Sea to Sky Gondola – Lift Blog

News Roundup: Aerials

August 8, 2025Peter Landsman2 Comments

Okanagan Gondola eyes a 2027 opening.
Waterville Valley explains the reasoning behind building a lift in house.
Quebec’s CMSQ group is selected to operate Mont Édouard and plans a CA$16 million six pack for 2026.
CMSQ also intends to operate Mont Adstock and would like to take control of Mont-Sainte-Anne and Stoneham.
BigRock, Maine decommissions its Mueller double.
Vail narrows down on a gondola plan for West Lionshead.
Still no arrests five years after the Sea to Sky Gondola cable was cut.
A deal is in the works to reopen Toggenburg, New York for skiing.
The Canadian government finds no illegal monopoly with the Banff Gondola and Jasper Sky Tram under common ownership.
Five people are hospitalized following a chairlift collapse in Russia. Photos and video show the single chairs’s drive terminal upside down.
The Forest Service approves a Sandia Peak Telemix.
Aspen takes an exploratory look at valley gondola transport.
Kicking Horse finishes installation of new hanger arms, hopes to reopen its gondola soon.
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway temporarily closes due to technical issues.
Here’s a look from the air where Powder Mountain’s DMI, Davenport and Halfpint lifts are going.

News Roundup: Rescues

July 25, 2025July 26, 2025Peter Landsman5 Comments

Whiteface joins the Mountain Collective Pass.
The Forest Service approves up to three lifts for the Trails at Mena bike park in Arkansas, down from a proposed five.
Nearly a thousand people show up to watch Doppelmayr install East Village Gondola towers at Deer Valley.
Big Sky’s ski patrol debriefs the avalanche that hit the top of Swift Current 6 last winter.
Snow Ridge, New York is selling chairs from the old Snowy Meadows double.
A zoo chairlift in Massachusetts is evacuated by ladder truck and boom lifts.
A dangling man is rescued from the chairlift at Lagoon, Utah.
A tower from Killington’s Superstar Express heads to Sugarbush – not sure why but I have asked.
Foreign investors sue Powder Mountain seeking $76 million.
Enjoy this small glimpse into mountain planning and design.
Hogadon, Wyoming floats price increases and a 10 percent facility surcharge to help pay for a new chairlift.

News Roundup: Stairway to Heaven

March 14, 2025March 17, 2025Peter Landsman36 Comments

A video shows the Kicking Horse incident was exacerbated by running the damaged hanger to a tower, causing the lift to de-rope. The gondola will be closed at least a week and likely longer; the resort will allow guests to hike or skin to Stairway to Heaven.
The snowboarder who died after falling from Red Lodge Mountain’s Triple Chair on Monday is identified as 37 year old Jeffrey Zinne of Billings in an incident described as a “malfunction.”
A child was airlifted to Denver after falling 35 feet from the Purgatory Village Express the same day as the Kicking Horse and Red Lodge incidents.
Leitner-Poma posts jobs for ski lift installers at Bretton Woods, Loveland, OZ Trails Bike Park, Powder Mountain, Snowmass, Snowbasin, Taos and Wasatch Peaks Ranch.
New York State wins its case against a ski resort owner for buying Toggenburg to close it and reduce competition.
Snowbasin to sell chairs from the Becker lift for charity.
Loup Loup, Washington ends its season early due to a required motor repair.
Vail’s Riva Bahn Express has been closed all week due to a gearbox issue requiring a rebuild.
Vail Resorts reports solid results with season-to-date skier visits down 2.5%, lift ticket revenue up 4.1%, ski school revenue up 3.0%, dining revenue 3.1% and retail/rental revenue down 2.9%. Net income for the quarter ended January 31st increased 11.9%.
Tenney Mountain, New Hampshire still plans to reopen the Hornet some time this winter following a gearbox issue.
Another lawsuit is filed against the Little Cottonwood gondola proposal.
Attitash reopens the Flying Bear five weeks after a chair fell from the line. Draft minutes from the New Hampshire Passenger Tramway Safety Board suggest multiple damaged carriers were found and Attitash was approved to reduce capacity from 82 to 64 carriers. Update Monday 3/17: Vail PR sent me this statement, emphasis theirs: “During our inspection process, we made the decision to reinspect all our chairs and grips, haul rope, sheaves, terminals, and more. Following our inspection, we are taking the opportunity to replace parts on some chairs unrelated to the incident as a part of routine upgrades. These chairs will remain temporarily out of service until the parts arrive. This was a decision made by the resort, that the Passenger Tramway Safety Board unanimously approved at the March 3rd board meeting. We have been given permission to run the lift between the manufacturer’s minimum and maximum design specifications.”
Ober Mountain, Tennessee opens the new Sky Village Express.
Whistler Blackcomb completes a mid-season rope inspection and splice due to a broken haul rope strand on the Emerald 6 Express.
WB also pulls the plug on summer skiing due to glacial recession and its impact on lift access.
A community co-op effort was unable to submit a bid for Mt. Bachelor.
Vista Ridge, Alberta closes both its chairlifts indefinitely to conduct a review following several evacuations.
Alpental will close two weeks early so crews can work to build the new Chair 2 over snow in a roadless area.
Ditto for Explorer at Big Sky as it’s replaced with a gondola.
After running on diesel generators for a decade, the Sea to Sky Gondola‘s upper terminal is connected to grid power for the first time.
Whaleback, New Hampshire says it needs to raise $250,000 to fund off season maintenance and chairlift repairs.
Titcomb Mountain looks to retire and replace T-Bar 2.
Powder Mountain to build a private, homeowner only Leitner-Poma detachable quad this summer.
Snowbird’s Mineral Basin reopening is further delayed due to “unforseen additional issues“.
The Forest Service approves Alta to replace Supreme with a new lift and no eight degree bend.
Pending approval of its members, Bryce Resort plans to install a third Skytrac on the backside of the mountain this summer.

News Roundup: Megaprojects

September 6, 2024Peter Landsman6 Comments

Alterra details its 2024 capital plan, totaling $300+ million with six new chairlifts.
Following yesterday’s announcement of three new lifts this year, Deer Valley also outlines the seven detachable lifts opening in 2025 for a total of 10 in two years (counting the two section gondola as two.)
A presentation details massive construction underway at Deer Valley.
Deer Valley will hold an open house to update the community on construction and future plans next Thursday.
Park City continues to explore a gondola connection from Main Street to Deer Valley.
Speaking of megaprojects, here are some unofficial photos of the two D-Line gondolas with six total stations under construction at Big Sky.
The world’s largest indoor ski area opens near Shanghai with a detachable chairlift and gondola from Poma.
Parks Canada approves the Banff Gondola owner’s purchase of the Jasper SkyTram.
A Swiss newspaper reports Alterra may be as interested as Vail in acquiring Swiss resorts.
Vail Resorts to report earning September 26th, traditionally when lift projects are announced for the following year.
Vail to sell Wildcat Express gondola cabins, run only chairs in the future.
Solitude will auction 29 chairs from the Moonbeam quad, which operated only four years.
Wachusett orders a Doppelmayr UNI-G six pack to replace the Polar Express.
A rider is injured and airlifted after falling while boarding Schweitzer’s Great Escape Quad.
Five years since the Sea to Sky Gondola‘s haul rope was first cut and four years since it was cut again, police are still looking for the perpetrator(s).
Maintenance workers on London’s IFS Cloud Cable Car plan a strike.

News Roundup: Enhancement

August 18, 2023August 19, 2023Peter Landsman6 Comments

Four years after the Sea to Sky Gondola’s haul rope was first cut, the criminal case remains open.
Adventureland, Iowa decommissions its SLI double chair.
An assessment finds extensive damage to lifts at Snow Ridge.
Echo Mountain, Colorado appears to be for sale.
Tremblant’s gondola reopens a month after a fatal accident.
Fernie shifts hiking and biking operations from one side of the mountain to the other due to a mechanical issue with the Elk chair.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox says the Little Cottonwood gondola should be a public-private partnership.
Baghdad, Iraq plans an urban gondola.

News Roundup: Holiday Weekend

February 17, 2023February 17, 2023Peter Landsman5 Comments

Montana Snowbowl has a new map showing the addition of the Transporter lift.
Mont-Sainte-Anne waits for Doppelmayr to rebuild a sheave assembly before seeking to reopen its gondola.
Without the gondola, Mont-Sainte-Anne visitation suffers.
The Government of Quebec sues Mont-Sainte-Anne and parent company Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, seeking to end a contract for operation of a campground and other activities on land surrounding the alpine ski area.
Windham Mountain rope evacuates the East Peak Express due to a clutch issue.
Marble Mountain temporarily closes due to problems with multiple lifts.
Alterra settles a class action lawsuit over Covid resort closures, agreeing to credit Ikon Pass holders $17.5 million and pay $2.9 million to attorneys.
Catamount will open the Glade triple this weekend after nearly two years of construction.
Citing a high volume of feedback, Utah delays a decision on Little Cottonwood Canyon mobility until summer.
Lifts are ready to go at Hickory, NY but insurance costs may prevent reopening this season.
Water damage temporarily closes the Steamboat Gondola.
Steamboat also adjusts the alignment for the upcoming Pioneer Ridge high speed quad.
Steeplechase, Minnesota reopens two of four chairlifts after 16 years closed.
Sea to Sky Gondola looks to switch its summit station from diesel generators to grid electricity.

News Roundup: Teaser

September 16, 2022Peter Landsman29 Comments

Copper Mountain proposes replacing the Timberline Express although a representative says there’s no timeline or model selected yet.
An empty cabin falls from a gondola in South America.
Palisades Tahoe tells the story of declining to purchase the White Wolf property for $400,000 and now paying the landowner rent where much of the Base to Base Gondola runs.
A new book about prolific lift builder Hans Burkhart will be released this fall.
The Highlands, Michigan teases something faster, quieter and warmer coming soon.
Plattekill says the lightning-damaged Northface Express will be repaired before ski season.
Someone allegedly gets left on the Icy Strait Point gondola system, is offloaded unharmed.
Doppelmayr will build the new Skyliner Express at Mt. Bachelor.
Big White offers the rare opportunity to own a gondola cabin as Lara’s Gondola transitions to all Sigma cabins.
Idaho surpasses 2 million skier visits for the first time.
Shawnee Peak, Maine reverts back to Pleasant Mountain.
On the second anniversary of the second cable cut, Sea to Sky Gondola doubles the reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of a suspect to CA$500,000. Police also release a video of the incident and photo of the saboteur.
Sea to Sky also sues the company that installed a security system between the two vandalism incidents, alleging it did not work reliably and allowed the cable to be cut the second time.
Maine conditionally approves redevelopment of the ski area on Big Moose Mountain.
Mayflower reaches 300 acres of ski run cleared, still plans lift service in late 2024.
Lift mechanics at Nordic Valley put out a fire which may have been intentionally set.
The newest lift in Tennessee will be called the Horizon Skyride and open soon.
Indy Pass sales are up 52 percent in units and 67 percent in dollars over 2021-22 with more resorts to be added in the coming weeks.

News Roundup: Live Rescue

July 30, 2021Peter Landsman7 Comments

Big White, Grouse Mountain, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Hell’s Gate Airtram and the Sea to Sky Gondola each receive up to CA$1 million in government assistance.
Aspen Mountain’s Lift One project inches toward groundbreaking. The Pandora’s expansion and chairlift faces an August 25th review.
Icy Strait Point welcomes its first ship since 2019 with a new gondola system.
Tampa Bay’s regional transit authority postpones a gondola feasibility study.
Mayflower Mountain Resort still has no set timeline for lift construction.
Morocco commits to building its first urban gondola.
The Government of Dubai and MND sign a memorandum of understanding for a prototype self-propelled ropeway system.
Just days before launch, Mexico City delays the opening of Cablebús Line 2.
In its first two weeks, Cablebús Line 1 averaged 56,000 riders a day.
Also in Mexico, a dramatic rescue operation follows a tension system failure on the Mueller-built Monte-Taxco Cable Car.
Vail Resorts is not happy with a YouTuber who climbed a Peak 2 Peak Gondola tower to make a video.
Poma, Compagnie des Alpes and the French Government will partner to build a 3.3 mile, 3 station 2S gondola linking a valley transit hub to a mountain community.

News Roundup: Chairless

June 11, 2021Peter Landsman4 Comments

Wildcat plans to replace the chairs on the Wildcat Express.
Jay Peak and Burke Mountain could receive more than $9 million under a proposed settlement with the law firm of former owner Ariel Quiros.
Here’s another chance to own a classic double chair.
Mayflower Mountain Resort secures up to $260 million in bond financing.
Catamount’s second new lift this year will replace the last SLI in the Northeast.
The United States tallies 59 million skier visits in 2020-21, 5th most in history.
Aspen Snowmass had a tough season with traffic 20 percent below average.
Digging into the unsolved Sea to Sky Gondola crimes.
Two Disney Skyliner cars bump into each other, causing some down time.
Vail Resorts reports strong earnings, continues to look at strategic acquisition opportunities and will be aggressive at reinvesting across its resorts post-pandemic.
Arizona Snowbowl converts the Arizona Gondola combination lift into a pure gondola for the summer.
The bike park at Purgatory will open many weeks late due to an unspecified problem with the Purgatory Village Express.
Doppelmayr releases a 30 page urban brochure.
France may provide the financing for a six station, 180 cabin urban gondola in the Filipino capital of Manila.

News Roundup: Dollars and Euros

June 4, 2021June 5, 2021Peter Landsman17 Comments

Blackcomb Glacier won’t host skiing this summer.
Snow King Mountain sells $150,000 worth of retired chairs in one hour.
Poma unveils the first 34 passenger cabin for the new urban 3S in Toulouse.
Okemo’s new lifts will be called Evergreen Summit Express and Quantum Six.
Former Ticketmaster chief Jared Smith is named President of Alterra overseeing mountain and hospitality divisions.
The latest on the Stresa-Mottarone disaster:
- Numerous pictures surface showing brakes blocked with passengers aboard as far back as 2014.
- An employee says pre-operational checks were skipped entirely on the day of the crash.
- Two of the three men arrested are released.
- A lawyer for the manager still held alleges Leitner was slow to respond to service calls.
- Leitner was paid €127,000 ($155,000) per year to perform major maintenance on the tram under a long-term contract, though officials do not consider the company or any of its employees suspects.
- The owner of the operating company is also under investigation over two injury incidents on a Wiegand mountain coaster at the facility.
- Eitan, the little boy who survived, is released from intensive care.
Cannon Mountain opens its tramway for the first time in 14 months.
Europe’s largest ski operator plans to spend €200 million ($244 million) per year through 2025 to catch up on investments sidelined by the pandemic.
The Pandora’s expansion on Aspen Mountain notches another approval.
Anakeesta’s chondola lift breaks down for a bit.
New Zealand’s first 8 passenger chairlift is complete and she’s a beauty.
With 35 percent of jobs unfilled, Whitefish Mountain Resort cuts summer operating days.
Schweitzer raises $80,000 for local charities through the sale of chairs from Snow Ghost.
The Sea to Sky Gondola outlines some of its security plan.
Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit (LAART) unveils more on its planned 3S: four stations, three towers, 44 cars and underground cabin storage at Dodger Stadium.
Steamboat’s gondola building comes down after 35 years.
Trollhaugen will sell chairs from Chair 1 next week.
Quebec records 6.1 million skier days in 2020-21, slightly above average.
The State of Texas commits $10 million towards a replacement Wyler Aerial Tramway in El Paso.

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