Kelly Canyon announces new three-seater lift for the 2021-22 season
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RIRIE — Kelly Canyon Ski Resort made a major announcement last week that lit up its social media page with resounding cheers and kudos from the local skiing and boarding community.
As the resort eyes the final days of its season this weekend, patrons can look forward to a new Fix-grip Triple Lift from the Skytrac company heading into the 2021-2022 winter season.
Skytrac is a Salt Lake City-based lift manufacturer and the Fix-grip Triple Lift is specially made to accommodate the unique needs of smaller resort operations. The three-seater lift can serve up to 1,500 powder hounds an hour. It will likely become a centerpiece at the resort, which has been operating on four, two-seater lifts since the 1970s.
“Right now we aren’t planning on replacing the other lifts,” Mike VanSteenkiste told EastIdahoNews.com Friday. VanSteenkiste, a managing partner for Kelly Canyon said the site and engineering plans are currently underway.
Kelly Canyon partners will navigate an approval process through the Caribou-Targhee National Forest Service as well as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The resort is tucked into the northwest end of the Big Hole Mountains just southeast of Rexburg. It has enjoyed continued growth as the surrounding area develops to accommodate travelers headed to prime mountain biking terrain, hot springs and camping straddling the Jefferson and Bonneville County lines.
The new lift will increase access on the mountain typically gained through boot-packing.
“Our initial design is for the new lift to be a feature lift and focal point of the resort,” he said. “The new lift will go almost 600 feet further up the mountain and will allow patrons to access terrain that has only been accessible by hiking.”
VanSteenkiste teased that the resort is eyeing other upgrades, but said patrons should check the resort’s social media channels for updates. In the meantime, the resort is soliciting suggestions for a name for the new lift. The lucky winner will earn a season pass for next year.
“It’s been a great season,” said VanSteenkiste. “Thank you to the community for the support. I wanted to give a special thanks to the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management for they have done behind the scenes to make this happen. We are lucky to have such a great group of individuals that are committed to helping the public enjoy our local mountain.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article said the lift would be a four seater. It is actually going to be a three seater. EastIdahoNews.com apologies for the error.