Whaleback – Lift Blog

News Roundup: Power Problems

December 5, 2025Peter Landsman10 Comments

Crescent Hill, Iowa to install a new (used) drive terminal on its double chair.
Approval of a new gondola in Hawaii may be rescinded.
The private ski resort planned near Steamboat faces a mix of public backlash and support.
Deer Valley President & COO Todd Bennett says several more lifts are planned for Deer Valley East, timeline TBA.
Megève, France joins the Ikon Pass.
Doppelmayr wins the tender to build a nine station urban gondola in Puebla, Mexico.
Val Bialas, New York to reopen after several years closed.
Lifts and ski trails return to Google Maps after a one year hiatus.
A power outage leads to a rope evacuation at Sunburst, Wisconsin.
Electric infrastructure problems will delay the start of Mont-Sainte-Anne’s season for at least another week.
Skeetawk, Alaska seeks public funding for a second lift, possibly a gondola.
Eaglecrest extends the bid deadline for a gondola general contractor, wants to open in 2028 but doesn’t have enough money to finish.
Lost Ontario ski area Talisman to be preserved as conservation land.
Aspen Mountain’s Nell Bell approval moves along.
The New York Times spends a day with Snowbird’s mountain operations team.
Holiday Mountain, New York sends a Poma bullwheel and gearbox to help Whaleback, New Hampshire revive its chairlift.
Welch Village, Minnesota’s new quad is named Joy Ride.
Spirit Mountain’s new trail map shows where the Highline Quad runs.
Toronto Zoo’s SkyPod to open in 2027.
Leitner-Poma and Skytrac celebrate completing 20 lifts on time or early.
Pico to auction 1965 Bonanza chairs for charity.
Bear Mountain, California purchases new Skytrac chairs for Lift 7.

News Roundup: Last Tram

October 24, 2025Peter Landsman9 Comments

Bretton Woods’ new map shows where the new BEQII goes.
The new Bryce Resort map shows a backside expansion.
Lutsen gets a new trail map by VistaMap.
Deer Valley mountain operations leadership joins Doppelmayr on the Ski Utah podcast to preview the East Village expansion.
Mont Gleason, Quebec plans to replace the Laurent-Lemaire quad soon.
Anakeesta to replace its fixed-grip chondola with a detachable.
The State of Texas to hold a press conference next week announcing the next steps in the Wyler Aerial Tram replacement project.
It’s the final weekend for the Cannon Tramway with the last trip at 4:45 pm Sunday.
Red Lodge Mountain details several modifications made to its Triple Chair over the summer due to a fatal deropement last spring.
Ikon adds nine mountains in Japan, South Korea and China.
Holiday Mountain offers up classic Poma double chairs.
Whaleback, New Hampshire expects to lose $300,000 this winter without its chairlift; seeks to raise $210,000 by December 1st to open.
Powder Mountain installs artwork on several lifts including a neon piece on the Paradise Express, flagpole on Timberline and colorful canopy on a conveyor.
MND wins a tender to build an energy-neutral aerial tramway on the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean.

News Roundup: Superstar

September 19, 2025Peter Landsman22 Comments

The death toll rises to three in last week’s Mt. Elbrus deropement with the CEO and head technician detained by the Russian government.
Dramatic video emerges from last month’s failure of another Russian single chair not far away.
49° North to replace its beginner chairlift with a Doppelmayr quad next year.
In an interview, Garaventa’s CEO discusses US tariffs on Switzerland, competition with HTI and more.
Indy Pass adds Donner Ski Ranch, California; Magic Mountain, Idaho; Montage Mountain, Pennsylvania (returning after a brief hiatus) and Leavenworth Ski Hill, Washington plus mountains in Austria and Turkey.
Ecosign releases a book highlighting 50 years of mountain planning.
Crystal Mountain’s summit webcam captures a slight mishap during installation of Rainier Express’ top terminal (all is well, it’s now assembled.)
Welch Village to sell Hall double chairs next week.
Spirit Mountain asks the public to vote on 13 possible names for its new chairlift.
Chelan County releases its draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Mission Ridge expansion.
Construction is well underway on Arkansas’ only chairlift.
Stagecoach Mountain Ranch moves toward approval outside Steamboat.
Hesperus, Colorado to remain closed this season.
Sommet Saint-Sauveur adds a loading conveyor to the Sommet Express.
The chairlift at Whaleback, New Hampshire may miss this season.
Enjoy a few construction photos from Killington (both the Superstar replacement and Skyeship cabin upgrade.)

News Roundup: Austrian Giants

May 23, 2025May 23, 2025Peter Landsman9 Comments

Austria’s Saalbach, Zell am See-Kaprun, Mayrhofen, Hintertux and Silvretta Montafon join the Epic Pass as partner resorts, bringing Epic to nine European destinations.
Poma releases its 2024 Reference Book highlighting projects around the world.
Eaglecrest may not meet a 2028 deadline to complete its used pulse gondola.
America’s only summer only ski area will open this year for the first time in three.
Whaleback meets a $250,000 fundraising goal for lift repairs.
Opposition organizes against proposed Grand Targhee expansion.
Bluewood, Washington to sell chairs if its new lift project is on track by September 1st.
Hawaii’s first gondola is proposed on the North Shore of Oahu.
A gondola is floated for Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Also Anaheim, California.
Marmot Basin’s visitation drops 30 percent due to last year’s fire in Jasper.
Silver Mountain delays summer opening due to gondola repairs.
Timberline Helicopters, the company that installs the majority of lift towers in the West, breaks ground on a $13 million expansion in North Idaho.
The nonprofit organization that’s been trying to revive Cuchara, Colorado inks a 40 year operating lease for the mountain.
Vail Mountain intends to begin work on the lift projects I wrote about last week next summer, subject to Forest Service approval.
President Trump proposes a 50 percent tariff on imports from the European Union starting June 1st.

News Roundup: Ropera

May 9, 2025May 9, 2025Peter Landsman18 Comments

Deer Valley updates its expansion site to show Lift 6 as two detachable quads (6A and 6B) instead of a six pack with mid-station.
Vail Mountain seeks permission to replace Orient Express #21 with a six pack, swap Little Eagle #15 for a detachable quad and remove Wapiti #24.
Leitner-Poma discusses the impact of tariffs on the SAM huddle.
Burke Mountain emerges from nine years of government receivership with new owners.
Mount Saint Louis-Moonstone, Ontario teases a new era coming to the Outback side of the mountain.
Leitner introduces its next generation monocable detachable called Ropera, combining technology from Leitner, Poma and Bartholet. The launch customer will be Speikboden, Italy with a six place chairlift.
Leitner and Doppelmayr release annual yearbooks.
Snoqualmie unveils new renderings of the Edelweiss project at Alpental.
A Colorado man succumbs to injuries sustained in a fall from Keystone’s Ruby Express last December.
Powder Mountain tells the Utah tram board it’ll install between one and four new lifts this summer.
A jury declines to award millions to a Mt. Bachelor skier who fell getting off a chairlift.
Killington to donate and match proceeds from closing day to Whaleback Mountain’s chairlift replacement fund.
Snow Partners to launch a new multi-mountain pass product offering three total days at six to ten Eastern resorts.
Mt. Ashland, Oregon looks to replace the Ariel and Windsor doubles with Skytrac triple chairs in 2026.

News Roundup: USFS

March 28, 2025Peter Landsman18 Comments

The Forest Service approves three lift projects at Taos, including a base to base gondola.
Red Lodge Mountain reopens all lifts except the Triple Chair involved in last month’s fatal incident.
The widow of the man killed at Red Lodge hires a law firm and engineer to look into the circumstances.
Telluride Ski Resort declines to help fund a new Mountain Village gondola so the town looks to pass a lift ticket tax.
Powder Mountain to construct a new lift in Wolf Canyon/DMI.
A child falls from a lift at Park City.
An urban gondola is floated in Denver.
Cataloochee, North Carolina lists parts from the Omigosh double for sale.
New York’s state-owned ski areas report visitation up over 3 percent this season with revenue up more than 8 percent.
Black Mountain, New Hampshire delays going to a co-op model, will continue to be run by Indy Pass for now.
Whaleback, NH passes $100,000 toward its goal of $250,000 to continue operations.
The Caribou-Targhee National Forest weighs whether to change its forest plan to accommodate Grand Targhee’s proposed South Bowl and/or Mono Trees expansions.
The Arapaho National Forest releases the Draft Environmental Assessment for Winter Park’s proposed Gemini Gondola, Copper Creek South chairlift, Looking Glass replacement, Endeavour replacement and Discovery replacement.
Park City shutters Sunrise to resume construction of the Sunrise Gondola.

News Roundup: Stairway to Heaven

March 14, 2025March 17, 2025Peter Landsman36 Comments

A video shows the Kicking Horse incident was exacerbated by running the damaged hanger to a tower, causing the lift to de-rope. The gondola will be closed at least a week and likely longer; the resort will allow guests to hike or skin to Stairway to Heaven.
The snowboarder who died after falling from Red Lodge Mountain’s Triple Chair on Monday is identified as 37 year old Jeffrey Zinne of Billings in an incident described as a “malfunction.”
A child was airlifted to Denver after falling 35 feet from the Purgatory Village Express the same day as the Kicking Horse and Red Lodge incidents.
Leitner-Poma posts jobs for ski lift installers at Bretton Woods, Loveland, OZ Trails Bike Park, Powder Mountain, Snowmass, Snowbasin, Taos and Wasatch Peaks Ranch.
New York State wins its case against a ski resort owner for buying Toggenburg to close it and reduce competition.
Snowbasin to sell chairs from the Becker lift for charity.
Loup Loup, Washington ends its season early due to a required motor repair.
Vail’s Riva Bahn Express has been closed all week due to a gearbox issue requiring a rebuild.
Vail Resorts reports solid results with season-to-date skier visits down 2.5%, lift ticket revenue up 4.1%, ski school revenue up 3.0%, dining revenue 3.1% and retail/rental revenue down 2.9%. Net income for the quarter ended January 31st increased 11.9%.
Tenney Mountain, New Hampshire still plans to reopen the Hornet some time this winter following a gearbox issue.
Another lawsuit is filed against the Little Cottonwood gondola proposal.
Attitash reopens the Flying Bear five weeks after a chair fell from the line. Draft minutes from the New Hampshire Passenger Tramway Safety Board suggest multiple damaged carriers were found and Attitash was approved to reduce capacity from 82 to 64 carriers. Update Monday 3/17: Vail PR sent me this statement, emphasis theirs: “During our inspection process, we made the decision to reinspect all our chairs and grips, haul rope, sheaves, terminals, and more. Following our inspection, we are taking the opportunity to replace parts on some chairs unrelated to the incident as a part of routine upgrades. These chairs will remain temporarily out of service until the parts arrive. This was a decision made by the resort, that the Passenger Tramway Safety Board unanimously approved at the March 3rd board meeting. We have been given permission to run the lift between the manufacturer’s minimum and maximum design specifications.”
Ober Mountain, Tennessee opens the new Sky Village Express.
Whistler Blackcomb completes a mid-season rope inspection and splice due to a broken haul rope strand on the Emerald 6 Express.
WB also pulls the plug on summer skiing due to glacial recession and its impact on lift access.
A community co-op effort was unable to submit a bid for Mt. Bachelor.
Vista Ridge, Alberta closes both its chairlifts indefinitely to conduct a review following several evacuations.
Alpental will close two weeks early so crews can work to build the new Chair 2 over snow in a roadless area.
Ditto for Explorer at Big Sky as it’s replaced with a gondola.
After running on diesel generators for a decade, the Sea to Sky Gondola‘s upper terminal is connected to grid power for the first time.
Whaleback, New Hampshire says it needs to raise $250,000 to fund off season maintenance and chairlift repairs.
Titcomb Mountain looks to retire and replace T-Bar 2.
Powder Mountain to build a private, homeowner only Leitner-Poma detachable quad this summer.
Snowbird’s Mineral Basin reopening is further delayed due to “unforseen additional issues“.
The Forest Service approves Alta to replace Supreme with a new lift and no eight degree bend.
Pending approval of its members, Bryce Resort plans to install a third Skytrac on the backside of the mountain this summer.

News Roundup: Pass Edition

March 7, 2025March 11, 2025Peter Landsman12 Comments

Ikon Pass adds Ischgl, Austria; loses Windham Mountain Club, New York and makes Arapahoe Basin unlimited with no blackouts. Full Ikon also adds two bonus days at Buck Hill, Minnesota; Cranmore, New Hampshire; Jiminy Peak, Massachusetts and Wild Mountain, Minnesota.
Arapahoe Basin leaves the Mountain Collective Pass.
Vail makes minimal changes to Epic Pass for next year.
Indy Pass adds Burke Mountain, Vermont and Tenney Mountain, New Hampshire.
The family behind Wisconsin Resorts Inc. want to buy Burke Mountain but the resort’s receiver says he has a better buyer.
Wisconsin Resorts-owned Searchmont, Ontario teases multiple future terrain expansions on a new trail map.
The group behind Perfect North Slopes, Indiana will operate Swiss Valley, Michigan
A rope evacuation at Norway Mountain, Michigan.
Fresh off building four new lifts, Powder Mountain has two more in the pipeline.
Ski Cooper, Colorado slashes midweek tickets to $45, revenue surges.
Also at Cooper, a skier is airlifted to the hospital after falling from a lift.
Vail settles a lawsuit with a woman who fell from a lift at Stevens Pass.
Park City gets Pioneer going for the first time this season.
Woods Valley, New York to replaces its T-Bar with a CTEC quad ending higher on the mountain.
7th Heaven at Blackcomb suffers from delayed openings, closures and reduced speeds due to an electrical issue.
Snowbird’s Mineral Basin Express repair timeline is extended due to storms.
Whaleback Mountain’s only chairlift is closed all week due to mechanical.
Sandia Peak works to revive mothballed Chair 2.
A 2005 Doppelmayr Funifor suffers a serious incident in Italy involving a severed haul rope and cabin colliding into the bottom terminal. The lift was outside operating hours and one operator suffered minor injuries.

News Roundup: Olympic Infrastructure

February 4, 2022February 4, 2022Peter Landsman16 Comments

Sugarbush’s Slide Brook Express may remain closed for the entire season.
More brand new trail maps pop up: Black Mountain, New Hampshire and Sunlight, Colorado.
Camp 10 in Wisconsin rope evacuates its only chairlift.
Approximately 170 people are roped down from the F quad at Elk Mountain, Pennsylvania.
Another Elk Mountain lift is the subject of a viral video.
Cedar Pass, California won’t open this season due to required haul rope replacement.
Boyne Resorts considers changing Shawnee Peak’s name back to Pleasant Mountain.
The four people arrested for damaging the San Diego Zoo Skyfari are United States Marines and have yet to be charged with any crimes.
Fortress Mountain’s owners now aim for a December 2023 reopening.
Lake Louise opens the Juniper expansion and high speed quad.
MND Group reports half year results with revenue up 41 percent to €39.7 million and snowmaking/ropeway sales increasing 79 percent.
Telluride seeks public input on the future of the gondola.
Operations remain limited at three Vail-owned Ohio mountains while other regional areas report being 100 percent open.
Two Park City media outlets cover residents’ frustration with Vail Resorts over closed lifts, crowding and traffic.
The Sandia Peak Tramway is seeking a tram maintenance manager and aerial tram mechanic.
Work begins on bike trails which could eventually be serviced by gondola in Idaho Springs, Colorado.
Caberfae Peaks releases a rendering of where its new triple chair will go.
Fourteen Doppelmayr lifts will support the Beijing Olympics including 9 at the brand new downhill venue.
Stevens Pass aims to finally open all its lifts by the middle of February.
A resident floats the idea of a gondola running from a ferry terminal to business district on Bowen Island, British Columbia.
Citing crowding, Berkshire East institutes a reservation requirement for Indy Pass holders.
Whaleback aims to have its chairlift back in action by Sunday.

News Roundup: Ramping Up

January 28, 2022Peter Landsman3 Comments

As of the January 3rd Utah Passenger Ropeway Safety Committee meeting, Doppelmayr USA had sold approximately 30 lifts for 2022.
Skytrac is already hiring construction employees for the upcoming build season.
Sierra at Tahoe installs and splices a new rope on the fire-damaged Grandview Express, a key milestone toward reopening.
An Italian maintenance technician succumbs to injuries sustained from being hit by a gondola cabin.
Whaleback closes its chairlift due to a motor issue.
The New York Times explores why some resorts are experiencing more staff shortages than others, the Denver Post talks with Epic Pass customers from across the country about their experiences this season.
A number of lifts haven’t opened at Park City this year due to staff shortages; one of Crotched Mountain’s four chairlifts has no chairs on it.
Vail Resorts Executive Chairperson Rob Katz joins the Storm Skiing Podcast to talk about remarkable growth of the company and this season’s challenges.
Passholders at Stevens Pass are offered $150 off next year’s pass or the same amount in resort credit as a result of operational difficulties.
Vail offers $13.1 million to settle lawsuits alleging labor violations.
Le Massif introduces a Kevin Mastin trail map showing its new lift and removal of a disused gondola.
Poma provides an update on the world’s largest current 3S project.
Another insightful podcast: Indy Pass founder Doug Fish on the growth of that product.
Lake Louise says testing of the Juniper Express is underway with a delayed opening now planned for February.
The agency operating three New York State ski areas proposes a $105 million capital budget for 2023.
Gore Mountain unveils a $30 million redevelopment plan for the North Creek Ski Bowl including replacing the Hudson triple with a longer detachable quad.
A Colorado county passes on partnering with Florida developers to reopen Cuchara.
Big Snow American Dream still doesn’t know when it will reopen.
The City of Burnaby, British Columbia officially endorses the Burnaby Mountain Gondola proposal.
Alaska’s newest ski area will need at least $10 million to install its next lift.

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