1970 Lift Construction– Rate Declines

Ski area and lift growth for the past year have shown a marked decline over past years. The number of new ski areas has declined from 29 in 1969 to 17 in 1970. The number of new lifts installed in 1970 totals 128 as compared to 172 the previous year, representing a reduction in new VTFH* added from 85,350 in 1969 to 65,900 in 1970.

*VTFH—Vertical transport feet per hour, measured in thousands of feet. To obtain VTFH for any lift, multiply the vertical rise by the hourly capacity and divide by 1000. Taking the first lift listed in the tabulation, Sky Valley, Georgia, VTFH = 219 × 1200/1000 = 262.8. See SAM’s Winter 1970 issue for a detailed discussion of this uphill transportation factor.

Despite the reduced growth rate for 1970, a fifteen year review shows that since 1955 the number of ski areas has increased tenfold, and there are 21 lifts operating for the 1970-71 season for each lift that operated in the 1955-56 season.

The 128 new lifts for 1970 were supplied by 15 different manufacturers, as contrasted with 16 manufacturers for the 172 lifts of 1969. As in the past several years, the big two American manufacturers (Hall and Riblet) have accounted for over 40 per cent of the total VTFH installed. Mergers of lift manufacturers have reduced the number of lift suppliers for future installations.

The geographic leaders remain unchanged from last year. Colorado, Ontario, and California continue to lead all other states and provinces in newly installed uphill transportation.

The preference for chairlifts over surface lifts continues, with 84 chair and 43 surface lifts being installed. The interest in enclosed chairs and quadruple chairs has not continued from last year. No bubble chairs have been reported for 1970, and only three triple chairs have been installed this year. One quad chair installation was planned for this year, but will not be operational this season. Small, hand-held wire rope tows, although not included in the lift count, are tabulated in Table I. 24 new wire rope tows were installed as compared to 20 last year.

SKI FACILITIES, INC. (Mitey Mite)	STADELI (Pony Lift)
White Mountain Apache Tribe, Ariz.	Town of Biddeford, Me.
Heavenly Valley, So. Lake Tahoe, Calif.	Slide Mt., Reno, Nev.
Fraser Valley Winter Sports, Inc., Fraser, Colo.	Derryfield, Manchester, N.H.
Willowbrook Golf Course, Belle Vernon, Pa.	High School, Plymouth, N.H.
Pine Forge Ski Area, Pine Forge, Pa.	Valbella, Allegany, N.Y.
Western Heritage, Prop., Pa. (2 tows)	Town of Guilderland, N.Y.
Peak’n Mountain Ski Center, Youngsville, Pa.	Hoosack School, Hoosick, N.Y.
Bryce Mountain, Basye, Va.	Camelot Country Club, Spring Valley, N.Y.
World Wide Leasing Co., Cle Elum, Wash.	Scotch Valley, Stamford, N.Y.
Playboy Club, Lake Geneva, Wisc.	Boyce Park, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Medicine Bow Recreation, Centennial, Wyo.	Oxbow, Jericho, Vt. (2 tows)

Period	New Ski Areas Per Year	Surface	Chair	Gondola and Aerial Tramway	Total
1956-60	46.0	64.6	22.0	0.8	87.4
1961-65	70.8	119.2	67.6	4.2	191.0
1966-70	26.4	61.4	83.8	2.8	148.0

Region	New Areas	New Lifts: Surface	New Lifts: Chair	New Lifts: Gondola	New Lifts: Total	New VTFH
East	7	12	28	0	40	17,100
Midwest	2	4	15	0	19	4,200
West	5	8	34	1	43	33,700
Canada	3	19	7	0	26	10,900
Total	17	43	84	1	128	65,900

Manufacturer	Surface	Chair	Gondola	Total
Bell	0	0	1	1
Borvig	0	4	0	4
Doppelmayr	0	1	0	1
Hall	8	29	0	37
Heron-Poma	16	11	0	27
Lift Engineering	0	2	0	2
Miner-Denver	0	3	0	3
Mueller	0	5	0	5
Murray-Latta	0	1	0	1
Pomagalski, S.A.	10	1	0	11
Riblet	0	15	0	15
Ski Lift International	0	7	0	7
Sneller	2	0	0	2
Stadeli	0	5	0	5
Timberland Ellicott	7	0	0	7
Total	43	84	1	128

Region	Surface	Chair	Gondola and Aerial Tramway	Total
East	495	318	17	830
Midwest	174	138	0	312
West	335	367	19	721
Canada	284	85	4	373
Total	1288	908	40	2236

State	Location	Type	Mfr.	Lgth.	Vert.	Cap.	Speed
GEORGIA	*Sky Valley, Clayton	2 Chair	Hall	1384	219	1200	465
MAINE	*Evergreen Valley, North Lovell	2 Chair	Mueller	4616	1037	1000	500
MAINE	Evergreen Valley, North Lovell	2 Chair	Mueller	2828	603	1000	450
MAINE	Evergreen Valley, North Lovell	2 Chair	Mueller	1200	248	1000	350
MAINE	Mars Hill, Mars Hill	Platter	Heron-Poma	1350	340	600	764
MAINE	Mt. Abram, Locke Mills	2 Chair	Hall	4121	1037	1000	500
MAINE	Sugarloaf, Kingfield	2 Chair	Stadeli	1005	96	1000	350
MARYLAND	Wisp, McHenry	Platter	Heron-Poma	1294	370	750	447
MASSACHUSETTS	Brodie Mountain, New Ashford	2 Chair	Borvig	1000	200	1000	450
NEW HAMPSHIRE	*Derryfield, Manchester	2 Chair	Hall	1000	164	1000	340
NEW HAMPSHIRE	Derryfield, Manchester	2 Chair	Hall	980	162	1000	340
NEW HAMPSHIRE	Gunstock, Gilford	2 Chair	Mueller	2250	470	1000	350
NEW HAMPSHIRE	Snow Crest, Lebanon	2 Chair	Heron-Poma	2520	658	1200	492
NEW HAMPSHIRE	Tenney Mountain, Plymouth	2 Chair	Heron-Poma	1356	260	1200	400
NEW HAMPSHIRE	Wildcat Mountain, Pinkham Notch	2 Chair	Riblet	4488	1367	1100	500
NEW JERSEY	Campgaw Mt., Mahwah	2 Chair	Hall	1486	239	1200	465
NEW YORK	Big Vanilla (Davos), Woodridge	2 Chair	Stadeli	2013	264	1000	400
NEW YORK	Greek Peak, Virgil	2 Chair	Hall	2732	601	1000	465
NEW YORK	Gunset Ski Bowl, Richfield Springs	Platter	Heron-Poma	1385	285	800	764
NEW YORK	Highmount, Highmount	Platter	Heron-Poma	1750	510	800	447
NEW YORK	Hunter Mountain, Hunter	2 Chair	Heron-Poma	3810	1360	1000	492
NEW YORK	Hunter Mountain, Hunter	2 Chair	Heron-Poma	2270	600	1200	492
NEW YORK	Peek ‘N Peak, Clymer	J-bar	Hall	612	72	600	275
NEW YORK	Red Jacket Ski Club, Eden	T-bar	Hall	1205	258	1000	450
NEW YORK	*St. Lawrence Park, Ogdensburg	J-bar	Hall	773	62	600	275
PENNSYLVANIA	Big Boulder, Lake Harmony	2 Chair	Borvig	1700	400	1200	450
PENNSYLVANIA	Boyce Park, Pittsburgh	T-bar	Sneller	500	65	1000	300
PENNSYLVANIA	Chadd’s Peak, Chadds Ford	Platter	Heron-Poma	607	121	800	492
PENNSYLVANIA	Charnita, Fairfield	2 Chair	Hall	2657	565	1200	500
PENNSYLVANIA	Mt. Airy Lodge, Mount Pocono	2 Chair	Hall	1423	132	1200	465
PENNSYLVANIA	Paper Birch, Tafton	T-bar	Heron-Poma	1200	140	1200	413
PENNSYLVANIA	*Pleasant Mountain, Edinboro	T-bar	Heron-Poma	2343	332	1000	447
PENNSYLVANIA	Pleasant Mountain, Edinboro	Platter	Heron-Poma	212	40	600	492
RHODE ISLAND	Diamond Hill, Cumberland	2 Chair	Heron-Poma	1358	257	1000	492
RHODE ISLAND	Diamond Hill, Cumberland	2 Chair	Heron-Poma	1056	165	1000	492
VERMONT	Mt. Ascutney, Brownsville	2 Chair	Hall	1947	434	850	480
VERMONT	Norwich University, Northfield	2 Chair	Hall	3678	883	1150	500
VERMONT	*Quechee Lakes, Quechee	2 Chair	Heron-Poma	2820	630	1000	492
WEST VIRGINIA	*Canaan Valley State Park Development, Tucker County	2 Chair	Miner-Denver	3023	727	1200	500
WEST VIRGINIA	Canaan Valley State Park Development, Tucker County	2 Chair	Miner-Denver	996	206	1200	345

State	Location	Type	Mfr.	Lgth.	Vert.	Cap.	Speed
MICHIGAN	Alpine Valley, Milford	2 Chair	Hall	1020	176	1000	465
MICHIGAN	Cannonsburg, Cannonsburg	2 Chair	Hall	1240	182	1200	465
MICHIGAN	Lansing Ski Club, Lansing	2 Chair	Heron-Poma	1147	120	1200	492
MICHIGAN	Mt. Holly, Holly	2 Chair	Hall	1321	200	1000	465
MICHIGAN	Mt. Holly, Holly	2 Chair	Hall	1321	199	1000	465
MICHIGAN	Pine Mountain, Iron Mt.	2 Chair	Riblet	1300	310	1200	450
MINNESOTA	Afton Alps, Hastings	2 Chair	Hall	1293	269	1000	400
MINNESOTA	Afton Alps, Hastings	2 Chair	Hall	1144	163	1000	345
MINNESOTA	Lutsen, Lutsen	T-bar	Hall	1043	277	1200	450
MINNESOTA	*Singing Hills, Preston	Platter	Heron-Poma	917	136	900	413
MINNESOTA	Singing Hills, Preston	Platter	Heron-Poma	568	88	900	482
MINNESOTA	Welch Village, Welch	2 Chair	Hall	1329	305	1200	465
WISCONSIN	Alpine Valley, East Troy	2 Chair	Hall	1608	230	900	405
WISCONSIN	Alpine Valley, East Troy	2 Chair	Hall	1382	226	1000	465
WISCONSIN	Ausblick Ski Club, Milwaukee	3 Chair	Hall	903	176	1800	465
WISCONSIN	Camp 10, Rhinelander	T-bar	Hall	1111	188	1200	450
WISCONSIN	*Christmas Hill, Wisconsin Dells	2 Chair	Hall	1154	194	1100	465
WISCONSIN	Majestic Hills, Lake Geneva	2 Chair	Hall	1119	165	1200	465
WISCONSIN	Majestic Hills, Lake Geneva	2 Chair	Hall	867	99	1200	465

State	Location	Type	Mfr.	Lgth.	Vert.	Cap.	Speed
ARIZONA	*Sunrise Park, White River	2 Chair	Heron-Poma	6810	1330	1000	500
CALIFORNIA	Boreal Ridge, Truckee	2 Chair	Riblet	1187	170	1200	350
CALIFORNIA	Dodge Ridge, Long Barn	2 Chair	Riblet	1560	210	1200	350
CALIFORNIA	Goldmine at Moonridge, Big Bear Lake	2 Chair	Hall	5615	1300	950	500
CALIFORNIA	June Mountain, June Lake	2 Chair	Ski Lift Intl.	5471	878	1200	500
CALIFORNIA	June Mountain, June Lake	2 Chair	Ski Lift Intl.	3924	567	1200	500
CALIFORNIA	Magic Carpet, Norden	2 Chair	Heron-Poma	3090	92	1200	500
CALIFORNIA	Mammoth Mt., Mammoth Lakes	2 Chair	Lift Eng.	4050	696	1200	476
CALIFORNIA	Mt. Reba, Bear Valley	2 Chair	Riblet	1524	253	1100	350
CALIFORNIA	Sierra Ski Ranch, Twin Bridges	2 Chair	Lift Eng.	1500	322	1000	517
CALIFORNIA	*Silver Basin Rec. Area, Silver Basin	2 Chair	Ski Lift Intl.	1962	388	1200	500
CALIFORNIA	Silver Basin Rec. Area, Silver Basin	2 Chair	Ski Lift Intl.	1245	135	1000	450
COLORADO	Aspen Highlands, Aspen	2 Chair	Riblet	4574	1258	900	500
COLORADO	Aspen Skiing Corp., Aspen	2 Chair	Ski Lift Intl.	1280	270	1200	500
COLORADO	Breckenridge, Breckenridge	2 Chair	Riblet	3583	711	1200	500
COLORADO	Howelson Hill, Steamboat Springs	Platter	Heron-Poma	1468	469	700	447
COLORADO	*Keystone, Dillon	2 Chair	Riblet	7180	1669	1260	500
COLORADO	Keystone, Dillon	2 Chair	Riblet	4012	904	1200	500
COLORADO	Keystone, Dillon	Platter	Heron-Poma	566	79	600	482
COLORADO	Lake Eldora, Nederland	2 Chair	Miner-Denver	4143	1361	1200	500
COLORADO	Loveland Basin, Georgetown	Platter	Heron-Poma	2140	528	800	670
COLORADO	Mt. Werner, Steamboat Springs	6-Pass. Gondola	Bell	8837	2180	1100	690
COLORADO	Mt. Werner, Steamboat Springs	Platter	Heron-Poma	2450	658	655	748
IDAHO	Magic Mountain, Twin Falls	2 Chair	Heron-Poma	3160	625	700	500
IDAHO	North-South Ski Bowl, Harvard	2 Chair	Riblet	1428	403	1200	450
IDAHO	Soldier Mt., Fairfield	2 Chair	Stadeli	3741	825	900	450
IDAHO	Sun Valley, Sun Valley	3 Chair	Hall	3338	647	1800	465
IDAHO	Sun Valley, Sun Valley	2 Chair	Riblet	3022	1069	1440	450
MONTANA	Kings Hill, Great Falls	2 Chair	Stadeli	6267	1332	760	500
NEW MEXICO	Taos, Taos	2 Chair	Stadeli	570	120	1000	350
OREGON	Mt. Bachelor, Bend	2 Chair	Riblet	5004	1100	1180	500
OREGON	Warner Canyon, Lakeview	T-bar	Hall	2585	694	1000	450
SOUTH DAKOTA	*Deer Mountain, Lead	Platter	Heron-Poma	1970	413	900	447
UTAH	Alta Ski-Lifts, Alta	2 Chair	Hall	3867	726	1050	465
UTAH	*Nordic Valley, Eden	2 Chair	Hall	2933	943	1000	465
UTAH	Park City, Park City	2 Chair	Ski Lift Intl.	2620	465	1000	450
WASHINGTON	Alpental, Summit	2 Chair	Riblet	812	212	1200	350
WASHINGTON	Crystal Mountain, Crystal Mountain	2 Chair	Ski Lift Intl.	7545	1777	1200	500
WASHINGTON	Hurrican Ridge, Port Angeles	Platter	Heron-Poma	1679	414	700	764
WASHINGTON	Mt. Spokane, Spokane	2 Chair	Riblet	3745	924	1200	450
WASHINGTON	Ski Acres, Seattle	2 Chair	Riblet	1348	260	1340	350
WYOMING	Happy Jack, Laramie	T-bar	Sneller	661	130	1200	470
WYOMING	Jackson Hole, Jackson	2 Chair	Mueller	3800	1455	1200	460

State	Location	Type	Mfr.	Lgth.	Vert.	Cap.	Speed
ALBERTA	Sunshine Village, Banff	2 Chair	Hall	3970	1160	1100	500
BRITISH COLUMBIA	Gibson Pass, Manning Park	2 Chair	Murray-Latta	3789	1091	1100	460
NOVA SCOTIA	*Cape Smokey Development Corp., Ingonish	2 Chair	Pomagalski S.A.	3700	880	900	480
ONTARIO	Alpine Ski Club, Collingwood	2 Chair	Doppelmayr (Gresvig)	3298	643	1200 (1500)	480
ONTARIO	Bethany Ski Club, Bethany	T-bar	Pomagalski S.A.	925	228	1700	420
ONTARIO	Canadian Forces Base Petawawa-Ski-Project, Petawawa	T-bar	Pomagalski S.A.	660	112	1200	420
ONTARIO	Candiac Skiways, Dacre	T-bar	Timberland-Ellicott	3000	600	1200	450
ONTARIO	Chicopee Ski Club, Kitchener	T-bar	Timberland-Ellicott	1000	110	1200	400
ONTARIO	Chicopee Ski Club, Kitchener	T-bar	Timberland-Ellicott	900	165	1200	400
ONTARIO	Corwhin Ski Slopes, Guelph	T-bar	Pomagalski S.A.	870	100	1200	420
ONTARIO	Hockley Hills, Orangeville	T-bar	Timberland-Ellicott	850	180	1200	400
ONTARIO	Loch Lomond, Thunder Bay	2 Chair	Hall	2600	593	1100	465
ONTARIO	London Ski Club, London	T-bar	Hall	646	107	1200	450
ONTARIO	*Moonstone Ski Resort, Ltd., Coldwater	2 Chair	Borvig (Ratnik)	2600	410	1400	500
ONTARIO	Moonstone Ski Resort. Ltd., Coldwater	2 Chair	Borvig (Ratnik)	2400	390	1200	450
ONTARIO	Mountain View, Midland	T-bar	Pomagalski S.A.	682	136	600	420
ONTARIO	*Mt. Madawaska, Barry’s Bay	T-bar	Timberland-Ellicott	2225	385	1200	450
ONTARIO	Old Smokey, Kimberly	T-bar	Timberland-Ellicott	1620	252	1000	450
ONTARIO	Onaping Ski Hills, Onaping	T-bar	Hall	999	265	1200	450
ONTARIO	Uplands Golf & Country Club, Thornhill	T-bar	Pomagalski S.A.	734	100	1200	420
ONTARIO	Valley Schuss, Orangeville	T-bar	Timberland-Ellicott	2200	325	1000	450
QUEBEC	Edelweiss Valley Ltd., Wakefield	Platter	Pomagalski S.A.	4150	630	1200	900
QUEBEC	Mont Sutton Inc., Sutton	Platter	Pomagalski S.A.	1540	491	1000	900
QUEBEC	Ski St. Gerard Inc. St. Gerard des Laurentides, Co. St. Maurice	T-bar	Pomagalski S.A.	1041	270	1200	420
QUEBEC	Ski St. Gerard Inc. St. Gerard des Laurentides, Co. St. Maurice	T-bar	Pomagalski S.A.	710	150	600	420
QUEBEC	Ski Victoria Ltee., Victoriaville	T-bar	Pomagalski S.A.	1260	215	500	420

15 Years of Growth

Figures 1 and 2 show the increase in the number of ski areas and lifts since 1955. In 1955, SAM’s records show 78 ski areas in existence, operating 104 lifts. For the 1970-71 season, there will be 794 ski areas and 2,236 lifts.

The growth rate of ski areas and lifts can be broken down into three periods, as shown in Table II. The early 1960’s were certainly the boom years for growth. It is interesting to note that while growth of new ski areas during the late 1960’s declined to only 37 per cent of the early 1960’s rate, lift growth rate showed a considerably lesser decline (77 per cent). In 1955, there was only slightly more than one lift per ski area (78 areas, 104 lifts). Today, there are nearly three lifts for each ski area (794 areas, 2,236 lifts). The past five years have also shown an increasing preference for chairlifts. During the boom years of the early 1960’s, only 36 chairs were installed per hundred new lifts. The late ’60’s show 56 chair lifts per hundred installations, and this year raises that ratio to 65 chairlifts per hundred installations. The total number of lifts installed in North America, distributed by type and region, are shown in Table III.

Where Did The 1970 Lifts Come From?

Fifteen different firms furnished the 128 new 1970 lifts. Eight of these firms have principal offices in the United States. Three firms are Swiss, two are Canadian and one each is French and Austrian. Table IV shows the listing of new installations by type of lift and design firm. Figure 3 shows the distribution of the new lifts in terms of VTFH. The “big three” in the lift industry continue to be Hall, Heron-Poma, and Riblet. These three have furnished 79 of the 128 lifts (62 per cent) and account for 59 per cent of the newly installed VTFH.

Some “firsts” and “lasts” appear in the 1970 inventory. The first chairlift using a 1½ inch diameter haul rope has been furnished by Riblet and is installed at Keystone Ski Area, Dillon, Colorado. The recent merger of Heron and Poma results in the first inclusion of the Heron-Poma firm. The Canadian division of Poma remains independent of this merger, and for the first time the sales of Poma lifts have been tabulated separately for the United States and Canada. The listing of Bell and the gondola installation at Steamboat Springs, Colorado, represents the last listing for this firm. Bell, an established Swiss firm, has been acquired by Von Roll, also of Switzerland.

Where Did The 1970 Lifts Go?

The 128 new lifts for 1970 went to 30 states and provinces. In terms of VTFH, Figure 4 shows the distribution. The leader is Colorado, who outdid the runner-up (Ontario) by nearly 2 to 1. The state of Georgia appears for the first time, showing that skiing is steadily moving southward.

The distribution of new installations by regions is shown in Table V. The West leads all regions both in number of new installations and in newly added VTFH. While only slightly greater than the East in number of installations, the West has nearly a 2 to 1 edge in VTFH. It is interesting to note that the three regions of the United States show a 3 to 1 preference for chairlifts over surface lifts, while Canada shows almost the same ratio of preference for surface lifts over chairlifts.

A 10-Year Analysis Of Growth

Figure 5 presents the number of new installations by types and the number of new ski areas for the past 10 years with a “Five-Year Moving Average” of the growth plotted on the bar graphs. The “Five-Year Moving Average” simply shows the average number of installations or areas per year for a five-year period. For 1970, the “Five-Year Moving Average” is the average number of new installations or areas for the years 1966 to 1970 inclusive. Effects of an unusual year are “leveled out” by use of such an average which more accurately illustrates longer range trends.

The graph illustrating the number of new lifts shows that the popularity of surface lifts reached a peak in 1965 and has been steadily declining since then. On the other hand, chairlifts show a continually steady growth. The number of gondolas and aerial tramway installations is so small that a trend cannot be established.

Ski area growth was at a maximum in the early 1960’s. The current trend is toward a greatly reduced rate of growth in new ski areas. The past five years has seen a definite “businesslike” approach to the initiation of new ski area development. Areas are less frequently appearing with only a single lift and a minimum of facilities.

Today, the new ski area faces a problem of successful operation more than ever before. The initial investment required to provide a complete facility is considerable, and prospective developers are taking a closer look at the profit potential before committing themselves. Area growth will continue to slow down in terms of number of new areas, but the increase in skiing will be handled more and more by expansion of existing areas.

Location	Type	Mfr.	Length	Vert.	Cap.	Speed
Pacific National Exhibition, British Columbia**	2 Chair	Murray-Latta	1800	—	2680	300
Tod Mountain, Kamloops, British Columbia***	2 Chair	Murray-Latta	9150	3000	488	570
Mammouth Mountain, Mammouth Lakes, Calif.****	2 Chair	Lift Engineering	4160	935	1000	450
Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Lakes, Calif.****	2 Chair	Lift Engineering	4200	950	1000	450
Aspen Wildcat, Aspen, Colo.*	2 Chair	Lift Engineering	5050	1016	1000	476
Aspen Wildcat, Aspen, Colo.*	Platter	Lift Engineering	1420	202	650	425
Powder Hill, Middlefield, Conn.*	4 Chair	Borvig	2600	425	2800	450
Jesse James, Cave City, Ky.**	2 Chair	Riblet	2012	139	300	250
Birch Hill, Patterson, N.Y.*	2 Chair	Borvig	2600	400	1000	350
Candy Mountain, Thunder Bay, Ont.*	2 Chair	Hall	3488	713	900	465
Pipestem State Park, Pipestem, W. Va.**	Gondola	Mueller	3300	1100	400	550
Wolf River Sports, Bonduel, Wis.*	2 Chair	Hall	577	106	1200	400
Snowcrest, Somerset, Wis.*****	2 Chair	Heron-Poma	990	171	1000	400