Doppelmayr to Build Three New Detachables at Mont-Sainte-Anne

Peter Landsman11 Comments

Mont-Sainte-Anne today announced a groundbreaking order for three Doppelmayr lifts to revitalize the mountain’s aging infrastructure over the next three years. The order, signed on March 26th and among Doppelmayr Canada’s largest ever, encompasses two six place chairlifts and a 10 place gondola. The project will be funded in part with a CA$50 million loan from Investissement Québec, a government economic development agency. Mont-Sainte-Anne’s owner, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, will fund an equal portion.

A new Express du Sud will debut first in February 2027. The bubble six pack will follow a completely new alignment, replacing both the current Express du Sud detachable and La Tortue fixed grip, both of which date back to 1986. Whistler-based Ecosign sited this lift so skiers can access North, South and East slopes from a single unload point just below the summit. Express du Sud’s 97 bubble chairs will travel at a speed of five meters per second with a trip time of 7.3 minutes, The UNI-G lift will transport 2,400 people per hour and become the first six place bubble in Eastern Canada. Tree clearing will begin this summer and both existing lifts will remain operational into next winter until the new lift is ready.

Come December 2027, Doppelmayr will complete the first 10 place gondola in Eastern Canada, replacing the mountain’s 1989 vintage gondola. This UNI-G system will include 65 CWA Omega IV level walk in cabins with individual seats and floor-to-ceiling windows. The gondola will fly a brisk six meters per second, lifting 2,600 guests per hour to the summit in just 7.4 minutes. “Designed for four-season use, this facility will also allow the transportation of mountain bikes, facilitating the development of a summer offering,” noted Mont-Sainte-Anne. “It will become much more than just a means of transportation: an experience in itself, suitable for skiers as well as visitors, groups and convention customers.” The base of the gondola will shift toward L’Express du Sud to coincide with redevelopment of the village and beginner area.

Finally a second six pack will open on the North side of the mountain in December 2028, replacing both a 1987 detachable quad and 1970s T-Bar. This UNI-G detachable will include 67 non-bubble chairs moving at five meters per second. A ride will run just 4.6 minutes with an hourly capacity of 2,600 skiers. When Express du Nord is complete, Mont-Sainte-Anne will have replaced five aging lifts with three modern machines. Mont-Sainte-Anne noted it selected Doppelmayr after a competitive bid process in part due to the Austrian company’s head office in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, “providing superior guarantees for installation and adherence to schedules.”

Mont-Sainte-Anne also plans to install a mountain coaster and revitalize the snowmaking system together with the new lifts. “This project marks a turning point for Mont-Sainte-Anne, said Maxime Cretin, Vice President and General Manager, Eastern Region for Resort of the Canadian Rockies. “It allows us not only to modernize our infrastructure, but also to rethink the overall experience offered to our visitors starting next season, by focusing on performance, comfort and innovation.”

News Roundup: Skyway

Peter Landsman6 Comments

Sugarbush Plans North Ridge Replacement

Peter Landsman13 Comments

Alterra-owned Sugarbush Resort intends to replace its oldest chairlift next year, subject to state approval. The North Ridge Express, which began life lower on Mt. Ellen as the Green Mountain Express, would be removed in spring 2027 and swapped for a Doppelmayr UNI-G detachable quad. The project is expected to cost $10 million, including $2 million of site preparation and utilities work. The new lift would transport 2,400 skiers per hour and follow the same alignment as the existing lift. Alterra first eyed replacing North Ridge in 2023 but the project was tabled in favor of other priorities.

Poma constructed the current lift in 1990 as Sugarbush’s first detachable chair. American Skiing Company then moved Green Mountain Express to North Ridge in 1995. NRX currently ranks 7th oldest detachable in New England and has suffered frequent downtime of late, most recently a result of communication line damage. Sugarbush notes the new lift will improve operational reliability and the overall guest experience at Mt. Ellen. North Ridge Express 2.0 is expected to open in time for the 2027-28 ski season.

News Roundup: Spring Winds

Peter Landsman2 Comments

One Dead in Swiss Gondola Detachment

Peter Landsman16 Comments

A cabin fell from a gondola lift in Engelberg, Switzerland this morning, killing the lone occupant. The incident happened on the upper section of the two stage Titlis Xpress, a Garaventa UNI-G system constructed in 2015. More than 100 other passengers were safely unloaded from the lift’s 159 remaining cabins. Swiss media reported a race scheduled to take place nearby was canceled earlier in the morning due to high winds.

Disturbing video from a bystander showed the detached cabin tumble down a steep cliff, ejecting the passenger along the way. The victim was later identified as a 61 year old woman from the area. At a press conference, Titlis Bergbahnen CEO Norbert Patt expressed regret for the accident and noted the company will fully support a government investigation. He said the gondola is regularly maintained to the highest standards. The lift has a wind alarm programmed for 40 km/hr (25 miles per hour) with a wind warning/shutdown occurring at 60 km/hr (37 miles per hour). The Titlis Xpress utilizes CWA Omega IV cabins and Doppelmayr DT-108 grips used widely throughout the world, including in North America.

Several New Lifts Eyed for Aspen Highlands

Peter Landsman9 Comments

Aspen Highlands could join the year-round gondola club alongside Aspen Mountain and Snowmass under a new plan submitted to the Forest Service. Over the past ten seasons, Aspen Highlands averaged 210,000 skier visits with occasional long lines in the base area and a lack of lift redundancy. To address these challenges, the Aspen Highlands 2025 Master Development Plan envisions replacing two of Highlands’ oldest lifts as well as building an infill lift called Apple Strudel. The out-of-base lift experience would change dramatically with a higher capacity ten place gondola replacing the four place Exhibition lift. The new Maroon Bells Gondola would feature a mid-station just below the current Exhibition top terminal with full cabin parking. The gondola would then continue higher and unload at the popular Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro, elevation 10,840 feet. Maroon Bells Gondola would rise a total of 2,750 vertical feet with just under 12,000 feet of slope length. Both the Merry-Go-Round restaurant at the mid-station and Cloud Nine at the top would be expanded and could open year-round. The gondola could also enable early- and late-season skiing on the upper mountain with downloading.

Next door to the new gondola, the Thunderbowl triple would be upgraded to a detachable quad, increasing capacity from 1,200 to 1,800 skiers per hour. This would become a more attractive out-of-base option than the current fixed grip lift and better serve Goldenhorn race terrain.

Finally a new Apple Strudel lift would debut for those looking to lap mid-mountain terrain. This would also create redundancy in case the gondola went down. One interesting aspect of this proposal is a Pomalift called Grand Prix used to run a similar alignment from the 1970s until the early 1990s. The new version would be a detachable quad rising 976 vertical feet in just 4.7 minutes. Apple Strudel would carry 1,800 riders per hour, equal to the nearby Cloud Nine detachable quad.

If all lifts on the plan are completed, Highlands will operate a mostly-detachable fleet including a two stage gondola and four detachable quads. Two fixed grip lifts – Five Trees and Deep Temerity – will continue to spin on the periphery of the mountain. The Forest Service hasn’t yet accepted the new master plan and all projects will require review under the National Environmental Policy Act.

A final, interesting tidbit from the master plan is Aspen Snowmass seeks to connect some or all of its four mountains via lifts. “The technology exists to connect ski areas by aerial tramways, and there are multiple successful examples of these systems in operation in both resort and urban contexts throughout Europe as well as in North and South America,” SE Group notes. “However, the land use complexity, infrastructure costs and construction logistics in the Roaring Fork Valley are such that implementing a linked aerial tramway system across all four ski areas at Aspen/Snowmass provides a tremendous challenge. With that said, conditions are evolving to the point where constructing an aerial tramway connecting Aspen Highlands to Aspen Mountain, to Buttermilk and/or to nodes on the valley floor may prove feasible in the nearer term.”

News Roundup: Spring Debuts

Peter Landsman8 Comments

More Lifts Coming to Powder Mountain for 26-27

Peter Landsman6 Comments

Powder Mountain plans to invest $40 million on the public side of the resort over the next two years with a focus on the Sundown zone. Under new majority owner Reed Hastings, Powder operates a public-private model, with lifts on the eastern half of the resort open only to homeowners. So far, Hastings has added five new lifts since 2023 with up to five more on deck.

DMI expansion on the backside of James Peak seen last summer.

Sundown lies within the public western half of the resort with a variety of terrain for both day and night skiing. By fall 2026, Skytrac will complete a new public lift called DMI, serving 1,000 acres of steeps on the backside of Sundown. Construction began last summer on the triple chair, which will rise 1,796 feet and rank among Skytrac’s steepest-ever lifts. On the front side, Leitner-Poma will replace the existing Sundown quad with a detachable. Powder’s fourth high speed quad will expand both capacity and hours. The old Sundown chair will then move to become a beginner chairlift called Doodle. “Doodle allows beginners and ski school students of all ages to get efficient laps on a gentle, dedicated pitch,” said Powder. In addition to three new lifts, the Sundown Lodge will be replaced with a modern 15,000 square foot facility featuring ski school, rentals and dining for 2027-28. “This development plan is a demonstration of our commitment to keeping Powder a thriving public ski resort for generations to come,” said Powder President Brandi Hammon. “As a local and an avid skier, the team and I are committed to our community and season passholders and will continue investing in their on-mountain experience.”

PowMow didn’t announce specifics for the private side known as Powder Haven, though construction began on a new Half Pint chairlift last summer that could also be completed this year. For this project, Powder opted to repurpose equipment from the old Paradise quad for a new high-alpine neighborhood. Powder’s master plan also calls for a new lift up Cobabe Canyon, which could eventually replace the aging Sunrise Poma. For now, Powder Mountain says the Sunrise lift will remain publicly accessible for the 2026/27 season regardless of further lift development on the private side.

Powder Haven Half Pint lift under construction last summer.