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What a difference a year makes! Last year we wrote about curling up in the fetal position if you were a lift manufacturer. This year, they can break out the sparkling cider. . .we’re not in Champagne territory, yet.

The summer construction season was a busy one across the U.S. and Canada with the installation of 29 new aerial lifts, 61 conveyors and 5 surface lifts.

Let’s start in the East, where nine lifts, representing almost 18,000 VTFH, found new homes. From a T-bar to a comfy new 6-pack at Mount Snow, the East went big on vertical transportation feet, almost double last year’s.

The Midwest weighed in this year with three new quads, one a detachable at Alpine Valley, making it the third detachable at the area.

The Mountain region came in with seven new lifts, which is on the low side compared to previous years that ranged from 11 to 25. Is this a new normal for this region? Perhaps. Expansions and replacements seem to have reached a comfortable holding pattern...for now.

Moving to the Pacific region, four new lifts were installed, which is right about where resorts in this area usually fall—with the current economic realities, holding steady is not a bad place to be.

Over the border in Canada, six new lifts went in, including this year’s only gondola, at Le Massif. There were also several “almost-new” lifts that we didn’t count, resulting in a decent year for lift construction for the Canadians.


AERIAL LIFTS
So, do these new numbers mean that things are getting back on track in lift building? Yes and no. Doppelmayr’s Mark Bee feels that the market is not where it should be given the age of many lifts out there. But, he sees a bright future. “The first detachables built in the 1980s are starting to be replaced to update the technology [there were problems with the articulating sheaves, for starters], but there weren’t that many built during that time. When the lifts built in the early 1990s start to hit 30, that’s when we’ll see some bigger numbers,” he says.

Leitner-Poma’s Tom Clink was very happy with the numbers in 2011. Leitner-Poma of America installed 10 lifts, including one in France. “It was a great season for us—better than the last few,” he says. “Areas are increasing capacity, replacing older lifts, and there are a lot of new projects, alignments and expansions coming on-line.”

This year marked the first construction season for the new kid on the block, SkyTrac. The company had hoped for four new lifts, and ended up installing three, and worked on two overhauls. “Our expectations were met,”?says Jan Leonard. “In the future, we expect to be building new lifts, as well as working on modifications and retrofits.” As for detachables, SkyTrac is sticking with the fixed grip models...for the moment.

A final trend with aerial lifts is the growing use of loading conveyors. Chairkid’s Marc Wood explains, “Loading conveyors are allowing ski areas to achieve the design capacity the lifts were built for. And we see a strong future. Loading conveyors are about where conveyor lifts were in the early 2000s. We feel the concept is gaining traction and is going to take off in the future.”


SURFACE LIFTS
Conveyors are still as popular as ever. ChairKid, SunKid and Magic Carpet are still seeing strong numbers as areas add these popular lifts to tubing and ski school areas. “We had a couple of installations that actually replaced aerial lifts,” says Magic Carpet’s Jennifer Kelly. “We are also seeing longer lengths and more covered lifts to help with snow removal.”

“The category is strong,” says Star Lift’s Pete Kavanagh. “Conveyor lifts are doing a great job in the beginner areas and at tubing hills—which are key profit centers at resorts.”

Whew! It’s nice to be back. And all the manufacturers SAM spoke with are feeling bullish for 2012—several already had lift orders in hand.