DESPITE THE TECHNICAL wizardry and multimillion-dollar amenities of modern ski lifts, the biggest growth in the sport over 20 years is in the backcountry: Climb the slopes yourself and shush your way down, a method known among ski bums as “earn your turns.” Zealots laud the merits of hard-fought climbs, relishing a few memorable runs a day rather than fighting lift lines and rising resort costs. But now more skiers want it all—one high-performance setup to go up and downhill in any snowy terrain—and companies are producing versatile new gear like the collection shown here. It opens the gate to backcountry skiing without forcing you to ditch the ease of alpine resorts and the occasional, lazy-person lift.
A Brief History Of Going Uphill The Easy Way
Given the glitzy gondolas of today, it’s hard to recall that once a moving rope was considered a thrill ride
IN 1850, Norwegian farmer and woodworker Sondre Norheim curved and shortened his skis and strengthened the bindings, making it easier and more fun to turn, jump and, importantly, to stop—modifications that led to the birth of modern skiing. The adrenaline was addictive and the sport spread. The downside? Climbing the slopes for another run. Since 1908, engineers have outdone themselves developing faster, fancier, increasingly complex ways to move skiers uphill.
Here, a few super-chill innovations to the ski lift, in reverse order:
Switzerland’s Zermatt unveiled the ‘Crystal Glacier Ride,’ a $ 60-million gondola. Four of its 28-person cabins are bedecked with Swarovski crystals, leather seats and a floor that turns crystal clear.
Leitner Ropeways debuted its ultra-luxurious eight-person chairlift in Kitzbühel, Austria, with race-car-inspired leather, heated seats and bubble covering.
This rotating tram, dubbed the Titlis Rotair, was built to spin 360 degrees during its 5-minute ride to a top station in the Uri Alps in Switzerland.
The first gondola in the U.S. was designed and installed by Italian company Carlevaro & Savio at Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire. Each of the small, egg-shaped, two-person cars had to be weighed down with bricks on the floor to help minimize swinging amid high winds.
Sun Valley, Idaho opened the world’s first chairlift. Union Pacific engineer Jim Curran adapted the system he designed to haul bananas onto United Fruit cargo ships in Central America for skiers, swapping the fruit hooks for single chairs.
Concerned about gasping skiers climbing his farm’s snowy slope, guesthouse owner Robert Winnerbalder of Schollach, Austria, rigged a tow rope to his watermill to pull them upward. His ingenuity spawned the ski-lift industry.
Here, a few super-chill innovations to the ski lift, in reverse order:
Switzerland’s Zermatt unveiled the ‘Crystal Glacier Ride,’ a $ 60-million gondola. Four of its 28-person cabins are bedecked with Swarovski crystals, leather seats and a floor that turns crystal clear.
Leitner Ropeways debuted its ultra-luxurious eight-person chairlift in Kitzbühel, Austria, with race-car-inspired leather, heated seats and bubble covering.
This rotating tram, dubbed the Titlis Rotair, was built to spin 360 degrees during its 5-minute ride to a top station in the Uri Alps in Switzerland.
The first gondola in the U.S. was designed and installed by Italian company Carlevaro & Savio at Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire. Each of the small, egg-shaped, two-person cars had to be weighed down with bricks on the floor to help minimize swinging amid high winds.
Sun Valley, Idaho opened the world’s first chairlift. Union Pacific engineer Jim Curran adapted the system he designed to haul bananas onto United Fruit cargo ships in Central America for skiers, swapping the fruit hooks for single chairs.
Concerned about gasping skiers climbing his farm’s snowy slope, guesthouse owner Robert Winnerbalder of Schollach, Austria, rigged a tow rope to his watermill to pull them upward. His ingenuity spawned the ski-lift industry.
Here, a few super-chill innovations to the ski lift, in reverse order:
Switzerland’s Zermatt unveiled the ‘Crystal Glacier Ride,’ a $ 60-million gondola. Four of its 28-person cabins are bedecked with Swarovski crystals, leather seats and a floor that turns crystal clear.
Leitner Ropeways debuted its ultra-luxurious eight-person chairlift in Kitzbühel, Austria, with race-car-inspired leather, heated seats and bubble covering.
This rotating tram, dubbed the Titlis Rotair, was built to spin 360 degrees during its 5-minute ride to a top station in the Uri Alps in Switzerland.
The first gondola in the U.S. was designed and installed by Italian company Carlevaro & Savio at Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire. Each of the small, egg-shaped, two-person cars had to be weighed down with bricks on the floor to help minimize swinging amid high winds.
Sun Valley, Idaho opened the world’s first chairlift. Union Pacific engineer Jim Curran adapted the system he designed to haul bananas onto United Fruit cargo ships in Central America for skiers, swapping the fruit hooks for single chairs.
Concerned about gasping skiers climbing his farm’s snowy slope, guesthouse owner Robert Winnerbalder of Schollach, Austria, rigged a tow rope to his watermill to pull them upward. His ingenuity spawned the ski-lift industry.
Here, a few super-chill innovations to the ski lift, in reverse order:
Switzerland’s Zermatt unveiled the ‘Crystal Glacier Ride,’ a $ 60-million gondola. Four of its 28-person cabins are bedecked with Swarovski crystals, leather seats and a floor that turns crystal clear.
Leitner Ropeways debuted its ultra-luxurious eight-person chairlift in Kitzbühel, Austria, with race-car-inspired leather, heated seats and bubble covering.
This rotating tram, dubbed the Titlis Rotair, was built to spin 360 degrees during its 5-minute ride to a top station in the Uri Alps in Switzerland.
The first gondola in the U.S. was designed and installed by Italian company Carlevaro & Savio at Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire. Each of the small, egg-shaped, two-person cars had to be weighed down with bricks on the floor to help minimize swinging amid high winds.
Sun Valley, Idaho opened the world’s first chairlift. Union Pacific engineer Jim Curran adapted the system he designed to haul bananas onto United Fruit cargo ships in Central America for skiers, swapping the fruit hooks for single chairs.
Concerned about gasping skiers climbing his farm’s snowy slope, guesthouse owner Robert Winnerbalder of Schollach, Austria, rigged a tow rope to his watermill to pull them upward. His ingenuity spawned the ski-lift industry.
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