Loveland Ski Area is one step closer to opening day at its newest chairlift.
Crews this week were splicing cable for the upgraded Chair 7 at Loveland Valley, and they were doing it the old-school way – by hand with gloves and power tools.
This extra-large three-chair replaces the old, slow two-seater, giving newcomers quicker – and roomier – access to the bunny slopes.
“The new fixed-grip chair, built by Leitner-Poma, will replace the original 42-year-old double chair and will increase uphill capacity,” Loveland writes in a statement. “The new chair will be much wider than a standard triple chair, offering families and first-time skiers more comfort and space to learn.”
Loveland has also been doing some trail work this summer, widening the nearby ZigZag trail for improved “flow, safety, and progression for all ability levels,” the statement continues.
Local ski resorts were unusually quiet this summer in terms of lift installation. Loveland is the only ski hill on the eastern mountain corridor with a new lift and one of just three statewide:
- Sunlight Mountain, Glenwood Springs… two new chairs (3-chair and 4-chair), including a new home for the old Lenawee Chair from A-Basin
- Snowmass Mountain, Snowmass… one new chair (6-chair)
This comes after back-to-back years with multiple new chairlifts, including the chairlift renaissance of 2022 and 2023 when a whopping 15 new chairs were installed statewide – seven of them in Summit or Vail.
Big thanks to LiftBlog.com for the fact checking.