Grand Targhee Resort, WV

A new fixed-grip Doppelmayr quad is replacing the old 1974 Riblet two-passenger Blackfoot Chair. The Blackfoot name will remain, and the new lift will follow the same line as its predecessor, but that’s where the similarities end. Ride time will shrink somewhat, and uphill capacity will nearly double, to 1,800 skiers per hour at a speed of 450 feet per minute, up from 400 fpm. The old lift only had an evac power unit as backup; the new lift features diesel power backup that can operate the lift in the event of a power outage. The resort says the new lift will open up the Blackfoot area of the mountain to a wider variety of ability levels, since newer skiers and riders are more comfortable riding quad lifts. Riders will enjoy additional comfort thanks to footrests on the restraining bars. In anticipation of the increased volume of guests in the Blackfoot area, a double pit vault toilet near the base of the new lift is being built. The resort worked with USFS, Army Corps of Engineers, SE Group, and Alder Environmental on wetland mitigation and a seasonal stream channel reroute as part of the project.

Arizona Snowbowl, AZ

Leitner-Poma is installing Arizona Snow Bowl’s first high-speed lift. The six-passenger Grand Canyon Express—passengers will see the Grand Canyon during the ride—will span 5,801 feet and rise 1,546 vertical feet to an elevation of 10,900 feet. It will transport up to 1,800 riders per hour, with a ride time of six minutes. The line will start with 61 carriers, but the 800 horsepower AC top drive is sized for a future bump to 115 carriers. This one lift will increase the resort’s total uphill capacity by 24 percent. The resort chose a six-passenger lift to “champion the guest experience.” Grand Canyon Express will be “a show piece coming out of the base area” that will reduce lift lines and provide access to more than 80 percent of the terrain, says Snowbowl GM J.R. Murray. It has been a challenging build. Crews had to clear 90 percent of the trees from the liftline on a 50-percent grade side-slope. Since no helicopters were available for the logging, a winch cat was used to drag trees to a landing zone where they were burned. This process “was very labor and time intensive, but worked very well,” Murray says. The site of the bottom terminal had 25,000 cubic yards of export. The entire project, including site prep and installation, will cost $6 million.

Buck Hill, MN

The difference between four months of operation and welcoming guests year-round can be as little as 180,000 sq. ft. of synthetic material designed to mimic the sliding sensation of snow. So Buck Hill is investing several million dollars to install the nation’s most expansive artificial ski slope. The new surface, manufactured by Neveplast, will cover existing terrain at the ski area for year-round use. The goal is to attract race teams for training, and teach newcomers who are apprehensive about trying to ski or snowboard in winter cold. To install the surface, Buck Hill CEO Dave Solner says, “We are preparing our intended skiable terrain similar to how a golf course fairway would look.” Since the 10-foot-by-13-foot Neveplast panels take on the contour of whatever is underneath them, Buck Hill used a GPS-aided bulldozer to correct the fall line and smooth out ruts and bumps. Then, “The general installation will be like laying large carpet tiles on a sloped floor,” says Solner. Buck Hill plans to use three lifts—one new, two existing—to serve the year-round terrain: a 100-foot surface lift for the learning area; a new 500-foot-long rope tow that was engineered in-house to serve a terrain park with smaller urban features; and a quad chairlift to access the full 1,200-foot-long trail.

Mt. Bachelor, OR

Powdr Corp is investing approximately $6 million on a new Doppelmayr detachable quad that will provide access to 635 acres of new terrain on the east side of Mt. Bachelor. The Cloudchaser lift will access newly cut trails, including 6.2 miles of intermediate groomers. This additional terrain will make Mt. Bachelor the fifth-largest ski area in the U.S., with 4,318 total skiable acres, according to the resort. Cloudchaser will have a 600 horsepower DC bottom drive. The lift’s 21 towers will span 6,576 feet and rise 1,448 vertical feet. Its 141 carriers will transport up to 2,400 skiers per hour. Since the lift is being installed in an area of the mountain that was previously unserved, the line it will follow had to be logged and cleared. The elevation of the top terminal will be at about 7,650 feet, at the top of the tree line. Spokesman Stirling Cobb says navigating the terrain with heavy equipment to dig the tower footings has been the most challenging aspect of the project. The power lines are getting buried in a trench that can be dug entirely by excavator. A minimal amount of blasting is required for the install.

Vail Mountain, CO

Vail is making access to its Back Bowls more convenient by replacing the Sun Up fixed-grip triple with a new Leitner-Poma high-speed quad. The new lift will have 65 percent more uphill capacity, transporting up to 2,400 skiers per hour on 82 carriers with a vertical rise of 1,115 feet. The ride time along the 3,865-foot span will shrink from just over 8 minutes to just under 4 minutes. The lift is powered by a 670 horsepower AC top drive. This is Vail’s ninth chair replacement in 10 years; all major lifts at Vail are now high-speed. As a result of the upgrade, the resort expects the Sun Up Express (also known as Lift #9) will take pressure off the nearby High Noon Express (#5), as fewer guests will feel the need to cycle back to the bottom of the Back Bowls for a quick trip up. Construction on the new Sun Up Express couldn’t begin until July 1, because the installation is in the path of the annual elk-calving closure on Vail Mountain. Despite the late start, the project is on schedule for completion this fall.