Golden, British Columbia — There’s no need to pinch you, because you’re not dreaming: Kicking Horse is actually going to install a new chairlift next year.
In March, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) announced four new lifts in Western Canada over the next two years. One of these changes will be the replacement of the Pioneer chairlift at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.
The Pioneer double chairlift, which is a leftover from the Whitetooth era, will be replaced by a high-speed quad. The new Pioneer will travel to the bottom of the Crystal Bowl, providing easy access to the Stairway to Heaven chairlift. This will provide an additional way to avoid the congestion faced by the Golden Eagle Gondola in the mornings. If nothing goes awry, it would be the first chairlift installed at Kicking Horse since 2002. That was when the Stairway to Heaven was installed.
Kicking Horse gave an update on the project earlier this week. A drone survey was conducted, which allowed the lift manufacturer to determine the future locations of the top and bottom terminals, along with the lift line. The update also revealed that this will be manufactured by Leitner-Poma.
Upcoming RCR Lift Projects
Multiple other new lifts are planned at properties owned by the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies. This upcoming winter will see two new lifts. At Kimberley, the Tamarack Double Chair is being replaced by a SkyTrac fixed-grip quad chairlift. At Mont-Sainte-Anne, the South Express and Torte lifts are being replaced by a detachable high-speed six-pack chairlift with bubbles.
In 2027, Fernie will add two new lifts. The Elk Quad chair will be replaced by a detachable high-speed quad chairlift, while the new Cedar Bowl Express will create easier access from the Cedar Bowl to the top of Bear Chair. At Mont-Sainte-Anne, the Shooting Star gondola will be replaced by a Doppelmayr UNIG 10-MGD system.
In late 2028, Mont-Sainte-Anne will debut the new North Express, a new detachable high-speed six-pack chairlift. It will replace the high-speed quad that was installed in 1987.
Image/Video Credits: Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Rise & Alpine
