The cost of a new chairlift has more than doubled in the last five years, with prices spiking alongside most infrastructure costs.
“It’s a real challenge right now for small operators,” said Christian Knapp with Pacific Group Resorts, which acquired a majority interest in the Powderhorn ski area earlier this year.
A new high-speed chairlift could top $8 million. So Powderhorn, taking a page from the ranchers who shaped the Western Slope economy, are recycling a chair coming from Snowmass. The old Elk Camp chair being yanked out of Snowmass isn’t heading to the scrap yard after 30 years of service.
Instead, Leitner-Poma in Grand Junction is going to overhaul the detachable four-pack and install it at Powderhorn. The Grand Mesa ski hill is saving more than $3 million by retrofitting a chairlift that first carried Snowmass skiers in 1995 to replace its West End double chair, which, since it was installed in 1972, has had the unfortunate reputation of the longest chairlift ride at any Colorado resort.
The new chair is going to shave the nearly 18-minute, ankle-swelling ride time by half while saving millions.
“We will get another 25 years from this chairlift,” said Knapp, noting that Leitner-Poma of America will overhaul the electric system and replace everything that wears out. “This will be like a brand new chairlift.”
Daren Cole spent two years managing Powderhorn before he took the reins at Leitner-Poma’s 200-worker manufacturing headquarters in Grand Junction. He said Powderhorn “has a special place in my heart, both personally and professionally.”
“Our teams are excited to work on our hometown mountain,” said Cole, the president and CEO of Leitner-Poma.
He said the refurbishing at the Grand Junction plant will make the new Wild West Express “feel like a brand-new installation.”
“Powderhorn is an essential asset for this community, and we are honored to be a part of their future,” Cole said.
The new chair is set to be installed next summer, pending approval by the Forest Service. The lift replacement is part of several improvements at Powderhorn, which include a new restaurant and rental shop, expanded grooming and additional parking. Powderhorn, which celebrates its 60th year of operation this winter, has seen significant growth in visitation as Grand Junction and Mesa County draw younger residents.
The past two ski seasons at Powderhorn have set records for visitation.
“We think we will continue to see this level of growth, so we are setting ourselves up for the future,” Knapp said.