Banff (AB), Canada – With its nine lift towers already in place, the replacement of the Strawberry chair is on schedule at Sunshine Village ski area near Banff.nThe Doppelmayr CTEC detachable quad will carry 1,800 guests per hour, with a ride time of only 2.7 minutes. It will replace an existing 35-year-old triple chairlift to provide a second high-speed option on Mount Standish, home to the ski area’s halfpipe. The lift first served temporary duty at Whistler Blackcomb to shuttle Olympic and Paralympic spectators during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games before being moved and re-installed at Sunshine Village.

Five hours with a Bell 214 helicopter is all it took last month to airlift the towers atop concrete pads poured earlier this summer.

In addition to the new lift, Sunshine Village officials are renovating the Creekside restaurant building at the gondola base. The restaurant, retail area, snack bar and skier services areas are being completely redone to improve customer convenience.

Weather permitting, the new lift is scheduled to open Nov. 11.