Panels for the new drive station arrive by flatbed at Mont Sutton on May 26, the day work began on the mountain for the resort’s new quad chairlift. (Photo courtesy of Mont Sutton, © Salah Chtioui)
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Mont Sutton says its new quad chairlift will be carrying skiers this winter, with crews now installing towers on the mountain and completion expected in November.
The Sutton resort shared the update in a newsletter sent to customers on Aug. 31. The lift, known as Chairlift I, will be a quad equipped with a boarding carpet, and the resort said construction is progressing smoothly.
Mont Sutton described the project as an $8-million investment meant to improve comfort, with particular attention to beginner skiers and families, who the resort said will have easier access to the family zone.
The newsletter did not say what the new lift’s uphill capacity or ride time will be.
A summer of blasting, digging and one large helicopter
Work began on the mountain May 26 with the delivery of panels for the drive station, according to the timeline Mont Sutton published.
Blasting followed June 1, with excavator and drill rig work the next day. On June 12, crews dismantled the operator’s cabin at the former Chairlift II west. Digging was still underway June 18. Concrete work on the foundation slab of the power station followed, though the newsletter did not date it.
The resort said many people noticed a helicopter in the skies above Sutton on July 9 and 10. It was there to pour concrete for the tower foundations and the summit return station.
Installation of the towers began Aug. 24, using a crawler carrier and a telescopic forklift, Mont Sutton said.
A longer magic carpet, a gentler slope and more snowmaking
Mont Sutton said work remains to prepare the west zone for winter, including a redesign of the learning zone.
A new magic carpet will be added to the existing one there, bringing the total conveyor length to 90 metres, according to the newsletter.
The chairlift work will also leave a gentler slope for beginner and intermediate skiers, the resort said, and will allow it to improve the snowmaking system and increase snowmaking capacity in that sector.
Presale passes and a chance to watch the work
Mont Sutton said 2026-2027 passes are 10 per cent off in presale until Sept. 30. That includes the Little Pass, which the resort said gives unlimited access to the redesigned zone.
The resort invited visitors to see the installation in progress during its Fall Festival, which runs from Sept. 19 to Oct. 18.
Where the money comes from
The project is supported by the Ministère du Tourisme, according to Mont Sutton.
The resort said the Government of Quebec awarded it a $5-million grant in spring 2024 through the Tourism Industry Recovery Assistance Program (PARIT) to support development of its four-season destination in the Eastern Townships.
That grant also covers RFID gates on the chairlifts, a signature lookout, new four-season glamping sites near Chairlift V, and additional sculptures along the trails for the resort’s open-air museum, the newsletter said.
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I wonder how the Government strategic planning was written for the Grant $$$ portion slated to “glamping” in the high elevation, largely inaccessible mountain forest sector, for 100 camping sites in a zone frequently forbidden to have open fires, under SOPFEU warnings? Monitors? Toilet facilities close to sites? Risk management plans? Tiresome details perhaps?