Welch Village – Lift Blog

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: Even Ten

October 22, 2021Peter Landsman55 Comments

Boyne Resorts acquires its tenth ski area: Shawnee Peak, Maine.
A new trail map shows Loon Mountain’s gondola is now called the White Mountain Express.
A Bloomberg profile notes visitation has grown 46 percent in five years at Big Sky with major development to continue.
Snow Partners becomes the new corporate umbrella for Mountain Creek, Big Snow American Dream, Snow Operating and more.
A new model of the Sigma Diamond EVO cabin will debut first at Austria’s Kaunertaler Gletscher.
Whiteface proposes a high speed quad with angle station from Bear Den to the new Legacy Lodge and may replace Little Whiteface and Mountain Run with a quad in 2022.
Boyne Mountain General Manager Ed Grice takes a deep dive on six future lift projects.
The new Cape Smokey gondola is carrying thousands of riders on peak fall days.
A conveyor project is delayed a year due to components being stuck on a ship near the Port of Houston.
Welch Village also says it’s waiting for parts of its new chairlift.
Le Massif adds a Doppelmayr platter to service the new Club Med Québec-Charlevoix.
Crystal Mountain President Frank DeBerry says replacing Rainier Express is a top priority. Alterra also wants to swap the Mt. Rainier Gondola for a higher capacity machine and turn the existing gondola into a base area-Campbell Basin link. Bullion Basin Express, an East Peak lift, Kelly’s Gap Express and Northway detachable all remain under consideration.
Reader Austin S. sent in the below photos from Mt. Shasta, purported to be clearing for a new lift on Gray Butte.

News Roundup: Government Proceedings

September 17, 2021Peter Landsman11 Comments

Mission Ridge sues Chelan County over the permitting process for a proposed three lift expansion.
The Forest Service approves Winter Park’s Pioneer Express replacement project.
It will take awhile for the Utah Department of Transportation to wade through 13,000 Little Cottonwood public comments, the most the agency has ever received for a project.
The town of Tupper Lake, New York considers leasing Big Tupper for human powered recreation.
Indy Pass founder Doug Fish expects to quadruple redemptions from 96,000 last winter to 400,000 this season.
New trail maps start to appear showing new lifts: Snowbasin and Welch Village this week.
The first towers go vertical for the Olympic Valley-Alpine Meadows Gondola at Palisades Tahoe.
Sierra at Tahoe provides a fire recovery update.
The rest of Australia’s resorts are cleared to reopen, though some have already called it a season.
The towns of Telluride and Mountain Village are evaluating three options for the aging gondola: gradual incremental upgrades, a major overhaul or total replacement with a decision targeted for next fall.
Some Banff leaders still support a gondola to Mt. Norquay despite Parks Canada opposition.
A far left group targets Poma in France. Unhappy about the company supplying a ropeway to a nuclear waste storage project, the group claims it removed bolts from Poma lifts in the Alps.
Trollhaugen says supply chain delays are impacting installation of a new Partek chairlift, though it still should be completed for this season.
London’s Emirates Air Line gondola will be renamed in 2022 as Transport for London seeks a new naming rights partner.
On the always great Storm Skiing Podcast, Taos CEO David Norden talks timing and lift types for the many upgrades in the resort’s new master plan.
The Purgatory Express is closed due to technical problems yet again.
Whiteface details summer updates to Cloudsplitter, Face Lift and Freeway in addition to the new Bear quad.

News Roundup: Turning to ‘22

August 20, 2021August 20, 2021Peter Landsman13 Comments

The new lift at Great Bear Ski Valley is eight weeks ahead of schedule with chairs on the line.
Another lockdown hits Australian resorts, this time Perisher and Thredbo in New South Wales.
New Zealand shuts down all ski resorts as part of a nationwide freeze.
A man dies after a fall from the sky ride at Utah’s Lagoon amusement park.
Cape Smokey expects Canada’s first new gondola since 2018 to open next week.
Sunlight solicits a new trail map painted by Kevin Mastin.
Brazil’s government will study the feasibility of restarting the world’s largest abandoned urban gondola.
A gondola system is being considered for Tijuana, Mexico.
The Arizona Gondola re-enters service after 18 days of lightning-related downtime.
Doppelmayr will build Latin America’s first gondola with air conditioning.
An extended interview with Poma Chairman Jean Souchal covers Covid recovery, urban growth and why Americans call surface lifts of all brands Pomas.
Despite offering $10 million, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania receives no bids for reopening Denton Hill.
California and Nevada resorts report an almost 22 percent increase in skier visits during the Covid season of 2020-21.
Washington, DC budgets $10 million to purchase property needed for a possible future Georgetown-Rosslyn Gondola.
Steamboat confirms the first section of the Wild Blue Gondola project is a go for next summer.
The Boat will also retire the Priest Creek double and sell its chairs.
Ontario’s Beaver Valley Ski Club plans to replace the Avalanche double in 2022.
Time to vote! Choices for renaming Squaw Valley’s Squaw Creek triple are Eagle Eye, Highline, Resort, Snow King, Storm Rider and Valley View.
Welch Village updates guests on the Cannon Valley Quad project.

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.

Another New Quad to Debut at Welch Village

May 11, 2021May 22, 2021Peter Landsman5 Comments

Minnesota’s Welch Village has announced a deal with Doppelmayr for an Alpen Star quad chair. The fixed grip lift will replace the East Ridge double, also known as Lift 4. The new machine will load about 30 feet to the west of the current Hall and open some time in December. “By moving the bottom of this new lift further to the west, we will be able to open up the bottom of the Harley’s Hollow enabling guests to actually ski and ride in between the new quad chair and the Triple Chair,” said Welch Village President and General Manager Peter Zotalis in a blog post. “There are a lot of exciting aspects to this project (and other projects) that we will share with you over the course of the summer and fall.”

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Welch Village also announced the removal of the Bakke double, which two newer lifts made redundant years ago. When this summer’s projects are complete, the mountain will operate six quads, one triple and one double.

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.

News Roundup: Hello 2021

January 1, 2021Peter Landsman18 Comments

Telluride renames the Coonskin double Lift 7.
Welch Village partners with Superior Tramway to install improved quad chairs on two lifts.
For sale: Snow King’s Summit double.
Doppelmayr Canada is looking for an Electrical Service Technician based out of Kelowna, BC.
Cockaigne, New York finally reopens after nine years idle.
A new summit lift may be not quite finished but Mission Ridge sure has done a great job posting construction updates.
Citing health concerns and limited resources, Tenney Mountain suspends operations for the 2020-21 season.
South Korea closes all its ski resorts temporarily.
49 Degrees North loses another lift to technical problems, this time Chair 5.

News Roundup: Switzerland to Italy

June 5, 2020June 5, 2020Peter Landsman43 Comments

In Massachusetts, Bousquet sells to a private investment firm which will be advised by Jon and Jim Schaefer.
Magic Mountain resumes work on the Black Line Quad project.
Bravo to many more ski areas offering up ski lifts for graduation ceremonies: Big Bear, Canyon, Copper Mountain, Deer Valley, Giants Ridge, Jackson Hole, Mountain High, Snow Valley and Treetops.
Nub’s Nob says goodbye to the Blue Chair.
There will be no summer skiing on Blackcomb Glacier this year.
A Canadian government decision means no Alaska cruises will sail in 2020 and it will likely be 2021 until Icy Strait Point’s dual gondola system debuts.
The creator of the Indy Pass argues shared revenue models are the future of ski passes.
Poma’s 2019 Reference Book is here.
Doppelmayr begins building Saddleback’s $7 million high speed quad.
The Aspen Mountain Telemix may happen in 2022.
Mountain Collective adds a fifth new resort for 2020/21: Sun Peaks, British Columbia.
Set to become the world’s longest alpine 3S, Jungfrau’s Eiger Express will open early.
Launching tomorrow: another spectacular 3S which travels 705 feet above the sea in Vietnam. Three more sections will eventually form a 12.1 mile gondola chain.
Demaclenko creates a fully automated fogging/disinfection solution for moving gondola cabins.
Construction gets underway on the first bubble chairlift in the Pacific Northwest, which will load and unload inside buildings.
In Minnesota, both Welch Village and Spirit Mountain pull the plug on summer operations.
Vail Resorts lost $40 million less than anticipated in March and April and reported a net income of $152.5 million for the quarter ended April 30th.
Purgatory proposes building a detachable quad chair and four low intermediate trails in an area known as Ice Creek.
On Mt. Hood, Summit Ski Area seeks a boundary extension to the Timberline border, a first step towards a possible lift link.
Leitner-Poma President Daren Cole pens a letter addressing challenges facing the ski industry in the age of coronavirus.
Alterra extends the Ikon Pass deferral option to April 2021 and introduces a credit policy in the event of resort closures next season.
A new English edition of International Ropeway Review profiles Treeline Cirque at Alpine Meadows and the Express du Village at Bromont.
Utah’s Department of Transportation narrows its Little Cottonwood Canyon mobility study to gondolas and buses.
The Snowbird tram will carry only 25 passengers when it reopens June 13th.
The City of Idaho Springs, Colorado conditionally approves the Mighty Argo Cable Car, a 1.2 mile gondola on the site of a historic mine.

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