Courtesy/Sunday River
A front view of the Jordan 8 ski lift at Sunday River.
December 23, 2022
Sunday River unveils fastest chairlift of its kind in North America
Courtesy/Sunday River
A view from inside Sunday River's new Jordan 8 chairlift, an eight-person ergonomic ride with heated seats.
By Ann Fisher
Skiers and snowboarders are getting a late Christmas gift on Dec. 26, when Sunday River Resort revs up the fastest chairlift of its kind in North America.
The Jordan 8 will transport Sunday River guests from the base of Jordan Bowl to the summit in just 4.5 minutes and move approximately 3,200 riders an hour.
And that's not all. The Jordan 8 features eight-person ergonomic, heated seats, with each chair weighing over one ton. Manufactured by Doppelmayr, each chair includes a weather shield, known in the industry as a “bubble,” in Sunday River’s signature color, red. The heated seats are a first for a Maine ski resort, while its signature red bubble remains the first weather shield of that color produced by Dopplemayr.
“The Jordan 8 is unlike any other chairlift at Sunday River if not New England,” said General Manager Brian Heon. “Its sheer size, scope, and improved technology take the experience of riding a chairlift to the top of a mountain to an entirely new level.”
Construction crews removed the old Jordan Express four-person chairlift last summer and decreased the Jordan Bowl summit by 15 feet to make room for the new chairlift. The decision to switch to an eight-person lift with a bubble and reshape the mountain summit was done to improve the chairlift's resistance to weather.
“The Jordan Bowl is one of the most spectacular areas of the entire resort to ski, but it is also one of the most susceptible to bad weather because of its elevation,” Heon said. “While elevation is great for snowfall, it can also come with increased winds. Installing a chairlift of the Jordan 8’s size and scope means longer, warmer days of skiing and riding, even in inclement weather.”
The Jordan 8 is the latest in capital improvements completed by Sunday River, thanks to parent company Boyne Resorts. A brand-new booster pump house has been built at the top of North Peak that will significantly increase the resort's ability to make snow across the resort’s western peaks. New snow guns have also been installed on Barker, Locke and North Peak mountains.
The Merrill Hill Triple, a Doppelmayr fixed-grip chairlift, was installed last summer and will also be available this winter.
For a full list of projects, the full 10-year plan can be found at 2030.sundayriver.com.
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments