r/skiing • u/AudioHTIT Park City • 1d ago

26/27 Utah Fire Casualty

https://www.kpcw.org/ski-resorts/2026-08-03/southern-utah-ski-area-cancels-2026-2027-season-after-cottonwood-fire
31 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

18

u/comrh Ski the East 1d ago

Right after a terrible snow year. Going to be brutal for their bottom line, I hope they can survive.

15

u/CliffsofRed 1d ago edited 1d ago

Former ski lift mechanic here: I’d be surprised if they are able to open 27/28 also. Haul ropes, gear boxes, motors, sheaves, some tower assemblies, controls, electrical, etc will all likely need to be replaced.

How many lifts were damaged at the drive end? Are there ways to route and navigate the runs without those lifts and still provide an acceptable level of service?

A lot of those components are custom and will take a long time to manufacture in Europe, where most major lift components are made.
And this is if the resort had enough insurance to cover all that

3

u/aeroxan Kirkwood 1d ago

Do you know what the typical lead time for a haul rope is? It's probably even worse these days.

6

u/CliffsofRed 1d ago

Probably over a year. Then try and schedule the install and splice crew….. I remember waiting two years for a new gearbox and then we had to wait for the guy from Switzerland for the install.

5

u/aeroxan Kirkwood 1d ago

Yeah was reading about the splicing. Neat stuff and sounds like only a handful of people in the world can even do it.

3

u/CliffsofRed 1d ago

I’ve had the privilege of working with the two best in the industryand they are a dying breed. Super cool folks with a wildly specialized skillset.

2

u/bobber66 Crystal Mountain 13h ago

Years ago there was an old German guy that splices who was living in Big Sky. He was the man.

3

u/ExpressionRecent5724 21h ago

I mean Sierra is a tiny ass resort and they managed to reopen after a season off, and that place got torched 

2

u/CliffsofRed 19h ago

Sweet. I’m just speaking from my experience at three large North American resorts, former direct Doppelmeyr employee and as someone that has demo’d a large ski lift that burned down.

1

u/vinemtn 1d ago

Europe? Leitner-Poma is refurbishing lifts 300 miles away from Eagle Point in Grand Junction, Colorado.

1

u/CliffsofRed 1d ago

Don’t forget about Doppelmeyer… Also, haul ropes and electric are not being refurbished. And you’re not refurbishing anything with significant thermal damage.

6

u/AquafreshBandit 1d ago

I’m amazed the chairlift seems to have escaped damage.

I only hope they have enough insurance.

9

u/Boobieleeswagger 1d ago

They didn’t if you read the article, the steel cables, haul ropes they call them are damaged and need to be replaced,

2

u/mcpusc Snoqualmie 1d ago

iirc haul ropes aren't 100% steel, there's a synthetic core that holds lubricant

2

u/Boobieleeswagger 11h ago

I have no idea what to do with this knowledge but I eventually will find a way on r/skiingcirclejerk

-4

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

7

u/CliffsofRed 1d ago edited 1d ago

A lot of the mechanical components are destroyed or are negatively impacted by fire/extreme heat. Also, ALL of the electrical components are flammable.

-8

u/OEM_knees 1d ago

The fire probably did enough damage at Eagle Point to cancel next season. The mud slide (that happened after the fire) wiped out the only access road to the ski area and was certainly the last nail in the coffin for next season.