Which new 2023 chairlift will be first to open ?

[urungus]

10 choice limit, so not including
Sunday River - Doppelmayr 3-CLF "Merrill Hill II"
Mt. Southington - Partek 3-CLF "Northstar"

 

[thetrailboss]

Spoiler alert: it won’t be ready!

Brandon's mountain update | This week's semi-weekly mountain update with Brandon! We are currently right on track with our plan to open The Mountaineer during vacation week. Our... | By Attitash Ski Resort | Facebook

This week's semi-weekly mountain update with Brandon! We are currently right on track with our plan to open The Mountaineer during vacation week. Our...

fb.watch

 

[urungus]

Is the winner Belleayre ? Looks like the Overlook Quad is open ?

 

[zyk]

Is the winner Belleayre ? Looks like the Overlook Quad is open ?

Opened this past weekend. So I guess the question now is which will win the silver.

 

[drjeff]

Opened this past weekend. So I guess the question now is which will win the silver.

Probably between Whireface and Sunday River for the silver, with the other winning the bronze. Seems like the others, are more likely for tne 2nd half of December, and in some cases (Magic it may seem now), hopefully in the 23-24 season, not the 24-25 season....

 

[drjeff]

Looks like Attitash and Berkshire East have their L/P's spinning (Even if in Attitash's case there isn't enough snow on the terrain it serves after last Monday's monsoon...)

If I am not mistaken, that leaves Sugarloaf and Magic still on the list

 

[urungus]

Looks like Attitash and Berkshire East have their L/P's spinning (Even if in Attitash's case there isn't enough snow on the terrain it serves after last Monday's monsoon...)

If I am not mistaken, that leaves Sugarloaf and Magic still on the list

I don’t believe either Attitash or Berkshire East have opened their new chairlifts to the public yet ? When I was at Berkshire East on Friday, employees were riding the new chair, but looking at the webcams today it appears that the public is still using the Summit Quad.

 

[BodeMiller1]

Weird, if you pour money into a nice lift wouldn't you get it up and running?
What are they waiting for Christmas?

 

[thebigo]

Looks like Attitash and Berkshire East have their L/P's spinning (Even if in Attitash's case there isn't enough snow on the terrain it serves after last Monday's monsoon...)

If I am not mistaken, that leaves Sugarloaf and Magic still on the list

Sugarloaf has been targeting February opening since project was announced January 2023.

The high speed quad servicing Sugarloaf’s planned West Mountain expansion got a name today: Bucksaw Express. The moniker is a nod to the Bucksaw double, a Stadeli which served the northwest edge of the mountain from 1969 to 2015. Sugarloaf began construction on the 450 acre expansion today and it is expected to open to skiers in February 2024.

Sugarloaf to Debut Bucksaw Express Next Winter

The high speed quad servicing Sugarloaf’s planned West Mountain expansion got a name today: Bucksaw Express. The moniker is a nod to the Bucksaw double, a Stadeli which served the northwest e…

liftblog.com

 

[drjeff]

Sugarloaf has been targeting February opening since project was announced January 2023.

Sugarloaf to Debut Bucksaw Express Next Winter

The high speed quad servicing Sugarloaf’s planned West Mountain expansion got a name today: Bucksaw Express. The moniker is a nod to the Bucksaw double, a Stadeli which served the northwest e…

liftblog.com

Thanks for the info Big O - I knew that lift wasn't going to be an "ASAP" opening.

Now the betting pool becomes Sugarloaf vs Magic for the "Last 1st to open" title.... Who's everyone betting, and will it actually happen this ski season?

 

[zyk]

Thanks for the info Big O - I knew that lift wasn't going to be an "ASAP" opening.

Now the betting pool becomes Sugarloaf vs Magic for the "Last 1st to open" title.... Who's everyone betting, and will it actually happen this ski season?

I'll go with Sugarloaf. They announced over a year ago. Decisive and planned. Magic's plan seems to be as soon as possible. That plan has been going on for awhile with no definition of soon. Also does it count if there's no skiing off the lift? Think that would put Attitash back in the running.

 

[urungus]

I'll go with Sugarloaf. They announced over a year ago. Decisive and planned. Magic's plan seems to be as soon as possible. That plan has been going on for awhile with no definition of soon. Also does it count if there's no skiing off the lift? Think that would put Attitash back in the running.

My take is that you need to have a member of the general public take the lift to the top in order to qualify as “opened”. By that standard, Attitash is still in the running for last to open.

 

[BodeMiller1]

Maybe get the lifts ready and hope for 3' of natural

Attitash /Bear is what 800' true vertical? Nice ski area, used to ski there when the weather was suspect.

 

[Newpylong]

Double that. There's zero run out on either side.

 

[drjeff]

Attitash is slated to open Mountaineer this Sunday at 8:30

That still leaves the Black at Magic, Bucksaw at The Loaf and Merril Hill at Sunday River to go.

Bucksaw is slated for around Pres Week, Merril is more of a real estate novelty lift, and will Magic get the Black spinning this year?

 

[Newpylong]

They did not plan to spin MH #2 this year the trails aren't completed.

 

[machski]

They did not plan to spin MH #2 this year the trails aren't completed.

Yup, just tag teamed Dopp for the installs. They barely got one of the trails tree cut before the first snows on MH2 side.

 

[chuckstah]

Bucksaw at the Loaf is opening Friday. Just leaves Black and Merrill. Merrill could certainly get open first, maybe by Christmas?

 

[drjeff]

So it seems like 2 of the remaing 3 will open this weekend.

Bucksaw is scheduled to open tomorrow and fingers crossed for the Black on Monday!

Kind of wild to think that 2 new, significant lifts, in the Northeast will (should) make their debuts on President's Weekend! Typically you'd expect that on say X-Mas Week or MLK Weekend, but not President's Weekend!

And Merrill wins the "last to open" title it seems, even if it was apparently always more likely to be a '24-'25 season debut

 

[Newpylong]

Yes Merrill should be excluded, never intended for this year.

Did Sugarloaf also chop back the West Mountain double this year as planned?