Post by gondola-project

• Vail Resorts will debut seven new lifts across five mountains in 2021. The projects, which were initially planned for 2020, are at Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Keystone, and Okemo. Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont will have two projects, one will swap the Quantum Four for a detachable Leitner-Poma six place lift. The Quantum lift will then be used to replace the Green Ridge. The total capital cost for the seven lifts is expected to be between $125 and $130 million.

• A public-private partnership (PPP) is being considered for the Elgeyo Marakwet cable car. The cable car, which would connect Iten and Kabarnet, was first proposed in 2013 but has stalled due to financial constraints. The county government is highly interested and has been courting potential investors. On the other hand, the Kenya Tourism Board has been less active in pursuing funding but said it would float the PPP cable car idea to its investors.

• The Arizona Snowbowl inaugurated the Grand Canyon Express last week. Traveling up the mountain is now quicker with the new combination of detachable six-person chairlifts and eight-person gondola cabins. See a related Weekly Roundup here.

• The government of Tanzania has approved the installation of a cable car on Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. The Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) is leading the project. TANAPA is still awaiting approval from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism before seeking investors.