Lowell Thomas chairlift - Follow the Progression

As announced on March 12, 2018, Alterra Mountain Company is planning major investments in its properties. For Mont Tremblant Resorts and Company, this means replacing the Lowell Thomas chairlift, renovating and expanding Le Grand Manitou, opening of new glades, renovating the Fourchette du Diable on the North side as well as other additions and improvements.

Our fixed-grip triple Lowell Thomas chairlift serving the upper North Side has entirely be replaced with a Dopplelmayr detachable quad. Boosting capacity by 600 skiers per hour, this new lift was launched on November 26, 2018. See the works progression over the months!

November 26, 2018

November 19, 2018

November 5, 2018

October 31, 2018

October 22, 2018

October 13, 2018

Unloading of a conveyor tunnel. This module transports chairs through the terminal.

Installation of tower 1 using a 110-ton crane.

Assembly of the conveyor sections and a large part of the machinery.

Installation of one of the three sections of the drive pulley.

October 7, 2018

Challenging week at the base following heavy rains.

Installation of the structure for the lower building.

Several trenches are dug for the lift’s main supply ducts.

A lot of action at the construction site with difficult weather conditions.

Forty-nine ducts were installed under the future building.

The lower station is at the final stage and all the ducts are ready for installation of the building.

1 octobre 2018

Installation of electrical ducts to supply and control the upper terminal.

Installation of the shapes for the pylons of the lower terminal.

Pylons have been completed and all concrete infrastructure is now complete.

Delivery of structural components for the lower terminal.

Transportation of the upper operations building to the summit.

Building is set on its foundations and electrical ducts are put in place.

Control machine is installed in the upper building.

September 24, 2018

Final adjustments to the formwork and lower station footing reinforcement.

Concrete is pumped for the lower station footing.

Installation of the reinforcements to pour the concrete pylons that will support the structure.

Sonotubes are put in place to support the operations station.

The team has made significant progress on the outer structure of the upper station.

September 17, 2018

The crane drives the piles to provide the necessary support for the foundation of the lower terminal.

Now that the piles are in place, the next step is reinforcement.

The structure of the summit terminal is taking shape.

Roof installation has been completed on the summit terminal.

A magnificent view of the North Side, taken from the summit terminal.

The team unpacks the components for the terminal shell.

The operations stations take shape in a workshop located in Laval.

September 8, 2018

Beginning of the assembly of the return station.

All components received to date have been assembled at the summit.

The foundation of the last tower was finally poured.

This Saturday, we managed to deliver a 75,000-pound crane to mid-mountain.

31 août 2018

August 25, 2018

August 20, 2018

Backfilling of the front foundation and rear footing at the top of the lift.

Installation of the braces of the rear pylon at the summit which were poured August 10.

Full day with the team from Helicarrier pouring the foundations for towers 3 through 9.

August 13, 2018

Unloading of seven containers from Austria.

Removal of formwork on the front pylon of the summit terminal and preparation of the footing of the rear pylon.

Inspection of the rear pylon reinforcement.

August 6, 2018

Cleaning the rock after a heavy rain in preparation for the installation of the anchors

Formwork construction of the front pylon at the summit terminal.

Concrete pouring for the front pylon at the summit terminal.

Drilling for soil tests for foundations of the base terminal.

The engineer characterizes the different layers of soil to know their carrying capacity.

Delivery of 3 containers from Austria with components for the terminals.

July 27, 2018

All formwork completed with the exception of T1 which will be completed at the same time as the base terminal.

50mm of rain has created a small lake at the summit.

The water needed to be pumped to locate the holes which needed to be drained with compressed air.

It was then possible to install the anchors.

July 20, 2018

July 12, 2018

The preparatory work is moving along at a good pace! Following the survey work to position the twelve towers, excavation for the foundations of the towers and terminal at the base of the lift was completed. Excavation allows engineers to characterize soils in order to opt for the right type of foundation. As an example, excavation revealed rock surfaces that present a challenge and require customized solutions.

When rock was found at the tower locations, it was drilled to install anchors. These anchors are sealed into the rock and pulling tests are then carried out to ensure their solidity. In order to pour the concrete, plywood forms were built with specific dimensions for each tower. Along the way, we discovered that some artificial snow pipes were located too close to tower 11 and had to be relocated.

Last week, a second team was thus still working on relocating the snow pipes at the top of the lift to make way for the terminal. Waiting for delivery of the steel pipes delayed the progress of the work. The pipes finally arrived last Tuesday after 8 p.m. At least, the team managed to enjoy an incredible view and a beautiful sunset!

Here is a glimpse of a foundation that is ready for its new tower!

June 21, 2018

Work continues on the Lowell Thomas lift replacement. Rain or shine, the team is giving its best efforts to meet the project schedule.

An access road has been built from the bottom of the lift to the summit to carry equipment up and down during the installation. On the long term, this road will also be used for operations, lift maintenance and for transportation of other mountain equipment.

The construction site is starting to take shape! The Doppelmayr team arrived on the week of June 5 with all the essential equipment to install the new lift. After its arrival, land surveying began to determine the exact location of the new towers.

April 2018

The first stage consisted in removing all the chairs. Our team sorted the parts to be either recycled or used as spare parts for the Porte du Soleil lift. Large equipment such as the electric motor and transmission will also be saved as spare parts for the Porte du Soleil lift. It is also the beginning of a new life for the diesel engine that will serve as an emergency generator. When the ski season ended, we were able to complete the dismantling of terminals and began the foundations’ demolition. Once again, most of the components will be reused to minimize the environmental impact. By the end of the month, the new lift’s manufacturer will mobilize its construction team. Frequent updates will be posted throughout the summer to allow you to follow the progress of this project!

New

As announced earlier on March 12, Alterra Mountain Company is planning major investments in its properties. For Mont Tremblant Resorts and Company, this means replacing the Lowell Thomas chairlift, renovating and expanding the Grand Manitou, opening of new glades, renovating the Fourchette du Diable on the North side as well as other additions and improvements.

Work on the Lowell Thomas lift has already begun and we wished to keep you informed on the progress.

What is being done?

The chairlift will be entirely replaced by a new detachable high speed quad chairlift from Doppelmayr. The lift’s hourly capacity will be increased by 600 skiers, bringing it to 2400 skiers per hour. Dismantling of the lift started on April 9. Abundant snow accumulation allowed for swifter and safer transportation.