The Highlands, Michigan’s largest ski resort, has just announced they will install the first and fastest six-person bubble chair in the Midwest, the Camelot 6. The resort broke the news on the Highlands Harbor Springs Facebook page, informing its fans the mountain will be getting a lot warmer, quieter, and faster for the Winter 2023/2024 Season. 

The new high-speed Doppelmayr D-Line bubble chairlift will shuttle skiers and riders from the base to the summit accessing the highest vertical terrain in the Lower Peninsula. The Camelot 6 is replacing three existing triple-place lifts – Camelot, Valley, and MacGully – and will extend to the top of the Upper Camelot slope. 

The supercharged three-minute ride will be equipped with comfy cushioned premium heated seats and tinted shielding weather-blocking bubbles. According to the Highlands Blog, the lift is “equipped with the most advanced safety features in North America, featuring the first fully automatic safety bar system in the U.S., including auto closing and auto opening mechanisms, in addition to auto locking and a height-adjustable loading carpet conveyor.” It also claims to be whisper-quiet and a sustainable operation to boot.

The upgrade comes full circle for the resort, as it installed the world’s first bubble chair at a ski hill in 1963. Mike Chumbler, president and general manager of The Highlands, said in a press release:

“This will be the most kid-friendly and safest lift ever built…The addition of Camelot 6 will transform the guest experience on the southern end of our slopes for all levels of skiers and riders.”

World Traveler. Always standing sideways. Snowboarding, surfing, skating, or hopping a plane to travel the globe. Either way, I'll be boarding soon.