Vail, CO – Work began following the elk-calving season in early July to replace Vail Mountain’s Sun Up Lift (#17) with a new high-speed quad chairlift.

The new Sun Up Express, which will be designated lift #9 in its new incarnation, will reduce wait times and improve skier and snowboarder circulation, resort officials indicate. The construction marks the ninth chair replacement in the last 10 years at Vail, a period that also saw the addition of The 10^th restaurant and major summer activity expansion. It also makes all of the major lifts at Vail high-speed.

“The new Sun Up Express will dramatically improve how our guests are able to move across Vail’s legendary Back Bowls, especially on powder mornings as they head toward the terrain of the China Bowl complex and Blue Sky Basin,” said Chris Jarnot, Vail’s chief operating officer and executive vice president. “The 65% increase in capacity will also take pressure off of the High Noon Express (#5) with more guests using the new lift rather than cycling back to the bottom of the bowls.”

The new Sun Up Express provides access to advanced terrain in Sun Up Bowl and disperses skiers and snowboarders to other terrain in Vail’s Back Bowls.

Vail Mountain is scheduled to open for the 2016-17 ski and snowboard season on Friday, Nov. 18.