The Highlands in Harbor Springs, a Boyne Resorts property northeast of Traverse City, has announced plans to install a six-person, high-speed Doppelmayr D-Line bubble chairlift to open for the 2023-2024 winter season, the first lift of its kind in the Midwest.
“We’re coming full circle in lift innovation from the world’s first bubble chairlift in 1963, to the Midwest’s first modern bubble lift with unrivaled guest comfort, speed, energy efficiency, and safety in 2023,” says Mike Chumbler, president and general manager of The Highlands.
“This will be the most kid-friendly and safest lift ever built. The addition of Camelot 6 will transform the guest experience on the southern end of our slopes for all levels of skiers and riders.”
The D-Line’s heated, extra wide seats are ergonomically designed and feature individual footrests. A tinted, weatherproof bubble keeps passengers warm and protected from elements while being whisked on a whisper-quiet three-minute ride up the slopes, the fastest in the Midwest at 6 meters-per-second.
Equipped with advanced safety features, Camelot 6 features the first fully automatic safety bar system in the U.S., including auto closing and auto opening mechanisms in addition to auto locking and a height-adjustable loading carpet conveyor.
Camelot 6 is replacing three existing triple-place lifts — Camelot, Valley, and MacGully — and will extend to the top of Upper Camelot slope. This new D-Line six-person bubble chairlift allows for quicker access to a variety of scenic and popular terrain, more convenient access for day and evening visitors with its proximity to the resort’s Day Lodge portal and also will serve as the primary lift for summer chairlift rides and expanding mountain biking operations.
The Camelot run itself will also be extensively regraded to allow progressing beginners to confidently utilize the lift.Dismantling and construction are expected to begin in spring 2023.
Camelot 6 is one of several investments outlined in The Highlands’ Transformational Journey, a vision plan guiding resort growth with an array of dramatic new offerings and amenity enhancements through the year 2030. For additional information on Camelot 6 and the 2030 Transformational Journey, click here.
To view a video of the Camleot 6, click here.
Alongside the largest ski area in the Lower Peninsula, The Highlands offers zipline adventures, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, fat tire snow biking, the Aonach Mor Moonlight Dinner, and more during the winter season. During summer, guests can utilize 72 holes of golf along with a par-3 course, a spa, horseback trail rides, biking, scenic chairlift rides, Segway PT tours, and The Young Americans Dinner Theatre.
