on ski industry consolidation, labor relations and cheap season passes.
- Mt. Hood Meadows provides an update on Heather Canyon, which has yet to open this season.
- An Alaska windstorm blows a lift shack over on one lift and sends a chair into the bullwheel on another at Arctic Valley.
- Sugarbush apologizes for not having Castlerock and Slide Brook operable at this point in the season.
- Leaders approve a large development at Nordic Valley, Utah; likely to coincide with a new out-of-base lift.
- The municipality of Whistler to study a valley gondola transit line.
- Castle Mountain seeks a name for its first high speed quad.
Park City
News Roundup: Strike Over
- Park City’s patrol strike ends after 12 days; Vail apologizes to guests and a class action lawsuit is filed.
- Spirit Mountain, Minnesota solicits bids to replace Gandy with a quad this summer.
- Bald Mountain, Idaho may not open this season due to inability to secure insurance.
- Leitner-Poma President Daren Cole joins Banff Sunshine’s podcast to discuss the Super Angel Express and lift business more broadly.
- A sit skier who fell from Winter Park’s Explorer Express and was seriously injured files suit.
- Pursuit completes its acquisition of the Jasper SkyTram.
- Saskadena Six, Vermont will not operate Chair Two this season, looks at a replacement.
- Eaglecrest, Alaska continues to look toward a sightseeing gondola to subsidize its money-losing ski operation.
- Killington’s Superstar six pack will cost $12.16 million,
- Mt. Bachelor plans several enhancements to the Northwest Express.
- Sugarbush to bring in additional staff from across Alterra to try and get non-functional lifts open.
- Four Seasons, New York is listed for sale.
- Sandia Peak proposes replacing Chair 1.
News Roundup: Tough Holiday
- Heavenly reopens the Comet Express following a serious incident that sent five to the hospital but declines to specify what went wrong. From Heavenly: “Comet Express is open and operating normally. Safety is our top priority at Heavenly Mountain Resort, and we take this incident very seriously. Following a thorough inspection by the Heavenly team and the lift manufacturer, the issue was identified and resolved, and the lift was cleared for operations by the U.S. Forest Service.”
- A chair bail on the Lookout Express at Sun Valley cracks in two; the lift has since reopened and the resort declined a request for comment.
- As the Park City patrol strike drags on, most of the mountain remains closed, the COO posts a video message to frustrated guests and Vail looks to hire new patrollers.
- A piece of guidage fails on the only chairlift in the Yukon, leading to a rope evacuation.
- Sugarloaf’s SuperQuad misses some of the holiday week.
- Panama looks to build a six station, 6.6 km urban gondola.
- Sasquatch Mountain, BC’s triple chair will be down for the foreseeable future due to a maintenance issue.
- Mt. Hood Meadows’ Heather Canyon double is damaged by a falling tree.
- Mont Orford opens a pop up bar in a gondola cabin.
- Ski Martock, Nova Scotia closes for the week due to a lift issue.
- Waterville Valley formally seeks approval for a village to summit gondola and southeastward expansion.
Park City Ski Patrol Goes on Strike
Nearly 200 unionized ski patrollers and mountain safety staff walked off the job at Park City Mountain this morning after months working without a contract. The escalation comes a day after mediation between Vail Resorts and the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association failed to produce an agreement. “We are deeply disappointed the patrol union has walked out of mediation and chosen drastic action that attempts to disrupt mountain operations in the middle of the holiday season, given we invested significantly in patrol with their wages increasing more than 50% over the past four seasons, and we have reached agreements on 24 of the 27 current contract terms,” said Deirdra Walsh, VP & COO for Park City Mountain. “We want to reassure skiers and snowboarders, our employees, and this community that despite the union’s actions, Park City Mountain will remain open with safety as our top priority, and all planned terrain will be open thanks to experienced patrol leaders from Park City Mountain and our other mountain resorts,” she continued.
After hanging up their jackets, the union and supporters spent the day picketing at both Canyons Village and Mountain Village in full view of guests. The union stopped short of telling the public not to ski but urged the public not to patronize Vail Resorts restaurants, retail stores, rental shops and ski schools. “Vail Resorts forced this walkout by bargaining in bad faith and repeatedly violating the National Labor Relations Act,” said the union, which is part of United Mountain Workers, itself a unit of the Communications Workers of America. “Consistent with Vail’s bad faith tactics, after yesterday’s seven hour negotiation session with a mediator present, the company continued to refuse to give a counteroffer on wages or benefits. They have had two weeks to prepare a counter proposal,” the union said.
Patrollers are seeking a $2 wage increase for new hires from $21 to $23 per hour with an annual cost of living adjustment. They are also calling for improved wages for senior patrollers and an equipment allowance for all members, among other benefits. In addition to the strike in Park City, the union organized an informational picket tonight in front of Vail-owned Epic Mountain Gear in Frisco, Colorado. The majority of United Mountain Workers’ roughly 1,100 members work in Colorado. The union represents patrollers, lift mechanics and electricians at 13 resorts in four states.
Vail Resorts prepared for a strike in Park City, making clear in advance the mountain would continue operating and flying in patrollers from across the company to stand in for workers who walked out. Park City patrol managers and supervisors are not part of the union and remain working alongside colleagues from other states. The company calls this the “Patrol Support Team” with the union preferring the term “scab.” Vail also created a website outlining the company’s position, including recent compensation increases and contract proposals.
Strike-related impacts on mountain operations were not entirely clear. Today was a powder day on the heels of historically low snowfall, resulting in limited terrain open before the strike started. High winds also impacted lift operations and this holiday week is always crowded. Still, many lifts opened hours late, frustrating guests. One employee who wished to remain anonymous said, “As a long time Park City skier and employee this definitely feels abnormal. Tombstone not opening is very, very unusual.” More than 20 lifts did open, however, a number similar to yesterday. The employee said a lack of normal on-snow signage was noticeable. “Generally the vibe here is that guests are mad,” they said. “In my experience about 50% are mad at Vail and 50% are mad at patrol.”
News Roundup: Explorer
- Vail Resorts reports improving pass sales and will build four new lifts in 2025 at Andermatt-Sedrun, Perisher and Park City. Vail also teases future projects at Vail Mountain and Park City.
- A snowboarder is airlifted after falling 47 feet from the Ruby Express at Keystone.
- Nordic Valley, Utah looks to public tax dollars to fund new lifts.
- The State of Colorado contributes $250,000 toward reopeing Cuchara’s Chair 4.
- The union representing lift mechanics, electricians and patrollers at 13 western resorts changes its name to United Mountain Workers to reflect broadening ambitions.
- Drayton Valley, Alberta permanently closes, will liquidate assets including its T-Bar.
- The proposed private ski resort with D-Line gondola near Steamboat submits permit applications.
- It takes 8,400 horsepower worth of generators to run Steamboat’s Wild Blue Gondola off the grid.
- Meanwhile a dispute over using natural gas for snowmelt delays progress on a detachable replacement for the Wildhorse Gondola at Steamboat.
- Homewood’s master plan is recommended for approval next month.
- Grouse Mountain may replace the cabins on the Red Skyride.
- Sponsored job: Shop Technician at The Gondola Shop in Fruita, Colorado.
News Roundup: Steepest in the World
- Deer Valley unveils a brand new map depicting the sprawling East Village expansion.
- The double chair at Saskadena Six won’t operate this season and may need to be replaced.
- Park City elected officials continue to envision a gondola connecting Deer Valley’s Snow Park Village with Main Street and another on the Town Lift alignment.
- Speaking of Town Lift, owners of land the base terminal sits on sue Vail Resorts for breach of contract.
- Alberta politicians look to simplify approval of greenfield ski resorts.
- Snowbasin eyes replacing Porcupine after Becker.
- Three new UNI-G detachable quads with D-Line styling take shape in Deer Valley’s East Village.
- The Shadow Mountain Bike Park proposal in Colorado is voted down.
- Six Flags Great Adventure retires its twin VonRoll gondolas, built in 1964 and the last of 10 such lifts at Six Flags parks.
- Sponsored job: Urban Ropeway Sales Manager at Leitner-Poma of America.
News Roundup: Battery Powered
- West Virginia State Parks delays opening of the new Pipestem gondola to spring 2025.
- A tower crane working to build the Grands Montets 3S in Chamonix collapses due to wind and ice.
- Keystone installs solar panels on the Bergman Express to power ancillary functions such as lights.
- Perfect North transforms the Red Chair into an LED light show for the holidays with individual chairs lit by batteries.
- ORDA plans to build not one but two people mover chairlifts at Mt. Van Hoevenberg.
- Hunter names its new quad chair Otis.
- Planning documents show the alignment and D-Line equipment for a planned gondola at Stagecoach, Colorado.
- More ink on the unfortunate closure of Homewood this season.
- The world’s shortest T-Bar to be built with only 5 Ts.
- A criminal trial begins regarding the deadly gondola collapse in Turkey last spring.
- Garaventa installs a robotic cargo loading system on the world’s steepest aerial tramway.
- Kendall Mountain, Colorado suspends pass sales due to lift maintenance.
- Killington’s CEO talks about future lifts beyond Superstar; how the sale to locals went down.
- Park City weighs possible routes for a transit gondola from Old Town to Deer Valley.
- Mt. Waterman, California sells to a new owner promising private powder days.
- Powder Mountain won’t sell any lift tickets on weekends in February.
- Sun Peaks’ new trail map shows the West Bowl expansion.
- Indy Pass to announce new resorts next week.
News Roundup: Fresh Logo
- Poma introduces a totally new logo.
- Telluride residents will vote whether to fund a new Mountain Village gondola November 5th.
- Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in Columbia, South Carolina plans to debut a Leitner-Poma eight place gondola in 2025.
- Indy Pass to host a community meeting on the future of Black Mountain, New Hampshire tomorrow.
- Homewood presents an updated master plan with a new gondola and replacement Ellis chair.
- Powder Mountain carves out, re-brands three of its lifts as a private ski area called Powder Haven.
- Hidden Valley, Ontario offers up retired chairs from the Red and Blue lifts.
- Doppelmayr’s first TRI-Line nears completion in Switzerland.
- Vail Resorts and the Town of Vail reach an agreement to develop a fourth base portal, likely including a new gondola.
- The reopening of the Palm Springs Tramway following a maintenance period is postponed a second time due to “unforseen technical difficulties.”
- Eaglecrest warns the Black Bear chairlift may not operate at all this season due to “significant mechanical damage.”
- Lookout Pass’ new trail map shows a future Lift 6.
- Deer Valley previews an all new trail map by Rad Smith showing expansion lifts.
- Spirit Mountain retires the Double Jaw lift and is selling the chairs.
- A woman falls out of a gondola during high winds in China.
- OSHA reaches a settlement with Park City regarding the death of an employee who fell from a lift in 2023, dismisses a proposed $2,500 fine.
- The Province of Quebec and Resorts of the Canadian Rockies reportedly reach an agreement to improve lift infrastructure at Mont Sainte-Anne.
- Bear Mountain’s new Midway six seater will feature a loading conveyor and 3,200 skier per hour capacity.
- Sublette towers flew last Wednesday above Jackson Hole.
News Roundup: Act 2
- Sundance plans to build a detachable from the base of Wildwood to the summit of Red’s in 2026.
- Snowmass proposes replacing both Alpine Springs and Elk Camp.
- Park City breaks ground on the Sunrise Gondola.
- The appeal of Deer Valley’s Lift 7 approval is dropped.
- Angel Fire faces an extended closure of the Chile Express due to gearbox failure.
- A former Eaglecrest manager questions the installation of a used pulse gondola.
- Eaglecrest may not complete the gondola until 2026 or 2027, five years after it arrived in Alaska.
- Vermont reports 4.1 million skier visits, down less than half a percent from last year.
- A team from the University of Utah works to develop a better adaptive bike carrier.
News Roundup: Metrics
- Aspen Mountain’s Lift One project inches closer to reality.
- Aspen Skiing Company reports skier visits declined 2.3 percent last season.
- Colorado as a whole reports its second best season ever, down five percent from last year’s record.
- New Hampshire was down four percent.
- Vail Resorts reports a 5 percent increase in lift revenue but a 7.7 percent decline in visits with season pass unit sales down 5 percent for next season.
- Colorado’s Estes Park Tram reopens after an extended closure.
- Nordic Valley works to reactivate Apollo, which missed last season.
- Legoland New York’s new 10 passenger gondola to open June 24th.
- A Park City resident files an appeal of Deer Valley’s Lift 7 approval.
- Sun Peaks flies towers for the new West Bowl Express.
- Leitner’s 2023 annual report is out highlighting global projects.
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