Toggenburg
News Roundup: Contingency Plan
- 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.
News Roundup: Stairway to Heaven
- Avideo shows theKicking Horse incident was exacerbated by running the damaged hanger to a tower, causing the lift to de-rope. Thegondola will beclosed at least a week and likely longer; the resort will allow guests to hike or skin toStairway to Heaven.
- The snowboarder whodied after falling from Red Lodge Mountain’s Triple Chair on Monday is identified as37 year old Jeffrey Zinne of Billings in an incident described as a “malfunction.”
- A child was airlifted to Denver afterfalling 35 feet from thePurgatory Village Express the same day as the Kicking Horse and Red Lodge incidents.
- Leitner-Poma postsjobs for ski lift installers at Bretton Woods, Loveland, OZ Trails Bike Park, Powder Mountain, Snowmass, Snowbasin, Taos and Wasatch Peaks Ranch.
- New York Statewins its case against a ski resort owner for buying Toggenburg to close it and reduce competition.
- Snowbasin to sell chairs from the Becker liftfor charity.
- Loup Loup, Washington ends its season early due to arequired motor repair.
- Vail’sRiva Bahn Express has beenclosed all week due to a gearbox issue requiring a rebuild.
- Vail Resortsreports 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 Hampshirestill plans to reopen theHornet some time this winter following a gearbox issue.
- Another lawsuit is filed against the Little Cottonwood gondola proposal.
- Attitashreopens theFlying Bear five weeks after achair 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 chairsunrelated 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 newSky Village Express.
- Whistler Blackcomb completes amid-season rope inspection and splice due to a broken haul rope strand on theEmerald 6 Express.
- WB alsopulls the plug on summer skiing due to glacial recession and its impact on lift access.
- A community co-op effort wasunable to submit a bid for Mt. Bachelor.
- Vista Ridge, Albertacloses both its chairlifts indefinitely to conduct a review following several evacuations.
- Alpental willclose 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 ondiesel generators for a decade, theSea to Sky Gondola‘s upper terminal is connected to grid power for the first time.
- Whaleback, New Hampshire says itneeds to raise $250,000 to fund off season maintenance and chairlift repairs.
- Titcomb Mountain looks toretire and replaceT-Bar 2.
- Powder Mountain to build aprivate, homeowner only Leitner-Poma detachable quad this summer.
- Snowbird’sMineral Basin reopening is further delayed due to “unforseen additional issues“.
- The Forest Serviceapproves Alta to replaceSupreme with a new lift and noeight degree bend.
- Pending approval of its members, Bryce Resortplans to install a third Skytrac on the backside of the mountain this summer.
News Roundup: 4,570
- A lawsuit against the proposed Los Angeles gondola isthrown out.
- Durango, Colorado works toreplace both lifts at its community ski hill.
- The owner of closed Toggenburg Mountainagrees to maintain and not liquidate the property while it’s for sale.
- Anupcoming eight seater in Austria will acheive the world’s highest chairlift capacity: 4,570 skiers per hour.
- The Rock Snowpark in Wisconsinchanges its name back to Crystal Ridge.
- The new chairlift that was supposed to open at the Tennessee State Fair this yeardidn’t get finished in time.
- A few more hours to vote for the Ski Area Management & Leitner-Poma lift mechanicRise Up Challenge.
News Roundup: Les Otten
- Leitner-Pomaplaces the only bid to modernize theCannon Mountain Aerial Tram for $29 million, 60 percent more than the state’s $18 million estimate.
- Agondola is considered to connect Dawson City to a neighboring town across the Yukon River.
- This week’s viral video shows a skierinadvertently dragging a net up a chairlift in Poland.
- Val Saint-Cômeretires the T-Bar that had a fatal accident last winter.
- Hatley Pointe, North Carolinawon’t open this winter.
- Neither willMt. Timothy, BC.
- Mt. Itasca, Minnesota says itneeds to raise $100,000 to continue operating.
- Titus Mountainpays tribute to ski patroller Rick Finch, who is believed to have died when his backpack became entangled with a chair.
- Les Otten, designer of Sunday River and The Canyons, talks abouthis dream for 23 lifts at The Balsams, building America’s longest chairlift, the Killington-Pico interconnect and more.
- The Busch Gardens gondola in Tampa isset to reopen this weekend after four years closed.
- New York Stateseeks to force a sale of Toggenburg Mountain to an operator who will reopen it.
- Sugarbushaddresses recent lift downtime.
- Whitefish’s Presidentexplains recent challenges with theSnow Ghost Express both in writing and video form.
- A guest allegedlyspent the night stuck on the Heavenly gondola last night.
News Roundup: Birds of Prey
- Apair of osprey nest atop a tower on Beaver Creek’sRiverfront Express, preventing maintenance work for now.
- New York’s Olympic Regional Development Authority plans to spend$80 million on lifts and snowmaking each of the next four years.
- Thefirst 29 cabins will debut on Park City’sRed Pine Gondola June 30th with 26 more to follow next winter.
- SilverStar adds21 new cabins to theSchumann Summit Express gondola.
- The first urban gondola in Canadacould go out to bid in 2025.
- Leitner-Pomasecures a tax credit for its upcoming facility in Utah.
- White Passretires thePigtail II double, the second oldest chairlift in the country dating back to 1958.
- The asking price for closed Toggenburg Mountaindrops to $1.995 million.
- Leitner and Poma partner with a solar energy company to offerphotovoltaic panels on detachable lift terminals.
- Lake Louise formally announces theUpper Juniper Express, to be built by Doppelmayr over the next two summers.
- A worker dies in afall from an Italian aerial tramway while performing maintenance work.
- Chair 2 at Snow Valley isbeing shortened to become a beginner lift.
- Mt. Holly’s second detachable quad will be calledLightning Express.
- Snowmassseeks Forest Service approval to replaceConey Glade andCirque.
- Cannon Mountainlooks to announce a new tram on July 7th, the 85th anniversary of the original tram.
News Roundup: Reimagine Crystal
- Crystal Mountainputs a timeline on Reimagine Crystal: Bullion Basin/Gold Hills expansion in 2023/24 and Campbell Basin Gondola/Mt. Rainer Gondola upgrade/Discovery shortening in 2024/25.
- Interesting terminals take shape in New Hampshire: a pancake-style return at Waterville Valley and a UNI G skin on an older Doppelmayr at Loon Mountain.
- Labrador Mountain and Song Mountain President Peter Harrisdefends the closure of Toggenburg Mountain.
- In Quebec, closed ski area Val Neigette and its Doppelmayr quad arefor sale.
- More new trail maps showing new lifts:Arapahoe Basin,Big Boulder,Breckenridge,Loon Mountain,Steamboat andStowe
- SunKid builds a newworld’s longest conveyor lift.
- Lutsen’s new six pack will be calledRaptor Express.
- The National Labor Relations Board willhold a hearing on Park City lift mechanics’ unionization effort November 1st.
- I join Tom Kellyon the Ski Utah podcast to talk about new lifts in Utah and more.
- The parent company of Grouse Mountain and Revelstoke and providesan update on the proposed Garibaldi at Squamish resort.
News Roundup: Allegations
- With energy at a premium in Europe, Leitnershowcases technology which regulates the speed of a ropeway based on rider demand.
- The nonprofit which has been running Big Squaw says the sale to Big Moose Development still hasn’t been completed and this season willcontinue as normal.
- Sugarbush confirms aHeaven’s Gate replacement is in the works but itwon’t happen in 2023 as lift prices surge and lead times increase.
- Ropeway pioneer Willy Garaventadies at the age of 88.
- Los Angeles releases theEnvironmental Impact Statement for the Dodger Stadium gondola project.
- Names for the five new Skytracs at Jack Frost Big Boulder are: Blue Heron, Harmony, Paradise, Pocono and Tobyhanna.
- Groupe Le Massifremains interested in acquiring Mont-Sainte-Anne from Resorts of the Canadian Rockies and would also be open to acquiring Stoneham as part of a deal.
- Aftermultiple years of construction, Ontario’s Mt. Baldy finally has a new chairlift.
- Mount Snow willsell more double, triple and quad chairs for charity.
- New York’s Attorney Generalsues the owners of Labrador Mountain and Song Mountain, alleging their purchase and closure of nearby Toggenburg was anti-competitive. Former Toggenburg/current Greek Peak owner John Meier agreed to pay the State $195,000 and will cooperate in the case against Labrador and Song’s parent company.
- The Governor of Utahthrows his support behind the Little Cottonwood gondola project.
- Anew document shows where Mammoth’s relocatedPanorama Gondola and new Big Bend chairlift would run as part of theEvolving Main project.
- The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania againseeks an operator to revive the Denton Hill Ski Area.
News Roundup: Uniting Legends
- Palisades Tahoe postsmore details on itsGondola andRed Dog projects. The gondola will include 96 cabins and a name will be released later this summer.
- The Telluride-Mountain Village gondola is likely to be replaced with abrand new system.
- Steamboat’s newest high speed quad will be calledGreenhorn Ranch Express.
- Stowe to sell chairs from theMountain Triple today; its replacement will becalled Sunrise.
- Mount Snow is alsoselling chairs now fromSunbrook andTumbleweed.
- Northstar too.
- Keystone’s new six pack will be calledBergman Express.
- Utah smashes its all time skier day record with5.8 million visits.
- New Hampshire skier visitsdrop 3 percent.
- Looking for a rewarding job in the mountains? Leitner-Poma is stillhiring installation team members to build lifts across North America.
- For the first time in years, theBlackcomb Glacier is open for summer skiing.
- Arizona Snowbowltemporarily closes due to regional wildfires.
- Toggenburg goesback on the market with a list price of $2.9 million.
- Sterling Vineyardsreleases renderings of its new gondola cabins.
- The family of a woman killed when a chairlift malfunctionedreaches a confidential settlement with Granby Ranch.
News Roundup: First Chair
- Park City Mountain Resort tells elected leaders thatvisitation and lift wait times are flat compared to previous seasons.
- Sugarbushborrows parts from theSlide Brook Express to keepSuper Bravo going. Ablog post discusses lift staffing/lift maintenance and hints at future lift replacements.
- Waterville Valley shows offthe first chair for its upcoming bubble lift.
- The hard work continues to repair immense damage at Sierra at Tahoe.
- Closed New York ski area Toggenburg isput up for sale.
- Anunfortunate viral video shows a fight between security and Blue Mountain guests in theOrchard Express loading area over masks.
- Mt. Bachelor says theSkyliner Express willmiss the entire season.
- Two Black Hawk helicopterscrash land near the base of Snowbird’sMineral Basin Express; no injuries reported.
- Despite an alleged $4.5 million theft, backers of the Mighty Argo Cable Car look tobegin tower foundations as soon as this winter.
- Vancouver’s transit agency posts aBurnaby Mountain Gondola roadmap.
- Achild is injured in a fall from a Camden Snow Bowl chairlift.
News Roundup: Valleys
- Bear Valleylists theKuma triple for sale.
- Deer Valleyplans to move the bottom terminals ofCarpenter Express,Silver Lake Express andSnowflake downhill as part of Snow Park redevelopment. Space will also be saved for apossible Park City gondola link.
- Mayflower developers want to buildbuild a signature lift linking to the Sultan pod at Deer Valley.
- Squaw Valleysolicits the public’s help to rename theSquaw Creek triple.Squaw One Express is expected to be renamed separately in partnership with the Washoe Tribe.
- Hickory Ski Center, closed since 2005, says there’s a “strong possibility” ofreopening this winter.
- Both Leitner-Poma of America and Doppelmayr Cable Carbid to build an automated people move in Kuala Lampur, though Bombardier is said to be the frontrunner.
- The Leitner portion of Cablebús Mexico Citylaunches Sunday.
- A Grand Targhee expansion proposalfaces more opposition in Teton Valley, Idaho, though the project would be located on federal land in Wyoming.
- Baldy Mountain Resortthrows in the towel on summer due to British Columbia wildfires.
- Timberline Lodge will end ski seasonthree weeks early due to snowmelt.
- Leitner opens anew production facility in Slovakia focused on tower and steel fabrication.
- Toggenburg’s lifts areindeed for sale.
- Victoria, Australia resortsshut down again due to coronavirus.
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