Waterville Valley and the Forest Service to host a public meeting regarding a proposed gondola on June 26th.
Revelstoke will host an info session on the future of the resort June 24th.
Cannon Mountain issues a request for bids for an 80 passenger tramway reusing certain components from the last tram with an expected completion date of December 1, 2028.
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.
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.
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.
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.“
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.
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