1998 LiftsÑA Year of Records

For the record, we run our annual explanation of VTFH: the industry’s measurement of work performed by a lift, which also tends to reflect the level of investment quite accurately. It is calculated by multiplying the vertical in feet by the capacity in passengers-per-hour. At *SAM*, we divide the result by 1,000, making it a measurement of the number of people a lift can transport 1,000 vertical feet in an hour.

Other Records

And just for good measure, some other records have been set this year. For the first time in the 37 years we have been recording new lift construction, there isn’t a single surface lift on the list. Then, too, there is a record for the biggest VTFH for a single lift: Garaventa-CTEC’s humongous funitel at Squaw Valley which weighs in with 7,024 VTFH. To put it in perspective, Doppelmayr’s 8-passenger gondola at Tremblant delivers 5,835 in VTFH and the three detachable quads at Snowbasin, Utah range from 5,546 to 5,935—big, muscular lifts by any standard.

Still another record is the average VTFH of all lifts, which this year reached 2,597. The increases have been steady: 2,403 last year, 2267 in 1996 and so on back. In 1988 it was 1,517 and in 1978 just 715.

Quads and Six-Packs

Other trends we pointed to last year continue. Quads and six-packs continue their role as industry workhorses, representing the same 91 percent of all chairlifts built as they did last year. Detachables as a percentage of total chairs, however, dropped marginally from 61 to 59 percent—a range that may last for a while.

Region	New VTFH	Surface	Chair	Gondolas/Trams	Total
East	19,453	–	9	1	10
Midwest	2,185	–	3	–	3
Mountain	69,922	–	17	4	21
Pacific	46,357	–	15	2	17
Canada	28,265	–	12	1	13
Totals	166,182	0	56	8	64

Region	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
East	19	8	10	6	5	15	13	11	12	10
Midwest	4	4	6	3	3	1	4	1	10	3
Mountain	13	16	9	11	13	13	12	24	24	21
Pacific	15	2	5	9	9	9	5	10	9	17
Canada	27	25	18	7	11	13	7	7	6	13
Totals	78	55	48	36	41	51	41	53	61	64

Manufacturer	Surface	Chair	Gondolas/Trams	Total lifts	Total VTFH
Doppelmayr	–	18	6	24	72,586
Garaventa CTEC	–	19	2	21	55,709
Leitner	–	8	–	8	14,186
Partek	–	1	–	1	392
Poma	–	10	–	10	23,309
Totals	0	56	8	64	166,182

Region	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
East	21,702	14,823	19,775	9,129	10,438	31,603	31,781	15,890	32,123	19,453
Midwest	2,570	2,779	3,624	3,083	1,556	866	1,069	95	5,929	2,185
Mountain	31,052	40,480	27,593	26,281	33,334	28,807	19,676	59,195	71,199	69,922
Pacific	41,055	4,972	3,831	21,675	18,817	22,645	11,916	28,549	22,088	46,357
Canada	50,239	30,762	33,821	16,420	10,856	24,034	15,430	16,444	15,232	28,265
Totals	146,618	93,816	88,644	76,588	75,001	107,955	79,872	120,173	146,571	166,182

Gondolas Galore

But it was not all chairlifts. There is still another whopping record for the books: no less than eight gondolas and trams. One is Garaventa-CTEC’s 28-passenger funitel at Squaw Valley (see also Page 86). But equally impressive are Doppelmayr’s five 8-passenger gondolas. And this many cabins means an important year for Swiss cabin designers and manufacturers, CWA and Gangloff, the latter entering the North American market for the first time. Customers will find new levels of pampered comfort this winter.

Also worthy of note in this category is the 15-passenger jigback at Snowbasin, Utah. It takes skiers from the top of their big new gondola up to the top of neighboring Mt. Allen, site of the awesomely precipitous start of the Olympic Downhill.

“Big Four” Role

Last year we made note of the changing lift-buying dynamics introduced by consolidation and the buying power of the “big four” (American Skiing Co., Booth Creek Holdings, Intrawest and Vail Resorts, safely listed here in alphabetical order). Last year, their combined lift purchases totalled 63,531 VTFH, or 43.3 percent of the total installed. This year, they accounted for 62,769 VTFH for a slightly lessened 37.8 percent. (The three big new lifts at Mammoth were not included in the Intrawest total, despite their financial interest in the resort.)

But the levels of investments in new lifts varied widely. Intrawest bought 10 lifts that accounted for 17.4 percent of the total new lift construction VTFH; American Skiing Co. bought six large lifts which accounted for 14 percent, Booth Creek bought three lifts for 3.7 percent of the total, while Vail Resorts, which last year bought six lifts that accounted for 11.5 percent of the total, installed just one lift this year and 2.7 percent of the total.

Regional Winners

Though the Mountain states racked up the highest VTFH total (69,922) the Pacific region scored as biggest gainer with its 46,357 VTFH, more than double last year’s total. Over the previous eight years, the Pacific region on average accounted for only 17 percent of the total VTFH, but this year it jumped to a remarkable 28 percent.

In the East, New Jersey had a rare moment in the sun: the five new lifts at Intrawest’s Mountain Creek (née Vernon Valley/Great Gorge) accounted for 8,324 in VTFH, or 43 percent of all new eastern VTFH. Who do they think they are, for heaven’s sake, right there in New Jersey and just a stone’s throw from Manhattan, putting in an 8-passenger gondola, two detachable quads and two fixed-grip quads? Well, they got our attention and it’s good to see this rebirth.

Impact of Tubing

What else is noteworthy on the lift scene? Mostly a continuation of trends. Tubing, for instance, continues to drive a tremendous amount of uphill transportation. It looks like 82 new handle tows/wire rope tows, a high percentage of which are to support tubers. While this is less than last year’s totals, it is still a significant number.

Even more impressive are the totals for new conveyor lifts. It bodes well for the future of the industry to see so many installations devoted to children’s instruction. We count 37 new conveyor lifts—almost a three-fold increase from last year’s 13. They are showing up in all parts of the country.

As always, what *SAM* reports are new lifts, with “new” defined rather strictly. Total investment in uphill transportation, however, includes a lot of lifts that are upgraded and reengineered. Then too, there are many that are relocated. All this makes a huge contribution to the total uphill capacity enjoyed by North America’s skiers and riders.

Location	Type	Manufacturer	Installed HP	Length	Vert.	Cap.	Speed	VTFH (000)
MASSACHUSETTS
Jiminy Peak	4C	Garaventa CTEC	200	3005	902	1500	450	1353
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Attitash	4C-Det.	Garaventa CTEC	500	3070	883	2800	1070	2472
Mt. Sunapee	4C-Det.	Poma	700	6057	1405	2650	1100	3723
NEW JERSEY
Mountain Creek	4C-Det.	Doppelmayr	400	3200	675	2400	1000	1620
Mountain Creek	4C-Det.	Doppelmayr	500	5546	995	2400	1000	2388
Mountain Creek	4C	Doppelmayr	400	3616	859	1600	450	1374
Mountain Creek	Gondola (8)	Doppelmayr	600	3639	850	3000	1000	2550
Mountain Creek	4C	Partek	60	1087	196	2000	350	392
NEW YORK
Holimont	3C	Garaventa CTEC	30	511	70	1100	350	77
WEST VIRGINIA
Snowshoe	4C-Det.	Garaventa CTEC	700	6142	1460	2400	1000	3504

Location	Type	Manufacturer	Installed HP	Length	Vert.	Cap.	Speed	VTFH (000)
MICHIGAN
Crystal Mountain	4C-Det.	Poma	200	2167	314	2000	1100	628
Shanty Creek	4C	Garaventa CTEC	100	1348	322	1800	425	580
WISCONSIN
Cascade Mountain	4C	Doppelmayr	300	2458	407	2400	1000	977

Location	Type	Manufacturer	Installed HP	Length	Vert.	Cap.	Speed	VTFH (000)
COLORADO
Aspen Highland	3C	Poma	250	4194	1450	1200	500	1740
Copper Mountain	4C-Det.	Poma	500	3216	846	2450	1100	2073
Copper Mountain	6C-Det.	Poma	1400	8870	2293	2400	1100	5503
Eldora	4C	Garaventa CTEC	400	4039	1370	1900	475	2603
Keystone	4C-Det.	Doppelmayr	700	4438	1600	2800	1000	4480
Loveland	4C	Poma	400	4742	1255	1200	450	1506
Steamboat Springs	4C-Det.	Garaventa CTEC	700	5003	1653	2400	1000	3967
MONTANA
Yellowstone Club	4C-Det.	Doppelmayr	900	9847	2151	2000	1100	4302
Yellowstone Club	4C-Det.	Doppelmayr	600	6276	1543	2000	1000	3086
Yellowstone Club	2C	Doppelmayr	100	1399	528	1000	550	528
NEW MEXICO
Angel Fire	4C-Det.	Leitner	600	5020	1140	2400	1000	2736
UTAH
Deer Crest	Gondola (4)	Garaventa CTEC	500	5170	1322	1900	1000	2512
Deer Valley	4C-Det.	Garaventa CTEC	600	4825	1210	2800	1000	3388
Deer Valley	4C	Garaventa CTEC	300	2600	735	2400	425	1764
Park City	6C-Det.	Garaventa CTEC	700	5260	1172	3000	1000	3516
Snowbasin	4C-Det.	Doppelmayr	1000	7232	2435	2400	1000	5844
Snowbasin	Gondola (8)	Doppelmayr	1200	9576	2473	2400	1200	5935
Snowbasin	Gondola (8)	Doppelmayr	1200	9494	2311	2400	1200	5546
Snowbasin	Jigback (15)	Doppelmayr	250	1165	1047	360	1000	377
The Canyons	4C-Det.	Garaventa CTEC	800	6910	1798	2650	1070	4765
The Canyons	4C-Det.	Garaventa CTEC	700	6680	1563	2400	1070	3751

Location	Type	Manufacturer	Installed HP	Length	Vert.	Cap.	Speed	VTFH (000)
CALIFORNIA
Alpine Meadows	3C	Garaventa CTEC	200	4102	670	1800	500	1206
Alpine Meadows	3C	Garaventa CTEC	200	2250	1068	1500	500	1602
Bear Mountain	4C-Det.	Poma	400	3638	546	2400	900	1310
Dodge Ridge	4C	Garaventa CTEC	400	4540	1101	2400	475	2642
Heavenly	4C-Det.	Doppelmayr	600	3758	1588	2600	1000	4129
Kirkwood	4C	Garaventa CTEC	400	5080	1202	2000	450	2404
Mammoth	4C-Det.	Doppelmayr	400	3745	826	2400	1000	1982
Mammoth	4C-Det.	Doppelmayr	600	5750	1139	2800	1000	3189
Mammoth	Gondola (8)	Doppelmayr	600	4491	1406	2400	1200	3374
Pacoima Dam¹	Tram	Poma	50	2084	519	60	400	31
Squaw Valley	Funitel (28)	Garaventa CTEC	1800	9065	1742	4032	1200	7024
Sugar Bowl	4C	Garaventa CTEC	200	2053	510	2400	450	1224
NEVADA
Heavenly	4C-Det.	Doppelmayr	700	5920	1493	2800	1000	4180
OREGON
Mt. Hood Meadows	4C-Det.	Poma	500	4229	935	2180	1200	2038
WASHINGTON
Crystal Mountain	6C-Det.	Doppelmayr	600	3954	855	3600	1000	3078
Stevens Pass	4C-Det.	Garaventa CTEC	500	3293	781	2800	1000	2187
Summit at Snoqualmie	4C-Det.	Poma	700	4107	1260	2000	100	2520
Summit at Snoqualmie	4C-Det.	Poma	500	3864	945	2400	1000	2268

Location	Type	Manufacturer	Installed HP	Length	Vert.	Cap.	Speed	VTFH (000)
ALBERTA
Canada Olympic Park	4C	Doppelmayr	150	2029	373	2400	450	895
Lake Louise	4C-Det.	Leitner	600	4769	1230	2400	900	2952
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Fernie Alpine Resort	4C-Det.	Leitner	1000	8616	2154	1800	1100	3877
Fernie Alpine Resort	4C	Leitner	500	3732	1233	1800	450	2219
Mount Washington	4C-Det.	Garaventa CTEC	700	4455	1320	2400	984	3168
Whistler/Blackcomb	4C-Det.	Doppelmayr	670	3328	1317	2800	1000	3688
ONTARIO
Jack Pine Hill	4C	Leitner	125	1676	318	2400	450	763
Mansfield Ski Club	4C	Leitner	125	1535	376	2400	450	902
Oshawa Ski Club	4C	Leitner	125	1536	287	2400	450	689
Osler Bluff	4C-Det.	Doppelmayr	500	3117	738	2800	1000	2066
QUEBEC
Camp Fortune	4C	Leitner	125	1410	238	200	420	48
Ski Mont Gallix	4C	Doppelmayr	200	2260	546	2130	460	1163
Tremblant²	Gondola (8)	Doppelmayr	1200	8429	2026	2880	1200	5835

Manufacturer	Number
Borer	2
Brückschlögl	7
Harusch Fabric.	9
Liftram	4
Multi Skilift	29
O’Connor	14
Schippers	19
TOTAL	84

Manufacturer	Number
Brückschlögl	1
Magic Carpet	11
Sunkid	27
TOTAL	39