Sundance – Lift Blog

Sundance to Expand with New Lift

April 1, 2022April 1, 2022Peter Landsman3 Comments

Sundance Resort says it’s no joke that a new lift will debut on the back mountain for the 2022-23 season. The Doppelmayr fixed grip quad chair will service four new low angle trails and unload near the top of Jake’s lift. “It has long been a goal of the resort to provide additional terrain on our mountain,” noted Sundance President and General Manager Chad Linebaugh. “This new area has great natural light with abundant sunshine; I am confident it will be a new favorite area for early morning runs and laps throughout the day for families.” When the project is complete, Sundance will feature a total of six chairlifts on two mountains.

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Sundance’s new owners and Doppelmayr completed two new quad chairlifts last summer as part of a major rebuilding effort and the next new lift will be similar to Stairway. That project included a new snowmaking system which will be expanded to cover the 15 acres of terrain being added this summer.

News Roundup: Any Day Now

March 18, 2022Peter Landsman15 Comments

British Columbia’s Troll Resort proposes an expansion serviced by a 2,600 foot T-Bar.
Loon Mountain is selling a 1985 CTEC triple chair.
White Pass’ former Doppelmayr platter is up for sale again.
The Forest Service accepts Tamarack’s expansion proposal, which now moves to an environmental review.
UDOT will announce soon whether it will pursue a gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Kendall Mountain rope evacuates its only chairlift.
Vail Resorts reports improving financial results with skier visits up 11.7% from last year and +2.8% from pre-Covid 2019/20.
Vail will invest an extra $175 million in employees next year including implementing a $20 per hour minimum wage ($21 for maintenance technicians.)
A child is uninjured after falling from the only chairlift in the Yukon Territory.
Juneau moves ahead with its used gondola purchase.
Keystone shows off a map of the Bergman Bowl expansion.
The owner of Big Squaw appeals millions of dollars in fines.
A dispute over whether to expand Gunstock Mountain gets very nasty.
A new gondola has revitalized an entire community in Eastern Canada.
Bill Jensen talks about the transformation of Sundance and teases a soon-to-be-announced terrain expansion.
The lift line is cut for Mayflower’s first lift adjacent to Deer Valley.

News Roundup: Many Uses

December 10, 2021December 17, 2021Peter Landsman24 Comments

Cranmore announces an over $1 million overhaul of the Skimobile Express to take place next summer.
Granite Gorge’s owner says he’s unlikely to reopen skiing.
Catamount and Berkshire East owner Jon Schaefer explains his strategy of relentless capital improvements.
Park City Canyons Village skiers get stuck for a few hours when the Red Pine Gondola goes on wind hold.
In Japan, a gondola lift doubles as a device to cure salmon.
Carrabassett Valley Academy seeks to raise $1.6 million to build a T-Bar at Sugarloaf next summer.
In other Sugarloaf news, pieces of Big Sky’s former Swift Current reportedly begin arriving.
Telluride confirms it has ordered a Doppelmayr detachable quad to replace Plunge/Lift 9 in 2022. The existing triple will be sold to another resort.
Chairs for Welch Village’s new Cannon Valley Quad arrive after a delayed journey from Asia through Canada.
Alyeska’s tram will remain closed through December due to ongoing maintenance.
Doppelmayr says its global market share stands at 55 percent.
The gondola at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will reopen in Summer 2022 after a more than two year Covid closure.
An interesting tidbit from the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board: a suspected bullet damaged the haul rope of Game Creek Express at Vail, requiring a repair.

Vail Resorts sells more than 2.1 million season pass products, 700,000 more than last year.
The 2022 Epic Lift Upgrade expands from 19 to 21 projects with additional lifts announced for Jack Frost and Big Boulder.
Indy Pass will add yet another Western resort next week.
Former Palisades Tahoe President Andy Wirth signs on to advise Alpine-X.
Sundance says the Outlaw Express opening is delayed until December 22nd due to weather and construction timing.
Doppelmayr flies towers in December for Juniper at Lake Louise, set to open in January.
Steamboat considers a fourth gondola connecting the base area to town, Greenhorn Ranch will include a chairlift and eight passenger chairs are in play for future lift replacements.
Maine’s Bigrock Mountain fundraises to purchase a Doppelmayr quad.
Les Otten partners with Provident Resources Group to revive the Balsams redevelopment (same firm involved in reopening Big Squaw, Maine.)
Boyne Highlands becomes The Highlands at Harbor Springs with lift improvements planned, starting with the southern end of the mountain.

News Roundup: Black Friday Edition

November 26, 2021December 1, 2021Peter Landsman36 Comments

It’s official: Sun Peaks retires the West Bowl T-Bar with planning underway for future lift access.
A chondola is proposed to replace Dreamcatcher at Grand Targhee Resort.
Mount Snow’s 2022 detachables will cost a combined $11.8 million and be constructed by Doppelmayr.
Walt Disney World reveals it studied nine different layouts with up to four different lines before it built the Disney Skyliner.
Bousquet debuts an all-new trail map. Nordic Valley too.
Doppelmayr faces supply chain delays at Sundance; another resort will loan used chairs for the Outlaw Express until new ones arrive in January.
Catamount also cites supply chain delays and expects to open its two used chairlifts around Christmas and Martin Luther King weekends, respectively.
Crotched Mountain renames Park lift to Rover.
Belleayre changes Tomahawk to Lift 8.
Utah’s Eagle Point eyes building a 5,500 foot connector lift.
Sunrise Park will reopen its summit lodge this season and plans to reactivate the Cyclone triple next winter.
Whistler Blackcomb’s replacement of the Creekside Gondola is now a 10 place rather than the originally announced eight.

News Roundup: Life Behind Lifts

November 5, 2021Peter Landsman5 Comments

Gunstock teases a multi-lift expansion with details to come in December.
Magic Mountain won’t have summit access until at least December 18th due to ongoing lift projects.
A CBS primetime reality show features an hour of ski area maintenance!
Kirsten Lynch takes over as CEO of Vail Resorts.
Sierra-at-Tahoe eyes an early 2022 reopening.
A Mayflower construction update.
Doppelmayr releases a new Wir magazine.
The Cascade Skyline Gondola proposal gains a key endorsement.
The final logging take place for the Eagle Peak expansion at Lookout Pass.
Whistler Blackcomb highlights this summer’s big ticket lift maintenance projects.
Sundance names two new quads Outlaw Express and Stairway.
MND reports improved results with lift and snowmaking sales up 32 percent.
Alberta Parks says it will open Hidden Valley this season in the absence of a private operator.
Hickory, NY looks likely to reopen after six seasons.
Big Sky’s new map is out showing Swift Current 6.

News Roundup: Planning Ahead

October 1, 2021Peter Landsman12 Comments

Indy Pass signs on Manning Park, British Columbia; The Rock, Wisconsin; and Seven Oaks, Iowa.
Big Snow American Dream will remain closed several more weeks following last week’s fire.
Leitner-Poma to build the previously announced Lakeview Express at Mt. Rose next year.
The gondola to the gondola at Breckenridge nears approval.
Rad Smith completes his largest illustration yet – a new map for Big White in the style of James Niehues.
Another protest takes place against a gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Nitehawk continues fundraising for a new chairlift as it nears a second season without one.
Lookout Pass works to convert Timber Wolf from a double into a triple.
Alpine-X seeks to raise up to $5 million through crowdfunding.
An Iowa county agrees to purchase Sleepy Hollow, a chairlift-served tubing park.
Palisades Tahoe renames two of its chairlifts Resort Chair and Wa She Shu.
Doppelmayr arrives on site to assess and make recommendations regarding the storm-damaged chairlift in Gallix, Quebec.
Amsterdam could see a river crossing 3S gondola.
Sundance will host a party on October 10th to celebrate the final rides on Ray’s Lift before removal.
Another gondola concept emerges in Los Angeles.
Lake Louise’s new high speed quad will be called Juniper Express.
Camelback says it has completed an extensive inspection and certification process for its lifts and implemented additional safety protocols in the wake of last season’s chair fall.
Stuart Winchester gets the latest from Aspen Snowmass CEO Mike Kaplan on 1A, Pandora’s, Coney Glade, Burnt Mountain, Goldenhorn and other lift projects.
The Superior National Forest will host a virtual open house Tuesday regarding the Lutsen Mountains expansion.
West Mountain unveils plans for its first detachable lift, including an intermediate station.

News Roundup: Earth Week

April 23, 2021Peter Landsman7 Comments

As new cabins arrive in Canada, operators of the Sea to Sky Gondola say it will be the most protected lift system on the planet when it reopens this summer.
Sundance’s Ray’s quad is listed for sale, though it will continue to operate until October 10th.
The Finance Authority of Maine approves $135 million in funding for the rebirth of Big Squaw as Moosehead Mountain with high speed quad installation as soon as this summer.
Owners of West Mountain discuss replacing an entire ski area worth of infrastructure and plans for future development.
An Ober Gatlinburg tram rebuild update.
Steamboat and Doppelmayr begin moving the village gondola station.
Mexico City’s next urban gondolas will go out to bid late this year or in early 2022.
Keystone to auction Argentine chairs for charity.
In an interview, the head of MND says he hopes to build more lifts in the USA.
After a strong spring in Colorado and Utah, Vail Resorts upgrades its revenue guidance.
Al Roker and Bill Nye ride the Roosevelt Island Tram to talk green transportation on Earth Day.
There was a minor collision in the Hollywood Studios Skyliner station last night which broke a cabin window.
Squaw Alpine posts a pre-construction update on the Base-to-Base project.

Utah’s Sundance Announces Two New Lifts

March 11, 2021March 12, 2021Peter Landsman32 Comments

The new owners of Sundance Mountain Resort have ordered two lifts to replace the mile-long Ray’s quad. A three station detachable quad will service Mandan Summit from the base village and a fixed grip quad will provide return access from the backside of the mountain. Both lifts will be manufactured by Doppelmayr USA and installed in advance of the 2021-22 winter season.

Built in 1995, Ray’s currently serves many purposes with a whopping four separate loading/unloading zones. An up and over lift, Ray’s follows a straight line between the base area and Red’s lift, thus not reaching the true Mandan Summit. Both new lift alignments will top out on the peak to better distribute skiers. The new high speed lift will also feature a mid-unload station for beginners. A ride from base-to-summit will last just seven minutes, down from 12+ without stops on Ray’s. The second lift returning from the backside will primarily be used for summer activities.

“I have wonderful memories of skiing the beautiful terrain of Mandan Summit on the old chairlift before 1995,” commented Chad Linebaugh, President and General Manager of Sundance. “We are thrilled for the addition of a new high-speed quad that will restore access to these amazing runs and views.” Other projects slated for this summer include additional snowmaking and parking.

Two private equity firms, Broadreach Capital Partners and Cedar Capital Partners, purchased Sundance Resort from Robert Redford in December 2020.

News Roundup: Grab Bag

March 5, 2021March 5, 2021Peter Landsman58 Comments

Timberline Lodge evacuates 42 guests from the new Pucci detachable quad by rope.
Another late day evac happens on Castle Mountain’s Tamarack chair.
Mt. Spokane considers upgrading two 60 year old chairlifts.
The seemingly cursed Gold chair at Nakiska goes down for a week (now back in action).
Under new ownership, Sundance Resort eyes an out-of-base detachable.
Bogus Basin plans expansion and lift upgrades in a new master plan coming later this spring.
Dakota at Big Sky has been down since March 1st.
The first of its kind Leitner 2S gondola undergoes testing in Germany.
Ischgl, an early pandemic hot spot last year, gives up on opening this season.
Vancouver’s transit authority picks a preferred alignment for the Burnaby Mountain Gondola.
The Seattle Times profiles Washington’s first bubble chairlift.
A transportation bill which includes Little Cottonwood funding heads to the Utah Governor’s desk.
Once slated to close, Sleeping Giant now considers adding more lifts.
Zincton Mountain Village, a proposed resort in BC, announces the purchase of a late model Riblet quad.
Facing capacity challenges, Crystal Mountain eliminates unlimited access on the Ikon Base Pass.
Magic Mountain needs some mid-’80s vintage Poma sheave assemblies to complete the Black Line quad. Give them a shout if you can help!
Winter Park’s proposed lift replacements I mentioned last week are a Pioneer Express six place and Lariat conveyor.
On a podcast, Indy Pass creator Doug Fish says more resorts are coming, including in Canada (along with a price increase.)
During recent historic snow, the Portland Aerial Tram ran for 114 consecutive hours while other transit modes shut down.
When the Disney Skyliner stops for a bit, you better believe it will make the news.
Nitehawk looks for funding to replace its landslide-destroyed chairlift.

News Roundup: Merry Christmas

December 25, 2020Peter Landsman10 Comments

Sunrise Park Resort considers building a combination lift.
Mont-Sainte-Anne works diligently toward reopening its gondola with a reduced capacity of 30 cabins at first.
A Vancouver developer scraps a gondola from its plans.
Ontario’s more than 40 ski areas are ordered to close as part of a multi-week lockdown beginning tomorrow.
The City of Sioux Falls orders a Skytrac quad for Great Bear Ski Valley.
Fashion designer Rachel Zoe shares the story of her son falling from a Buttermilk quad chair on social media.
Another fall at Sundance gets featured on Reddit.
An 8 year old raises $10,000 to support a struggling nonprofit ski area in North Dakota.
Snow King Mountain previews its gondola cabins which are being fabricated in France.
Michigan’s Blackjack and Indianhead are both for sale with a listing price of $3.49 million.
Blizzard Beach, chairlift and all, will reopen March 7th after a year-long closure.
A group proposes connecting West Seattle to the regional transit network with a four station gondola.
Steamboat creates a virtual gondola line powered by text message.
With Europe’s ski industry struggling particularly hard, MND Group focuses on international markets including North America.
The reimagined Bousquet Mountain opens with a new triple chair January 1st.
Mission Ridge’s new summit lift opening later this winter will be called the Wenatchee Express.
Lake Louise updates its trail map to show the West Bowl expansion, Summit lift and two future lift alignments.
The New York Times checks in with ski resorts across the country about business during the pandemic.

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