Skiers may find shorter lift-lines, faster rides and more space to carve up the slopes this upcoming season at Whitefish Mountain Resort, thanks to the still under construction Chair 4, dubbed the “Snow Ghost Express.”

The high-speed lift will be the largest on the mountain by capacity, carrying up to six people per chair. Chair 4 will pick up skiers and snowboarders in the base area and whisk them 2,200 feet up to the top of Inspiration Ridge in seven minutes. The resort estimates that the new lift can serve over 2,000 guests per hour.

Work is well underway by chairlift manufacturer Leitner-Poma, with a helicopter placing concrete and the towers along the new lift line. Work to finish the terminals, and splice and install the cable remains ahead. Construction is on schedule and is expected to be completed by opening day, according to Matt Gebo, director of sales and marketing at the resort.

Although the lift will not open up any new skiable terrain or groomed runs, Gebo expects the addition to significantly affect how skiers are distributed on the mountain. Resort officials expect the Snow Ghost Express to alleviate the lift queues that can form at Chair 1 on busy days, providing skiers with an alternative way to access most of the mountain’s vertical feet.

“[In the past], most guests would take Chair 1 to the summit and this [new lift] will take a whole new swathe of people in a new direction,” said Gebo.

Getting to Chair 1 from the base lodge, which houses ticket sales and ski rental facilities, required a connecting trip via Chair 6 in years past.

OCTOBER ALSO marks the end of early season pass sales. While resort officials shied away from providing exact figures, they characterized sales as strong and up slightly over last year. According to Gebo, around 95% of season passes typically are sold before the Oct. 1 early season pricing deadline.

Last winter season, the resort reported a record 464,000 skier visits, the third season in a row where visits reached new heights.

Data shows the largest percentage increase in early season pass registration was among free passes for children up to the age of 6, a spike that Gebo muses may be due to “Covid babies” hitting the slopes for their first taste of powder.

The lifts are scheduled to start spinning Dec. 8, weather permitting.

Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached at [email protected]