A new era has begun at Waterville Valley Resort. The New Hampshire ski resort not only opened for the season on Saturday but also had the Tecumseh Express running for the first time ever.
An opening ceremony before the opening featured remarks from Tim Smith (President & General Manager), John H. Sununu (part of the ownership group and Former Governor of New Hampshire), and Dennis Kinsella (Director of Sales for the MND Group of North America).
The ceremonial first chair went to Bart Dutto & Joe Robertie (who continuously get the first chair), Tim Smith, Maverick Larkin (a kid who frequently goes to Waterville), James Sununu (part of the ownership group), and Dennis Kinsella. Other festivities for the event included free t-shirts, hot chocolate, and trivia.
The Tecumseh Express is the fastest chairlift in the state, carrying skiers and riders from the bottom to the top terminal in just five and a half minutes. It’s a high-speed bubble chairlift, with the seats coming from Porsche Design Studios. The chairlift moves at 20 feet a second, 1200 feet a minute, has a length of 5700 feet, a vertical drop of 1585 feet, and carries 3200 people an hour.
Its predecessor, the White Peaks Express, struggled with wind holds and had a smaller capacity, so it’s a huge upgrade for Waterville Valley. I’m a big fan of the Kanc 8 bubble chairlift at Loon, so I look forward to riding this lift.
The addition is just the beginning of Waterville Valley’s master development plan. Their next project will be the replacement of the World Cup T-Bar. This new surface lift will extend past the current t-bar’s location and it will help grow their night skiing experience.
Other plans include replacing the Sunnyside Triple chairlift and expanding onto a new peak that will extend down towards the town. This 140-acre expansion will include a new gondola, so it’s going to make Waterville Valley one of the largest ski resorts in the state.
Image Credits: Waterville Valley Resort
