The Biggest Ski Industry Stories From This Past Summer
El Mundo — While outdoor recreationists shifted their focus to warm-weather sports like hiking, mountain biking, swimming, tennis, and god-forsaken pickleball, there was still a lot going on in the ski industry. From ski resort sales to actual skiing on snow, there were numerous developments that will impact the future of the ski industry.
Before looking forward to the upcoming winter, let’s take a look back. Here’s a roundup of what transpired in the ski industry during this past summer.
Palisades Tahoe Reaches Resolution With Environmentalists Over Village Plan
After a decade-long battle between Palisades Tahoe and local skiers/environmentalists, a resolution was finally reached. In July, an agreement was reached that will reduce the size of the plans, but also result in the expansion of the Village at Palisades Tahoe. This also resulted in the dropping of a lawsuit against Palisades Tahoe led by Sierra Watch. The new village plan will have to be approved, but this seems likely.
Small Colorado Town Agrees To Buy Ski Resort
Eldora Mountain Resort is the closest ski resort to Boulder, and one of the closest to the Denver metropolitan area. When POWDR announced it would sell Eldora, people thought it would be bought by a major ski resort brand. Surprisingly, it was announced in July that the Town of Nederland reached an agreement to buy the ski resort. The purchase will be funded by municipal revenue bonds.
Governments owning ski areas isn’t exactly a new phenomenon, as some notable examples include Ski Cooper, Gunstock Mountain Resort, Cannon Mountain, and Whiteface Mountain. The plan is to operate it with 303 Ski, an organization comprised of ski industry leaders in Colorado’s Front Range.
The goal was to finalize the deal by early October, which is around the time this article is being published. We haven’t heard much about the sale following this summertime announcement, so we’ll see if it indeed gets finalized.
Cardrona Becomes New Zealand’s Largest Ski Resort
New Zealand didn’t have a snowy ski season, but there were some noticeable improvements at its ski resorts. The most noteworthy was Cardrona’s expansion into the terrain of Soho Basin.
Cardrona’s expansion features 150 hectares (371 acres) of new inbounds terrain. This includes intermediate, advanced, and expert trails and chutes. It’s serviced by a Doppelmayr detachable high-speed six-pack chairlift. The chairlift’s 75 carriers can haul up 3,000 people per hour. It has a length of 1,237 meters (4,058 feet) and a vertical rise of 379 meters (1,243 feet). With this expansion, Cardrona now features 615 hectares (approximately 1,520 acres) of skiable terrain, making it the largest ski resort in New Zealand.
Oregon’s Ski Industry Is In Trouble
The lack of enforceability of Oregon’s liability waivers due to a 2014 Oregon Supreme Court ruling is creating concerns regarding the future of lift-served skiing in the state. An insurer dropped its ski resort coverage in the state this past summer, leaving only one company to provide coverage for ski resorts. For now, the Oregon State Legislature has yet to pass legislation to protect ski resorts.
Norwegian Glacier Ski Resort Likely Closed For Good Following Bankruptcy & Lift Collapse
Summer features various ski lifts operating across Europe, thanks to the continent’s glaciers. One of the most popular ones was the Fonna Glacier Ski Resort, but it didn’t operate this summer. This was due to a bankruptcy filed last year. A group came forward this past spring in a bid to revive it, but those plans fell apart.
This meant that no one was there to operate it this summer. With a receding glacier, its lift collapsed, leading to shocking scenes for tour groups in the national park this summer. Its time as a ski resort is likely over, but the more pressing concern now is removing the infrastructure from a shrinking glacier.
New Hampshire’s Most Famous Lift To Be Replaced
This is the final month of operations for Cannon Mountain’s Aerial Tramway. Earlier this summer, it was announced that Cannon’s second-generation tram is set to be retired following 45 years of operation. For those who idolize the tram, don’t worry, as a new tram will take its place. For skiers, all of Cannon’s terrain will still be accessible from the other operating lifts. You might break a sweat skating back to Zoomer, but you already were gonna sweat by shredding Kinsman Glade or DJ’s Tramline anyway.
The final day of operations is scheduled for October 26th. Its replacement will take at least two years to come to life.
Deer Valley Makes Substantial Progress On Largest Terrain Expansion In North American Ski History
Deer Valley will be expanding in a big way this upcoming winter. 80 new trails and seven lifts are scheduled to debut as part of Deer Valley’s East Village expansion. Last season, Deer Valley opened 19 trails, one trail extension, and three new lifts. There’s also the new East Village, which will feature new developments. This includes the Hyatt, which debuted last winter, as well as more hotels under construction. A new skier services buildinis g scheduled to arrive during the 2027-28 season. There’s also new parking, with 1,200 spots available for drivers.
This offseason, Deer Valley made substantial progress on these projects and is scheduled to open during the 2025-26 season.
Another new chairlift will open during the 2026-27 season, with additional terrain and lifts expected to follow in the years to come.
Image/Video Credits: Palisades Tahoe, Eldora Mountain Resort, Cardrona Alpine Resort, PeakRankings, Folgefonni Breførarlag, Cannon Mountain, Doppelmayr Group, Deer Valley Resort
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