Sunday River New Barker 6 D-LINE Chair Coming This Season

The team at Boyne Resorts has a strong partnership with Doppelmayr USA, evident from their consistent installation of new D-Line lifts across their resorts. These lifts are not only remarkable engineering feats but also offer unmatched experiences for skiers and snowboarders. We have observed these lifts being installed or planned for this season at Big Sky, Boyne Highlands, Brighton, Loon Mountain Resort, and the Jordan 8 at Sunday River.For the 2023/24 season, Sunday River will introduce a new bubble lift called Barker 6, replacing the outdated Barker lift installed in 1987, which is currently the resort's oldest detachable lift. This installation aligns with Sunday River's "2030 Plan" aimed at sustainable growth and enhancing the customer experience. The bubble lift will transport skiers from the base of the ski area to the top of Barker Mountain, one of Sunday River's eight peaks. Barker 6 will be the second consecutive year of a new lift addition to the mountain, following the highly regarded Jordan 8 lift installed last year for its impressive performance and speed. The addition of the Barker 6 lift is a welcome improvement to Sunday River's lift lineup. The existing Barker lift is 30 years old, and the surrounding chairlifts are not detachable. Therefore, this lift upgrade is long overdue. However, Sunday River initially upgraded the Jordan lift, which was introduced last season. The new Jordan lift features eight seats and a bubble, similar to the new Barker lift but with two additional seats. Initially, the plan was to repurpose the old Jordan lift as the new Barker lift, but the resort ultimately decided to purchase an entirely new chairlift due to the age of the "new" Barker lift, which would have already been 30 years old.When it comes to the specifics of the new Barker lift, they are highly promising. According to a press release from Sunday River, the chairlift will have a capacity of 3250 skiers per hour, 63 chairs, and a ride time of 4.68 minutes, all operating at a speed of 6 meters per second. Additionally, the lift will feature "extra-wide" heated seats, head and footrests, a red bubble cover, and an automatic lowering bar.In addition to the Barker lift, a smaller lift is planned for installation in the Merrill Hill area of the resort. This lift will primarily serve beginner and intermediate terrain and is primarily being constructed to accommodate the surrounding condos and housing developments. However, this lift will be a fixed-grip triple.