Bear Creek Mountain Resort has invested $2 million over the summer in an elaborate game of “musical chairlifts.” A new Doppelmayr CTEC fixed-grip quad chairlift has been installed, replacing the old “F” triple chair. The triple chair has been moved over to replace the old “E” beginner double chair. These changes increase Bear Creek’s uphill lift capacity by 22% to 10,569 skiers per hour.

“Our mountain has earned a reputation for short lift lines across the mountain, and the new quad chair lift and movement of our triple lift will allow us to keep that commitment to our guests,” said Mark Schroetel, General Manager of the resort.

Bear Creek has also made improvements to its terrain parks, doubling the Cascade terrain park in size to five acres. Safety has been increased by reconfiguring the parks to have one point of entry. Timberline, which was formerly a freestyle terrain trail, had its width tripled and will now be Bear Creek’s new racing trail. Among other trail enhancements, the resort created a new beginner trail called Teddy Bear by cutting back the tree line and relocating the “D” magic carpet lift.

Bear Creek has begun rolling out automated snowmaking equipment with the installation of 25 new automated guns. Paired with mini weather stations, these guns will be controlled automatically by a central control unit, which will adjust their direction remotely.

“Research shows that automated snow guns produce 60% more snow than manual guns,” said Schreotel.