Attitash Resort Opens Brand New Chairlift With Grand Opening

Michael Fulton8 Jan 2024

TL;DR

Attitash Mountain Resort has introduced the "Mountaineer," a new high-speed quad lift from Leitner-Poma, during a snowstorm that brought 5 inches of fresh snow. This lift, named after the historic railway in the Mount Washington Valley, replaces the old Summit Triple and offers a faster ride from the base to Attitash Peak. Celebrating its launch, the resort will host the Cheers to the Mountaineer Celebration on January 13, featuring an all-day event with music, giveaways, and surprises, beginning at 8:00 a.m.

Level Up Your Ski Day — Download SnowStash on the App Store

The team at Attitash Mountain resort have welcomed riders to experience their brand new toy whilst a snowstorm dropped 5” of fresh snow across the resort. The new high-speed quad lift from Leitner-Poma dubbed the "Mountaineer" in honour of the historic railway with the same name that travels through the Mount Washington Valley, is a replacement for the fixed-grip Summit Triple and will transport skiers from the base area to Attitash Peak. The old lift had been operating for decades and used to take what feels like an eternity to reach the top of the mountain.The first chair riders were Deirdre Riley, Preston Kelsey, Dave Miller, and Joe Kelemen which can be seen in their instagram post below. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Attitash Mountain Resort (@attitashmountainresort) The Cheers to the Mountaineer Celebration will take place on Saturday, Jan. 13, and will be an all-day celebration! Festivities start at 8:00 a.m. and will continue throughout the day with music, giveaways, and special surprises.

Skiing in Japan vs USA: Which Country Offers Better Value in 2024?

About the author

Michael Fulton

Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.

50+ resorts visited15 years skiing

Keep reading

More from the SnowStash desk

View all news →

Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028

Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.

31 Aug 2026

Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured

An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.

28 Aug 2026

Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do

A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.

27 Aug 2026

Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September

Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.

26 Aug 2026

Unstable Glacier Above Randa Puts Zermatt-Area Village on Alert

A hanging glacier above the Swiss village of Randa, just south of Zermatt, has been shedding large chunks of ice for weeks, with authorities warning more break-offs are likely. A danger zone has been closed off since June, though officials say the village's 479 residents aren't at risk. It's a familiar pattern for this glacier - it's done this before, in 1819, 1972 and 1973 - but a reminder of how closely Alpine authorities now watch terrain once considered stable.

26 Aug 2026

Thredbo Is 'On the Table' as EVT Reviews Its Whole Business

Thredbo is officially 'on the table.' EVT Limited, owner of Australia's most decorated ski resort, has hired Rothschild & Co to review its entire corporate structure - and confirmed Thredbo isn't off limits, even as it books a stronger year of earnings. The resort's own valuation has nearly halved after a brutal 2026 season, and speculation is already running toward Vail Resorts, Alterra, or a New Zealand operator picking it up. Here's what EVT actually said, and who could buy it.

25 Aug 2026

Ski-E-O! Is the Ski Resort Tycoon Game We Didn't Know We Needed

I'm not a gamer. I'm a skier and snowboarder who happens to have a laptop. So when a ski resort management game called Ski-E-O! landed on Steam, I wasn't expecting to lose an afternoon to it - but here we are. Real mountain terrain, a full weather system, storms that roll in and wreck your snow base, avalanche danger, and enough depth to make RollerCoaster Tycoon feel simple by comparison. Early access lands in November. Here's what a few hours in the free demo actually looks like.

23 Aug 2026

Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola

The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.

23 Aug 2026