Deer Valley entered the North American record books last Friday for being the first ski resort to install a Funicular lift. The 500-ton crane hoisted the swiss built resort in the morning of July 17th and place it on the rails.
The Swiss-crafted funicular cabins were flown in from Switzerland and will be installed with the use of a 500-ton crane onto the tracks to complete this architectural and engineering marvel.

Map marking the trajectory of the funicular

The massive rail structure that forms the funicular

The funicular, which is nestled at the base of the mountain at The St. Regis Deer Crest Resort’s Snow Park Building and is adjacent to Deer Valley’s Snow Park Lodge, ascends 500 vertical feet in just 90 seconds to the primary hotel building. What is bound to be the most well-appointed mode of transportation at any mountain resort, the funicular is a unique feature of The St. Regis Deer Crest Resort, the first five-star branded luxury resort in Utah opening this fall 2009 at Deer Valley Resort®.

The cars were made by cable-car specialists Gangloff of Berne, the makers of the first funicular railway in 1929 and the former carriage maker to European royalty and the current designers of customized bodywork for the motoring aristocracy including Bugatti, Alfa Romeo and Rolls Royce. The cars have panoramic windows, which are tinted and UVA and UVB-protected, and afford passengers spectacular views of Deer Valley. The cars are also heated and air-conditioned, have leather seating for up to 15 passengers and have a separate area for luggage. Unlike any other funicular in the United States, the two cabs of The St. Regis Deer Crest Resort funicular will function independently so that demand can be met both at the base and top terminals. The funicular cabins, which are self-leveling despite a 20 to 80 degree difference in the slope angle, will run on steel railway tracks. The tracks were designed and constructed by Doppelmayr CTEC.

The funicular puts The St. Regis Deer Crest Resort in the same company with other world-class ski resorts. Travel on the funicular, which is free of charge, serves as a chic and convenient way for hotel and non-hotel guests to explore The St. Regis Deer Crest Resort’s phenomenal amenities, including Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s new J&G Grill, a wine bar featuring a 3,000-bottle collection, a 14,000 square-foot Remède Spa, a Val d’Isere style ski beach overlooking Deer Hollow ski run, and an outdoor terrace with a 40-foot long firewall.

• New Projects: Read about other ski resort projects by clicking here.