Sundance Mountain Resort, UT, Making Big Progress on New Electric Horseman Lift

One of Utah’s major new lifts is starting to come to life. 

Sundance Mountain Resort recently posted a construction update on its Facebook page about its new Electric Horseman lift. So far, construction crews have been working on flying in tower footings, installing top and bottom terminals, working on tower locations, and laying concrete for foundations. While crews still have a long way to go toward the lift’s targeted opening date in November or December, lift components are starting to come together, and the excitement for the big lift upgrade is growing.

As Sundance moves into its autumn preparations, it aims to have all chairs up on the lift’s ropeway by wintertime, along with trail signs installed. 

• Related: Sundance Resort, UT, Announces Pivotal Terrain Expansion and New High-Speed Lift

The Electric Horseman is a high-speed detachable four-seater named after the 1979 film starring former resort owner Robert Redford. The lift will climb 1,850 vertical feet from the base of the Wildwood area to a point adjacent to the top of Red’s Lift, offering swift access to Sundance’s upper terrain and improving efficiency in an area that had previously required a time-consuming, three-lift journey. The lift will operate at five meters per second, and the ride will take approximately three minutes with a capacity of 2,000 people per hour. 

The addition of Electric Horseman marks a pivotal moment for Sundance as it continues to compete with neighboring resorts. Sundance offers unique picturesque views of Mount Timpanogos and dramatic canyon walls, but it has struggled to match the infrastructure that exists at the six major resorts just outside Salt Lake City. Because of this, Sundance has historically relied on its local charm and legacy to draw skiers. But in today’s high-speed, high-volume ski world, charm alone doesn’t cut it.

Over the past half-decade, Sundance’s new owners, Broadreach Capital Partners and Cedar Capital Partners, have been working to improve its infrastructure and terrain across the resort. Recent upgrades include the installation of the Outlaw Express quad, the opening of Wildwood’s beginner-focused terrain, new surface lifts, expanded snowmaking and night skiing, and the $5 million Mountain Camp lodge.

Electric Horseman, alongside new additional terrain on the Far East ridgeline, will complete the resort’s transformation by increasing Sundance’s skiable acreage by 32% and granting high-speed access to the entire mountain for the first time.

When the Electric Horseman opens, only one of Sundance’s older lifts—the 1975 Flathead triple—will remain unchanged. However, it is expected to be decommissioned in the future.

All modern lifts at Sundance will be Doppelmayr-built, except for the Skytrac-manufactured Wildwood.

• Related: 49 Degrees North, WA, Planning to Open New Chairlift This Season

The investment in Electric Horseman and its other expansion projects pushes Sundance’s recent capital expenditures above $40 million. But despite the scale of the resort’s upgrades, Sundance leadership remains committed to the resort’s intimate feel. Most of the resort’s 5,000 acres remain under conservation easements, and it remains independently owned and offers its own dedicated season passes separate from major passes like IKON and Epic.

With the new Electric Horseman lift well on its way to spinning for the first time, Sundance hopes that it can entice skiers with a combination of new infrastructure and its authentic feel. Once complete, Electric Horseman will offer a more modern skiing experience with new dynamic terrain.