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Rather than keep you in suspense, let’s cut right to the chase—there were a total of 41 chairlifts, gondolas and platters installed in 2007, representing a VTFH of 85,393, which is about a 25 percent increase over last year. Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.

(Note: VTFH measures the number of skiers 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.)

Why the big jump? Well, there really wasn’t any one big story, but rather several smaller ones worth mentioning. For example, a new area came on line this year in British Columbia called Revelstoke. To introduce skiers and riders to its huge amount of terrain and massive vertical (4,700 vertical feet to start, which will eventually climb to 6,000), the area installed a detach quad and a 7,844-foot-long gondola—for a total of 14,000 feet of uphill transport. In Colorado, while the Denver Rockies may not have stepped up to the plate, areas sure did with eight lifts, ranging from quads to 6-packs to gondolas. Idaho posted a whopping six new lifts. And Mad River Glen, Vt., in its historic need for personal space, spent $1.54 million updating its single chair, which delivers a mere 480 people per hour. Talk about elbow room.

And who were the busy manufacturers this summer? Doppelmayr CTEC is responsible for 61.5 percent of the total VTFH (52,558), with 31 lifts, eight more than last year. Leitner-Poma of America kept itself busy with 10 installations accounting for 38.5 percent of the VTFH (32,835). Both companies took on some big projects, including three 6-packs each.


Region by Region
In North America, the sliders in the Mountain states are the uphill-blessed this season. Twenty-two new lifts came on line, which is double the number of last year. The total VTFH of 39,455 represents about 46 percent of the total. As mentioned earlier, Idaho came in with six lifts, while Colorado came in with eight. Utah and Montana each added four.

In second place, and no wonder with the Olympics around the corner, was Canada, which accounted for over a quarter of the total VTFH. Eight lifts were put in, seven in British Columbia and a shiny new 6-pack at Mont St. Louis, Ontario.

The Pacific grabbed almost 20 percent of the VTFH with four new lifts in California, including two 6-packs, at Mammoth and Squaw Valley. Oregon and Washington each had a new installation.

The East posted five new lifts, which is down from last year’s eight. VTFH came in at 7,610, which is down 35 percent over last year. Countering Mad River’s single was the 6-pack installed at Seven Springs, Pa.

The Midwest was a no-show this year, but a dozen new surface lifts are keeping tubers and beginners very happy.


The Conveyor Story
While the total number of conveyor lifts installed this year is lower, 54 as opposed to 71 last year, conveyor companies were no less busy.

“The average length of the systems has increased substantially,” says Jennifer Kelly from Magic Carpet. The reason? Tubing. As areas add tubing or upgrade the existing transportation, they are looking to conveyors as the main vehicle for getting sliders to the top.

“These systems are a lot longer than conveyors for beginner areas,” says Pete Kavanagh from Star Lifts. “We’re installing conveyors in the 500-foot range.”

And, expect this trend to continue—there is still a lot of untapped tubing potential at resorts.

Also boosting conveyor business are beginner slopes. Many areas are finding so much success with conveyors in these areas that they are ordering second and third systems for more access to the easier terrain.

With the growth in tubing and the emphasis on bringing in new customers, the future for conveyors is bright.


Looking Ahead
So, will next year look even better? For that we would need to consult with Mother Nature.

Doppelmayr CTEC’s Mike Beeley says, “We are optimistic about next year, but it’s really all in the weather.”

“As long as the ski business stays steady,” concurs Rick Spear from Leitner-Poma, “investment in new lifts will stay steady. Real estate sales have some effect, but snowfall still rules.”

Outside of weather, both manufacturers agree that longer lead times are here to stay...and may stretch even further. “Lead times are getting longer,” says Spear. “Twenty-six weeks is not odd these days for electric motors, diesels and the like. But we are also seeing that resorts are reacting to this—[in December] we have done more new lift engineering studies and bids than in any previous year.”

Beeley adds, “there is a lot more prep work involved in lifts these days. Many installations are for new real estate or new terrain—areas that are usually not centrally located. So, getting power, roads and permitting requires more up-front work.”

One final trend: larger lifts seem to be the norm these days. “Resorts are doing more with a single piece of equipment—one permit, minimal operating costs,” says Spear.

With that, we wrap up the 2007 lift construction season. With a little cooperation from Mother Nature and some advanced planning on our part, there is every reason to be believe that 2008 will be another good year for going uphill.