Fresh off the opening of two brand-new chairlifts, Sun Valley has announced another major lift upgrade.
This week, the Idaho ski resort announced that they will be replacing the Seattle Ridge chairlift. Currently, Seattle Ridge is serviced by a high-speed detachable quad that was installed back in 1996. It will be replaced by a new high-speed detachable six-pack chairlift. The new chairlift will help reduce crowds and ride times. This lift replacement will have an uphill capacity of 3000 people per hour, carrying 20% more guests than its predecessor.
Pete Sonntag, who’s the Vice President and General Manager of Sun Valley Resort, described the importance of this new chairlift on the Future of Sun Valley website:
“Seattle Ridge is home to some of Sun Valley’s most beloved intermediate, family-friendly terrain and more recently with the Sunrise expansion, some of its best off-piste terrain. Over the last five years, we’ve been able to increase the skiable terrain serviced by Seattle Ridge chair by over 200 acres, and we believe the chairlift upgrade is coming at the perfect time as we continue our investment in the mountain experience at Sun Valley.”
In addition, Sun Valley will be adding 91 acres of glade terrain in the Sunrise area next winter as part of its Stewardship program.
Sun Valley aims to begin construction on the lift in April of 2024, with an expected completion for the 2024-25 season. This timeline is subject to U.S. Forest Service approval of the project.
For more details, check out Sun Valley’s announcement video below.
Image/Video Credits: Sun Valley Resort
