{"id":40657,"date":"2018-11-27T08:46:04","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T16:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=40657"},"modified":"2020-05-22T13:05:03","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T20:05:03","slug":"whats-new-at-ski-resorts-this-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/whats-new-at-ski-resorts-this-winter","title":{"rendered":"What’s New at Ski Resorts This Winter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Peter Landsman knows a thing or two about ski lifts. On his simply named <\/span>Lift Blog<\/span><\/a>, Landsman maintains a database of every chairlift, gondola and T-bar in the United States, breaking them down by manufacturer, year installed, vertical rise and more. He even tracks gondolas and lifts in warm-weather tourist destinations and amusement parks.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Landsman\u2019s fascination with lifts began in childhood, skiing at Snoqualmie Pass and Crystal Mountain, the two resorts closest to his hometown of Mercer Island, Washington. After college, he got a job as a liftie at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming, where he has worked his way up to his current position of lift supervisor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the trends Landsman highlighted for the <\/span>2018-2019 season<\/span><\/a>: new gondolas, more access to expanded terrain and faster and bigger lifts to move skiers and snowboarders more quickly. Many of the resorts making upgrades this year are participating in <\/span>multi-resort passes<\/span><\/a> \u2014like the Epic Pass from Vail Resorts and the brand-new Ikon Pass\u2014so they\u2019re preparing for an influx of powder hounds. \u201cEveryone hopes people will ski a lot more,\u201d Landsman said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Overall, there will be 54 new lifts added to the U.S. and Canada this year. Here\u2019s a look at some of the highlights.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A-Basin added a new quad for this season that delivers skiers to brand new terrain. (Photo Credit: Dave Camera\/Arapahoe Basin)<\/p><\/div>\n

Expanded Access<\/b><\/h5>\n

Several resorts are working to add or expand terrain, as skiers and snowboarders look for more adventure on the slopes. At Colorado\u2019s <\/span>Arapahoe Basin, a two-year expansion project will add nearly 500 acres to the resort this winter, including a 350-acre zone called The Beavers, once a popular backcountry area accessed from the resort and now inbounds terrain with avalanche mitigation. The new terrain features nearly two dozen runs with steep chutes, open faces and natural glades, all served by a new quad chair also called The Beavers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other areas adding new lift-served terrain this year include Washington\u2019s Mt. Spokane, New York\u2019s Hunter Mountain and Colorado\u2019s Wolf Creek.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Big Sky in Montana is adding the country’s first eight-person chairlift. (Photo Courtesy of Big Sky Resort)<\/p><\/div>\n

Bigger, Better Chairlifts<\/b><\/h5>\n

Montana\u2019s Big Sky Resort<\/span> is making a splash this winter by debuting the country\u2019s <\/span>first eight-person chairlift<\/span><\/a>. The Doppelmayr-manufactured Ramcharger 8 lift features heated seats, an adjustable loading platform and enclosed bubbles that shield riders from the elements.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eight-person chairlifts exist at many resorts around Europe, but, according to Landsman, Big Sky\u2019s new lift takes state-of-the-art technology to another level. \u201cBig Sky has basically bought the fanciest chairlift you can buy. They\u2019ve combined a whole bunch of things onto one chairlift that nobody\u2019s ever done before,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bubble chairs are also popping up at Killington Ski Resort in Vermont and Colorado\u2019s Copper Mountain this year, but Landsman also said some resorts are removing them due to high maintenance costs. At Killington, the new six-passenger Snowdon Express bubble lift will replace a quad chair that will move to the resort\u2019s South Ridge zone, improving access to an area that\u2019s been without its own dedicated lift since 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from rider comfort, speed is another goal of this year\u2019s upgrades. Loveland Ski Area in Colorado has replaced its beloved Chair 1 triple to a high-speed quad, an upgrade that cuts rider time from seven minutes to three.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Killington in Vermont has a new bubble chairlift to keep riders warm and dry. (Photo Courtesy of Killington Resort)<\/p><\/div>\n

New Gondolas<\/b><\/h5>\n

Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia is adding three new lifts this season: two chairs and a 10-person gondola that will provide faster access to the upper reaches of Blackcomb Mountain and make it easier to jump from Blackcomb to Whistler and vice versa. It will be the \u201cworld\u2019s first three-gondola connection,\u201d Landsman said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Two resorts\u2014Quebec\u2019s Bromont and Copper Mountain in Colorado\u2014will add combined gondola\/chairlift systems that run six-person chairs and gondola cabins on the same line. Sometimes called a \u201cchondola,\u201d the hybrid lift gives skiers and riders the option to wait for a cabin or hop on a chair, where lines are usually shorter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other resorts expected to debut new gondolas this season include New Hampshire\u2019s Bretton Woods, Colorado\u2019s Winter Park, British Columbia\u2019s Silver Star and Montana\u2019s private Yellowstone Club.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Peter Landsman knows a thing or two about ski lifts. On his simply named Lift Blog, Landsman maintains a database of every chairlift, gondola and T-bar in the United States, breaking them down by manufacturer, year installed, vertical rise and more. He even tracks gondolas and lifts in warm-weather tourist destinations and amusement parks. Landsman\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":40659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[727,473,364],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-40657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-snowsports","tag-latest-posts","tag-skiing","tag-snowsports"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/whats-new-at-ski-resorts-this-winter","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"What’s New at Ski Resorts This Winter?","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/whats-new-at-ski-resorts-this-winter","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/whats-new-at-ski-resorts-this-winter"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/DaveCamera_ABasinDC9U0708.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/DaveCamera_ABasinDC9U0708.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Snowsports","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["latest posts","skiing","snowsports"],"dateCreated":"2018-11-27T16:46:04Z","datePublished":"2018-11-27T16:46:04Z","dateModified":"2020-05-22T20:05:03Z"},"rendered":"