Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Dreamer
- Italian ski operators settle an antitrust probe with a €30 million compensation fund.
- Bartholet unveils its next generation detachable utilizing HTI’s Ropera technology with Arosa, Switzerland the launch customer.
- Alterra lays off employees in both corporate and destination roles.
- Voting opens for this year’s SAM Rise Up Challenge with six resorts in the running.
- A Leitner urban gondola stops and shakes but otherwise fares well during a severe earthquake in Cali, Colombia.
- A China-Russia tramway originally set to be built by Poma will finally be completed this year.
- The future longest monocable gondola goes vertical in Dominica.
- Photos show fire severed the haul rope on Maverick Mountain’s chairlift, scattering chairs everywhere.
- Eagle Point’s owner updates the public on the path path to fire recovery.
- Loon Mountain says goodbye to the Little Sister double.
- 49 Degrees North’s new quad to be named Dreamer.
- Thanks to readers Matt and Tyler for these photos of Sugar Bowl’s new gondola.
Wildfire Reaches Montana’s Maverick Mountain
Another wildland fire reached a western ski area last night, this time Maverick Mountain. The community ski area near Dillon, Montana posted this morning that “with heavy hearts, we are sad to say the Sand Creek Fire is actively inside the ski area boundary.” The main lodge remained standing, but the area’s lone chairlift sustained unknown damage. “We won’t know the extent of the damages until we regain access to the property,” said the ski area. Maverick’s chairlift dates back to 1969 and was already eyed for eventual replacement. In 2024, Maverick acquired Poma quads from both Aspen Mountain and Jackson Hole with hopes of combining them into one lift.
The Sand Creek Fire started on August 1st and has burned nearly 20,000 acres. Today’s news follows a similar story out of Utah, where the Cottonwood Fire damaged a majority of Eagle Point’s five lifts. Last week the Southern Utah resort announced it wouldn’t open this season due to extensive damage. Across the west, other fires threaten Mt. Hood Meadows in Oregon and Showdown, Montana.
“A big thank you to all the people on the front line and everyone who has helped us this far,” Maverick posted. “Please keep our community in your thoughts.”
Instagram Tuesday: Leitner 2S
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Ultra High Capacity
- Eagle Point, Utah won’t open this season due to extensive fire damage.
- Doppelmayr works to build the world’s highest capacity urban gondola system in Guatemala with two lines, 12 stations and 495 12 place cabins capable of moving 5,500 riders per hour/direction/line.
- An urban gondola in Africa closes after just a few weeks due to low ridership, high ticket prices, vandalism and resident fears.
- A new lawsuit alleges Alterra, Vail, Boyne, Powdr, NSAA and RRC Associates illegally colluded on destination resort pricing (full text here.)
- Oregon OSHA fines Mt. Hood Skibowl $43,000 over a fatal maintenance incident, alleging staff operated a work carrier beyond limitations after receiving no formal training on it (the area has appealed.)
- Doppelmayr to embark on a major expansion in Wolfurt.
- The sale of Eldora still hasn’t closed ten months after initially planned.
- A long-lost Indiana ski area with Riblet quad could reopen.
- Snowmass to move forward with a SkyCab replacement next fall.
- Cannon Mountain delays the due date for new tramway bids to September 2nd.
- Casper, Wyoming solicits bids for a new Hogadon chairlift, due August 28th.
- Doppelmayr submits the winning bid for a new quad at Glen Eden, Ontario.
- Camelback to sell hundreds of chairs from four retired lifts.
- Graffer finally nears completion of a unique gondola intended to open for last winter’s Olympics in Italy.
- An investigation finds parts improperly installed decades ago combined with a misload and unevenly loaded chair caused a deropement at Vail last winter.
- Blacktail Mountain’s founders describe creating the newest US ski area on Forest Service land.
- The National Park Service joins numerous other parties objecting to Grand Targhee’s proposed expansion.
- Lake Louise to complete a systems modernization and capacity upgrade on Top of the World.
- Skytrac completes Snowbird’s new Chickadee chair in just 76 days.
- Cape Smokey, Nova Scotia maps out three future lifts.
- The Summit at Snoqualmie drops Ikon Pass reservations, leaving just Deer Valley, Jackson Hole and Loon requiring them.
- From the classifieds: a Doppelmayr pulse gondola for sale.
- Leitner-Poma makes great strides on a 3,600 pph gondola in Canyons Village at Park City.
Instagram Tuesday: Standing Tall
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Powder
- Aspen Mountain retires Lift 1A with replacement plans uncertain.
- Bartholet completes its first tramway with Sigma Cabins and a new design utilizing tubular towers.
- Cape Smokey, Nova Scotia teases what looks like a major expansion with a new lift.
- An Eagle Point damage assessment shared with the Utah Passenger Ropeway Safety Committee finds one lift undamaged, another with light to moderate damage and three lifts heavily impacted by fire and heat. The resort might partially reopen this winter but faces a lengthy road to recovery.
- Telluride’s transit agency postpones selection of a new gondola manufacturer while officials clarify Buy America requirements with the Federal Transit Administration.
- A Poma Alpha quad briefly catches fire in Chile.
- Alterra could receive millions in public financing to relocate headquarters within Denver after considering a move to Salt Lake City.
- Park City’s Eagle and Silverlode replacement approvals are upheld, moving the projects closer.
- The Forest Service publishes the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Brian Head’s proposed expansion with several new alternatives.
- Whistler leaders receive a preliminary study into a valley gondola connecting Whistler Village, Creekside and Function Junction.
- Thanks to reader Roger for sharing shots of Powder Mountain’s four lifts under construction and reader Auston for flying me overhead yesterday.
Instagram Tuesday: Chickadee
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Reinforced
- Red Lodge Mountain settles with the family of a man killed on a lift last year, clarifying in a joint statement his death was caused by a mechanical failure, derailment and collapse rather than a fall. As a result of the incident Red Lodge reinforced towers on the Triple Chair and added anemometers.
- Mountain Capital Partners’ purchase of El Colorado, Chile is called off over antitrust concerns.
- Teton County, Idaho and the State of Wyoming join others objecting to Grand Targhee’s nearly-approved expansion.
- Big Powderhorn, Michigan sells to new independent owners.
- Wachusett lists the former Polar Express for sale.
- The Sandia Peak Tram to receive new carriages and hangers in 2027.
- In addition to being damaged by wildfire, Eagle Point becomes inaccessible due to floods.
- As repairs continue, the Goldbelt Tram remains closed with another update expected in two weeks.
- The President imposes new tariffs of 10 to 12.5 percent on the European Union, Switzerland, Canada and numerous other nations and says more EU tariffs are coming.
Instagram Tuesday: Showcase
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
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