US Set To Be Home To World’s New Highest Ski Lift

The US looks set to become the new home of the world’s highest ski lift after Colorado’s Copper Mountain got the go ahead from the White River National Forest to expand its ski area.

US media is focussed on the fact that the addition of 513 acres bringing the resort’s total skiable area to 4,154 acres, making it the second largest in Colorado behind Vail and that they also include plans for America’s new highest chairlift up to 13,150 feet (4,008m) overtaking the country’s current highest at nearby Breckenridge, which reaches an altitude of 12,840 feet (3.914m).

However, the new chairlift will not only be the highest in the US, but like Breckenridge’s Imperial chairlift is currently, the highest chairlift in the world as well as the first to climb above 4,000m. In fact, it will realistically be the highest altitude ski lift in the world  

There is currently some debate amongst ski lift nerds as to where is the current highest. That’s because the former clear highest ski area, Chacaltaya in Bolivia, South America, which operated a primitive drag lift up to altitudes of 5,421m (17,785 feet) shut down more than a decade ago as climate change melted away the permanent snowfield it served.

Since then, there have been a number of contender’s for “world’s highest ski lift” in China and India where gondolas climb to between 4,500-4,900m altitudes, but they serve locations that are more scenic destinations rather than ski areas.  Although given their altitudes some get snow and have been skied from.  So, the jury is out on whether some of these can be considered ski lifts.

Currently the favoured candidate for world's highest ski lift is India’s Gulmarg, with a gondola lift up to approximately 3,980m (13,058 feet). China’s Dagu Glacier gondola reaches a summit terminal at 4,843m (15,945 feet) but doesn’t access any ski slopes.

Another high Chinese gondola known as Shangri-La or “the Yulong Snow Mountain tourist cable car” climbs to an observation platform at an elevation of 4,506 meters (14,783 feet) and has had short nursery slopes at the top at the past and at least dedicated global skiers, Jimmy Petterson, has skied from the top, off piste, in the past, but it is not thought to have seen any skiers for at least a decade.

Commenting on the new lift plan, global expert on ski area dimensions Christoph Schrahe of Ski Weltweit said, “This would end all discussions whether Shangri-la in China is still operational or if you can consider India’s Gulmarg a proper ski area. Being the first over 4,000m would be a reason to visit on its own.”  

It’s unclear when Copper’s expansion, which includes a number of other new lifts and known as the Tucker Gulch expansion, will take place. Copper’s owners, Powdr, has recently been divesting itself of ski areas in its group.