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Well, 38 lifts representing 56,644 VTFH ain’t half bad. It’s no record-setter, but it’s also nothing to be alarmed by. Sometimes it’s OK to be average.

If we look over the last eight years, the average number of lifts installed is 37.87, so our figure of 38 seems to be right in line. Moving to VTFH numbers (see box this page for an explanation) it appears to be the lowest to date, coming in at 56,644. But, the VTFH number is only one way to measure lift construction activity. What it doesn’t take into account is that the most massive projects sometimes reflect the least amount of VTFH. Take, for example, that new Doppelmayr CTEC Peak 2 Peak gondola at Whistler/Blackcomb, which contributed a paltry 488 VTFH to our total, and yet represents one of the biggest lift projects in the history of uphill transportation. And the Leitner-Poma gondola at Winter Park weighs in with just 232 VTFH. These are some impressive connectors that aren’t climbing much of anything, but they sure are moving people around the hills.

Indeed, gondolas and trams dominate the lift story this year. From the aforementioned Whistler/Blackcomb project to the replacement of Jackson Hole’s storied tram (both of which will be featured in an article in the upcoming March issue), there were a total of eight larger projects compared to three last year. As for the other installations, it breaks out to eight detachable quads, 16 fixed grip quads, three triples and a platter. There is one six-pack if you count Sunday River’s chondola, which is a six-seater chair and an 8-person gondola.

(Note: VTFH measures the number of skiers and riders who can be transported 1,000 feet vertically in one hour. It is arrived at by multiplying the vertical rise in feet by the capacity in people-per-hour and divided by 1,000.)


REGION BY REGION
When broken out by region, it seems that everyone shared in the VTFH pie. Starting in the East, the region weighed in with nine lifts and 15,436 VTFH. That’s more than double last year’s figure, as well as being on the higher end of the eight-year average. Killington’s monster detachable quad with 3,965 in VTFH accounts for a large part of the total.

In the Midwest, which has seen no installations in years past, skiers and riders will enjoy two spanking new quads at Boyne and Welch Village.

The Mountain region had half as many lifts as last year, coming in at 11, but still accounts for almost 41 percent of the overall VTFH. Utah saw the most action, with five impressive new lifts and a pulse gondola.

Moving west, the Pacific region garnered a little over nine percent of the total VTFH with 5,209. But the numbers aren’t the real story here. It seems the big guys took a year off, while Alyeska, Badger Pass, Boreal, Mt. Baker and Summit-at-Snoqualmie are the ones giving customers something to smile about.

Moving north of the border, Canada came in with almost 21 percent of the VTFH total with 11 new installations, tying the Mountain region. As mentioned earlier, the Whistler/Blackcomb gondola stole all the thunder this year, but there were other impressive projects, too, ranging from the new gondolas at Revelstoke and Mt. Tremblant to Grouse’s expanded uphill capacity with the addition of two quads.


ON THE SURFACE
Conveyor lifts continue to be strong, coming in at 59 this year as opposed to 54 last year. In the tow category, there were four new installations compared to five last year.

Tubing and beginner areas continue to drive the need for these types of lifts, as resorts cater to the less experienced. “Every season we see an increase in tubing conveyor sales, and these are generally longer conveyors,” says Pete Kavanaugh of Star Lifts. “We also have some areas that are using their carpets year round with the growing popularity of summer tubing.”

Another growing trend are loading conveyors. Chairkid and Emmegi each had six installations in North America on both new and existing lifts. “Loading conveyors are a tool that ski areas can employ to reduce stops, improve a lift’s operating efficiency, lower workers’ comp claims and generally improve a lift’s overall operational performance,” says Chairkid’s Marc Wood.


LOOKING AHEAD
For the future, both Leitner-Poma’s Rick Spear and Doppelmayr CTEC’s Mike Beeley stress the importance of having a snowy season this year. “Right now we are in a real wait-and-see mode,” says Beeley. “The only near term fix I see is snow, but on the bright side the fuel cost should really help the local resorts.”

Spear adds, “For obvious reasons, I expect a slower lift year in 2009. Obviously, how much slower depends mostly on snowfall and temperatures.” But, he adds, “I am upbeat for the future of the lift business in particular and the ski business in general. I do not see the lift business growing much, but I do see it being steady and that is not a terrible thing.”

And there we have the 2008 lift construction season. Trying to guess how the 2009 construction season will pan out is anybody’s guess. The snow is flying, and they say that’s all we need. It’s time to put that theory to the test.