Mt Hutt Showcases New Chair

Mt Hutt got a lovely dusting of snow this week, and what better time to show off their new chairlift than when it’s basked in a white wintery coat. Not only did they show us what it looks like when the chairs are spinning on the lift they got the drone out (thanks to blackbird.nz) to give us an awesome aspect of the lift and the mountain. The new Nor’West express will open with the 2021 season and be New Zealand’s first 8-seater detachable express lift from Leitner Ropeways. Its also the second 8 seater chair in the southern hemisphere with Perisher in Australia having the other chair. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mt Hutt Ski Area (@mthuttnz) Here is what Mt Hutt has said about their new chairWith a ride time of just 2 minutes and a carrying capacity of up to 3,000 people per hour it’s going to transform how we all access the mountain. The Quad currently takes at-least seven minutes to reach the top and can only move around 1,500 people an hour on a good day so we’re excited that you’ll be able to enjoy more time on the slopes with this new addition. This lift will follow the same path up the mountain as the Quad currently does so will provide the best access to our terrain parks. This means we expect to see less demand for our Summit Six chairlift and some of our upper mountain trails at peak times.The ride will be far more comfortable with padded seats and foot-rest bars. It will also be a lot more robust in variable weather allowing us to get up and running faster in the morning after snowfall and to operate in higher winds. The lift is replacing an existing lift which means there is no expansion to any terrain, however it’s one of the two mains lifts from the village area. Going from a fixed grip quad to a high speed detachable 8-seater will double the capacity for riders getting up into the terrain.

Credit: Mt Hutt Trail Map Now that the incredible travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand is up and running we are confident that many Australian riders will also get to experience this new and exciting chairlift alongside the kiwi riders. Make sure you follow us on our socials!