Over 250 New Ski Lifts Set to Open Around the Globe Next Season

New lift opening at Deer Valley during the 2024–25 expansion, with more coming for 2025–26.Photo: parkrecord.com

The 2024-25 season is officially in the rearview for most skiers in the Northern Hemisphere, but resorts are already deep into off-season work. While summer means biking, paddling, and trail-building for many mountain towns, it’s also prime time for lift construction—and there’s a lot of it happening.

According to Skiresort.info, at least 258 new lifts are scheduled to go up around the world in time for the 2025-26 season, spanning five continents and including everything from high-speed quads to new gondolas and surface lifts. Most of the activity is happening in Europe and North America, which together account for 240 of the planned builds.

Forty ski areas in the U.S. and Canada are planning to build 58 new lifts, including major additions at Park City and Deer Valley. Deer Valley alone is set to add seven new lifts, significantly increasing its uphill capacity. Park City is eyeing a new 10-person gondola and two high-speed lifts—pending the outcome of a court appeal.

Asia’s new lift count is lower, but Shahdag in Azerbaijan is adding four 6-packs, while Niseko continues to modernize with a new heated high-speed chairlift designed to reduce congestion and boost mid-mountain access.

Unsurprisingly, Europe leads the way with 182 lifts going in at 123 resorts. Projects range from new tramways to high-speed bubble lifts. Livigno (Italy) and Sölden (Austria) are among the biggest movers, both expanding capacity across their lift networks.

In New Zealand, Cardrona is adding a high-speed lift and a T-bar ahead of the 2025 season. In South America, resorts like Las Leñas are investing in new infrastructure, including a 6-person gondola to handle growing demand.

Lift construction isn’t cheap—projects often run into the millions—but the scale of planned development suggests that resorts are optimistic about the future. This isn’t just about replacing old hardware; it’s about preparing for more skiers, more visitors, and more four-season operations. With new lifts popping up from Utah to the Alps, the global ski industry is signaling strong, widespread growth heading into the next decade.