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President of Wachusett Mountain Ski Area apologizes for delay of new summit lift
The "anticipated opening" for the lift is now Christmas week.
Skiers and riders will wait longer than expected for a ride on the new lift at Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, and the president apologized for it Wednesday in a video posted on social media.
“I’m here to apologize for the delayed opening on the new Polar Express summit chairlift,” Jeff Crowley said.
In the post, officials wrote, “We know this isn’t the news our skiers and riders want to hear but the new lift will be worth the wait.”
Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, with 125 skiable acres, 27 trails, 8 lifts, and a vertical drop of 1,000 feet, is billed as “New England’s most accessible ski resort.”
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This year, the ski area replaced its 30 year-old Polar Express Quad, its only summit chairlift, with the $20 million new Doppelmayr detachable high-speed six-pack lift.
The original ribbon cutting ceremony for the new lift was slated for Dec. 9. Then it was changed to Dec. 19. Now Christmas week is the “anticipated opening,” according to Crowley’s post, and the official ribbon cutting ceremony is Jan. 8, 2026.
“If it’s not done by Christmas week, I’m really going to be in trouble with you guys,” he said. “Again, my heartfelt apologies for the delay on this thing.”
The Polar Express, named after Worcester-based Polar Beverages, serves 13 trails. Currently, skiers can gain access to lower summit trails by riding the mid-mountain Minuteman Express, Crowley noted. The Hitchcock and Mass Pike trails will open this weekend, giving skiers and riders even more skiable terrain.
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“One of the reasons we’re taking a little extra time here is we want to do this thing right,” Crowley said. “It’s going to last 30 or 40 years. And we don’t really need to rush it. We want the thing to be up and running and done safe and properly.”
The new Polar Express has automatic, self-locking restraint bars. It is a medium-capacity lift that moves about 2,400 people per hour, the same capacity as the old lift, so officials say they aren’t worried about bigger crowds on the trails.
Skiers and riders had mixed reactions over the delay on Facebook, with some thanking Crowley for being thorough and others recommending season pass holders receive a discount for lack of accessible terrain early in the season.
Crowley said the project has had “a lot of moving parts” and thanked state agencies for being so supportive.
“Stay tuned,” he said. “The lift will be going for Christmas week or I’m going to have to grovel to every one of your houses and come over and wash your car.”
He thanked everyone for their patience.
“In the meantime, we have got so much good skiing out there right now,” Crowley said. “It’s phenomenal. This has been one of the best starts to the season.”
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Wachusett Mountain opened for the season Nov. 22, earlier than anticipated. On Thursday, four lifts and seven trails were open.
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