From 21-Minute Rides to Paid Trams: Ranking the 19 Worst Lifts for North American Skiers and Riders

"June Mountain - J1 Double (California) - Only base access chairlift, 60+ year old double chair with a center pole, extremely low capacity, causes massive lines, and beginners must download since there are no green runs down."

"Sun Peaks - Burfield Quad (British Columbia) - The longest fixed grip chairlift in North America at 9,500ft, taking a staggering 21 minutes for a full ride."

"Heavenly - Sky Express (California/Nevada) - The sole connection between the California and Nevada sides of the resort, creating a massive bottleneck, especially at day's end, and susceptible to wind holds."

"Crystal Mountain - Mount Rainier Gondola (Washington) - Originally designed for sightseeing, it carries only ~900 people/hour, less than a third of a typical gondola, creating chronic lift lines."

PeakRankings compiled a ranking of the 19 worst ski lifts in North America, evaluating lifts based on multiple problematic factors. Issues include extremely low capacity causing massive lines, excessively slow speeds taking 15-21 minutes for single rides, poor design such as center poles and fixed-grip systems, inadequate lighting, lack of alternative routes creating bottlenecks, and insufficient signage. Notable examples include June Mountain's 60-year-old double chair serving as the only base access, Mountain Creek's 5,000-foot-long double covering minimal vertical, and Sun Peaks' 21-minute fixed-grip chairlift. Several lifts serve critical functions as sole connections between terrain or resort areas, making their limitations particularly problematic during peak times.

Read at Unofficial Networks