• Anupdated 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 theDraft Supplemental Environmental Report for the proposed Dodger Stadium gondola.
• The Forest Serviceapproves Vail’s proposed replacements for lifts15 and21.
• Spirit Mountain’s new Leitner-Poma quadto be called Highline.
• Asked about new lifts on theVail 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 bepurchased by local municipalities.
• Somecool pictures of the nearly complete Mighty Argo Cable Car.
• A BC indigenous groupacquires additional land for the proposed Cascade Skyline Gondola.
• BigRock, Maine introduces anew trail map painted by Rad Smith.
• Part of the former Iron Mountain Ski Area near Kirkwood goesup for sale. A reader who’d like to remain anonymous sent along these recent photos of five abandoned lifts.

Stratton Mountain plans to build its seventh detachable lift, a quad replacing the agingTamarack triple. The new chair will follow the existing alignment with the top terminal shifting slightly uphill. Strattonapplied for Vermont Act 250 approval on August 22nd. Drawings show Doppelmayr as the builder utilizing UNI-G equipment at a cost of $8.5 million. The new lift will utilize a bottom drive, top tension configuration with a manual parking rail adjacent to the bottom station. The alignment will utilize 10 towers along a 575 foot vertical rise.

Tamarack Express will be Stratton’s first new chairlift in eight years and improve access to beginner and low intermediate trails. I’m told the goal is to install the lift ahead of the 2026-27 season, subject to environmental approval.

• Homewood toreopen next season but its D-Line gondoladelivered in 2023 won’t be installed this summer.
• Powdrabandons plans to sell Mt. Bachelor.
• Powdr’s sale of Eldora is said to be in thefinal stages.
• Le Massif, Quebecsigns on to the Ikon Pass.
• New details emerge from the antitrust case against the owner of Song Mountain and Labrador Mountain, New York; he plans to appeal.
• Whaleback, New Hampshire looks towarda new chairlift.
• Sun Valleyseeks to be removed from a lawsuit filed by a homeowner regarding the placement of the newFlying Squirrel quad.
• Stratton’sAmerican Express closes early and will reopen for summer later than normal for amajor systems modernization.
• The Forest Serviceapproves Steamboat to replaceSunshine Express with a six pack.
• The world’ssecond largest gondola network is proposed in India with 15 stations and 660 cabins.
• If Bluewood, Washington can’t complete its planned relocation of a used high speed quad from Austria next season, it willkeep its Borvig lift and credit passholders $100.
• The US government implements ablanket 20% tariff on goods from the European Union and 31% on products from Switzerland, both major source regions for lift components.
• Skeetawk, Alaskaworks to repair its only chairlift but snow may run out first.
• Arctic Valley, Alaska’sT-Bar will be inoperable the rest of the season due to anincident damaging the haul rope.
• Holiday Mountain, New York looks to reopen long lost terrain with athird chairlift.
• Alta torealign Supreme this summer, re-doing every foundation and re-using towers and terminals.
• Castle Mountain’s expansion lift to be calledStagecoach Express.
• The owner of Berkshire East and Catamount would operate Burke Mountain under aproposed sale to local investors. The group also plans torefurbish the J-Bar and relocate Willoughby if the sale goes through.

• Killington’sSuperstar lift replacement willcancel the 2025 Killington World Cup; chairs from Superstar will move toGolden Express at Pico.
• An unseated passenger issuccessfully caught in a deceleration net at Killington.
• Powderhorn plans adetachable replacement forWest End.
• Gunstock loses itssummit chairlift for much of the holiday weekdue to gearbox failure.
• Silver Mountain, Idahorope evacuatesChair 4 due to a power outage and evacuation engine failure (now back open).
• A falling tree in high wind causes athree tower deropement on theBelleaye Express at Belleayre, New York (scheduled to reopen some time tomorrow).
• The same storm leads to aderopement and rope evacuation at Pats Peak, New Hampshire (back open).
• And theroof blows off Stratton’sgondola top terminal (also back open).
• Following three recent incidents in the state, New Hampshire clarifies how itstramway oversight works.
• Brattleboro Ski Hill in Vermont closes due to anelectric motor issue.
• Arkansasadopts the ANSI standard in advance of its first chairlift installation.
• Pioneer at Park Citystill hasn’t run this season but may soon.
• Cannon’s tramway is still on track for$19 million in upgrades.
• Sugarloafconfirms plans to install Big Sky’s formerSix Shooter to replaceTimberline, a two year project.
• Stevens Passrope evacuates the newKehr’s quad at night.
• Echo Mountain, Coloradoalso has a night rope evac.
• Timberlinecloses the Molly’s detachable quad due to damage to a tower from a snow cat.
• Tenney Mountain, New Hampshireloses its main lift due to a mechanical issue.
• Hersheypark, Pennsylvaniaretires its chairlift ride.

• The Summit at Snoqualmie releases renderings of and begins construction on thenew Wildside Quad.
• Jay Peakintends to replaceBonaventure next summer.
• Stratton eyes replacingTamarack with ahigh speed quad in 2025, may swap thegondola for a bubble six or eight place chairlift after that.
• Brian Head, Utah appears to beworking on an expansion.
• Powder Mountain plans to build anew lift in Wolf Canyon next year and add additional private terrain in the Davenport zone. Owner Reed Hastings tells theNew York Timesprivatized terrain will subsidize the money-losing public operation.

• Awild video from Italy shows the dangers of bubble chairs in high winds (no injuries).
• Obstructors sue tohalt progress on the proposed Los Angeles Dodger Stadium gondola.
• Park Cityhighlights unique operational aspects of openingNinety Nine 90 with no electricity or vehicle access to the summit.
• The Forest Serviceapproves Sun Valley’s Seattle Ridge six pack, slated for this summer, and the future Christmas chondola.
• Whistler Blackcomb debutstwo wrapped cabins on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola with designs crafted by indigenous artists.
• Hatley Pointeworks to reactivate two backside chairlifts, teases another lift upgrade skiers will be “really surprised” about.
• Deer Valleyhopes to break ground on a Snow Park-Silver Lake gondola in 2025, says the linecould eventually become part of a five segment network from East Village all the way to Old Town Park City with stops at Park Peak, Silver Lake and Snow Park.
• Highlander ishiring construction crew members for multiple lift installations at Deer Valley this summer.
• Sun Peaksfaces another lawsuit for anotherBurfield Quad mis-unload.
• Sugarbush catches flak forclosing much of Lincoln Peak early to begin construction of the new Heaven’s Gate quad.
• There’sfurther evidence MND will launch a new detachable line at Mountain Planet next month.
• Funding for a new Telluride-Mountain Village gondola will likelybe on the ballot this fall alongside the Presidential choice.

• Winter Park’s Gondola becomes thethird direct drive lift to open in as many weeks in the United States.  As of October, there were zero!
• Pico isadded to Ikon, bringing the pass to 40 mountains with a combined 474 lifts in the the US and Canada.
• The Hermitage Club won’t reopen until Januaryat the earliest.
• The last of British Columbia’s seven new lifts debuts at Sun Peaks.
• I did a double take on this lift: a D-Line gondola withCarvatech cabins.
• The new American Flyer isvery close to becoming the world’s longest bubble chair.
• Stratton’s new high speed quad is now set to openearly in the new year.
• Skeetawkremains on track to become Alaska’s eleventh lift-served ski area next winter with a SkyTrans triple chair.
• An 8 year-old boy sustains only minor injuries falling 33 feet off a lift at Nordic Valley.
• The Colombian capital of Bogotá launches a $73 million urban gondola called TransMiCable.
• Frost Fire says itcannot open yet due to “contractual obligations with our chairlift,” a brand newSkytrac quad.
• Big Sky brings high speed access to the southern flank of Lone Peak withShedhorn 4.

A large pipe broke on Christmas Eve at Stratton Mountain Resort, sending a gush of water into the path of the mountain’s gondola.  Videos circulating on social media show a few cabins bearing the brunt of the geyser and Stratton Mountain Resort released the following statement via yesterday’s snow report:

“At about 3:30 pm Christmas Eve, a break in a snowmaking pipe on Lower Standard sent water at a 45 degree angle toward the gondola.  Snowmaking computers showed a drop in pressure and operators immediately began the process of shutting down the system. The operations team simultaneously stopped the lift, restarting it slowly to reposition the cabins. Approximately seven minutes later, the gondola made its way to the summit where guests disembarked. We are pleased to report that no one was injured in what was a scary episode for seven skiers and riders in two gondola cabins. The gondola is running as usual today and snowmaking operations continue using alternate pipes in the network.”

The Poma-built Stratton Mountain Gondola opened in 1988 and received 58 new Sigma Diamond cabins in 2014.  Thankfully the water line broke near the gondola and not under an open chairlift.  Great job Stratton crews moving cabins out of harm’s way and getting the water stopped so quickly.

• Australia’sFinancial Review reports Vail Resorts will acquire Falls Creek and Mt. Hotham from Merlin Entertainments for about $85 million USD.
• With its purchase of Deer Valley, Alterra Mountain Companynow owns about half the land under Park City’sJupiter chair.
• Gore Mountainevacuates theNorthwoods Gondola by rope.
• Salt Lake City is selected to bid for another Winter Olympics.
• Telluride CEO Bill Jensen joinsCNBC’sSquawk Box to discuss the economics behind the Epic and Ikon passes.
• The top shack of Anthony Lakes’only chairliftblows over just before planned opening day.
• The Adventure Group of Whistler proposes buildinga 9,000′ gondola on Oahu.  Hawaii is one of only five U.S. states currently without an aerial lift.
• Mt. Spokane grows by 279 acres with seven new runs anda Skytrac named Northwood.
• Europe’s new highest ropeway is also the pinnacle of industrial design.
• The Hunter North expansion and shiny Northern Express six place chairliftlaunch Christmas Eve.
• Days before the second DirectDrive detachable is set to open at Copper, Jon Mauch of Leitner-Pomaanswers questions about the new lifts.
• In France, La Plagne announces an indefinite closure of the first French-manufactured LST detachable due to technical problems.
• Cherry Peak isset to open a third chairlift this season after three years of construction.
• Shuttered Mt. Timothy, BCis purchased by investors who plan to reopen it.
• Vail Resorts-operated Mt. Sunapee is approved to expandinto West Bowl.
• The Zugspitze Cable Carreopens today with a new cabin exactly 100 days afterthis accident.
• Bromont inaugurates North America’s eighth combination chair/gondola lift,L’Express du Village, Sunday morning.
• Check out these photos of the Snowbowl Express build and sweet new color scheme at Stratton.

At just 15 months old,Alterra Mountain Company finds itself with over 200 chairlifts, gondolas and tramways in two countries.  The 13 Alterra mountains mirror the broader ski industry with places like Deer Valley and Crystal Mountain sporting many newer lifts while the average chairlift at June Mountain is 45 years old.

On a Monday last March, the fledgling company based in Denver simultaneously unveiled its very first lift investments at Stratton, Tremblant and Winter Park along with other improvements like snowmaking at Snowshoe and a new restaurant at the base of Steamboat.  Importantly, Alterra committed to spending$555 million in total capital over five years.  That was before it bought Solitude and Crystal Mountain, which could mean even more money flowing over the next few construction seasons.  While last year’s budget only included three new lifts, could we see more in 2019?

Colorado

With the Septemberapproval of major projects by the Forest Service, Steamboat is poised for a comprehensive on-mountain transformation.  Although the timing is fluid, a new Rough Rider learning center at mid-mountain will eventually be serviced by a new gondola from the village.  Here, skiers and snowboarders will be able to choose from three new carpet lifts, a new and improvedBashor lift and a second fixed-grip chair replacing theRough Rider surface tow.

A second initiative Steamboat could undertake in 2019 is the Pioneer Ridge expansion, which includes a 7,000 foot detachable quad and a dozen new trails.  Other possible upgrades include adding chairs to Pony Express (currently at only 1,200 skiers per hour but designed for 2,400)  or new cabins for theSilver Bullet.  Wouldn’t it be cool for the new gondola and original one to have similar cabins?

The average lift at Alterra-operated Winter Park Resort is 27 years old.  Six are early model detachable quads coming up for replacement.  In the case of 32 year old Pioneer Express, an upgrade is overdue and I expect coming in 2019.  A new version could add a snowboarder friendly mid loading station above the last section of Big Valley.

A second project I hope to see is a second stage of the new gondola from Sunspot to Lunch Rock, truly uniting Winter Park and Mary Jane. Sunnyside should be a high speed quad or six pack.  A high speed replacement ofChallenger would be a nice upgrade at Mary Jane. Looking Glass is tied for the oldest operating chairlift in Colorado.  After Pioneer,High Lonesome is the next Poma detachable up for replacement if we go solely by age.

The above Intrawest era master plan earmarkedGemini Express to be converted into an eight passenger gondola with a new learning center surrounding its top station. Endeavor could go detachable as part of this project and/or Discovery made into a fixed grip quad.  Finally, a lift is envisioned to expand Vasquez Ridge Territory with four new intermediate trails. With all of these ideas on the table, I expect Winter Park to get at least one lift in 2019 and hopefully two.

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• Bretton Woods’ upcoming gondola gets a great name: Presidential Bahn.
• Copper updates the public on its big newAmerican Eagle and American Flyer lifts.
• For the third time in six years,Soldier Mountain, Idaho hits the market.  “The current owners have experienced the typical start up challenges that come with operating a ski area that has been under capitalized, under managed and under marketed for many years,” writes Mike Krongel of Mirus Resort Advisors.
• The BC Supreme Courtorders the province to reconsider its2015 decision to pull  Jumbo Glacier Resort’s construction permit over lack of progress.
• Mont Cascades scores a $1.2 million grant from the Government of Quebec to help build the resort’slongest chairlift yet.
• The criminal case of a former employee who may or may not have been stuck on a Gore Mountain chairlift overnight last winterheads to trial.
• Snow King’s possible gondola gains two newalignment options.  GM Ryan Stanley tells the Jackson Hole community “After struggling for so many years to keep the lifts spinning, it is sad to see the negativity associated with proposed improvements to the mountain.”
• The 380 acreCold Springs Canyon expansion and detachable quad areofficially a go for next summer at Sun Valley.
• Doppelmayr nears commissioning of a very cool gondola withspherical cabins,loopy towers andwhimsical stations in Moscow.
• Strattonsays goodbye to the SMS Poma, leaving just seven detachable surface lifts in the country by my count.
• 36 days before opening, go inside the eye-catching Matterhorn 3S gondola by Leitner Ropeways.
• Thanks to Everett and Will for these shots of Big Sky’s trailblazing Ramcharger 8 project.