TETON VILLAGE — Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) celebrated the launch of the new Sublette chair on Friday, Dec. 20, as skiers waited behind the ribbon eager to be the first to ride the high-speed lift.
The Grand Opening ceremony included remarks from JHMR CEO Mary Kate Buckley and a blessing of the lift by Rev. Ben Pascal of the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole. Smokey Bear was even on hand to mark the occasion. JHMR’s ownership group performed the ribbon cutting.
JHMR said via press release that the event “honored the lift’s legacy and its future.”
“The Sublette lift brings faster and more efficient access to some of the mountain’s most iconic areas, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this milestone with our skiers and riders,” JHMR Vice President of Operations Tim Mason said in the announcement.
After the ribbon cutting, skiers and boarders could continue to take part in the celebration with a live DJ and food and drink specials at the Bear Flats Snack Shack.
According to JHMR, the faster quad lift replaces the original Sublette, which was built in 1987. The lift was constructed with 72 European-style comfort chairs that spin in a clockwise direction. Different from the old lift, riders now load straight onto the chair. JHMR said that the new quad cuts ride time in half — from eight minutes to four — while climbing approximately 1,600 vertical feet at 1,000 feet per minute.
The resort has installed five new lifts since 2015, including the Thunder lift in 2022, according to JHMR.
Last week’s storm brought over three feet of new snow, enabling the resort to open the new quad, as well as the Aerial Tram, also known as “Big Red.” The season total so far is 127 inches on the summit.
