Featured Image Courtesy: Curtis DeVore, Copper Mountain Resort via Summit Daily
Combining the words ‘gondola’ and ‘chairlift’ gives us the hilariously fun word: Chondola. As described, these lifts offer both gondola cars and detachable chairlifts for your riding pleasure.
So, where can you ride one?
Sunday River, ME
The Sunday River chondola is one of the most expensive chairlifts in North American history. It cost a whopping $7.2M to install back in 2008.
The lift is comprised of 64 six-seat chairs, and 16 eight-person gondola cabins. It runs 6,427′ from the South Ridge Lodge to North Peak. The chondola can move 2,330 skiers per hour.
Telluride, CO
Telluride offers 4 lifts that are free to ride without skis. One of them is the Chondola that runs from Meadows to the Mountain Village.
The lift was installed in 1995, and is comprised of four-seat chairs, and four-seat gondola cars every 10th chair. The lift is mostly used for getting from one side of the resort to the other, and for beginners.
It runs 383 vertical feet.
Northstar Resort, CA
The Tahoe Zephyr Express was constructed at Northstar Resort in 2006. The lift is comprised of six-seat chairs, and eight-seat gondola cars.
The lift is capable of moving 2,400 people per hour, and runs roughly 1,060 vertical feet to the Zephyr Lodge.
Mont Orford, QC, CA
The Hybrid chondola replaced a double-chair at Mont Orford in 2008. The lift is comprised of six-seat chairs, and eight-seat gondola cars.
The lift runs 1,933 vertical feet and services numerous glades, and steep trails on Mont Orford. The Mont Orford Hybrid is the only chondola in Canada.
Beaver Creek Resort, CO
The Centennial Express is the largest chondola by vertical feet on this list. The lift runs 2,000 vertical feet from Beaver Creek Lodge to the Spruce Saddle Lodge.
The lift can transport 3,400 skiers per hour using 125 six-seat chairs, and 25 ten-person gondola cabins. The lift was installed in 2014.
Copper Mountain Resort, CO
The American Eagle Express at Copper opened in 2018, and improved the resorts uphill capacity by as much as 40%.
The lift is comprised of six-seat chairs, and eight-person gondola cabins. The lift runs 1,477 vertical feet from the Center Village to Solitude Station.
Arizona Snowbowl, AZ
The Arizona Gondola is a brand-new chondola that opened at the beginning of this season. The high-speed combination lift replaced the Agassiz chairlift that was installed in 1986.
The lift is comprised of six-seat chairs, and eight-person gondola cabins. Gondola cabins are spaced between every two chairs.
The Arizona Gondola services 2000′ of vertical in just a 7 minute ride.
*Post Updated on 1/27/21*