New Bousquet Lift Opens; New Magic Lift Delayed Again
Bousquet has restored lift service to its summit.
Thursday, February 18, 2021, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
The 2020 lift construction season is quickly approaching the traditional 2021 timeline, as Magic Mountain's Black Line Quad installation is experiencing further delays. Also experiencing engineering related delays, Bousquet has finally opened its new summit lift.
Bousquet's new triple chairlift opened on Monday, providing lift service to the summit for the first time this season. Formerly located at Haystack, the refurbished Poma triple was expected to be operational earlier this season, however engineering issues resulted in modifications taking place in January and February.
Magic Mountain's new quad chairlift was originally slated for a 2018 opening, however permitting issues delayed construction until 2019. A 2019-20 debut was also missed due to construction issues and COVID-19 shut downs. Workers began to hang chairs in early December 2020, however the haul rope stretched more than expected. As a result, another splice took place in early January.
In an update posted yesterday, Magic announced its engineering firm is calling for additional modifications, such as "changing out some sheave assembly wheel combinations at a few towers and a major overhaul of tower 13 cross arm and uphill sheave assembly." There is no timetable, as "None of this is a quick fix at this point in our construction phase."
All of Magic's terrain remains accessible via its vintage Red Chair.
