Does North America Have A Ski Lift Problem?

Every time you queue forty-five minutes for a fixed-grip quad at a major US resort on a $250 lift ticket, there's a number worth knowing. In the 2025/26 season, Italy, France, Austria, and Switzerland combined spent $1.09 billion installing new lifts. The US and Canada combined spent $317 million. Europe invested 3.4 times more - in ski markets that are, in aggregate, smaller than America's. This video is my attempt to properly explain why. And the answer is more complicated - and more interesting - than simply blaming corporate greed. It involves publicly-listed governance structures returning $595 million to shareholders while spending $225 million on mountains. It involves French legal frameworks that guarantee 25-year operating concessions and generate €10.7 billion in infrastructure backlogs. It involves Swiss gondolas that are classified as public transport, communities with no road access, and summer mountain tourism that has been running since the 1860s. And it involves a US Forest Service permit system that has, until very recently, legally prevented ski resorts from earning meaningful year-round revenue. I also pulled together a full database of all 226 new lift installations across 32 countries for the 2025/26 season to see exactly what's being built, where, and at what cost. The breakdown by lift type tells its own story. This video was inspired by a great piece from ‪@SRGSkiing‬ asking whether Colorado has a lift problem - link below. I'd suggest checking it out.    • Colorado has a Ski Lift Problem   The full database and supporting report referenced throughout this video are linked below. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... #skiresorts #chairlifts #europe #northamerica 🎬 Want more ski content? Subscribe! ► @snowstash 📱 Follow us on: Instagram: @snow.stash Twitter: @SnowsStash Facebook: @snowstash Website: www.snowstash.com