Europe's Major Lift Upgrades
Now let's head across the Atlantic to Europe, where 181 new lifts are opening this season. From this impressive array, we've selected the standout projects that showcase European engineering prowess and operational thinking.
What strikes me about European lift projects is how they're often replacing infrastructure that's been running for 30, 40, even 50 years. These aren't just capacity upgrades - they're generational replacements that will define these resorts for the next several decades.
Kronplatz - Double Gondola Replacement
Starting in Italy's South Tyrol, Kronplatz is replacing their 22-year-old 8-person gondola with not one but two new 10-person Leitner gondolas. This might seem like overkill until you understand Kronplatz's philosophy - they're obsessed with getting people up the mountain efficiently.
The two-stage system covers 906 metres of vertical over nearly 3 kilometres of total distance. The lower section handles the bulk of the work with an 8 minute 50 second ride, while the upper section covers the final push to the summit in 3 and a half minutes. Combined capacity of 6,000 people per hour means this system can move serious crowds.
Kronplatz already has multiple lifts serving similar routes, but when you're dealing with the volumes they see - particularly during European school holidays - redundancy becomes efficiency. Having multiple high-capacity options means they can keep people moving even when weather shuts down some lifts.
Les 3 Vallées - Triple Gondola Installation
The real European story this season is Les 3 Vallées installing three separate 10-person gondolas across their massive network. When you're operating the world's largest ski area, apparently even three major lift installations is just another season.
The Face Nord gondola addresses a genuine problem - it provides alternative access to the 3,000-metre zone after the Cime Caron aerial tram had issues when one of the tram cars crashed into the summit station, leaving it non-operational. This Doppelmayr installation climbs 321 metres over 1.2 kilometres in just over 4 minutes, handling 2,000 people per hour to keep traffic flowing to Orelle.
Over in Courchevel, the new Chenus gondola replaces infrastructure that's been operating since 1969 - yes, 1969. The old 4-person gondola has been plugging away for 56 years, which is frankly remarkable. The new Poma-built 10-person system cuts ride time to 6 minutes 20 seconds while doubling capacity to 2,400 people per hour.
The third installation, Côte Brune in Méribel, might be the most operationally important. This Leitner gondola replaces a 1991 express quad that served as a key connection point back to Val Thorens. At 2,800 people per hour capacity and running at 7 metres per second, it's built to handle the constant flow of skiers traversing between valleys.
What's smart about Les 3 Vallées' approach is how these three installations work together as a system. They're not just individual upgrades - they're solving network-wide flow problems across a resort that spans multiple valleys and serves tens of thousands of skiers daily.
Sölden - Glacier Connection Upgrades
Austria's Sölden is upgrading two critical lifts that form the backbone of their glacier access. Both the Silberbrünnl and Einzeiger lifts are being replaced with 8-person Doppelmayr chairs with weather bubbles - essential when you're dealing with the conditions you get at glacier elevations.
The Silberbrünnl rises from Giggijoch base and serves double duty as both a beginner/intermediate lift and the main connection route to the famous Sölden glaciers. The new 8-person chair bumps capacity to 3,800 people per hour while maintaining the 5 minute 20 second ride time.
The Einzeiger upgrade might be even more important operationally. This lift has been a notorious choke point, and the new 4,000 people per hour capacity should eliminate the queues that have plagued this connection for years. At 3 and a half minutes ride time, it's also significantly faster than the old quad.
Having ridden both of these lifts last season, I can tell you these upgrades are overdue. The weather protection alone will make a massive difference when storms roll through the glacier zone.
Livigno - Olympic Preparation
Livigno is getting the full Olympic treatment with six new lifts ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina games. This isn't just about capacity - it's about completely reimagining how this resort operates.
The two major pieces are both 10-person gondolas: San Rocco-Freita covers 1,000 vertical metres in under 10 minutes from the valley bottom, while Freita-Pianoni Bassi connects directly from the main town to the Camanel restaurant area. Each handles 2,400 people per hour, creating entirely new access patterns.
The most technically interesting installation is the Valandrea-Vetta combined lift - part 6-person chairlift, part 10-person gondola. This hybrid system serves beginner terrain while connecting to more remote intermediate zones, handling 2,800 people per hour total capacity.
The remaining three lifts - including the Blesaccia II six-pack and two fixed-grip quads - are the kind of supporting infrastructure that Olympic hosting requires. When the world's attention is focused on your resort, everything needs to work perfectly.
La Plagne - 50-Year Replacement
Sometimes the most important upgrades are the ones that have been needed for decades. La Plagne's new Roche de Mio gondola system replaces lifts that have been operating since 1975 - nearly half a century of continuous service.
This two-stage Poma installation covers 809 total vertical metres, with the lower section handling the bulk of the capacity at 3,000 people per hour. The upper stage pushes to 3,600 people per hour capacity, creating a system that can efficiently move the massive crowds La Plagne sees during peak periods.
These aren't glamorous installations, but they're fundamental to resort operations. When your glacier access depends on lifts from the 1970s, reliability becomes a genuine concern. The new gondolas ensure consistent access to La Plagne's high-elevation terrain for the next several decades.
Dolomiti Superski - Network Upgrades
The Dolomiti Superski network is seeing coordinated upgrades across three different resort areas that showcase how interconnected European skiing has become.
Starting in Alta Badia, they're installing two significant lifts: the La Crusc gondola gets the full luxury treatment with 10-person Leitner cabins featuring seat heating - because apparently European comfort standards just keep rising. But they're also adding the Forcelles six-pack, a Leitner express chair that cuts the old quad's ride time while bumping capacity to 2,600 people per hour.
The story continues in Arabba with their new Lezuo-Belvedere gondola, a 10-person system that serves as a critical connection point over to Belvedere peak. This lift handles 2,800 people per hour over a 4-minute ride, but more importantly, it links seamlessly into the broader Sella Ronda circuit.
Val di Fassa - 3S Gondola Replacement
Which brings us to one of the most impressive single lift installations in Europe this season. Over in Val di Fassa, the Campitello-Col Rodella aerial tram is being replaced with a full 3S gondola - and this represents a completely different level of technology.
This Doppelmayr tri-cable system covers 980 vertical metres over 2.6 kilometres in under 6 minutes, with 30-person cabins that can operate in weather conditions that would shut down conventional lifts. For context, 3S gondolas are massive infrastructure investments - these aren't typical resort upgrades.
But when you're a critical link in the Sella Ronda circuit, reliability isn't optional. The old aerial tram from 2005 served the route adequately, but 3S technology offers a completely different level of consistency. Weather delays that could strand hundreds of Sella Ronda skiers become much less likely with this kind of robust infrastructure.
What's particularly smart about this installation is how it maintains Campitello's position as a viable link in one of the world's most famous ski circuits. When thousands of skiers are depending on your lift to complete their Sella Ronda loop, you need technology that simply doesn't fail.
Hoch-Ybrig - World's First Tri-Line
But the most innovative lift opening this season might be at a resort most people have never heard of. Hoch-Ybrig in Switzerland is installing the world's first Tri-Line gondola - essentially a scaled-down 3S system with 20-person cabins instead of the usual 30-plus.
This Doppelmayr installation replaces a 1969 aerial tram with technology that didn't exist until recently. The Tri-Line concept offers 3S-level stability and weather resistance without requiring the massive infrastructure of full-scale tri-cable systems.
At 1,600 people per hour capacity over 425 vertical metres, it's not the biggest installation this season. But as the first of its kind globally, it could represent the future for mid-sized resorts that want 3S benefits without 3S infrastructure costs. This is genuinely worth planning a trip to Switzerland to experience.
Grands Montets - Complete Overhaul
Closing out Europe's major projects is the complete rebuild happening at Grands Montets above Chamonix. This isn't just a lift replacement - it's about restoring access to terrain that's been largely inaccessible since a 2018 fire destroyed the old middle station.
The project starts with a new 10-person Doppelmayr gondola from Argentière village, covering 730 vertical metres in under 3 minutes. At 12 metres per second, this is one of the fastest gondolas anywhere, handling 3,000 people per hour.
But the centrepiece is the new 3S gondola that carries riders another 1,313 metres to over 3,200 metres elevation. These 24-person cabins will provide access to extreme terrain that's been off-limits to most skiers for years. When you're operating in the shadow of Mont Blanc, only the most robust technology makes sense.
The combination creates a system capable of moving large numbers of skiers to high-alpine terrain safely and efficiently. After years of limited access, Grands Montets will once again offer the full Chamonix experience.
These European projects represent hundreds of millions in infrastructure investment, much of it focused on replacing aging systems with technology that simply didn't exist when the original lifts were built. While North America focuses on capacity and convenience, Europe is demonstrating what happens when you combine cutting-edge engineering with decades of operational experience.
Conclusion
Looking across both continents, this season represents the largest single-year lift investment in recent memory - well over half a billion dollars in new infrastructure across 246 installations. What's fascinating is how different the approaches are. North American resorts like Deer Valley and Big Sky are focused on massive capacity increases and resort-wide transformations, while European projects tend to be more surgical - replacing 30 to 50-year-old systems with cutting-edge technology.
The variety is remarkable: from Killington finally upgrading their legendary Superstar Express after 38 years of service, to Switzerland pioneering the world's first Tri-Line gondola technology. Whether it's solving decades-old bottlenecks or restoring access to terrain that's been off-limits for years, these 35 standout installations will define how we experience these mountains for the next generation.
With 246 new lifts globally, there's never been a better time to start planning some ski trips to places you've never been.
