Snow King Mountain – Lift Blog

News Roundup: Skytrac Upgrades

September 10, 2021Peter Landsman12 Comments

New Zealand and Victoria, Australia resorts reopen after extended Covid closures (New South Wales remains locked down.)
Mt. Spokane will replace the drive terminal of Chair 2 with a new one from Skytrac.
Skytrac is completing similar mods to Tumbelina at Monarch Mountain.
The fate of the Pandora’s expansion on Aspen Mountain will be decided October 13th.
Sierra at Tahoe still doesn’t know the full extent of lift damage from the Caldor Fire but remains optimistic.
Users get stuck on one of Mexico City’s new gondola lines following an earthquake.
The Holding family agrees to sell most of Sinclair Oil Corporation’s assets, though Sun Valley and Snowbasin aren’t included.
The Forest Service issues a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Lutsen Mountains’ proposed expansion with public comments being solicited through October 25th. A new alternative would see the addition of five new chairlifts on Moose and Eagle Mountains rather than the initially planned seven.
The only lift in Oklahoma won’t open for the second year in a row and is in danger of removal.
Schweitzer adds 14 chairs to Stella.
A quick update from Snow King Mountain:

News Roundup: Naming

July 16, 2021Peter Landsman18 Comments

Jackson Hole’s Tram Maintenance Manager explains why Big Red is closed this summer.
Wildcat Mountain says scenic chairlift rides will resume on 7/31 following a lift upgrade project.
A Salt Lake TV station devotes a half hour to exploring the gondola and bus options for Little Cottonwood Canyon.
UDOT extends the public comment period for the LCC project to 70 days, ending September 3rd.
The renaming of Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is pushed back to early Fall.
Okemo reports great progress on two new lifts.
The Forest Service says at least two of Grand Targhee’s proposed expansion lifts will not be approved and a decision on others won’t come until late 2022.
The new high speed quad on Peak 7 at Breckenridge will be called Freedom SuperChair.
Four more mountains will join the Indy Pass next week.
New Hampshire reports solid pandemic skier visits similar to pre-pandemic numbers.
Local politicians oppose a direct route for the Burnaby Mountain Gondola.
Pittsburgh considers an urban gondola to connect two downtown districts.
Both Doppelmayr Canada and Leitner-Poma offer to finance the Cascade Skyline Gondola.
Sun Peaks shutters mountain operations due to regional wildfires.
Progress report from Leitner-Poma and Skytrac’s big project at Snow King Mountain:

News Roundup: Breaking Ground

July 2, 2021Peter Landsman3 Comments

Utah’s transportation department will host an open house July 13th to explain as solicit feedback on the gondola and enhanced bus alternatives for Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Loon and Doppelmayr fly the towers for Kancamagus 8.
A brown bear did not ride a chairlift at Vail as you may have read on Facebook.
Welch Village’s new lift will be called the Cannon Valley Quad.
The first test of UpBus, a passenger-carrying pod which transitions between wheel and cable propulsion, takes place at Doppelmayr headquarters.
Mt. Southington replaces chairs and towers on the Avalanche double.
The asking price is reduced for the defunct Plymouth Notch ski area in Vermont.
Beaver Creek breaks ground in McCoy Park.
Gondolas arrive at Snow King Mountain.
Pueblo, Colorado considers building a $20 million sightseeing gondola.
The investigation into the Mottarone disaster widens to 12 people including Leitner employees and the company itself. Leitner says in a statement that it is cooperating with investigators and that its maintenance operations were done in full compliance with the law and contractual obligations.

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.

News Roundup: Reopening x3

May 28, 2021May 28, 2021Peter Landsman4 Comments

New York lost ski area Hickory Hill may return next winter.
Snow King’s former Summit double could live on at Sleeping Giant, although Snow King is selling the chairs today. Also here are some new renderings of the gondola.
A hearing is ordered to determine whether Wachusett management knew an employee falsified lift operator training records following an accident.
Even before Virginia’s indoor ski resort breaks ground, developers explore more locations.
Just like that, the cool new 2S gondola in Germany is open.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania commits $10 million to revive Denton Hill but needs a private partner.
Deer Mountain in South Dakota is sold and plans a reopening after four years shuttered.
For the fourth time in its short history, the Sea to Sky Gondola receives a shipment of new cabins and will announce a reopening date soon. Finding criminal(s) who twice destroyed the lift remains the top investigative priority for Squamish police.
Pictures of the Steamboat Gondola station move.
A Loon Kanc 8 update.
Canada’s first new gondola in three years will be named the Atlantic Gondola.
The BC Ministry of Forests will choose between the Cascade Skyline Gondola and Bridal Veil Mountain Resort proposals, which have significant overlap.
Leitner releases a third statement regarding the Stresa-Mottarone disaster. The manufacturer will join a civil lawsuit against the tramway’s operator and any compensation for damages will be donated to families of the victims.

News Roundup: Watch Live

May 7, 2021May 7, 2021Peter Landsman35 Comments

Copper Mountain seeks Forest Service approval to replace Lumberjack.
More details emerge on the Argo Cable Car construction delay.
The Canadian Ski Council says resort revenues fell 35 to 40 percent this year but it varied by province.
Lots of jobs are available right now at Leitner-Poma and subsidiary Skytrac.
Aspen Skiing Company will spin lifts across three mountains for the first time ever this summer.
Another Gatlinburg tram update.
Wasatch Peaks Ranch launches a website, though not much is on it yet.
Squaw Alpine says its name change process is taking longer than expected but a historic announcement will come soon.
In case you missed Doppelmayr Insights, product announcements included modular aerial tramway technology called Peak Line, resort management software clair and a new rotating gondola bike carrier dubbed Bike Cab. The entire event can be replayed here.
Want to watch construction this summer? Great Bear, Seven Springs, Snow King and Sugar Mountain all have webcams pointed toward lift projects.
Doppelmayr Cable Car is one of four finalists to supply a new automated people mover to Newark Liberty International Airport.
Insurers appeal a NZ$12 million verdict against Christchurch Adventure Park for running a chairlift during a wildfire, allegedly spreading it.
Steel prices reach all time highs.
French ski resorts can finally reopen lifts May 19th.
Snow King’s Cougar triple moves uphill to make way for the new gondola.
Duluth, Minnesota looks to pump $25 million into Spirit Mountain.

News Roundup: Visit Numbers

April 9, 2021Peter Landsman25 Comments

Woods Valley takes delivery of a used CTEC quad, likely the former Kenny’s Parkway.
West Mountain considers adding a lift as part of a real estate play.
Big Snow is a bright spot at the otherwise struggling American Dream mall.
The Ever Vail project and related gondola plans are dead.
Mt. Spokane seeks state funding to replace Chair 1 and Chair 2, one of which could be done this summer.
Mark Brownlie is named Chief Operating Officer of Alterra’s resort portfolio.
MND wins a $21 million contract to build lifts at a new ski resort in Russia.
Starting next year, most Big Sky Resort lift tickets, season passes, Ikon and Mountain Collective passes will no longer include access to the Lone Peak Tram.
Cape Smokey provides an update on Canada’s only new gondola this year.
Schweitzer introduces a new logo and brand identity.
Despite losing a significant portion of the season, another Ontario ski area still plans to complete a new chairlift for next season.
Doppelmayr France is selected to build and maintain a five station urban gondola in Paris.
Doppelmayr also will build the first urban gondolas in Guatemala.
Retired cabins from Killington’s K-1 Gondola fan out across the country as dining venues.
Under new ownership, Sleeping Giant increases visits by 71 percent.
Vermont skier visits decline 40 percent.
New Mexico also reports a significant drop in visitation.
A company called Trident tried to buy Brundage Mountain last year with the intention of creating a much larger resort.
Here’s a preview of Snow King’s gondola cabins.
Leitner-Poma seeks employees to help build the new high speed quad at Breckenridge.
PyxisAI announces a successful beta test of technology designed to alert lift operators when slows or stops might be needed.
Whitefish Mountain Resort smashes its previous visit record by more than 20 percent.

News Roundup: Good Friday

April 2, 2021Peter Landsman4 Comments

After a successful winter, Monarch Mountain will think about building a lift in No Name Basin in the next few years.
The Georgetown-Rosslyn gondola concept is back under discussion in the nation’s capital.
Leitner-Poma seeks workers to help build the Squaw-Alpine base to base gondola this summer.
Whistler Blackcomb will not attempt to reopen for spring skiing once British Columbia’s closure order ends.
Revelstoke shuts down early due to a Covid-related staffing shortage.
Big White fires employees for attending a party widely shown in local media and is also closing 6 days early.
Ontario shuts down skiing again.
Indy Pass will announce new pricing and resort additions on April 27th.
Snow King’s expansion receives final permission and chairs are already off the Summit double.
Magic Mountain says the Black Line Quad will be re-engineered and completed for the 2021/22 season.
A New Zealand operator is ordered to pay $8.4 million for spreading a wildfire via a moving chairlift in 2017.
Skeetawk celebrates a successful inaugural season but a second chairlift remains years away.
Okemo’s new six pack won’t have bubbles and the Green Ridge triple will head to another Vail resort in Pennsylvania.
A GoFundMe is started to benefit the victims of the recent Camelback lift accident.

News Roundup: RFP

March 26, 2021Peter Landsman17 Comments

The European Union will pay French ski operators up to 49 percent of lost revenue from this winter.
Ober Gatlinburg’s tram closes for two months for track rope and drive replacement projects totaling $4.5 million.
Bluewood’s general manager explains why fixing a 43 year old lift still makes sense for the mountain vs. buying a new one.
The Burke Mountain and Jay Peak receiver says in a court filing the mountains are “desperately in need of liquidity” while battling financial services giant Raymond James.
Whiteface issues a request for proposals to replace the Bear double with a fixed grip quad starting lower in the base area.
Kelly Canyon’s new Skytrac will be a triple reaching 600 feet beyond the top of Chair 2.
With one Doppelmayr gondola finished but never opened to the public and another partially complete, Icy Strait Point removes all booking availability until April of 2022.
Skiland performs a rope evacuation of the northernmost chairlift in the Americas.
The National Ski Areas Association updates its lift safety fact sheet.
Mission Ridge isn’t done with On the Way Up just yet! Episode 18 explores the parking system and more.
At a leadership forum in Park City, Alterra CEO Rusty Gregory says his company will invest $200 million on capital improvements this year and plans to build the Squaw-Alpine gondola.
We also learned Deer Valley is in talks with Mayflower Mountain Resort about shared access.
Rusty next joined the Storm Skiing Podcast, confirming the Ikon Pass will add at least one new resort for 21-22.
Vail Resorts slashes Epic Pass prices by 20 percent.
Developers say the Moosehead Mountain project is “moving fast” with a lift to be ordered as soon as May for completion late this year.
Two more days until Snow King’s Summit double stops for good to make way for a gondola, though the Forest Service’s Record of Decision has not been signed and litigation looms.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry confirms it’s investigating last weekend’s chair fall at Camelback but does not expect to make the report public.

News Roundup: Ramping Up

February 26, 2021March 1, 2021Peter Landsman29 Comments

Northeast gems Saddleback and Waterville Valley join the Indy Pass coalition, effective immediately.
Winter Park Resort looks for the Forest Service’s blessing to replace multiple lifts.
The Forest Service fully approves Keystone’s Bergman Bowl project.
Welch Village voluntarily withdraws the East Quad from service following an unspecified incident (now back open).
Guests of Mission Ridge love the Wenatchee Express and here’s the final episode of On the Way Up.
Spirit Mountain lends a hand to repair the chairlift at nearby Chester Bowl.
A girl is okay after falling from a Mohawk Mountain chairlift.
A child also falls from a lift at Saddleback.
Skyline at Pebble Creek is partially rope evacuated.
Lookout Pass eyes 2022 for new lifts servicing Eagle Peak.
More reports of stellar seasons from Iowa, New York and Pennsylvania.
Cabins return to the Sea to Sky Gondola with more on the way.
Mt. Bohemia considers building a lift in the Haunted Valley.
Timberline Lodge closes for three days following a messy ice storm.
Once a cartel hub, Medellín is a city transformed in part by a modern gondola network.
Waterville Valley President and General Manager Tim Smith discusses a future gondola, bubble six pack and other lift changes.
A rider who fell into a net along with another passenger and lift operator sues Snow King Mountain.
Murray Ridge secures a six figure grant to rehabilitate one of the world’s longest T-Bars.
MND reports revenue fell 5 percent in the second half of 2020 ($20.7 million in sales came from snowmaking and lifts.)
Aspen will delay the Silver Queen Gondola‘s summer opening to complete big ticket maintenance items.
Doppelmayr’s latest Wir magazine explores the Eiger Express.
Saddleback closes for a day to shorten the haul rope on the new Rangeley quad.
Poma will build an eight station urban gondola system in Madagascar with 274 cabins.
Parent company Dream Unlimited says Arapahoe Basin is on track for its second best financial year ever despite opening four weeks late.
Just two weeks to go until old lifts start coming down to make way for new ones.
Squaw will experiment metering skiers at gates to avoid long lift lines at Silverado.
The world’s largest urban gondola network might add four more lines.
Big Squaw reopens tomorrow, two weeks after this deropement.
A gondola is no longer a core component of the Oakland Athletics’ planned new stadium.
There’s talk of building a 7,000 vertical foot gondola on Mt. Kilimanjaro.

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