Where sliders go, lifts follow. Or is it the other way around? In the past 60 years, all over the globe, lift installations have reflected the needs and whims of customers and bowed to the dictates of topography and climate, flavored by some unique national quirks.
First, a little ski history. Skiing as a sport took off in the U.S. after World War II and reached 10 million visits a year by the late ’50s. A 20-year-long period of faster growth followed, ending in the late ’70s, with slow growth to this day. In Canada, growth has been more uniform.
Overall, European growth has climbed steadily from less than a few million visits at the end of WW II to 200 million visits today. It lagged America immediately after WW II (the same was true for Japan) and it was slowest in France—which had the strongest growth in the shortest period, from the mid ’70’s to late ’80’s.
Japan had the most dramatic growth period of all, jumping from 19 million visits in 1980 to 115 million visits in 1993, only to fall back to the mid-50 million visits where it remains today.
Everywhere, growth in demand led to increased uphill transportation. For example: in 1989, at the height of Japan’s growth, 228 lifts were built, including 11 gondolas.
Going Their Own Ways
The major skiing regions met growing demand with their own mix of lift types. For Europe, the number one choice has long been the surface lift. As late as 1975, surface lifts represented 83 percent of the continent’s total, with only 11 percent fixed grip chairlifts and 6 percent gondolas, trams and funiculars.
In contrast, Japan shunned surface lifts from the outset and had a love affair with double chairlifts. In 1975, Japan had 88 percent fixed grip chairlifts, 9 percent heavier equipment and only 3 percent surface lifts.
The U.S. settled between these two extremes. Surface lifts (not counting rope tows, an apparatus unknown almost anywhere else on the planet) and fixed-grip chairs each accounted for 47 percent of the total, with 6 percent gondolas and trams. Canada was much closer to the European model, with 79 percent surface lifts, 19 percent fixed grip chairlifts and only 2 percent other.
Oddly, the mix of lift types has changed little in the past 30 years despite big changes in technology. Detachable chairs have received a great deal of attention, but still represent a small percentage of total installations. They account for an increasing share of VTFH (a precise measure of this impact is not available), but even so, the unit numbers paint a clear picture.
The biggest change: the mix in the U.S. has shifted from surface lifts to fixed grip and detachable chairlifts. Canada shows a similar though less pronounced trend.
Large differences exist between the top 100 or so major European destination resorts and their more modest locally-oriented neighbors. The largest resorts are home to the bulk of the aerial trams, gondola lifts and chairlifts, especially detachables. Many medium-size resorts, and even entire countries in Central Europe and Scandinavia, rely exclusively (or nearly so) on surface lifts. For example, 96 percent of the lifts in Finland are surface lifts. In contrast, Méribel, France, has not less than 15 gondolas all by itself—and it connects to Courchevel, Les Menuires and Val Thorens, each of which has several gondolas and trams, for a total of 40 in the “3 Vallées” alone .
Current Trends
What are the current trends in lift installations, and are they still significantly different between the main regions of the world? To answer this question, we have compiled a recap of all the lifts sold by the four major manufacturers (Doppelmayr, Garaventa, Leitner and Poma— our thanks to them for providing the data) from 1995 through 2002.
The data show that Europe has been building relatively more lifts than North America. Would VTFH reveal a more equal growth? No. Even though surface lifts still account for a sizeable share of new installations in Europe, the number of larger lifts (gondolas, aerial trams, funitels, 6-pack and 8-pack detachable chairs) more than compensates for that.
A comparison between the U.S. and France (both countries have a similar number of skier visits) illustrates this point. In the past four years, France has built 30 percent more lifts than the U.S., which represents an even higher level of investment (50 percent to 70 percent higher, depending on the exchange rate).
As could be expected from its reversal in skier visits, Japan has invested little in new lifts over the same period.
Who Loves Which Lifts?
Surface Lifts: Why is Europe still building so many surface lifts? In Scandinavia, climate (cold) is a big consideration. Climate (wind) is the big issue in France, especially for interconnected resorts. When high winds shutter the big aerial lifts, surface lifts can still operate and keep the areas connected.
For smaller resorts all over Europe, and in Eastern Europe in particular, the lower cost of surface lifts is their main attraction—plus the fact that only one employee is needed to operate them. (More on related liability issues shortly.)
Fixed Grip Chairlifts: The same question could be asked of North America and Japan regarding fixed grip chairlifts: Why such an overwhelming preference? One reason in the U.S. is a higher capacity than surface lifts for a reasonable cost. Chairlifts also liberate land for skiing otherwise occupied by the lift’s uphill track, especially crucial with ski resorts located on limited land. In Japan, lift lines often include downhill sections due to the mountains’ topography and, therefore, make use of surface lifts problematic. Huge overnight snowfalls, common in Japan, also cause difficulties. And let’s not discount force of habit. The first lifts built by the occupying forces in Japan, as early as 1946, were chairlifts, which set the trend to follow.
Europe was slow to adopt chairlifts until the appearance of detachables. Now, double chairlifts have all but disappeared in Europe—except in Italy, where 15 have been installed in the last three years.
Detachable Chairlifts: The first detachable chairlifts appeared in the mid ’70s and took off by the mid ’80s. Quads have been the overwhelming choice worldwide, but Europe is now adopting the 6-pack and 8-pack. These larger lifts represent 56 percent of the detachable chairs installed from 2000 through 2002. This is exactly twice the ratio (28 percent) for North America. Another oddity: in Austria, one out of every two new detachables is equipped with bubbles, a rare occurrence anywhere else.
Loading and Positioning Carpets: Loading and positioning carpets facilitate loading on fixed-grip chairs by reducing the speed of the chair in relation to the speed of the passenger. They are common in Europe, though not in the U.S. Why? In Europe, the staffing at the bottom of lifts is minimal compared to North America, and carpets make it easier to load. Carpets are often coupled with loading gates, which pre-align the passengers and further reduce staffing needs.
A more recent and creative use of carpets is to position passengers on detachable 6-pack and 8-pack chairs and make loading more efficient. The carpet shuttles passengers into the loading zone in unison, so everybody is aligned when the chair reaches them.
Gondolas: Trams, because of their high cost and low capacity, are only used today for very specific applications. On the other hand, monocable gondola lifts and occasionally their variations (bi-cable gondolas and funitels) are the prime choice for the ultimate ride. The greatest demand is for seated 8-passenger models. Proportionally, Europe is installing three times as many gondolas as North America; it is not uncommon for major European resorts to have several. Gondolas are also an asset for summer operation, which is more prevalent in Europe than in North America.
Vive les Differences
Why do such differences persist between European and North American resorts? In addition to the dictates of climate and topography, other forces are at play.
- Winter resorts in North America are more confined in space due to restricted permit areas. Many European resorts spread across 10,000 acres or more, which gives them more flexibility with land use (e.g. the terrain used by a surface lift is not viewed as “taken away” from a possible downhill run).
- Higher payroll costs and less flexible employment laws encourage European lift operators to make lift choices that require as little staff as possible. So they favor automation over personal service. For example, chairlifts with automated gates and no personnel to provide assistance for loading are becoming the norm. (The preference for technology over staff in Europe is even more apparent with snowmaking, where automation is widespread.)
- European lift operators are not nearly as subject to liability lawsuits, which allows them to employ solutions that could create litigious nightmares in North America (e.g. running a chairlift with no assistance from the staff at the loading area).
- Lift operators in Europe receive substantial support from local communities, particularly for the promotion of the resort, snowmaking investment, etc. This frees up some resources for further lift investments that would not otherwise be available.
- Differences in resort organization and scope of operations affect choices, too. The majority of the European lift operators are involved exclusively with uphill transportation. Ski school, rental, retail, and even food & beverage are usually independently run. European lift operators put all their investment into the lift network.
- Let’s not overlook force of habit, either. Lift operators (as well as skiers and riders) are most comfortable with the lifts they already know.
Lift Types Around the World
| Surface Lift | Fixed Grip Chair | Detach Chair | Gondola, Tram, etc. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 72% | 16% | 4% | 8% |
| Japan | <2% | 78% | 13% | 7% |
| USA | 34% | 54% | 7% | 5% |
| Canada | 61% | 29% | 7% | 3% |
New Lift Market Share, 1995-2002
| Ski Region | % of world’s skier visits | % of lifts built |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 57% | 68% |
| North America | 23% | 18% |
| Japan | 16% | 2% |
| Other Ski Countries | 4% | 9% |
| Non-Ski Countries | NA | 3% |
| World | 100% | 100% |
Around the World At-A-Glance
In tiny Andorra (four resorts totaling 2.5 million visits), areas have installed nine 6- and 8-pack detachable chairs, a funitel, an aerial tram and two gondola lifts.
Australia had its first 8-pack detachable installed this year. The country had its best ever season and the advance bookings for 2004 are forecasting an even better one, which may trigger robust investments in 2005. Colin Hackworth, from the Australian Alpine Enterprise, mentioned the increasing popularity of conveyors for beginners.
In Chile, says El Colorado General Manager Ramon Haeussler, guests (especially the ever-increasing numbers of Europeans and North Americans) appreciate the growing number of detachable quads. Nevertheless, surface lifts are still popular, since much of the skiing is above tree line. Chilean resorts have been looking into loading carpets for fixed-grip chairlifts. Second-hand lifts represent a noteworthy share of the lift market; local regulations do not restrain their use, as is often the case in Europe.
In Finland, where resorts have built just one new lift (a gondola) in the last five years, Guy Catani from the National Operators Association predicts that future installations will be detachables. (At present Finland has 1 gondola, 17 fixed grip chairs and 433 surface lifts). The second-hand lift market is quite active.
France has been investing heavily in new lifts (US$176.6 million in 2003), but Austria has taken the lead lately with even larger investments. France’s favored lift is the 6-pack detachable chairlift, as it offers high capacity and speed without requiring skiers to remove their skis.
For Japan, as outlined by Kenji Hanano from Nippon Cable, operators will make certain that the market has “hit the bottom” before carefully considering new lifts.
In New Zealand, fixed-grip chairs are replacing surface lifts, which still account for 77 percent of the country’s total. Miles Davidson of the NZ Ski Areas Association said the shift is occurring not so much to open new terrain or increase capacity, but to better accommodate snowboarders, a sizeable portion of the market. The country has five detachable quads (one installed this year). The great peculiarity of New Zealand is its 10 helicopter skiing operations and two cat skiing facilities.
In Sweden two things have reinvigorated the market: Anja Paerson, the current women’s World Cup winner, and the upcoming 2007 World Championships. Hans Gerremo from the National Lift Operators Association said the country still relies heavily on surface lifts, but the demand is now for 6-pack detachable chairlifts, loading gates for all chairs, loading and positioning carpets on most, and conveyor belts for beginners.
In Spain, the market grows steadily. Noemi Márquez from the regional resorts association in Catalonia said that the investment in new lifts is substantial, but not enough to justify investment in big lifts (though detachables are beginning to appear).
—AL
