Lift Upgrades & New Investments To Enhance The Guest Experience
Exciting New Investments Across Our Resorts
This year, and every year, big things are coming when you hit the slopes at our resorts! New chairlifts, new lift-served terrain and exciting guest experiences have been introduced at our resorts over the past two seasons, and even more is in store for the 2023/24 season! This season, five more of our resorts will see new chairlifts, alongside new lift-served terrain and exciting guest experiences – all designed to help you make the most out of every minute on the mountain. These projects will reduce lift line wait times, giving you more time to learn new skills, explore new terrain, and discover new peaks.
2023/2024 Season
KEYSTONE
For the very first time, guests at Keystone will have lift access to Keystone’s high alpine, thanks to the installation of a brand-new, high-speed, 6-passenger chairlift in Bergman Bowl. The Bergman Express will provide lift access to more than 550 acres of intermediate-and-above-level high alpine terrain, including 16 new trails in Bergman and Erickson Bowls. In addition to offering an inviting high alpine adventure, Bergman Express will elevate the guest experience by improving skier and rider circulation across Keystone’s three mountain peaks.
BRECKENRIDGE
Breck continues the transformation of the Peak 8 Base Area with the upgrade of Five to a new, high-speed quad. With this lift upgrade, all four chairlifts that service Peak 8 will now be high-speed lifts to assist with improved flow and circulation out of the resort’s most popular base area: Five, Rip’s Ride, the Colorado SuperChair and the Rocky Mountain SuperChair. The new investments will provide a clear path to progression on Peak 8, with Rip’s Ride servicing learning and beginner terrain, Five servicing beginner and intermediate terrain, and the Colorado and Rocky Mountain SuperChairs servicing intermediate and advanced terrain.
WHISTLER BLACKCOMB
Whistler Blackcomb’s Fitzimmons Express will be replaced with a high-speed, 8-person chairlift – the first of its kind across Vail Resorts. The upgrade will help reduce lift line wait times out of the base at Skier’s Plaza in Whistler Village and improve circulation in the mid-mountain area.
STEVENS PASS
The iconic Kehr's Chair will be replaced with a new fixed grip quad ahead of the 2023/24 season. The new chair brings modern upgrades and comfort while also increasing uphill capacity. Kehr’s Chair has historically provided access to advanced terrain off Big Chief Mountain, where guests can choose to take intermediate or advanced trails back to the base area or can continue to Double Diamond to access a diverse network of trails on the backside.
ATTITASH
The much anticipated Mountaineer is a high-speed 4-passenger chairlift that will reduce ride time by more than half, increase uphill capacity and improve the flow of the Attitash base area.
2022/2023 Season
Vail
The installation of a new high-speed 4-person chair in the Sun Down Bowl from the base of Chair 5 (High Noon Express) to the Wildwood restaurant materially reduces wait times on peak days at Chair 5 and creates the opportunity for skiers and riders to much more conveniently access the trails in Sun Down Bowl.
Vail
The replacement of the former 4-person chair with a new high-speed 6-person lift increases capacity by nearly 50% and improves reliability in this popular bowl, beckoning guests to take even more laps and more turns.
Breckenridge
The beginner/ski school experience is greatly enhanced at the highly utilized Peak 8 base area by replacing the former fixed-grip double with a high-speed, 4-person chair, increasing uphill capacity by nearly 70% and making it easier for guests to move out of the base area.
Keystone
An approximately 6,000 square feet expansion of the Timber Ridge Lodge restaurant added 300 more indoor seats and 75 more outdoor seats for guests.
Whistler Blackcomb
The replacement of the former high-speed, 4-person lift with a high-speed, 6-person chair increases uphill capacity by nearly 30% and improves the ability for skiers and riders to move around mid-mountain out of the Creekside area.
Whistler Blackcomb
A new high-speed, 10-person gondola, replaced the existing 6-person gondola, significantly improving wait times and increasing out-of-base uphill capacity by 35% in the Creekside area, especially on high-volume days.
Northstar
A new high-speed, 6-person chair replaced the former mid-mountain, 4-person chair and is designed to reduce wait times at one of the mountain’s most popular lifts. This upgrade increases uphill capacity by nearly 50%.
Heavenly
The replacement of the former fixed-grip triple with a high-speed, 4-person chair increases uphill capacity by more than 40% and reduces the combined ride time of the Boulder and North Bowl lifts. This project has also helped reduce wait times at the Stagecoach and Olympic lifts.
Stowe
The replacement and extension of the former fixed-grip triple to a high-speed, 6-person lift increases uphill capacity by 100%, eliminates the steep hike to the base of the lift, improves reliability on windy days, and offers beginner and intermediate guests better access to lower-level terrain choices.
Mount Snow
The replacement of two fixed-grip triples with one high-speed, 6-person lift improves access to underutilized terrain and alleviates pressure from other lifts in the main base area, increasing uphill capacity by nearly 70%.
Mount Snow
A new high-speed, 4-person chair replaced the former fixed-grip quad, decreasing the 14-minute ride time by approximately 30%, resulting in better utilization of the Sunbrook terrain.
Attitash
The replacement of the East and West Double-Double chairs with one fixed-grip, 4-person chair improves reliability and enhances the overall guest experience at Attitash.
Jack Frost and Big Boulder
The replacement and consolidation of five lifts between Jack Frost and Big Boulder with fixed-grip 4-person chairs greatly increased uphill capacity, reliability and access to multiple slopes throughout the mountains. At Jack Frost, the Pocono, the Tobyhanna and the Paradise replaced the B & C lifts, the E & F lifts, and the East 1&2 doubles. At Big Boulder, the Blue Herron and the Harmony replaced the Merry Widow 1 & 1 doubles and the Edelweiss Triple.
Boston Mills Brandywine
Two new lifts at Boston Bills Brandywine enhanced reliability and the overall guest experience. At Boston Mills, the resort invested in the Buena Vista, a new fixed-grip, 4-person chair to replace the former Lift 5 double. At Brandywine, the new RAM Quad is a fixed-grip, 4-person chair that replaced the Lift 3 triple.
2021/2022 Season
Beaver Creek
For the 2021/22 season, Beaver Creek Resort added two new lifts and 250 acres of lift-served, welcoming terrain for beginner and intermediate skiers and riders to connect and elevate their mountain experience. McCoy Park offers 17 trails of natural, groomable glades while maintaining snowshoe and cross-country areas via two 4-person lifts: the high-speed McCoy Park Express Lift and the fixed-grip Reunion Lift.
Breckenridge
Located on the north side of Peak 7, this new high-speed, 4-person chair provides additional – and faster – access to guests coming from Peak 6 to get to Peaks 7 and 8, greatly enhancing the on-mountain experience for guests, and providing relief to the Independence SuperChair and the base of Peak 7.
Crested Butte
A new fixed-grip triple replaced the mountain’s oldest and last remaining 2-person chairlift. The upgrade better services beginner terrain at the base of the resort, increasing uphill capacity by 50%.
Keystone
The former Peru Express Lift at the Mountain House base area was upgraded to a new high-speed, 6-person chairlift, greatly enhancing the on-mountain guest experience by improving skier and rider circulation and providing quicker and more efficient access to the mountain.
Okemo
Two major lift projects launched at Okemo ahead of the 2021/22 season to help skiers and riders get up and around the mountain faster. The resort saw the addition the Quantum Six, a new high-speed, 6-person lift, and the Evergreen Summit Express, a high-speed, 4-person lift.
Legacy of Investments
2008
Epic Pass launches, offering unmatched value at an affordable price
2009
Gondolas, lifts, trails, and more added to Colorado and Heavenly
2010
Vail Resorts unveils EpicMix app for trip planning and stat-tracking
2011
Investments at Northstar include snowmaking, dining, village experience, more terrain
2012
Kirkwood added to Epic Pass; Terrain expanded at Breckenridge
2013
Breckenridge opens Peak 6; Upgrades to Alfton Alps, Mt. Brighton
2014
New lifts, state-of-the-art snowmaking arrives at Beaver Creek
2014
New chairlifts, reimagined dining announced for Breckenridge and Canyons
2015
Park City and Canyons combine, creating largest US ski resort
2015
EpicMix Time launches to provide crowd-sourced lift time transparency
2016
Major enhancements to Wilmot: lifts, snowmaking, renovated lodge, terrain park
2017
Historic investments at Whistler-Blackcomb including gondola-to-gondola connection
2017
Park City flourishes with new learning areas for families, dining
2018
New and upgraded lifts announced for Stevens Pass and Perisher
2018
Improvements in dining at Park City, Okemo, Stevens Pass
2019
Energy-efficient snowmaking transforms early season skiing at Colorado resorts
2020
EpicMix adds interactive trail maps, helps guests navigate the mountain