Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
Tremblant to Complete Timber Expansion in 2027
Alterra-owned Tremblant today announced a CA$42.5 million investment catering to a broad range of skiers. Expanding the Soleil side of the mountain, Timber will open in two phases – a beginner pod with conveyor for winter 2026-27 followed by eight new trails and a detachable quad for 2027-28. “Timber Summit represents much more than an expansion of our ski terrain,” said Patrice Malo, President and Chief Operating Officer of Station Mont Tremblant. “It reflects our commitment to continually elevating the Tremblant experience and creating new opportunities for skiers and snowboarders of all abilities, today’s families, and generations to come.”
Tremblant first announced this project March 10th, 2020, just five days before the entire North American ski industry shut down for Covid. After a six year pause, work began anew last month with tree clearing on the summit. The beginner portion of the expansion will include a 1.1 acre slope ideal for learning and a covered surface lift. “The gentle terrain and dedicated infrastructure will be designed to support progression from guests’ very first turns through the early stages of their skiing journey,” noted Tremblant. On weekends and peak periods, guests will access the zone from the village via the existing Casino Express Gondola.
Higher up on the mountain, crews are working to clear one new trail on the North side of Timber and seven trails on the Soleil side. These will total 62 acres and include 100 percent snowmaking coverage. The Timber Express high speed quad will ascend 1,388 vertical feet and transport 2,400 skiers per hour from the Soleil base, where a new Club Med is also under development. The new lift will become a modern alternative to the aging Soleil Express and span more than a mile (5,900 feet) with 125 chairs. A manufacturer hasn’t yet been selected.
Tremblant’s news comes during a busy period of expansion for Canadian ski areas. At least 16 resorts plan to build new lifts in 2026 and 2027 across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.
News Roundup: Ontario
- A gyrocopter crashes into a utility aerial tram at an Italian dam, killing two onboard the aircraft.
- A French aerial tramway strikes a construction crane, injuring 23 onboard the tram.
- In just nine months, an urban gondola in Paris becomes the most-ridden lift in Europe with over two million passengers.
- The Governor of Utah criticizes MIDA, a state entity started to support the military but now involved with Deer Valley East, Sundance expansion and a proposed data center.
- Vail Resorts faces a shareholder lawsuit.
- Doppelmayr Canada and Gondola Ventures sign a letter of intent to explore aerial gondola transport in Wasaga Beach, Ontario.
- Mt. Jefferson, Maine hits the market.
- Black Mountain to add a mid-station to the existing Triple Chair for beginners.
- Indy Pass teases “huge news” and new partners coming next week.
- Mission Ridge, Washington and Blacktail Mountain, Montana will not be part of the Indy Pass for 2026-27.
- Snow Partners adds seven new mountains to Snow Triple Play and introduces a new frequency product called Snow Pass with western resorts Monarch and Snow King.
- Maverick Mountain begins fundraising to replace its lift that burned down earlier this month.
- Attractions operator Pursuit shares plans to replace both the Jasper SkyTram and Banff Gondola by 2030.
- Tremblant begins preliminary work on the Timber expansion first announced in March 2020.
- A small wildfire closes Park City Mountain for a day.
Instagram Tuesday: Lake
Every Tuesday, I feature my favorite Instagram photos from around the lift world.
News Roundup: Scotch Valley
- Skeetawk, Alaska begins cutting trails for a mid mountain lift.
- Sir Sam’s, Ontario seeks the public’s help to name a new quad chair.
- Aspen Mountain eyes 2029 for a replacement lift 1A.
- Several large gondola projects take shape in India with more to come.
- The Trump Administration moves to repeal the roadless rule, potentially boosting ski expansion opportunities in National Forests.
- Saudi Arabia’s mega ski resort project is dead.
- Reed Hastings talks about his continued buildout of private skiing at Powder.
- Bluewood, Washington receives more parts from Austria but not in time for a used high speed quad to be completed this summer.
- Building a multi-stage gondola from Main Street Park City to Deer Valley’s Snow Park Village and Richardson Flat Park & Ride could cost $73-95 million.
- BC filmmakers plan a documentary about the unsolved Sea to Sky Gondola cable cuts in 2019 and 2020.
- The current owner of closed Scotch Valley, New York to run the chairlift for the community one day only next week.
Instagram Tuesday: In the Air
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.
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