California Ski Resort Unveils New D-Line Chairlift

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Nov 22, 2024 5:16 PM ET

Mammoth Mountain, California, unveiled a revamped version of a classic chairlift today as the Broadway Express, also known as Chair 1, fired up for local skiers and snowboarders.

This past summer, the resort replaced the chair with a six-person model from lift manufacturer Doppelmayr's D-Line series.

According to the resort, this updated rendition provides a 25% improvement in uphill capacity and will shorten the length of lift lines on busy days. To ensure the lift can withstand Mammoth Mountain's wild weather, the resort built enclosed upper and lower terminals. This protects the chairs during significant storm cycles, allowing for more rapid openings when the powder starts to stack up.

The Broadway Express has been—and continues to be—a fundamental component of Mammoth Mountain’s lift infrastructure. The chair departs from the main lodge, allowing skiers and snowboarders to access mid and upper-mountain terrain.

During the winter of 1955 and 1956, it also became Mammoth Mountain’s very first chairlift.

That initial Broadway Express iteration, a two-seater with a 900-person capacity, couldn’t move skiers like the significantly more modern Doppelmayr D-Line chairlift will now.

Still, the Broadway Express’ historical opening was a moment of palpable excitement for the Mammoth Mountain community. About 2,000 guests visited the ski area that day. Future seasons saw more upgrades to the Broadway Express. In 1988, it became a high-speed quad, followed by a Doppelmayr retrofit in 1996.

Today, the new Broadway Express is operating alongside five more lifts at Mammoth Mountain, including the Panorama Lower Gondola and Unbound Express. The resort first opened for the season on Friday, November 15th.

While the weather has been mostly sunny for the Broadway Express’ inaugural flight, an opportunity to test those new enclosed terminals is rapidly approaching.

This afternoon, a National Weather Service Winter Storm Warning will go into effect for Mammoth Mountain. Snow accumulations between ten and 18 inches are possible, with isolated areas seeing up to two feet. Travel will be difficult or impossible.

While the Winter Storm Warning concludes Saturday night, a Winter Storm Watch will follow soon afterward on Sunday night. According to the National Weather Service, one to three feet of snow are possible above 7,000 feet by Tuesday.

I’d make sure your powder skis are ready to go if you haven’t already done so.

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This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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