What’s up with Marmot Basin’s Knob Quad chair expansion

Oct 27, 2023

Progress on Marmot Basin’s newest chairlift, the Knob Quad Chair expansion, has been quiet but (up to a point) steady. Work began at the end of the 2022-23 season, with landscaping to clear the tower pad areas and prep the load and unload zones, with continued efforts through the summer.

With Marmot Basin open as of Nov 16, work is almost complete and the Knob Quad is slated to start spinning some time in December 2023.

Here's a look at how it's come together.

Doppelmayr working on the tower installation (photo courtesy Marmot Basin).

Tentative Knob Quad opening date

On October 24, Marmot Basin released a new video of work to date. In the release, the ski resort announced that construction is on track for an estimated opening date of December 2023.

Knob Quad construction

With Doppelmayr managing construction the process has gone smoothly, according to the resort. The wildfire season did push back timelines, as the helicopters needed to fly in towers (see photo above) were occupied late into the summer, but by November the towers were in and as of opening weekend, the cable was installed.

A look at progress to date

Watch this video shared by Marmot Basin on October 24, 2023 for a cool aerial view of one of the lift towers taking the final leg of its journey and being placed.

Watch New Knob Quad Coming Soon on YouTube.

Of course, construction during the shoulder season, as winter approaches, can encounter many challenges. But having overseen three other chairlift updates in the past two decades, including the addition of the Eagle Ridge and Canadian Rockies Express, and the replacement of the Paradise chair, Marmot Basin has some experience to draw on.

What does this mean for skiers and riders?

The new Knob Chair is a quad, doubling the seated capacity from the old double chair, moving skiers at a rate of 1200 people per hour. (And, we won't have to skip every third chair any more!)

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With an unload several hundred metres higher than the old chair, it opens up easier access to the new expert terrain of Marmot Cirque, as well as classic favourite powder zones including Knob Bowl, Suzie's Choice and McCready's.

A view of where the new Knob Quad chairlift will unload, compared to the old one.

Have a look at the new trail map Marmot released below.

View of new Marmot Cirque terrain (red line indicates new Knob Quad chairlift line).

Get a taste of Marmot Cirque

Back in spring of 2023, I got into the Cirque a couple times to check out the new terrain. You can read more about what it's like here.

For more information

Check out more details on the Ski Marmot website. And read on for some background to the new project, and the significance of the new Marmot Cirque expert terrain area.