- The Hermitage Club’s new detachable quad to cost $6.25 million and include a chair parking facility.
- Oregon ski areas celebrate passage of an outdoor recreation liability reform bill.
- Castle Mountain rope evacuates the new Stagecoach Express.
- An investigation into the fatal Swiss gondola crash this week focuses on weather and operational factors, not a design issue. The lift was being unloaded at the time and the cabin involved likely hit a tower.
- A tree falls on the BreckConnect Gondola at Breckenridge.
- Red Lodge Mountain’s owner and an insurance company argue over coverage related to a wrongful death lawsuit by the family of a man who died on a lift last season in high winds.
- Wind blows the roof off the Silver Fir Express at Snoqualmie, shuttering it until further notice.
- Alberta opens public consultation for the proposed Silvertip Gondola in Canmore.
- Aspen skiers struggle to ride the new T-Bar atop Snowmass.
- Holiday Mountain, New York to install new Partek chairs on Roman Candle this fall.
- A child is unharmed after falling from a lift and being caught at Pats Peak, New Hampshire (video)
- Oz Trails Bike Park to open June 12th.
- Sun Valley confirms construction of two new detachables this summer.
- Lee Canyon to construct the final lift from its master plan this summer, manufacturer TBA.
- Hogadon, Wyoming likely to construct a new chairlift next summer.
- Craigleith, Ontario addresses downtime on the Funnel chair.
- Last day riders of Killington’s Snowdon triple tomorrow will be entered to win a chair.
- Little Switzerland, Wisconsin give skiers the opportunity to own a Riblet chair.
- In an interview with the Vail newspaper, Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz makes the case mega passes have kept crowds stable or even reduced crowding.
- Vail also releases an insightful investor presentation outlining shifting priorities.
Vail Resorts
News Roundup: Spring Debuts
- Whaleback’s chairlift is back in action after being closed all season.
- Angel Fire performs a mid-season splice on the Southwest Flyer, now back open.
- A child is okay after falling from a chairlift at Blue Knob, Pennsylvania.
- Another child falls from a chair and is airlifted from Sierra-at-Tahoe.
- Telluride sues several current and former elected officials seeking millions of damages incurred during the December patrol strike.
- The latest Eaglecrest gondola complication: cabins shipped on their side rather than upright.
- The Mighty Argo Cable Car in Colorado will soft open next month.
- OZ Trails Bike Park to open with Arkansas’ first detachable chairlift in June.
- BC’s Okanagan Gondola set to open in April 2027.
- Vail Resorts reports an 11.9 percent decline in North American skier visits and lowers financial guidance.
- Park City Billionaire Matthew Prince still wants to buy Park City Mountain from Vail.
- Alterra CEO Jared Smith steps down.
- Vermont considers regulating both lift operator breaks and staffing levels.
- Leitner to build the world’s first jig-back tramway with a direct drive in Italy.
- Both the Green Mountain Express and North Ridge Express go down at Sugarbush’s Mt. Ellen, leaving hiking as the only access to the summit.
- Black Mountain, New Hampshire won’t become a co-op after all, will continue to be managed by Entabeni Systems.
- Mt. Sima, Yukon to reactivate its T-Bar after many years.
- A massive nearby rockslide closes Whistler’s Peak Chair indefinitely.
- Magic Mountain, Idaho won’t open this season.
News Roundup: Indy to Ikon
- Mountain Capital Partners may enter the Midwest with a deal to operate Spirit Mountain, Minnesota. Under the proposal, MCP would lease the mountain for a minimum of 20 years beginning in October.
- Vail raises Epic Pass prices approximately 3.5 percent, offers a discount to young adults 30 and under.
- Alterra raises Ikon prices roughly 5 percent, adds Tamarack, Idaho and Devil’s Head, Wisconsin to its bonus mountain tier while removing SilverStar, BC.
- Granite Peak, Wisconsin; Lutsen Mountains, Minnesota and Snowriver, Michigan switch from Indy Pass to Ikon Pass.
- Snowmass returns and Arapahoe Basin will go unlimited on the Ikon Base Pass.
- The Wall Street Journal visits Telluride owner Chuck Horning, who says he’s “never selling.”
- The BBC profiles lift operations at Whistler Blackcomb.
- The LA Times visits independent Mt. Baldy, surrounded by Alterra in Southern California.
- SAM digs into how a small Wisconsin ski area went from closed to buying two brand new Skytrac lifts.
- Snowbird will replace Chickadee this spring.
- Pomerelle, Idaho’s General Manager buys the mountain with his wife.
- Shanty Creek, Michigan also sells to new owners.
- The cost of used gondola installation at Eaglecrest balloons from under $9 million to as much as $37 million. A report finds the gondola would make the ski area profitble on an operating basis and canceling the project would cost taxpayers $10.9 million.
- In Iowa, a government-owned ski area fundraises for a brand new chairlift.
- Revelstoke’s Stoke chair to be out of service at least three days for gearbox repair.
- Stagecoach Mountain Ranch inches toward approval near Steamboat.
- The top operator house on Chair 1 at Titus Mountain, New York burns down, rendering the lift inoperable.
News Roundup: Granite State
- Tenney Mountain rope evacuates Hornet.
- Two people are injured falling from the Panorama Express at Gunstock.
- Hatley Pointe, North Carolina loses its main lift due to a mechanical issue.
- Cuchara successfully opens Chair 4 for the first time since 2000.
- Mt. Jefferson, Maine may close after this season.
- The publicly-owned ski hill in Des Moines, Iowa seeks a new chairlift.
- With a strike dragging on, Le Massif announces the end of ski season, then promptly reaches a deal to reopen tomorrow.
- With public and private funding secured, Mont-Sainte-Anne plans to sign a contract to replace three aging detachables in March.
- A mixed-use development near Park City could include a gondola connection to Deer Valley East Village.
- Vail CEO Rob Katz discusses unionization efforts in the ski industry and reflects on last season’s strike at Park City.
- A rider who died after falling from a chairlift at Cypress Mountain last week may have lost consciousness before falling.
- Elected officials are under investigation for meeting with the owner of Telluride about a sale during the patrol strike.
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.“
Vail Resorts Announces New Lifts for Blackcomb & Seven Springs
The world’s largest mountain operator today revealed two incremental lift projects for 2026, bringing the total to three. At Whistler Blackcomb, Vail plans to replace the Showcase T-Bar with a fixed grip chairlift, subject to government approval. Across the continent, another fixed quad will replace the Blitzen triple at Seven Springs, Pennsylvania. The two projects join the previously-announced Canyons Village gondola at Park City as part of Vail’s $234 to $239 million capital plan for ’26. By comparison, Vail built four new detachable lifts in 2025 at Perisher, Australia; Andermatt-Sedrun, Switzerland and Park City, Utah as part of a $249 million to $254 million capital plan. Vail operates just over 300 overhead cable lifts at 42 resorts as of this winter.
Opened in 1988, the Showcase T-Bar crests the upper part of Horstman Glacier near Blackcomb Peak. For much of its history, the T-Bar ran throughout winter, spring and summer; servicing a wide variety of terrain. In recent years, glacial recession caused the Doppelmayr T-Bar to operate sporadically. Three of Showcase’s towers are pinned on ice, requiring periodic maintenance and repair. When snow levels drop too low, the track becomes too steep for safe riding. Vail removed the nearby Horstman T-Bar without replacement in 2020 due to recession on the lower part of the glacier.
Now Whistler Blackcomb has a long-term plan. The new chairlift will follow a longer alignment off the ice. It will shift north and continue to service the glacier without running on top of it. The lift is expected to be in place by the beginning of the 2026-27 ski season.
A world away in western Pennsylvania, Vail plans to retire Seven Springs’ oldest lift and only remaining Thiokol called Blitzen. The classic triple dates back to 1975 and services a variety of beginner to advanced terrain. The new quad will be Vail’s first project at Seven Springs since acquiring the resort in 2021.
Manufacturer(s) have not been announced for any of Vail’s 2026 projects. Alongside today’s lift news, the company announced its fiscal first quarter results. Season pass sales declined 2 percent in units but increased 3 percent in dollars compared to a year ago. The company expects to welcome approximately 2.3 million passholders this season representing 74 percent of skier visits. Vail reaffirmed its fiscal 2026 guidance, including net income of $201 million to $276 million and Resort Reported EBITDA of $842 million to $898 million.
News Roundup: Conical Towers
- Hickory, New York closes.
- Steel erection begins for the only lift in Arkansas.
- Cannon’s new map shows no more tram.
- Steel and aluminum tariffs increase the cost of certain maintenance projects on the Telluride-Mountain Village gondola by 50 percent.
- Vail CEO Rob Katz reiterates his company’s desire to build new Eagle and Silverlode lifts at Park City.
- A wildlife reserve in Kentucky plans a three station sightseeing gondola.
- Sir Sam’s, Ontario retires the Red Rocket and Eagle View doubles.
- The Los Angeles City Council votes 12-1 to oppose a Dodger Stadium gondola.
- MND hires a Director of Ropeways for North America.
- Snowland, Utah eyes building a T-Bar or J-Bar next summer with $1.46 million in state grant money.
- Unionized patrollers at Breckenridge and Eldora ink new contracts; negotiations continue at Telluride and Whitefish.
- A rider falls from the Montezuma Express at Keystone.
- Whitecap Mountains, Wisconsin could go to foreclosure auction on December 2nd.
- Enjoy these Argo progress photos from reader Munier S.
News Roundup: Can’t Just Be About Lifts
- An updated Stratton master plan envisions a competition T-Bar in 2027, a hotel-to-base chairlift in 2030 and gondola replacement circa 2033.
- Los Angeles releases the Draft Supplemental Environmental Report for the proposed Dodger Stadium gondola.
- The Forest Service approves Vail’s proposed replacements for lifts 15 and 21.
- Spirit Mountain’s new Leitner-Poma quad to be called Highline.
- Asked about new lifts on the Vail Resorts earnings conference call, CEO Rob Katz tells analysts priorities lie mostly elsewhere:
“We’re always going to be upgrading lifts; we announced a new lift for next year and that’s critical. But I think we need to realize also as a company and as an industry that it can’t just be about lifts. It’s not the only thing that matters to people. And in our minds we think there’s technology that can make a big difference. How people use technology in the digital experience, how it makes it easier for them to rent skis, how it makes it easier for them to connect with their ski instructor, how it makes it easier for them to get food, how it makes it easier for them to get around a resort or overall book a vacation. I think these are all things that are critical that really speak to the entirety of the guest experience when they come to us. Those are things where we really have a unique advantage because we own and operate all our resorts. They’re all on a common platform. And it’s where you invest dollars that actually impact everyone’s experience with all of our resorts rather than a singular lift, which affects one resort for some people who use that lift. Now that said, we have to keep investing in lifts. When you look back historically, you’ve seen us spend a lot of money on lifts over the last four years. So that’s continuing. We’re still going to keep proposing lifts. But I think the differentiator is going to be in this other area which is not as capital intensive as trying to replace every lift on Vail Mountain or something like that. That’s where we’re putting our focus.”
- A Swiss resort Vail was said to be interested in, Flims Laax, to be purchased by local municipalities.
- Some cool pictures of the nearly complete Mighty Argo Cable Car.
- A BC indigenous group acquires additional land for the proposed Cascade Skyline Gondola.
- BigRock, Maine introduces a new trail map painted by Rad Smith.
- Part of the former Iron Mountain Ski Area near Kirkwood goes up for sale. A reader who’d like to remain anonymous sent along these recent photos of five abandoned lifts.
Vail Resorts Eyes Park City Lift Projects in 2026 and 2027
Vail Resorts today released its fiscal 2025 fourth quarter and full year earnings report, including updates on pass sales, cost cutting and capital improvements. Net income for the year ended July 31st rose 21 percent to $280 million compared with $231.1 million a year earlier. Resort Reported EBITDA landed at $844.1 million compared to $825.1 million for fiscal 2024, an increase of 2 percent. On the less bright side, pass product sales for next season declined 3 percent in units and rose just 1 percent in dollars through September 19th despite a 7 percent price increase. The Company provided an outlook for fiscal 2026, expecting net income attributable to Vail Resorts, Inc. to decline to between $201 million and $276 million and Resort Reported EBITDA to fall between $842 million and $898 million. In a subsequent release, Vail announced the departure of two longtime board members. Vail Resorts’ share price has fallen roughly 15 percent year to date and declined 2 percent after hours upon the earnings release.
“The results from this past season were below expectations and our season-to-date pass sales growth has been limited,” noted Rob Katz, Vail’s newly-returned CEO. “We recognize that we are not yet delivering on the full growth potential that we expect from this business, in particular on revenue growth, in both this past season and in our projected guidance for fiscal year 2026. However, we are confident that we are well positioned to return to higher growth in fiscal year 2027 and beyond.” Vail acknowledged an outsized focus on email for attracting guests and a drive toward season pass sales at the expense of lift ticket revenue. “Our approach to engaging with guests has not kept pace with shifting consumer behaviors and as a result, we have not been able to fully capitalize on our competitive advantages or adapted our execution appropriately to respond to shifting dynamics,” Katz said. “While email was for many years our most effective channel, its impact has declined significantly in recent years, and we’ve been slow to shift to new and emerging marketing channels. We also believe we need to shift more focus to marketing our lift ticket business, which has not received the same level of focus, creativity, and resources as pass penetration increased.” Commenting on recent pass sales, Katz noted the company is seeing lower renewal rates from less-tenured passholders and fewer new passholders. Renewal rates are better for people who’ve held a pass for many years. ” We continue to see long-term opportunity to further expand the reach of our pass program,” Katz said.
Vail is largely on track with its resource efficiency transformation plan announced a year ago. At the time, the company planned to achieve $100 million in annual cost savings by fiscal 2026 through scaled operations, global shared services and expanded workforce management. It achieved $37 million in savings for fiscal 2025 and plans $75 million in savings in fiscal 2026. Vail plans to exceed $100 million in efficiencies in fiscal year 2027.
Vail traditionally announces new lift projects and key capital priorities for the following year in September. This go around Vail affirmed its commitment to build a new Canyons Village gondola in 2026, replacing the aging Cabriolet. Subject to approval, the 10 passenger gondola will include a mid-station to service the middle village and will also serve the new Canyons Village parking structure, set to open this winter. “This new gondola will provide an upgraded arrival experience to the resort and complement the Canyons Village Parking Garage, a new covered parking structure with over 1,800 spaces,” said Vail. Vail Resorts and the Canyons Village Management Association will split the cost of the village gondola, similar to the nearly complete Sunrise Gondola by Leitner-Poma.
Notably Park City plans to resubmit plans to replace Eagle and Silverlode, projects sidelined in 2022 over a process dispute. If approved, the six-seater Eagle and eight-seater Silverlode would be constructed in 2027. Vail sent the original Doppelmayr equipment for these lifts to Whistler Blackcomb in 2023 and 2024 so the project will need to be contracted anew.
The only other capital projects Vail announced across its 42 resorts was a hotel renovation at Vail and additional functionality in the My Epic App. There certainly are other needs, however, and additional projects could be announced with Vail’s next earnings in December.
News Roundup: Chinook
- Kicking Horse’s gondola reopens after a six month closure with new hanger arms.
- Vail Resorts might announce new lift projects on Monday, September 29th with fiscal year end earnings.
- Arizona Snowbowl to use gondola cabins as dining rooms for five course dinners on select nights.
- Colorado Mountain College in Leadville to reinstall Steamboat’s former Rough Rider platter as a training lift.
- Purgatory postpones construction of the Gelande lift to next summer, citing permit delays.
- Mt. Bachelor will upgrade the Northwest Express next summer with new operator houses, controls, a night drive system and expanded parking.
- Alterra outlines $400 million in improvements for this season.
- A Doppelmayr gondola station is set on fire in Nepal as part of widespread protests.
- Doppelmayr’s first vertical RopeCon material ropeway to be built somehwere in the Americas.
- The bottom terminal for Alpental’s new Chair 2 is set by Chinook helicopter.
- Aspen receives county approval to build the Nell Bell detachable quad next summer.
- America’s first Bike Cab gondolas arrive in Colorado.
- Two people are killed when a chairlift de-ropes on Russia’s Mt. Elbrus. Videos show challenging conditions for a rope evacuation.
- Lake Louise’s Richardson’s Ridge expansion to open early spring 2026, eventually will include a surface lift from Temple Lodge.
- Doppelmayr reports a 13 percent increase in revenue for fiscal 2024-25, completing 93 ropeways in 25 countries. Approximately 24 percent of €1.2 billion in turnover came from the US and Canada.
- Doppelmayr also reveals a contract to replace a Poma-Otis automated people mover at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
- The new gondola at Hawks Nest State Park in West Virginia nears completion.
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