Extended Access

Snowboarders and skiers love to find more adventure on the mountains. Therefore, to meet their expectations, many ski resorts are trying to include or extend terrain. A two-year expansion plan at Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin will add approximately 500 acres to this Alpine ski resort, which encompasses a 350-acre region named ‘The Beavers’. It was once a famous countryside region, which was accessible from the hotel and now inbounds landscape with  slide moderation. The new landscape includes approx. two dozen turns with natural spaces and steep cascades, all offered by ‘The Beavers’.

New York’s Hunter Mountain, Colorado’s Wolf Creek and Washington’s Mt. Spokane are other ski resorts which are soon going to add new lift-aided terrain.

New Gondolas

In British Columbia, Whistler Blackcomb includes 2 chair lifts and a 10-passenger gondola, which offer a quick access to the upper ranges of Blackcomb Mountain and ensure easy jumping from Blackcomb to Whistler. According to Landsman, these three new lifts are going to be the “first three-gondola connection in the world”.

Copper Mountain in Colorado and Quebec’s Bromont will offer joint chairlift and gondola systems, which include six-individual gondola cabins and chairs, working on the same route. This hybrid lift is also famous as a chondola that will allow visitors to either reserve a chair or wait for gondola cabin, in case of usually shorter routes.

Colorado’s Winter Park, Montana’s private Yellowstone Club, New Hampshire’s Bretton Woods, and British Columbia’s Silver Star are some of the resorts that are expected to start new gondolas this winter.

Bigger Chairlifts

Montana’s Big Sky Resort is introducing the first eight-individual chairlift in the country this season. The Doppelmayr-made Ramcharger 8 lift has an adjustable loading surface, heated seats, and enclosed bubbles, which keep the riders protected against the elements.

Many resorts in Europe have eight-individual chairlifts, but, Landsman’s view is that the new chairlift introduced by Montana’s Big Sky Resort is one of the advanced chairlifts. It is a combination of bunch of elements, which was not found in any of the existing chairlifts.

Ski Resorts including Colorado’s Copper Mountain and Vermont’s Killington Ski Resort are also coming up with bubble chairs this season, but it has been noticed that due to the high maintenance cost, some resorts are excluding them. The Killington Ski Resort is working to improve the access to its South Ridge zone by replacing the quad chair with the new six-individual Snowdon Express bubble lift.

These are some of the important updates provided by the Peter Landsman about the new chairlifts and gondolas at the U.S. and Canada’s ski resorts, which will provide a faster and easier access to beautiful landscapes.