SAM Magazine—Lincoln, N.H., April 19, 2024—Loon Mountain Resort plans to install a pulse gondola to achieve a seemingly simple but elusive goal: moving guests from the RiverWalk Resort to the base of the mountain with a minimal amount of hassle. 

Installation of the Doppelmayr fixed-grip pulse gondola will begin in spring 2025 with the goal of being operational for the 2025-26 ski season. The 1,300-foot lift will have stations behind RiverWalk Resort and in the ski area’s Escape Route Parking Lot B near the Timbertown Quad lift.

Loon president and GM Brian Norton said the vision has been in the making for decades. “This lift has been long dreamt of—dating back to the late ‘80s—and would not be possible without collaboration with RiverWalk and South Peak resorts,” said Norton.

The lift will carry passengers over the Pemigewasset River in 12 Doppelmayr Omega IV gondola cabins, grouped into pods of three. Each cabin can carry up to eight passengers.

Mountain officials said the pulse lift will be the first of its kind in New England. This type of fixed-grip lift is unique in that will travel at speeds comparable to a detachable system, slowing down when one of the widely spaced “pulses,” or pods of three cabins, reaches a terminal for loading or unloading, a process and rhythm that helps speed lift operations.  

The project is a collaboration between Loon, the RiverWalk Resort, and South Peak Resort, a 360-acre community of single-family homes, condos, and townhomes set between the river and the ski area. RiverWalk is nearing completion of a major expansion that will add new accommodations, an on-site winery, and a spa to the resort, which currently has 79 studios and one-, two-, and three-bedroom condo units.

The gondola will address the longstanding problem of Loon’s lodging being distant from its base areas, providing resort guests with car-free access to the ski area for the first time. It also would deposit skiers at the location envisioned as the future home of Loon’s planned South Peak base shopping, dining, and entertainment village.

"This gondola is key to completing our vision,” said Dennis Ducharme, president of RiverWalk Resort. “Connecting our guests and residents to the wider amenities and experiences offered both at Loon and South Peak will enhance the experience for guests of each property … It's about creating a vibrant, interconnected community."

—Reported by Bob Curley

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