- Utah skier visits fell 26 percent last season, Vermont was up 4.7 percent.
- Aspen Snowmass visitation falls for the third year in a row.
- Vail Resorts reports season pass unit sales down 10 percent for next season, lowers financial guidance again.
- Vail wins a 15 year contract extension in Grand Teton National Park representing over a billion dollars gross.
- Six Park City residents appeal approval of replacement Eagle and Silverlode detachables.
- A new ski resort in Ukraine selects Doppelmayr for €47 million worth of lifts.
- A Japanese gondola operator introduces a special cabin with Dolby Atmos surround sound for an upcharge.
- A new urban gondola in Uruapan, Mexico already carries 18,000 riders per day, far exceeding expectations.
- Mt. Ashland, Oregon pushes to lift replacements to 2027 and 2028.
- Snow King’s new gondola cabins planned for summer concerts are delayed in customs but should go live soon.
- A new sightseeing gondola nears completion in BC’s Okanagan region.
- Beartooth Basin temporarily closes due to lift issues.
- Mountain Capital Partners acquires three Arizona golf resorts.
- Pico to replace the Outpost double with a new chairlift in 2027, manufacturer and model TBA.
- Planning commissioners in Georgia reject a gondola proposal on the Tennessee border but it could still be built on unincorporated land.
- A gondola proposed in Canmore, Alberta also faces fierce opposition.
- The Town of Telluride questions Telski’s plan to replace two doubles with fixed grips instead of detachables.
- Floods partially submerge chairlifts in Manitoba.
- The Governor officially opens Arkansas’ first new chairlift in 53 years.
- Pursuit’s planned $70 to $80 million in 2026 growth capital includes replacing the Jasper SkyTram with a 2S gondola, subject to Parks Canada approval.
Rock City
News Roundup: Targhee & Park City Approved
- Park City’s planning commission approves new Eagle and Silverlode detachables at Park City Mountain.
- The Forest Service releases a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Waterville Valley’s proposed village-to-Green Peak gondola.
- The Forest Service approves a slew of projects at Grand Targhee including Crazy Horse, Palmer and North Boundary infill lifts, replacements for Dreamcatcher and Shoshone, plus expansion lifts in South Bowl and Mono Trees (all subject to an objection period.)
- Timberline Lodge pivots away from a Government Camp gondola to replacing the Summit chair with two longer chairlifts.
- Powder Mountain to retire the Sunrise Poma in 2027, removing lift access to Cobabe Canyon for non-homeowners.
- PowMow also shifts the planned Doodle beginner lift away from Sundown, new location and timeline to be announced.
- The Town of Winter Park considers where to land a gondola.
- Doppelmayr undertakes major systems modernizations on aging detachables at Telluride, Bromont, Gunstock and Mt. Bachelor.
- Leitner releases its 2025 Reference Book.
- Powderhorn to auction Heron-Poma chairs from old West End.
- The Goldbelt tram remains closed indefinitely and refunds passholders following last month’s crash. Goldbelt is also hiring for a Tram Maintenance Manager and Tram Maintenance Supervisor.
- Even if one municipality says no, a gondola could still work in Rock City, Georgia.
- Quebec reports a strong 6.3 million skier visits and record lift ticket revenue.
- A storm knocks Tamarack’s Tamarack Express offline (photos below)
News Roundup: Colorado Couloir
- Epic Pass adds additional access in Zillertal, Austria.
- A man suffering a medical emergency falls from the chairlift at Southwick’s Zoo in Massachusetts.
- Wasaga Beach, Ontario floats a possible waterfront gondola or chairlift.
- Juneau and Eaglecrest Ski Area officially cancel installation of a used gondola.
- Mountain Capital Partners buys a different used Austrian gondola to install in Chile.
- Elko County Commissioners uphold approval of a five lift private ski area in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains.
- Loveland proposes removing the long-idle Lift 5.
- Purgatory’s new lift to be named Colorado Couloir.
- Proponents of a gondola in Rock City, Georgia narrow their proposal in hopes of winning approval.
- Aspen Meadows Club in Utah to build its first chairlift this summer, a Skytrac quad.
- An Australian family sues Aspen Snowmass after their child fell 24 feet from a chair last season.
- Hatley Pointe, North Carolina confirms construction of a six pack with midstation in 2027 and relocation of the old Summit chair to service advanced terrain.
News Roundup: Beyond Snow
- Several rope evacs this week – Heavenly, Mt. Baker, Snoqualmie and Maple Ski Ridge, New York.
- Sadly also two fatal falls from lifts at Cypress Mountain, BC and Ski Apache, New Mexico.
- A death at Timberline Mountain, West Virginia last week is also revealed as a chairlift fall.
- Levi, Finland signs on to the Indy Pass.
- Facing a large insurance payment in a few weeks, Camp 10, Wisconsin could close without community support.
- An update on the soon-to-open new T-Bar at Waterville Valley.
- A Doppelmayr gondola is proposed in Lookout Mountain, Georgia.
- Doppelmayr could also build a sightseeing gondola in Butte, Montana.
- Leitner-Poma is expected to supply the first lift for the Trails at Mena in Arkansas this summer.
- Doppelmayr and Leitner split an order for urban gondolas in Queenstown, New Zealand.
- Cannon Mountain continues structural analysis on the recently-retired aerial tram with a May target to solicit bids from manufacturers for replacement reusing tower and terminal structures (starts at 18:00.)
- A new map shows where the Showcase quad will run on Blackcomb Mountain.
- The brand new urban gondola in Paris is already carrying 12,500 riders per day, 14 percent more than forecast, and a second line is under consideration.
- During the Telluride strike, an entity controlled by local elected officials proposed buying a majority stake in Telski.
- Chris Cushing of SE Group discusses designing 100 new trails and 10 new lifts at Deer Valley.
- The North chair to reopen soon at Snow Ridge, NY after a year closed due to tornado damage.
- A look into the world of restoring gondola cabins instead of replacing them or an entire lift.
- Early season visits to Vail Resorts North American mountains declined 20 percent through January 4th compared to a year earlier.
- Update: An empty chair detached from Shedhorn 4 at Big Sky today. I’m told a grip did not attach properly leaving the bottom teminal. The empty chair ended up in the pit. Statement from Big Sky Resort: “Around 2:45pm today on Shedhorn 4 lift, a grip failed to reattach to the haul rope while exiting the bottom terminal. The chair was unoccupied at the time, and the lift’s automatic safety system immediately stopped operation. The team acted quickly to offload all remaining guests from the lift. Shedhorn 4 will remain closed while we thoroughly inspect every grip before reopening. We appreciate your patience as safety remains our top priority.“
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