A project five years in the planning — which will change the game for a Queenstown skifield — is about to be officially signed off.
NZSki’s new $23 million high-speed, six-seater Shadow Basin chairlift at The Remarkables is in the final stages of being commissioned by Doppelmayr.
Load testing started earlier this week.
At full speed, it will move skiers and boarders from the bottom to the top in about three and a-half minutes, with capacity for 2400 people per hour, a 60% increase.
These included freeride runs such as Alta Chute and Boulder Basin, but also there were trails coming from the top into the basin for a "real mix" of users.
"It’s an incredible lift.
"It’s so impressive and the terrain that it’s going to open up.
"It’s going to be amazing and with the snowmaking it’s an incredible addition to The Remarkables.
"We think it’ll be really popular."
The most recent project brings NZSki’s investment at The Remarkables to $90m over the past 10 years — other projects are the Curvey Basin chairlift, opened in 2014, a new base building, opened in 2015, and a new Sugar Bowl chairlift, opened in 2020.
Physical work, led by lift-builders Doppelmayr, earthworks contractor Base Construction and Naylor Love, responsible for the "parking building", had taken about eight months.
Subject to sign-off — and sufficient snow — the lift is expected to be in play for next Saturday’s opening day.
