North America — One of the distinctive lifts within the ski business is the chondola. This carry, which can be know as a hybrid or telemix carry, options a mixture of high-capacity chairs and gondola cabins. Whereas these lifts exist world wide, not many have been put in throughout North America. Nonetheless there are nonetheless mountains which have put in these distinctive lifts.
Right here’s a rundown of which North America ski resorts have chondolas and the place some may very well be added sooner or later.
Arizona Snowbowl: Opened in late 2020, the Arizona Gondola is the latest chondola in North America’s ski business. It changed the Agassiz chairlift, a fixed-grip triple that opened again in 1986. It has a journey time of round seven minutes in the summertime and is a slower 10-Quarter-hour through the offseason. This carry providers a overwhelming majority of the terrain on the Snowbowl, and has turn out to be a useful asset for the ski resort, bringing in friends through the offseason.
Beaver Creek: The Centennial Categorical is a behemoth. Opened through the 2014-15 season, it changed a high-speed quad of the identical identify. The carry’s vertical rise of 2102 toes connects the Beaver Creek Village to the Spruce Saddle Lodge.
This carry is a mixture of six-person chairs and ten-person gondola cabins. This carry connects skiers and riders to newbie, intermediate, superior, and skilled trails and glades.
Copper Mountain: The American Eagle has turn out to be a game-changing carry for the Colorado ski resort. Opened in late 2018, this carry options a mixture of eight-person gondola cabins and six-person carriers.
The American Eagle providers principally intermediate terrain but in addition offers easy accessibility to the overwhelming majority of the decrease mountain. It additionally connects the Heart Village to the Aerie, a brand new trendy base lodge that opened in 2023.
Mont Orford: The one chondola in Canada is located in Quebec.
Opened through the 2008-09 season, L’Hybride is a mixture of six-person chairs and eight-person gondola cabins. The carry has a vertical rise of 1,933 toes. Servicing the summit of Mont Orford, it offers entry to newbie, intermediate, superior and skilled trails and glades.
Northstar: Making its debut in 2006, the Tahoe Zephyr Categorical strikes skiers and riders from the mid-mountain to the Northwest Territory and Zephyr Lodge.
The carry options a mixture of six-person chairs and eight-person gondola cabins. With a vertical rise of 1050 toes, the chondola connects skiers to the Zephyr Lodge, together with intermediate terrain.
Sunday River: Again when it opened in 2008, the Chondola was one of the vital costly lifts ever inbuilt New England. In accordance with the Boston Globe, it price $7.2 million to construct it again in 2008.
The carry has a complete of 64 six-pack chairs, and 18 eight-person gondola cabins. The Chondola has a size of 6,427 toes, a vertical rise of 1138 vertical toes, and a journey time of round seven minutes.
Over the previous sixteen years, it has linked friends from the South Ridge base lodge to North Peak and the Peak Lodge. This carry can be part of Sunday River’s twilight nights program, which they provide on choose weekends and holidays.
Telluride: Opened again in 1995, it’s one of many 4 free lifts that non-skiers can journey round Telluride. With a small vertical rise of 384 vertical toes, this chondola connects Meadows to the Mountain Village. The carry is a mixture of four-person gondola cabins and four-person chairs.
It principally serves as a connector carry, however it’s additionally useful for inexperienced persons who wish to ski in an space with solely simple terrain.
Chondola In The Summer time: In the course of the summertime, Whitefish Mountain Resort converts the Large Mountain Categorical #1 right into a chondola. This chairlift is solely a removable high-speed quad chairlift within the winter, however a few of the carriers are swapped with a four-person gondola cabin through the offseason. As a result of they don’t do that 12 months spherical, I really feel prefer it shouldn’t depend in direction of the six ski resorts that do preserve this setup each day.
Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire used to do the identical factor as Whitefish, however it auctioned off its gondola cabins in 2024.
Potential Future Chondolas: In 2023, Brighton Resort said its curiosity in constructing a chondola. This carry would join from Brighton’s principal base space to the brand new Snake Creek lodge, which opened final winter. The plan is an try to extend summer time visitation, together with creating simpler entry to newbie/intermediate terrain. Moreover, it’s going to create a less complicated path to the Snake Creek Categorical chairlift. This proposed challenge was permitted by the US Forest Service early final 12 months, so we’ll need to see if or when Brighton decides to put in one within the years forward.
Grand Targhee can be contemplating constructing a chondola, which might change the Dreamcatcher removable high-speed quad chairlift. Situated at Targhee’s base space, that is the ski resort’s principal workhorse. A timeline for this although appears much less definitive, because it’s a part of Grand Targhee’s grasp plan that’s been present process a complete overview course of due to opposition from environmental teams.
Picture/Video Credit: Arizona Snowbowl, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain, Mont. Orford, Northstar Resort, Sunday River, City of Mountain Village, Telluride Ski & Golf, Whitefish Mountain Resort
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