Post by nickchu

• Telluride’s Gondola in Colorado is nearing the end of its life and the gondola subcommittee recommends replacing the system. The monocable detachable gondola (MDG) was built in 1996 and carries approximately 3 million riders a year between Telluride to Mountain Village. The system upgrades would include new stations, larger cabins, and new electromechanical equipment to improve accessibility and increase in ridership capacity, which is estimated to reach 4 million passengers by 2027.
• Tree clearing has begun at Aspen Mountain in Colorado for the new Leitner-Poma, high-speed quad chairlift. Clearing began in early May at the bottom two thirds of the lift alignment and the remaining areas are anticipated to begin clearing by June 21. The new chairlift will be installed in 2023 and may possibly open for the 2023-24 winter season. 
• Take a virtual tour of the California Express Gondola in Olympic Valley which will connect the Palisades Tahoe to Alpine Valley. The animation gives a drone view of the entire 2.4 mile gondola including the two mid-stations and 33 towers. The project is estimated to cost $65 million and will make Palisades Tahoe the third largest resort by acreage in North America. See a related Weekly Roundup here.
• A local reporter counters the arguments of the opposition to the Prairie Sky Gondola in Edmonton, Canada. The city council will be evaluating publics arguments against the project in mid-August which could potentially stop the project from advancing. The key concern addressed in the article touch on the impacts to the area and public funds. The project would revitalize an abandoned powerhouse and boost indigenous heritage. The project will be privately financed and equipped with a bond to remove and restore the system in the event the private company backs out of the project.  See a related Weekly Roundup here. SCJ Alliance, the parent company of the Gondola Project, has been retained to provide gondola expertise for this project.
• Snowbird’s ski resort, near Salt Lake City, Utah, successfully installed the Blue Tram. Snowbird purchased two tram cabins from Doppelmayr to replace the original 1970’s cabins. Blue Tram is scheduled to start Scenic Tram rides on July 15. Meanwhile the Red Tram has suffered delays due to the cabin dropping from a crane resulting in significant damages. The cabin for the Red Tram is expected to be installed later this summer and be operational by the winter season.  See a related Weekly Roundup here.