Ten Chairlifts that should be on every skiers bucket list. All of these lifts are epic in their own way, so instead of ranking them from 1 to 10, the list goes from west to east. Look for the yellow highlighted chairlifts, those are the ones you want!
The Best Chairlifts – From West to East
Peak Chair – Whistler Mountain. Whistler, BC
7th Heaven – Blackcomb Mountain. Whistler, BC
Whistler Blackcomb is a tremendous resort consisting of two enormous mountains. Both Peak chair and 7th heaven are high speed quads that climb high up into the alpine. Riding up Peak chair is a thrill on its own, and you are in for a show as fly over some awesome big mountain terrain. 7th Heaven is absolutely gorgeous and it accesses terrain of all skill levels from green to triple black diamond.
Mother Lode Chair – RED Mountain Resort. Rossland, BC.
RED mtn resort is very well laid out, each chairlift is placed wisely, maximizing skiable terrain while minimizing flat cat tracks. The Mother Load triple chair carries you to the peak of Granite Mountain, where almost all aspects are skiable which makes finding fresh lines easy.
The Stoke Chair – Revelstoke Mountain Resort. Revelstoke, BC
Revelstoke is another behemoth of a ski resort. The runs here are very long, in fact they are the longest in the Americas. The stoke chair is the high speed quad that takes you to the highest point. From there there you can access alpine terrain or go straight down nice consistent fall line through beautifully gladded tree or wide, steep runs.
Eagle Ridge Quad Chair –Marmot Basin. Jasper, AB
Marmot Basin is located way up north in the the Rocky mountains. The scenery here is truly spectacular and with epic mountains like these you can bet your bottom dollar that the skiing is great too! The Eagle Ridge Quad Chair gets you up on top of a variety of terrain options including a very challenging area called eagle east, but be warned, it is steep.
Glory Chair – White Water Resort. Nelson, BC.
White Water is a sleepy resort that may not look like much on the trail map, but this place is undoubtedly one of the best places to ski in Canada. Glory Chair is a three seater that provides you with the longest decent at this ski area and it has some of the nicest, most playful and vast tree skiing you will find anywhere.
Golden Eagle Express – Kicking Horse. Golden, BC.
A quick glance at the trail map is all you need to notice that Kicking Horse is steep, very steep! Have you ever seen so many double black diamonds on one trail map? The Golden Eagle express is a high speed, eight person gondola that goes from the base of the ski hill all the way up to the alpine in one shot. This resort consists of a series of ridges, with every terrain feature you could ask for. Bonus points are awarded to the Golden Eagle Express for the grizzly bear enclosure that this lift sores over. If you ski at Kicking Horse in the spring you may be lucky enough to see Boo the grizzly bear for yourself.
Top of the World – Lake Louise. Lake Louise, AB
Lake Louise is a gem of the Canadian Rockies. Unbelievably picturesque and hugely popular with international tourists in the summer. By looking at the map of the back side bowls you can see that skiing at Lake Louise is about much more than the views, there is some seriously wild skiing here. Top of the world express is a high speed six person chair that gives skiers access to the more chill frontside area, as well as the more gnarly backside. The Paradise three person chair and the Summit Platter T-bar are also incredible after a big dump.
Goats Eye Express – Sunshine Village. Banff, AB
Another iconic gem of the Canadian Rockies, Sunshine Village is stunning. The Goat’s Eye Express Quad gets you up on top of some some beautiful skiing. Intermediate to expert skiers only on this lift.
Polar Peak – Fernie Alpine Resort. Fernie, BC
This slice of heaven is located in South Eastern BC, Fernie is actually further East than the resorts mentioned in Alberta. This place has big alpine terrain and Polar Peak Express triple chair is the best way to get to the top.
