Vail Resorts, owner of Park City Mountain, announced Thursday it plans to replace the Eagle Lift and Silverlode Lift for the 2022 – 2023 ski season.
The Eagle Lift is currently a triple chair at the base of the resort, next to the First Time Lift. Vail plans to change it to a high-speed six-person chair lift with a new mid-station. Vail claims the new lift will significantly reduce crowding and wait times.
The Silverlode lift is currently a six-pack, and Vail plans to change it to the company’s first-ever high-speed eight-person chair. Silverlode sits mid-mountain outside the Miners Camp restaurant. It is the first lift users see when they exit the Quicksilver Gondola, which links Park City Mountain to Canyons Village. According to a press release from Vail, the new lift will increase uphill capacity by 20% and reduce wait times at what it calls a “critical spot” to circulate skiiers and riders on the mountain.
The new lifts are part of a $320 million dollar capital plan that includes 19 new chairlifts across 14 of the company’s 37 mountain resorts and ski areas.
Vail’s announcement about the new lifts comes on the same day the company announced fiscal 2021 fourth quarter and full year results.
Net income was $128 million, an increase of almost 30% from the year before. Ski pass sales for the 2021-2022 season are up 42% in units and 17% in sales dollars compared to the prior year. Rob Katz, Vail’s Chief Executive Officer, credited the company’s 20% reduction in pass prices for the strong sales. Katz also said the company is pleased with the operating results for the year, especially given the continued challenges associated with COVID-19. He said business at the ski resorts picked up as the ski season progressed, especially at the company’s Colorado resorts and also at Park City Mountain.