New Whiteface Beginner Lift to Be Called “Owl Express”

Last week, updates to Whiteface’s website revealed that its new Bear Den beginner area lift will be called the Owl Express (h/t to Liftblog for pointing this out). The new fixed-grip quad, which replaces the Bunny Hutch Triple, will have a loading carpet that allows for faster run speeds.

Our Take

The new Owl Express will almost certainly provide a better experience than the outgoing Bunny Hutch lift, which ran for more than 40 years and perpetually suffered from mechanical problems. We expect the loading carpet to make it much easier for beginners to actually get on the lift and to mitigate the need for slowdowns. However, the lift’s “Express” branding is fairly misleading, as it won’t be a true high-speed, detachable lift. Ironically, this comes in contrast to the names for Whiteface’s two actual detachable lifts, which don’t even have the word “Express” in them.

Despite our misgivings, we doubt this marketing trick will bear a major negative effect on Whiteface’s standing with consumers. While we predict at least some disappointment with the lift’s slower-than-expected speed, we don’t expect most beginners—many of whom have little resort experience in the first place—to really even notice. Moreover, this branding strategy isn’t entirely unprecedented—smaller resorts such as Greek Peak and Big Snow American Dream have also applied “Express” labeling to fixed-grip lifts.

For more on Whiteface, check out our comprehensive review here.