Late November 2025, a routine afternoon at a ski area in Wisconsin turned into an emergency when a sudden power outage halted the resort’s main chairlift. Fourteen skiers and snowboarders at Sunburst Ski Hillwere left suspended mid-air — some for nearly an hour — until ski patrol, local firefighters, and sheriff’s deputies orchestrated a rope-chair evacuation to bring them safely to the ground, according to media reports of the incident.
The resort’s general manager later explained that a backup generator was not installed, citing the high cost (estimated $50,000–$100,000) and the complexity of providing reliable backup power across multiple lift systems. The auxiliary motor that is used in such cases also failed.
This incident underscores a stark reality: when electricity fails, even highly engineered ski lifts are vulnerable. It’s a risk that affects resorts and guests across the country — especially in regions where weather, storms, or grid instability can disrupt power.
Given these risks, a question emerges: Could a battery-based backup system offer a safer, more reliable alternative to traditional generators and auxiliary engines? At EverSafe, where we design battery backup systems for mission-critical infrastructure, we’ve taken a close look at whether modern battery technology could power ski lifts — and under what circumstances it might be viable.
How Much Power Does a Ski Lift Require?
Understanding the feasibility of a battery-backed ski lift starts with a hard look at power demand. Ski lifts vary in design and capacity, but many modern lifts — especially high-speed detachable chair-lifts or gondolas — require a tremendous amount of energy to operate.
Smaller surface lifts (like rope tows or T-bars) draw relatively modest power and might fall within reach of advanced battery backups without extreme cost or scale. But for larger lifts, particularly those with high passenger volume and steep terrain, power needs escalate quickly. Under full load, a detachable lift may demand hundreds of kilowatts to maintain the torque and speed required for safe operation.
The situation becomes more complex during startup, when electric motors draw significantly more current to overcome static load and inertia. Any backup system must not only sustain continuous power but also handle these initial surge loads — which dramatically increases the size and capacity requirements of the battery bank.
To put this in perspective: many typical commercial-grade battery backup systems (for lighting, electronics, telecom, or HVAC) are sized for tens of kilowatts at most — a far cry from what a ski lift demands. Building a battery system capable of powering a high-speed detachable lift, even for a brief period, might require a very large, heavy, and expensive installation.
Cold-Weather & Environmental Challenges
Even if you could build a battery bank large enough, environmental factors such as cold temperatures — common at ski resorts — pose significant obstacles. Battery performance degrades in cold weather: capacity drops, charge/discharge times lengthen, and the risk of reduced runtime increases.
To maintain reliable performance, such a backup system would require thermal regulation (insulation, heating, or temperature-controlled enclosures), adding complexity and additional energy draw. This in turn further increases the size, cost, and maintenance requirements of the system.
That’s why most resorts today rely on internal-combustion auxiliary engines for emergency lift operation: they offer high torque, store energy densely (fuel), and function well even in freezing conditions.
Where Battery Backup Makes Sense — Right Now
That doesn’t mean battery backup has no place in ski-lift infrastructure. There are several scenarios where battery systems are already practical and beneficial:
- Control, safety & communications systems. Even if the lift drive is mechanical or engine-powered, electronics that manage safety interlocks, lighting, communications, and monitoring — systems essential during emergencies — can run reliably on battery backup.
- Smaller lifts or surface tows. For lower-power lift systems, modern battery backups may already provide enough capacity for temporary operation or evacuation, especially if overall load and passenger volume are modest.
- Hybrid systems. A combination of battery power for critical systems (safety, communications, controls) and a smaller auxiliary engine for mechanical drive could provide redundancy and resilience, reducing reliance on fossil-fuel systems while improving safety and responsiveness.
- Energy smoothing or regenerative support. As lift drives evolve, there may be opportunity to use batteries to buffer power surges, capture regenerative braking energy, or reduce strain on grid connections — supporting both operational efficiency and backup readiness.
Looking Ahead: When Could Full Battery-Backup Become Realistic?
Battery technology continues to evolve rapidly. Advances in high-density battery chemistries, modular energy storage solutions, and power management electronics bring the possibility of battery-powered ski lift evacuation closer to reality. As energy storage systems become more compact and efficient, and as cold-weather performance improves, the balance begins to shift.
Coupled with improvements in drive motor efficiency and lift design, future generations of lifts could be engineered with battery backup in mind — dramatically reducing reliance on fuel, noise, and ongoing maintenance associated with auxiliary engines.
Battery Power for Ski Lifts is Feasible — With Realistic Expectations
The story at Sunburst Ski Hill — where a power outage left skiers stranded mid-lift — isn’t an isolated anomaly. Across ski resorts and mountain areas, weather, infrastructure failures, or grid instability pose real risks to lift operation and guest safety.
A full battery-powered backup system for a high-speed ski lift remains technically challenging and expensive under current technology and environmental conditions. But battery backup for lift controls, smaller lifts, or hybrid systems is already achievable — and a growing number of resorts are exploring these paths.
In fact, battery systems are already being offered as an integrated solution for some new models of ski lift systems.
At EverSafe, we believe that energy storage and backup power systems are more than just contingency tools — they are part of the future of resilient, safe, and sustainable resort infrastructure. If your resort or engineering team is evaluating backup options, we’re here to help design a solution tailored to your lift’s power demands and environmental requirements.
