New Comstock Express lift opens at Northstar California

Friday was the official grand opening of the new Comstock Express lift at Northstar California! They celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The new lift is a huge milestone for us as they enter their 50th anniversary season. The Comstock Express lift has been upgraded from a four-person chair to a high-speed six-person lift, which is designed to reduce wait times at one of the mountain’s most popular lifts and will increase uphill capacity by nearly 50 percent.

The new Comstock lift will be the third lift to have this alignment at Northstar.

The first chairlift of this alignment was named the “C – Lift,” a Riblet double chair installed in 1972. It was replaced 17 years later in 1989 by a Doppelmayr high-speed detachable quad, now widely known by guests as Comstock Express.

This summer, Northstar replaced its 33-year-old workhorse with a new Doppelmayr high-speed six-pack chair. It is welcome news for skiers and snowboarders. The new lift will increase the flow of guests through the hub of the mountain and up to the summit, where skiers and riders can access all the zones on the mountain.

With the remaining 80 original chairs, there was a public auction held that benefited the EpicPromise Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides grants for unplanned emergencies and educational scholarships to Vail Resorts employees, their families, and their communities.