Vail Mountain’s Riva Bahn Express chairlift was spinning again on Wednesday after being out of order for nearly two weeks, and a Vail Mountain spokesperson says the lift is scheduled to reopen to the public on Thursday.

The lift’s gearbox required a full rebuild, said Rachel Levitsky with Vail Resorts. The gearbox of a chairlift is an especially important component, governing the speed and torque of lift, requiring specialized parts and knowledge. Vail Mountain enlisted the help of an outside expert in rebuilding the lift’s gearbox, Levitsky said.

“Our lift maintenance team and outside expert have been working hard to get this lift up and running with repairs on the gearbox,” Levitsky said.

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Riva Bahn, also known as Chair 6, has one of the hardest working gearboxes on Vail Mountain, powering a lift that’s more than 9,000 feet in length, both uploadable and downloadable, with two unloading stations and a large downhill section.

The lift has been closed since March 7, requiring guests to load from Vail Village, Lionshead or Cascade to access the rest of the mountain.

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Closure impacts nearby businesses

For the new Avanti Vail food hall at Golden Peak, the closure of the nearby lift has not been good for business, said Hayley Edmisten with Avanti Vail.

“Being right at the base, we’ve seen firsthand how much the lift drives activity in Golden Peak, and that has been evident in the revenue drop of both food and beverage,” Edmisten said. “Unfortunately, we also missed out on the St. Patrick’s Day Weekend business — one of the busiest weekends of the year for our Denver and Boulder locations — so we were especially looking forward to celebrating our first one in Vail.”

Avanti Vail is comprised of five different vendors in a European-style food hall at Golden Peak. Those vendors pay rent to Avanti, which pays rent to Vail Resorts. Edmisten said Vail Resorts has been sensitive to the Avanti’s situation.

“We appreciate our ongoing communication with Vail Resorts and the updates they’ve provided throughout the closure,” Edmisten said. “We’re also working with our Vail Resorts representative on a concession to help offset some of the financial loss.”

Nearby Manor Vail, which uses its proximity to Chair 6 as a selling point, has also been affected, said General Manager Zach Meyers.

“We want to thank the Vail Mountain team for keeping us up to date during the unfortunately timed pause to Chair 6 operations,” Meyers said. “While the interruption has added steps for our homeowners, guests and team members to get up the mountain and enjoy this new snow, we’re confident everything possible is being done to resolve the issue quickly and safely. We’re grateful for the effort and active updates we’ve been receiving as the situation continues to evolve. We know the best in the industry are working to resolve the problem.”

Riva Bahn has two stops, one at the base of Chair 11, providing a connection to the top of the mountain at Ski Patrol Headquarters. For those loading from Golden Peak, Riva Bahn allows them to access that area without taking Chair 4 from the busy Mid-Vail area.

Guests visiting Vail during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday pointed out that long lift lines could be found during mid-day hours at Chair 4.

Since the lift closed on March 7, Vail has recorded more than 2 feet of new snow.

For ski racing athletes, Chair 6 also provides access to the Golden Peak Race Arena. That venue is set to host super-G, giant slalom and slalom races for this year’s 2025 Toyota U.S. Alpine National Championships starting March 29.