Powderhorn

Powderhorn Announces West End Replacement

Peter Landsman20 Comments

Powderhorn, Colorado will welcome a new lift for its 60th season, expanding detachable access to 100 percent of terrain in 2026. The new Wild West Express will replace the venerable West End double, which has served the western half of the resort since 1972. The new lift will cut ride time by more than half from 13-plus minutes to about six. Pending Forest Service approval, Wild West will follow a shorter alignment terminating 700 feet below the current top station.

Leitner-Poma of America, headquartered in nearby Grand Junction, will realize the project utilizing parts from the former Elk Camp lift at Snowmass. LPOA plans to overhaul both terminals, rebuild sheave assemblies, replace the electrical drive system and supply new grips. Leitner-Poma and Powderhorn completed a similar refurbishment to create Powderhorn’s other detachable, the Flat Top Flyer, in 2015. That project included used equipment from Marble Mountain in Newfoundland, Canada. Interestingly Poma constructed both Elk Camp and the Marble lift in 1995 and the two machines will reunite at Powderhorn 30 years later. “Powderhorn has a special place in my heart, both personally and professionally,” said Daren Cole, President and CEO of Leitner-Poma and former Powderhorn general manager. “Our teams are excited to work on our hometown mountain. Once the lift goes through our rigorous refurbishment process, it will feel like a brand-new installation. Powderhorn is an essential asset for this community, and we are honored to be a part of their future.”

Powderhorn is one of six regional mountains operated by Pacific Group Resorts and a new detachable is a big deal for the company which last built a lift eleven years ago. “This is a major step forward for Powderhorn,” noted Powderhorn General Manager Ryan Schramm. “Installing a high-speed lift on the west side of the resort will feel like opening new terrain,” he continued. “The old West End lift was long enough that most people only did a run or two before returning to the Flat Top Flyer. This upgrade marks the next chapter in our commitment to invest in the resort’s future and enhance the guest experience across the mountain.” Construction is expected to commence in summer 2026 with opening planned for the 2026-27 ski season.

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News Roundup: Above & Beyond

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News Roundup: D’oh!

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News Roundup: A World Away

Peter Landsman8 Comments
  • As Vail Resorts shakes up management in the northeast, outgoing Mt. Sunapee GM Jay Gamble reflects on 20 years of growth including four new lifts and 110,000 annual skier visits.
  • Vail also says goodbye to Sunapee’s Duckling double after 55 years.
  • The owner of Mt. Washington, British Columbia; Ragged Mountain, New Hampshire; Wisp, Maryland and Wintergreen, Virginia takes over operations at Powderhorn, Colorado.
  • Propelled by five major projects in Colorado, Leitner-Poma says 2018 is it biggest year ever in the United States.
  • The $2 billion Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco, which features a short aerial tramway, is mired in problems unrelated to the lift.
  • Construction begins in Switzerland for the world’s second longest 3S with the most towers – seven.
  • With new six and eight passenger lifts, Big Sky Resort shifts away from the double/triple/quad lift lingo.
  • Alterra names KSL veteran Adam Knox Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development to lead the company’s acquisitions and resort partnership group.
  • Due to the amount of lift work needed after seven shuttered years, Cockaigne, NY won’t reopen this winter after all.
  • One of the longest Riblets retired from Snowmass turns up in the Pakistani town where Osama bin Laden was killed.
  • A freshly cut lift line is spotted in the Spanish Peaks development adjacent to Big Sky Resort, probably for the planned Highlands chair.
  • The Berkshire Eagle looks at Catamount’s $5 million fall.
  • A judge quashes spending for lift maintenance at the Hermitage Club, which remains in foreclosure.  A new lawsuit against the ski area alleges breach of contract and consumer fraud.
  • Another aerial tramway cabin crashes in Europe, this time on the one year old Bartholet jigback Staubernbahn.  No one was hurt as the cabin that hit the ground was empty.
  • The Boston Globe talks with Mainers about a fourth winter without Saddleback.
  • In New Zealand, The Remarkables is set to build the inaugural D-Line in the southern hemisphere and Coronet Peak announces a Leitner Telemix.
  • The new Bretton Woods trail map indicates the gondola may not be called Presidential Bahn after all.
  • As Copper Mountain and Leitner-Poma crews work hard to finish two big lifts, opening weekend shifts to Super Bee.

News Roundup: New in New Zealand

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News Roundup: First Chairs

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  • Hanging carriers at Powderhorn, Snowmass, Sipapu and Lutsen.
  • Leitner-Poma Alpha motor room arrives at Okemo.
  • No lift inspections, no updates and no comment from Maine’s third largest ski resort. The last post on their Facebook page was Oct. 17th.
  • The Balsams will not break ground this year as originally planned but still hopes for a 2016-17 opening with a mix of new and existing lifts.
  • Leitner-Poma would supply a gondola proposed to run from Queenstown to The Remarkables on the South Island of New Zealand.  L-P built The Remarkables’ flagship six-pack “Curvy Basin Express” in 2014.  The new gondola system would span 6.1 miles in two sections and take 27 minutes to ride with a potential opening in 2018.  It would feature an impressive 4,200 foot vertical rise and 140 8-passenger cabins from Sigma.
  • Sunshine Village cuts the ribbon on Canada’s first new bubble chair since 1999.  Tee Pee Town LX (Luxury eXpress) also has the first seat heating in Canada.  Congratulations to Sunshine on completing one of the most modern lift fleets on the continent while others curate lift museums.