Industry News
The 2024-25 ski season has ended for most skiers and snowboarders in the Northern Hemisphere, but that does not mean there aren’t things to look forward to next season. The “off-season” in the skiing world typically doesn’t mean that skiers and snowboarders stop doing things just because there is no more snow. Most people switch gears to other activities such as mountain biking, kayaking, fishing, and other outdoor activities during the summer. The same goes for ski resorts. Just because the ski slopes are closed for the summer doesn’t mean that ski resorts are taking the summer off. Resorts are busy with plenty of summer priorities, such as maintenance and upgrades, that occur during the off-season. In some cases, this means adding, improving, and upgrading lifts.
According to the skiresort.info website, at least 258 new ski lifts are planned worldwide to be constructed during 2025, with plenty hopefully ready to start spinning in the 2025-26 season. Some lifts will be upgraded, improved, or replaced with an entirely new lift system. New major lift systems are planned to be installed on five continents next season. The lift systems range from trams, gondolas, high-speed lifts, combined lift systems (a combination of a detachable gondola lift and a detachable chairlift), T-bars, rope tows, and surface lifts. Europe and North America have the most new lifts planned for next season, representing 240 out of the 258 worldwide. A breakdown of how many ski resorts are planning to build new lifts for next season by continent gives an insight into what regions are looking to improve its lift capacity in the future.
North America
40 North American ski resorts are planning on building 58 new ski lifts for the 2025-26 season. That ranks second in the number of lifts scheduled for next season, only behind Europe. Those lifts include eight gondolas, 44 high-speed lifts, and five T-bars. Park City, Utah, is one ski resort in North America planning on having a 10-person gondola, and is still planning on installing an 8-person high-speed lift, and a 6-person high-speed lift. However, the latter two are still subject to a successful appeals hearing at Utah’s appeals court. Those lifts would increase Park City’s lift capacity per hour by 9,000 people. Deer Valley, Utah, is investing considerably in its lift capabilities by adding seven new lifts. The resort will have a 10-person gondola, a 6-person high-speed lift, and five-4 person-high-speed lifts for next season. These lifts would increase Deer Valley’s lift capacity per hour by 15,000 people.
Asia
There are hundreds of ski resorts in Asia; however, few plan on having new lifts ready for the 2025-26 season. Six resorts are planning on having nine lifts installed for next season. Those include one gondola and seven high-speed lifts. Shahdag (Şahdağ) ski resort in Azerbaijan plans to add four 6-person high-speed lifts, increasing its lift capacity by 9,600 people per hour. Shahdag ski resort currently has 20 lifts that service 32 slopes with a lift capacity of 25,000 skiers per hour.
Niseko, Japan, plans to upgrade its King Quad Lift #3 to a 6-person high-speed lift. The Ace Gondola, which made its debut in November 2024, is expected to further increase the number of guests coming to the mid-piste area. The lift will be replaced to increase its transportation capacity to reduce congestion, and improve guest satisfaction. This will allow up to 600 more passengers per hour and will be the first heated chairlift in Niseko.
Europe
Europe is home to thousands of ski resorts, and therefore it should be no surprise that it ranks number one with 182 ski lifts planned for the 2025-26 season. There are 123 ski resorts across Europe that are building five trams, 61 gondolas, three combined lifts, 87 high-speed lifts, 20 T-bar lifts, two rope tows, and four surface lifts. Sölden ski area in Austria consists of six ski areas serviced by 90 lifts. It plans to add two 8-person high-speed lifts with bubbles next season, increasing its lift capacity by 7,800 people per hour. Livigno in Italy has 115 km of ski slopes serviced by six gondolas, 12 ski lifts, and 14 chair lifts. Next season, it plans to have two 10-person gondolas, one mixed lift consisting of a six-person high-speed lift with a 10-person gondola, a six-person high-speed lift, and two 4-person high-speed lifts. These lifts will increase its lift capacity by 14,400 people per hour.
Australia and New Zealand
The 2025 ski season in the Southern Hemisphere is less than a month away, and four resorts plan to have five new lifts ready for guests. Those include four high-speed lifts and one T-bar. Cardrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand plans to add its Soho Basin Express 6-person high-speed lift and one T-bar to increase its hourly carry capacity by 4,000 people. The resort currently has six chairlifts, three carpets, one T-bar, and one platter tow (Instead of a T-shaped bar, riders grab onto a vertical pole with a small circular seat or ‘platter’ at the bottom).
South America
South America is also gearing up for its 2025 ski season, which typically starts mid-June. Guests will be looking forward to four resorts that plan to build four lifts: a gondola, two high-speed lifts, and one surface lift for the season. Las Leñas Resort in Mendoza, Argentina, is building a six-person gondola to increase its overall lift capacity by 2,250 people per hour. Currently, Las Leñas is operating 14 lifts that service 30 slopes.
Ski lifts are capital-intensive projects that often cost resorts millions of dollars to build. When resorts commit to upgrading or expanding lift infrastructure, they signal confidence in long-term skier demand and revenue growth. These investments are strong indicators of a healthy, expanding ski industry. Moreover, the dispersion of new lift construction and its non-limitation to any single region reinforces that the industry’s growth is broad-based and not confined to isolated markets. In conclusion, the surge in lift construction signals that the ski industry is not just maintaining pace but strategically positioning itself for the future.
Highlights include 54 new lifts in North America, featuring high-capacity gondolas and high-speed chairlifts to improve skier experience