TL;DR
Way back when in 1987 Cypress Mountain installed a second hand lift they got from another local resort. 35 years later the Sky Chair is getting a well deserved upgrade and will continue offering access to some of the best terrain on the North Shore of Vancouver.
Its 1986 and the crew at Cypress Mountain Resort made the decision to expand their operations, typically we see ski resorts expands to the side of the resort or onto another aspect on the opposite side of a valley or mountain but Cypress Mountain was going vertical and expanded the resort to new heights. Mt. Strachan stands high above the base of the resort and the addition of this new lift would not only take riders another 500ft higher but this increase would also see the resort top out at 4,720ft (1,440m). To complement this new lift new trail options became available and now the SkyChair is home to some of the most challenging terrain at the Vancouver north shore resorts.
Cypress Mountain existing double SkyChair. Credit: Cypress Mountain Resort Fast forward 35 years to 2022 and its time to retire the legendary double lift and install a brand new quad chair which will have a design capacity of 1800 persons per hour and ride time will give passengers just over 4 minutes to enjoy the fantastic view. A prominent feature of the SkyQuad will be the loading carpet which will automatically guide skiers and riders at the bottom terminal to easily and seamlessly load the four person chairs. Opening this winter season the new SkyQuad is the perfect expansion and will allow more riders to access the summit of the resort which is famed for incredible glades and advanced trails. View fullsize
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About the author
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
