Brains
What Makes Largest Vertical Drop Chairlifts Worth the Lap?
With ski tracking apps becoming more popular in recent years, people have become more conscious about the amount of vertical they are getting in every year. Whether you’re trying to break personal bests or beat your friends on the leaderboard, knowing which largest vertical drop chairlifts in North America are worth your time is a real competitive edge. Although gondolas and trams provide the biggest vertical drops available, they are not the most efficient lifts because you have to take your skis off every ride, and more often than not, these lifts have long lines. The most efficient laps are usually found on high-speed chairlifts, and in this article, I will be breaking down the chairlifts in North America with the largest vertical drops with data courtesy of Liftblog.
#11 Super Bee – Copper Mountain, CO – 2,293 feet
Super Bee at Copper Mountain is a high-speed six-pack chairlift manufactured by Poma and opened in 1998. Super Bee services an impressive amount of terrain on the lower mountain, from blue cruisers to expert technical terrain. The lift takes you from the East Village all the way up to the treeline, where you can access the upper mountain via the Storm King double chair. Super Bee rises an impressive 2,293 feet and provides guests with enough terrain to last an entire day.
#10 Summit Express – Keystone, CO – 2,303 feet
The Summit Express at Keystone is a high-speed quad made by Doppelmayr that rises 2,303 feet. The chair was opened in 1997 and runs parallel with the River Run Gondola and acts as a lift redundancy out of the base area. The summit express services almost exclusively intermediate terrain but offers access to some advanced and expert terrain that funnels down to the Ruby and Santiago Express chairs.
#9 Gem Lake Express – Big White, BC – 2,331 feet
The Gem Lake Express Quad at Big White was built by Doppelmayr and was opened in 1996. The lift services a vertical drop of 2,331 feet made up of mostly intermediate and advanced runs from high alpine terrain to below treeline cruisers. The line stretches over 8,000 feet and services some of the most interesting terrain on the mountain.
#8 Motherlode – Red Mountain, BC – 2,333 feet
The Motherlode chair at Red Mountain is a fixed grip triple chair manufactured by Yan and was relocated from Blackcomb Mountain in the 1990s. The chair serves a vertical drop of 2,333 feet and brings guests from the top of the Silverlode quad to the peak of Granite Mountain. The terrain off this chair is almost exclusively advanced and expert, with plenty of different lines to choose from.
#7 Northwest Express – Mt. Bachelor, OR – 2,336 feet
The Northwest Express is a high-speed quad also manufactured by Doppelmayr and provides skiers with a 2,336-foot vertical drop. The lift was opened in 1996 and serves plenty of expert terrain as well as some intermediate terrain lower down. The Northwest Express is situated almost entirely below the tree line, which allows the terrain to stay open even during whiteout conditions. The combination of consistent conditions and non-stop fall-line makes the Northwest Express at Mt. Bachelor one of the best chairlifts in the entire Pacific Northwest.
#6 Flying Squirrel – Sun Valley, ID – 2,362 feet
Flying Squirrel at Sun valley is a high-speed quad manufactured by Doppelmayr and opened in 2023. The lift rises 2,362 feet and services a variety of terrain from beginner to advanced. The lift is a replacement for the old Flying Squirrel double chair that burned down in 2014. The new flying squirrel lift follows a different alignment than the old one and starts lower down near the Warm Springs Day Lodge.
#5 Peruvian Express – Snowbird, UT – 2,421 feet
The Peruvian Express high-speed quad at Snowbird was opened in 2006 and was manufactured by Doppelmayr. The lift provides a vertical drop of 2,421 feet and acts as another major lift out of the main base area, along with the Aerial Tram. The Peruvian Express allows access to an abundance of expert terrain along with several intermediate runs.
#4 John Paul Express – Snowbasin, UT – 2,435 feet
The John Paul Express at Snowbasin is a Doppelmayr high-speed quad opened in 1998 and rises 2,435 feet. This lift serves some of the coolest terrain in Utah and offers great views to go along with it. The John Paul Express takes skiers from the base area up to the Allen Peak Tram, which guests can take to reach the very peak of the resort.
Sun Valley’s Dominance Among High-Vertical Chairlifts
#3 Lookout Express – Sun Valley, ID – 2,673 feet
The Lookout Express at Sun Valley is a high-speed quad constructed by Dopplmayr in 1993 and services a vertical drop of 2,673 feet. The lift spun for the last time this year and will be replaced by a high-speed six-pack chairlift for next season in the same allignment. The chair takes visitors from the top of the River Run quad to the lookout restaurant and services a diverse amount of terrain from beginner to advanced.
#2 Burfield Quad – Sun Peaks, BC – 2,892 feet
The Burfield quad at Sun Peaks is infamous for being the longest ride time of any chairlift in North America. It takes a whopping 21 minutes to reach the top of the fixed-grip quad that rises an impressive 2,892 feet. This Doppelmayr quad was opened in 1997 and services a mix of runs from intermediate to expert. There is not an abundance of terrain that you can lap off this lift, and even if there were, the insanely long ride time would not make it worth it.
#1 Challenger, Sun Valley, ID – 3,138 feet
The Challenger high-speed six-pack chairlift at Sun Valley takes the top spot on the list, offering a staggering vertical drop of 3,138 feet. The lift runs parallel to the Flying Squirrel high-speed quad previously mentioned in this list and services essentially the same terrain. The Challenger six-pack replaced the old Challenger and Grey Hawk lifts back in 2023. The new lift replaces both allignments with a midstation giving skiers the option of getting off where the old Grey Hawk chair ended.
Every chair on this list will provide leg-burning laps that will have you appreciating the long ride back up. If you are trying to beat your friends on the leaderboards next year, these lifts are definitely worth the visit.
Perhaps you’re only listing chair lifts, not trams or gondolas. I’m guessing the Tram at Jackson is top to bottom is 4139′
The article is called “11 Largest Vertical Drop Chairlifts in North America” — so yes, it is only chairlifts
Revelstoke lists their Gondola at 1170 VM (vertical meters.) That converts to over 3838 vertical feet.
The Gondola at Whiteface is 2500 vert
What about smuggler’s notch in Vermont? 2,610 feet?
Killington VT Great Eastern 3050?
You missed Gem Lake express at Big White, 2330 vertical