Two surface lifts and one quad chair lift are set to open at Chicopee Ski Resort in the coming weeks.
Chicopee CEO Bill Creighton told CTV News that he’s very excited for the new additions.
“We spent $8 million this year on new snowmaking, new LED lights, a new quad chair, which isn’t quite operational yet and two new surface lifts,” said Creighton. “[They’re] state of the art covered surface lifts that we hope to have open next weekend.”
The quad chair lift remains under construction as the resort prepares it for operation. Creighton said he hopes to have it up and running by early February.
The new surface lifts sit on the side of the resort that mostly accommodates new skiers and snowboarders. Creighton said those lifts are kid friendly, comparing them to riding the conveyor belt at the airport.
Snowboard instructor Cameron Rigby has snowboarded at the resort for seven years, watching it grow and develop over time.
“I’ve been here for so long, seeing a new lift go up is just an absolutely monumental thing for Chicopee,” said Rigby. “Especially seeing the new learning center. It’s really important to me as an instructor because I’m [able] to advance my students [and have them] learn at their own pace.”
In order for the surface lifts to open to the public, they have to go through a safety inspection by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA).
“Whenever a ski resort wants to put in new lifts, there are many layers of safety [beforehand] to make sure that the skiers can have a safe and fun day,” said TSSA spokesperson, Alexandra Campbell. “It starts with actually an engineering design review…the surface lifts were in the final stages of the engineering approval on Friday afternoon. So, with any luck, the next step [is for] our inspectors to go actually look at the lift and then inspect the device. Make sure that it’s been installed according to the approved design.”
Campbell said that this inspection includes checking the lift’s speed, height clearance and proper functionality of the emergency stop.
“There’s a very long list of technical requirements. There’s regulations and codes that apply to all the lifts in Ontario. So we’re really checking to make sure that all the safety requirements have been met,” said Campbell.
Both Campbell and Creighton confirmed that TSSA staff will be visiting Chicopee to inspect the two surface lifts in the coming week, with the goal of opening them up next weekend.
Chicopee has already opened two new runs: Mount St. Louis Moonstone Way and a terrain park full of ramps and pipes for skiers and snowboarders to do tricks off of.
Currently the only way to access these new sections is by the existing lifts.
The bustling resort currently has a quad chair and a triple chair lift running, leading to longer wait times to get to the top of the hill.
“It takes longer to be in line then actually go down the hill,” said snowboarder, Mazzy Cant.
Fellow snowboarder Reed Nadler agreed.
“I actually just walked up the [terrain] park… I walked up the side and I believe that was actually faster than waiting in line for the chair lift,” said Nadler.
Creighton said the $8 million dollar investment is part of a bigger plan to upgrade the resort’s amenities.
“This is actually a ten-year strategic plan. This is phase three,” said Creighton. “Phase four next year is another $4 million investment in the backside of the hill where we’ll put in another covered surface lift and more terrain.”
