Lifts 1972–Chair Construction Soars

The 35 new ski areas which opened during the 1972-73 season and the 220 new lifts constructed at ski areas throughout North America represent a 30 per cent growth in new areas and an eight per cent increase in number of new lifts over the past year. The increase in Vertical Transport Feet per Hour (VTFH) in 1972 reached an all-time high with 131,500 VTFH added. This compares with 109,200 VTFH in 1971 and indicates a 20 per cent increase in uphill skier capacity.

It is estimated that the 220 new lifts installed in 1972 represent an investment of over $18 million. Of the 220 new lifts, 69 were installed at the 35 new ski areas. No new aerial tramway or gondola installations were reported at ski areas for 1972. Chairlifts were preferred over surface lifts by a ratio of 3 to 1 (165 vs 55).

Survey method

The primary source of information on new lifts and new areas is the lift manufacturers. Their data is checked to assure that each lift will be operational for the 1972-73 ski season, that it has not been previously reported and that its use is primarily for skiing. Lifts which have been relocated from one ski area to another are included in the survey, but relocations or extensions of lifts within the same ski area are not included. Several lifts were reported but not included in the survey since they are not scheduled to be operational this season, the reason being that more lifts are now purchased for installation over a two year period.

The survey includes only surface lifts (platter, J-bar, T-bar lifts), aerial lifts (chair, gondola lifts), and aerial tramways. An attempt has been made to secure a count of new wire rope tows, and this data is shown in Table I on page 32. Because the closing data for receipt of inventory data was in mid-November, it is anticipated that the actual number of wire rope tows ordered and operational for 1972-73 will be greater than our report shows.

Chairlift installations up

More chairlifts were installed this year than ever before. The 165 new chairlifts represent a 36 per cent increase over last year, when 121 were added. The number of surface lifts, however, dropped from 81 in 1971 to 55 this year.

The probable reason for the increase in chairlifts this year is capacity. Last year only three of the 121 new chairlifts were triple chairs. This year 14 new triple chairlifts and four new quad chairs will be in operation. Nine of the new double chairlifts report capacities greater than 1,200 skiers per hour, the average capacity of the 165 chairlifts being 1,216 skiers per hour. One new enclosed double chairlift was installed.

Area growth

The 35 new ski areas are almost equally distributed by region. Ten new areas have been added in both the East and West, eight in Canada, and seven in the Midwest. Five of these new areas are opening with five or more lifts apiece. Eight of the new areas have two or more lifts in operation for their initial season. Of the total 131,500 VTFH added this year, 28 per cent of the added capacity (37,170 VTFH) is located at the new areas.

West tops regional growth

Measured in terms of VTFH, nearly half of the total growth in North America in 1972 was in the West, an increase of 75 per cent over the average growth of that region for the previous three years.

Canada ranked second in regional growth, accounting for 24 per cent of the newly added VTFH. The Midwest’s increase in VTFH accounts for 10 per cent of this year’s growth, with both Canada and the Midwest showing a growth rate that is 70 per cent greater than the average for the past three years.

The East’s growth rate of 21,900 VTFH is slightly less than the 23,500 VTFH that the East has averaged over the years 1969 to 1971. Despite the reduction in VTFH in the East, the number of lift installations gained approximately nine per cent over the three-year average.

Leading states and province

Colorado leads all states and provinces in both VTFH (28,500) and number of new lifts (30). The top five states and ptrovinces in terms of VTFH are:

Colorado	28,500
California	16,700
Quebec	11,600
Ontario	8,100
British Columbia	7,700

In terms of number of installations, the leading five are:

Colorado	30
Ontario	20
Pennsylvania	20
Quebec	19
California	18

Lift manufacturers

A total of 17 lift manufacturers furnished the 220 new lifts installed this year. Nine of these firms are located in the U.S., five are in Canada, two are Swiss and one is Austrian. One U.S. manufacturer (Heron-Poma) and one Canadian manufacturer (Cana-Poma) handle components that are designed and manufactured in France.

Four lifts have been installed with VTFH capacities in excess of 2,000. These are:

Location	Type	Manufacturer	VTFH
Homewood Resort, Calif.	4C	Ski Lift International	2309
Whistler Mt., B.C.	2C	Murray-Latta	2125
Sun Valley, Idaho	2C	Stadeli	2123
Steamboat, Colo.	2C	Heron-Poma	2027

1972: A summary

At the end of 1972 it is estimated that there are 1,426 surface lifts, 1,196 chairlifts, and 41 gondolas and aerial tramways available for skiers. The choice of aerial lifts over surface lifts has been obvious for over five years. This past season has shown that this preference is particularly strong in the U.S. where 141 out of the 166 new lifts were aerial lifts. (Canada had 24 chairlifts and 30 surface lifts.)

The continuing expansion at the larger ski areas (five new lifts at Steamboat, four at Mammoth Mountain, and three each at Sun Valley and Vail) and the development of major new areas (Copper Mountain, Jack Frost, Massanutten, Northstar, and Telluride) indicate that the pace of ski area expansion continues. Based on the assumption that the typical skier demands 7,000 vertical feet of skiing per day, the 1972 growth will permit ski areas to handle an additional 130,000 skiers daily.

Manufacturer	1969	1970	1971	1972	Total
Ski Facilities, Inc. (Mitey Mite)	12	11	19	24	66
Stadeli-Waterville (Pony)	8	11	16	14	49
Harusch	….	….	7	6	13
Samson	….	….	….	1	1
Total	20	22	42	45	129

Region	New Areas	New VTFH	New Lifts — Surface	New Lifts — Chair	New Lifts — Total
East	10	21,868	13	45	58
Midwest	7	13,049	2	36	38
West	10	65,045	10	60	70
Canada	8	31,545	30	24	54
Total	35	131,507	55	165	220

Region	Surface	Chair	Gondola and Aerial Tramway	Total
East	529	405	17	951
Midwest	180	203	0	383
West	354	462	20	836
Canada	363	126	4	493
Total	1426	1196	41	2663

Region	Per Year Average 1969-1971	1972	Percent Increase
East	23,533	21,868	-7.1
Midwest	7,700	13,049	69.5
West	37,167	65,045	75.0
Canada	18,433	31,545	71.1
Total	86,833	131,507	51.4

Region	Per Year Average 1969-1971	1972	Percent Increase
East	53	58	9.4
Midwest	27	38	40.7
West	47	70	48.9
Canada	42	54	28.6
Total	169	220	30.2

Manufacturer	Surface Lifts	Chair Lifts	Total Lifts
Borvig	2	23	25
Cana-Poma	4	6	10
Doppelmayr	8	3	11
Hall	4	35	39
Harusch	2	0	2
Heron-Poma	14	21	35
Industries Samson	10	2	12
Lift Engineering	0	10	10
Ski Lift International	0	11	11
Mueller	1	7	8
Murray-Latta	0	2	2
Pullman-Berry	0	2	2
Riblet	0	30	30
Skyway Engineering	8	0	8
Sneller	1	0	1
Stadeli	1	2	3
Thiokol	0	11	11
Total	55	165	220

New Lifts by State

East

Location	Type	Mfr.	Length	Vert.	Cap.	Speed
MAINE
Mount Hermon, Hermon	T-Bar	Heron Poma	1636	252	1200	447
Pleasant Mountain East, Bridgton	2 Chair	Hall	4246	1246	1000	500
MASSACHUSETTS
Berkshire East, Charlemont	2 Chair	Thiokol	500	95	1200	400
Berkshire East, Charlemont	2 Chair	Thiokol	1715	410	1200	450
Boston Hill, North Andover	2 Chair	Hall	1043	205	1200	465
Klein Innsbruck, Cumberland	2 Chair	Hall	977	132	1200	400
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Cannon Mountain, Franconia Notch	2 Chair	Pullman-Berry	3210	777	1050	450
King Ridge, New London	3 Chair	Hall	3601	678	1500	465
Lebanon Outing Club, Lebanon	Platter	Heron-Poma	1500	302	600	413
*Swift Water Valley, Haverhill	2 Chair	Thiokol	2700	620	900	475
NEW JERSEY
*Holly Mountain, Salem	2 Chair	Borvig	865	88	1200	450
Vernon Valley, Vernon	2 Chair	Borvig	3418	711	1000	450
NEW YORK
Bluemont, Yorkshire	T-Bar	Sneller	1580	266	1200	470
Holiday Mountain, Monticello	Platter	Heron Poma	828	150	900	315
Hunter Mountain, Hunter	2-Chair	Heron Poma	1793	205	1200	500
Intermont, Solon	2-Chair	Heron Poma	3133	643	1200	500
Maple Ski Ridge, Schenectady	2-Chair	Hall	991	165	1200	420
Mt. Peter, Warwick	2-Chair	Borvig	1260	212	1000	350
Poverty Hill, Ellicottville	T-Bar	Doppelmayr (Mill Valley)	888	220	673	470
Poverty Hill, Ellicottville	T-Bar	Doppelmayr (Mill Valley)	1975	420	965	590
Poverty Hill, Ellicottville	T-Bar	Doppelmayr (Mill Valley)	1975	420	965	590
Royal Mountain, Johnstown	T-Bar	Heron Poma	625	116	500	315
Sterling Forest, Tuxedo	2 Chair	Borvig	673	121	1000	350
*Talarico, Mohawk	T-Bar	Hall	1346	220	1200	450
Talarico, Mohawk	2 Chair	Hall	3716	744	1200	500
Willard Mountain, Greenwich	2 Chair	Borvig	1430	441	1200	450
PENNSYLVANIA
*American Landmark, Winona Lakes	2 Chair	Borvig	2514	429	800	450
Big Valley, Kempton	2 Chair	Heron Poma	1250	155	1000	500
*Callimont, Callimont	2 Chair	Hall	2007	313	1100	465
Camelback, Tannersville	2 Chair	Borvig	932	116	1200	350
Denton Hill, Coudersport	Platter	Heron Poma	1204	384	720	700
Hidden Valley Farm, Somerset	2 Chair	Hall	2649	380	1150	465
*Jack Frost, Blakeslee	J-Bar	Borvig	814	68	600	270
Jack Frost, Blakeslee	2 Chair	Borvig	810	93	1000	350
Jack Frost, Blakeslee	2 Chair	Borvig	2138	424	1200	450
Jack Frost, Blakeslee	2 Chair	Borvig	2282	403	1200	450
Jack Frost, Blakeslee	2 Chair	Borvig	2282	403	1200	450
Jack Frost, Blakeslee	2 Chair	Borvig	2615	390	1200	400
Peek ‘N Mountain, Youngsville	2 Chair	Hall	1088	174	760	400
Pocono Ranchlands, Winona Lakes	2 Chair	Borvig	1178	259	800	450
Seven Springs Mountain, Champion	2 Chair	Hall	2748	485	1200	420
Seven Springs Mountain, Champion	2 Chair	Hall	3077	630	1200	465
Sno-Hill, Lake Como	3 Chair	Thiokol	1780	247	1200	450
*Tamiment, Tamiment	2 Chair	Hall	1512	180	1000	420
*Wildwood Highlands, Wildwood	2 Chair	Pullman-Berry	1460	258	1200	500
Wonderview, Bloomsburg	3 Chair	Thiokol	620	218	1500	450
VERMONT
Killington, Killington	3 Chair	Heron Poma	2290	587	1800	400
Mad River Glen, Waitsfield	2 Chair	Mueller	1319	288	900	495
Mt. Snow, Mt. Snow	2 Chair	Hall	485	80	1200	340
Timber Ridge, Windham	2 Chair	Hall	3891	795	1200	500
VIRGINIA
*Cascade Mt. Resort, Fancy Gap	2 Chair	Hall	948	258	1200	465
*Massanutten, Harrisonburg	J-Bar	Borvig	851	126	600	270
Massanutten, Harrisonburg	2 Chair	Borvig	792	160	1000	350
Massanutten, Harrisonburg	2 Chair	Borvig	1218	191	1000	350
Massanutten, Harrisonburg	2 Chair	Borvig	1505	144	1200	450
Massanutten, Harrisonburg	2 Chair	Borvig	2547	598	1200	450
Rappahannock, Washington	2 Chair	Borvig	1987	508	1200	450
WEST VIRGINIA
Canaan Valley, Davis	Platter	Heron Poma	490	62	800	480

*NEW AREA