Vail to replace Chair 2 with a new six-pack

Vail plans to replace Avanti Express (Chair 2) with a six-passenger chairlift similar to the new Mountaintop Express (Chair 4) that was installed last season. Pending Forest Service approval, the new Chair 2 will go in this summer and be ready for the 2015-16 ski season, increasing uphill capacity by 30 percent.

Here’s the press release from Vail Resorts:

Vail Mountain, one of the largest ski resorts in the world, plans to continue its wave of tremendous investments with the replacement of the Avanti Express Lift (#2) with a six-passenger lift this summer, pending U.S. Forest Service approval. The Avanti Express Lift (#2) is a primary lift on the front side of Vail Mountain, serving intermediate and advanced terrain and dispersing skiers and snowboarders from Lionshead to mid-mountain. Upgrading the lift will reduce wait times and improve reliability.

“We’ve been incredibly fortunate to invest more in Vail Mountain recently than most resorts can even dream of in a lifetime with six major lift upgrades since the 2007-2008 season, improvements to snowmaking capabilities and a new fine-dining on-mountain restaurant. The transformations in town in the same time span have been equally impressive,” said Chris Jarnot, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Vail Mountain. “All of these upgrades and investments truly speak to our commitment to the guest experience and keeping Vail at the forefront of the industry.”

The current lift – a Doppelmayr detachable quad – was installed in 1989 and has a maximum uphill capacity of approximately 2,800 people per hour. Vail plans to replace the lift with a detachable six-passenger lift similar to the Mountain Top Express Lift (#4) with a loading conveyor and gates to improve efficiency and increase capacity by up to 30 percent and improve skier and snowboarder circulation.

The new lift is subject to U.S. Forest Service approval. Additional details on the manufacturer, design and approval of the proposed lift will be available in the coming months.

To learn more about Vail Mountain visit www.vail.com, stop by the Mountain Information Center, or call (970) SKI-VAIL (754-8245).