Upcoming Projects at Nendaz Veysonnaz: new gondola, snowmaking and on-mountain restaurant

Nendaz. Photo: Yasmin Gaudin.Upcoming Projects at Nendaz Veysonnaz: new gondola, snowmaking and on-mountain restaurant.

Upcoming Projects at Nendaz Veysonnaz: new gondola, snowmaking and on-mountain restaurant

NV Remontées mécaniques has definitely obtained all the necessary authorizations for the construction of the Gondola connecting Prarion to Plan du Fou as well as artificial snow making of the Greppon-Blanc sector (Combatseline-Thyon).

Upcoming Projects at Nendaz Veysonnaz: new gondola, snowmaking and on-mountain restaurant. Poster: NV Remontées mécaniques
Upcoming Projects at Nendaz Veysonnaz: new gondola, snowmaking and on-mountain restaurant. Poster: NV Remontées mécaniques

These two projects will be carried out during summer 2019 and the installations commissioned for the winter 2019-2020. In parallel, the artificial snow of the Plan du Fou’s free track will also be finalized.

The total investment represents around CHF 25 million. NV Remontées mécaniques will therefore have invested a total of CHF 60 millions in 4 years (2016 to 2019) in order to improve its offer and best meet the expectations of customers.

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The new V-Cableway will bring you to your destination up to 47 minutes faster.

Jungfraujoch- Top of Europe. The new V-Cableway will bring you to your destination up to 47 minutes faster.

The new V-Cableway will bring you to your destination up to 47 minutes faster.

The new V-Cableway can get you to the Jungfraujoch- Top of Europe or to the ski slopes much faster.

As for example, the distance from the Terminal in Grindelwald to the Jungfraujoch, used to take you 1 h 28 minutes and now it will take you 45 minutes – 43 minutes faster than before!

The tunnel excavation for the Bergstation of the Eigerexpress. The new V-Cableway will bring you to your destination up to 47 minutes faster.
The tunnel excavation for the Bergstation of the Eigerexpress. The new V-Cableway will bring you to your destination up to 47 minutes faster.

Also, from Lauterbrunnen to Jungraujoch, it used to take you 1 h 47 min and now you will be able to do it 17 minutes faster at 1 h 45 min.

From Interlaken to Jungfraujoch is now 1 h 30 minutes, compared to 2 h 17 minutes that used to be the time to get there, now 47 minutes faster!

From Bern to Eigergletscher – some of the ski slopes, you can be in 1 h 49 minutes instead of before 2 h 36 minutes- 47 minutes faster.

It is the same case from Zurich to Eigergletscher – now can be done in 2 h 51 minutes instead of 3 h 38 minutes (47 minutes faster).

The V-Cableway project has great economic significance for the Jungfrau Region and above all for Grindelwald. A significantly positive impact on employment and value creation in Grindelwald and in the canton of Bern is expected in the construction phase as well as during the operational phase.

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Park City Mountain Announces Plans to Install New Lift for 2019-20 SEASON

Park City Mountain Announces Plans to Install New Lift for 2019-20 SEASON. Photo Vail Resorts.

Park City Mountain Announces Plans to Install New Lift for 2019-20 SEASON 

  • Park City Mountain will install a new fixed grip quad for the 2019-20 season
  • The lift will provide a quicker, more direct route to Canyons Village

Park City Mountain today announced plans to install a new lift in time for the 2019-20 season, pending permits. The fixed grip quad chairlift, named “Over and Out,” will transport guests from a location near the bottom of the Tombstone Express Lift and unload near the top of Sunrise Lift on the front side of the mountain. As the name suggests, this lift will provide a quicker, more direct route for skiers and riders to access Canyons Village from the center of the resort.

Park City Mountain Announces Plans to Install New Lift for 2019-20 SEASON. Photo Vail Resorts.
Park City Mountain Announces Plans to Install New Lift for 2019-20 SEASON. Photo Vail Resorts.

“Since combining Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort in 2015, our focus has been on enhancing the guest experience,” said Bill Rock senior vice president and chief operating officer at Park City Mountain. “We continue to evolve as a resort and prioritise our capital improvements based on guest feedback. We know that time is particularly valuable to our guests and the new lift will offer a faster and more convenient route to return to Canyons Village.”

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Crested Butte’s Teocalli Lift Replacement Approved by U.S. Forest Service

Teocalli lift - Photo: Peter Landsmen- KBUT radio. Crested Butte’s Teocalli Lift Replacement Approved by U.S. Forest Service.

​Crested Butte’s Teocalli Lift Replacement Approved by U.S. Forest Service

The U.S. Forest Service has approved the replacement of the Teocalli Lift at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR). Beginning in early-May 2019, CBMR will begin removing the existing Teocalli Lift to replace and realign the lift for an improved on-mountain guest experience. The upgraded lift will debut in the 2019-20 winter season.

The old Teocalli lift base- photo: Coloradoskihistory.com - Crested Butte’s Teocalli Lift Replacement Approved by U.S. Forest Service.
The old Teocalli lift base- photo: Coloradoskihistory.com – Crested Butte’s Teocalli Lift Replacement Approved by U.S. Forest Service.

CBMR will replace the Teocalli Lift – a 1979 Riblet fixed-grip double chairlift – with an upgraded fixed-grip quad chairlift. By increasing the operating speed and subsequent spacing between the chairs – to accommodate the increased operating speed – the new Teocalli Lift will increase uphill capacity by more than 50 percent. The upper terminal of the Teocalli Lift will be shifted closer to the top of the Red Lady Express, while the lower terminal will remain in the existing location at the intersection of the Bushwacker, Gunsight Pass and Upper Conundrum trails.

After the existing Teocalli Lift is removed, site preparation and foundation work is expected to begin in July with the new Teocalli Lift being installed in August, weather and conditions depending.

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Vail Resorts Announces Pending Sale of Park City Mountain Base Area Site for Mixed-Use Project Development

Park City Town. Vail Resorts Announces Pending Sale of Park City Mountain Base Area Site for Mixed-Use Project Development.

Vail Resorts Announces Pending Sale of Park City Mountain Base Area Site for Mixed-Use Project Development

Vail Resorts today announced that it has entered into an agreement with PEG Companies, a Utah-based commercial real estate development and investment group, to sell and develop parcels of land currently used as surface parking lots at the base of Park City Mountain.

Park City skiing - photo: Scott Markewitz. Vail Resorts. Park City Town. Vail Resorts Announces Pending Sale of Park City Mountain Base Area Site for Mixed-Use Project Development.
Park City skiing – photo: Scott Markewitz. Vail Resorts. Park City Town. Vail Resorts Announces Pending Sale of Park City Mountain Base Area Site for Mixed-Use Project Development.

Subject to community input and an approval process by Park City Municipal Corp., the 10-acre site will feature a mixed-use project, including a full-service hotel and spa, residential units, commercial space for dining and retail, skier services, parking garages and community priorities such as improved access to public parking, traffic and transit improvements and on-site workforce housing.

“We are very excited to have found a development team that will work closely with the City and the community to carry out a vision for a vibrant base area,” said Bill Rock, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Park City Mountain. “We look forward to a collaborative partnership that will provide both our guests and Park City residents with an elevated experience at the base of Park City Mountain.”

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The World’s Longest Panoramic Gondola Lift Will Open in Serbia

Tornik ski resort. Elnea Lupsor photo. Wikipedia. The World's Longest Panoramic Gondola Lift Will Open in Serbia.

The World’s Longest Panoramic Gondola Lift Will Open in Serbia

From POMA

The Zlatibor Gold Gondola Lift, at the heart of a major tourist project linking the town of Zlatibor with the Tornik ski resort by air, via lake Ribničko.

Located in the popular tourist town of Zlatibor, within the municipality of Čajetina in Serbia, this new 9-km gondola lift has eclipsed the previous record-holder, the Tianmen Shan cable car (China) measuring 7.4 km. The total journey time is 25 minutes and treats passengers, skiers, hikers and walkers to breathtaking panoramic views of Zlatibor and its golden pine-covered mountain slopes, which gave the mountain its name (‘zlatni’ meaning ‘golden’ and ‘bor’ meaning ‘pine tree’ in Serbian). A project that is part of continuity since POMA had already participated in 2007 in the Tornik ski resort modernisation by installing the first detachable chairlift of Serbia.

The World's Longest Panoramic Gondola Lift Will Open in Serbia.
The World’s Longest Panoramic Gondola Lift Will Open in Serbia.

Tourist activities on offer near all stations

The line connects the tourist hub of Zlatibor to Tornik’s summit, which peaks at an altitude of 1,496 metres. Zlatibor, also known as Kraljeve Vode (‘King’s Water’), has been a renowned Serbian tourist resort since the 19th century, particularly prized for its climate, its setting and its snowy slopes.

This new gondola lift is part of the overall drive to strengthen and diversify the region’s tourist attractions. Around the downhill resort in the centre of Zlatibor, the municipality is planning to build the biggest adventure park of the Balkans (1,000 m²); it will offer numerous leisure activities, such as zip wires, hanging bridges, tobogganing and climbing.

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Eldora Mountain’s Expansion is approved by Gilpin County

Eldora Mountain Resort ski map. Eldora Mountain’s Expansion is approved by Gilpin County.

Eldora Mountain’s Expansion is approved by Gilpin County

From the Mountain Ear

Gilpin County. Eldora Mountain Resort requested approval of a Special Use Permit for the expansion of Eldora Ski Resort into northern Gilpin County on March 5, 2019, at the Gilpin County Courthouse. The proposal included construction of a lift return and a lift operator building, on property owned by Tolland Ranch, LLC. The owner has given written consent and approval to this application.

During the hearing, the Community Development Director, Stephen Strohminger, said that there would be no new roads that this development would incur, and no vehicular traffic of any kind will be present except for heavy equipment when needed for maintenance. No impacts to water quality or quantity are expected.

Eldora Mountain Resort's sign. Eldora Mountain’s Expansion is approved by Gilpin County.
Eldora Mountain Resort’s sign. Eldora Mountain’s Expansion is approved by Gilpin County.

The USFS Rocky Mountain Region has conducted an environmental impact report and has approved this project. The proposed Jolly Jug Lift is expected to be approximately 3,250 feet in length with half of the line in Gilpin County, and a structure to house a composting toilet system.

The bottom of the proposed lift is approximately 4.5 miles from Highway 119 and 1.6 miles to the south to Tolland Road, as the crow flies. No negative visual impacts to views and vistas are expected based on the information given.

The new lift would provide access to existing runs on the front and back side of Eldora and additional intermediate and expert level terrain on the south side of the mountain. Eldora General Manager Brent Tregaskis said, “This lift really fills that void at a very high level.” Skiers would be able to ride the Sundance Chair, ski down to the Jolly Jug Lift, and ride to the top of the ridge.”

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Saddleback ski area might get back in business with another new prospective buyer

Saddleback ski area might get back in business with another new prospective buyer

The purchase price was not disclosed. The ski area has been closed since 2015.

From the Portland Press Herald

An investment firm from Boston has made an offer to buy Saddleback Mountain, stating that they’ll invest between $25 million to $30 million after the sale to help restart the Rageley ski resort, now closed for four years.

Saddleback ski area
Saddleback ski area might get back in business with another new prospective buyer.

The property is owned by the Berry family. The details of what Arctaris Impact Fund is offering to the Berry family has been disclosed in an email to the owners of Saddleback condos. The email was sent by Andy Shepard, CEO of the Outdoors Sports Institute and Tom Federle, a Portland attorney who have been working with Arctaris trying to purchase the ski area.

Saddleback was Maine’s third largest ski resort offering lots of local jobs and drawing thousands of tourists each winter while it was opened.

Shepard would not confirm the terms and conditions of the purchase – only that the $500 million investment group wants to buy the ski mountain and can afford it. The purchase price was not disclosed.

“Tom Federle and I have been quietly trying to find a buyer for the mountain for the last four years and connected with Arctaris last fall. We have been very impressed with their commitment and capacity to not only buy the mountain but doing so with a long-term view to make the mountain successful,” said Shepard, the former CEO of the Maine Winter Sports Center, in an email Friday. “Arctaris is the real deal and I’m hopeful for the Berry family and for the people of western Maine that we can get a deal done.”

Saddleback ski area might get back in business with another new prospective buyer.
Saddleback ski area might get back in business with another new prospective buyer.

Federle owns a condo in Saddleback. Shepard said his interest in the deal is in “preserving one of Maine’s most remarkable ski mountains and the role it plays in the economy of the region, an interest shared by Tom.”

Saddleback, owned by Irene and Bill Berry of Farmington, has been on the market since July 2015. The ski mountain – one of the largest in Maine with an elevation of 4,120 feet – has not been open since the 2014-2015 season.

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Alterra Mountain Company Announces $181 Million in Capital Improvements for the 2019/2020 Winter Season

Scenics at Squaw Valley Mountain Resort in Olympic Valley, California.Alterra Mountain Company Announces $181 Million in Capital Improvements for the 2019/2020 Winter Season.

Alterra Mountain Company Announces $181 Million in Capital Improvements for the 2019/2020 Winter Season

The Investment is Part of $555 Million Improvement Plan through 2022/2023

Alterra Mountain Company announces its plans to invest $181 million in capital improvements across its 14 North American mountain destinations for the upcoming year. Marquee 2019/2020 projects aimed at enhancing the guest experience include new high-speed lifts at Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows and Winter Park, direct to lift access at Deer Valley Resort, an expansive renovation of the Bobbie Burns lodge at CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures, and an upgrade of Steamboat’s gondola.

This year’s $181 million plan includes $32.3 million towards improved gondolas and lifts, a $27.1 million investment in innovation to offer customer-friendly technology, $8.3 million towards state-of-the-art snowmaking, $6.2 million dedicated to expanded dining experiences, $6.3 million in summer activity investments, and nearly $10 million in planning efforts to unlock future potential terrain and lift expansions, base area developments, new dining facilities, and four-season activity offerings.

These capital projects are part of an ambitious improvement plan totaling more than half a billion dollars through the 2022/2023 season, focused on elevating the guest experience at all destinations, after an initial $170 million investment for the 2018/2019 season.

“Alterra Mountain Company’s unique year-round mountain destinations offer skiers, riders and summer visitors of all ages from all over the world special, memorable experiences, and each aspect of our business plays a part in bringing the guest back year after year and inspiring a lifelong love of the mountains,” said Rusty Gregory, Chief Executive Officer, Alterra Mountain Company.  “We are committed to investing in everything from lifts to snowmaking to creative dining experiences, and technology that weaves it all together for a seamless visit.”

Early Morning KT-22 Bluebird powder day at Squaw Valley USA. Alterra Mountain Company Announces $181 Million in Capital Improvements for the 2019/2020 Winter Season.
Early Morning KT-22 Bluebird powder day at Squaw Valley USA. Alterra Mountain Company Announces $181 Million in Capital Improvements for the 2019/2020 Winter Season.

Significant improvements for the 2019/2020 season include:

Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, California

Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows will replace the Hot Wheels lift at Alpine Meadows with a new high-speed quad with an extended second leg to the ridge, granting skiers and riders quicker access to the Alpine and Sherwood areas. New surface lifts at High Camp at Squaw Valley will improve connectivity with High Camp facilities and enhance the beginner experience.

Deer Valley Resort, Utah

Deer Valley Resort will have direct-to-lift access for winter 19/20 after an investment in RFID technology. This will streamline and speed up the on-mountain experience, and Ikon Pass holders will no longer have to visit the ticket window, giving skiers more time on the mountain.

Deer Valley Resort - a Family enjoys their time out. Alterra Mountain Company Announces $181 Million in Capital Improvements for the 2019/2020 Winter Season.
Deer Valley Resort – a Family enjoys their time out. Alterra Mountain Company Announces $181 Million in Capital Improvements for the 2019/2020 Winter Season.

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Tamarack Resort Begins Mountain Face Lift Spring 2019

Tamarack Resort Begins Mountain Face Lift Spring 2019. Photo: Tamarack Resort.

Tamarack Resort Begins Mountain Face Lift Spring 2019

Construction resumes at the Village and a new ski lift will be installed as 2019/20 passes sales begin

Tamarack Resort embarks on a new round of resort improvements beginning Spring 2019. Along with the first phase completion of the Village Plaza, Tamarack is improving mountain terrain and opening up lift-served access to more than 200 acres.

Tamarack Resort Begins Mountain Face Lift Spring 2019. Photo: Tamarack Resort.
Tamarack Resort Begins Mountain Face Lift Spring 2019. Photo: Tamarack Resort.

“It will certainly be busy around the mountain this spring,” Tamarack Resort President Jon Reveal said. “Not only is the first phase of the Village Plaza, with retail, lodging and restaurants being completed, but the mountain is getting a generous addition of accessible terrain thanks to new mountain equipment, including a high-speed quad. We’re focused on improving the guest experience from the moment they arrive at the Village through their last run of the day.”

Construction crews will focus on completing the exteriors of the three Phase 1 Village buildings. The construction process has been on hold since 2009. They will simultaneously finish the first phase of retail, dining and guest service spaces in time for the 2019/2020 winter season.

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