Skiers riding up Little Switzerland's slopes next season will climb aboard a chairlift that didn't exist for more than six decades of the resort's history. The Slinger, Wisconsin ski area is replacing its historic Lift 1-2 — a ride that has carried skiers and riders uphill since 1964 — with two new independent Skytrac quad chairlifts ahead of the 2026-27 winter season.
The project carries a $4 million price tag, which Little Switzerland calls its largest single capital investment to date, according to a blog post from the resort. The old Lift 1-2 had an unusual up-and-over design that carried guests from both sides of the hill toward the summit, as reported by Greater Milwaukee Today. That setup meant the entire system had to shut down whenever one side had a problem, the outlet notes.
Little Switzerland described exactly how disruptive that quirk could be. “Anytime the 1-2 had a stop it not only affected the front it also affected those on the back,” the resort said in its blog post. The two new chairs will run independently, letting each side of the hill operate on its own and, per the resort, improving reliability while cutting down on unnecessary delays.
Bigger Chairs, Shorter Lines
Capacity is the headline change. Each new chair seats four riders, compared with two on the outgoing lift, according to TMJ4. Little Switzerland says the swap will double the resort's previous uphill capacity, shrinking lift lines and cutting interruptions so skiers spend more time actually on the snow.
The build itself has been underway for months. Construction began shortly after the 2025-26 ski season wrapped up in March, Greater Milwaukee Today reports, with crews handling removal of the original lift, foundation excavation, tower and terminal installation, and chair assembly. Little Switzerland's own account of the work confirms the heavy lifting: crews used a crane to set four lift towers into place, two on the front of the hill and two on the back.
Snowmaking Built Into the Towers
The new infrastructure does more than move people. Each tower comes with built-in snow guns, TMJ4's report notes, a feature that will let the resort make snow even while it's open to the public. Little Switzerland coordinated the project with Skytrac, an American chairlift manufacturer, per Greater Milwaukee Today's reporting.
Timelines for finishing the work have shifted slightly in the telling. The resort's own blog post said load testing was planned for fall 2026, while a May 2026 report from the station put the completion goal at November, in time for the resort's fall opening. Either way, Little Switzerland is now preparing for opening day and the first rides on the two new lifts, according to Greater Milwaukee Today.
A Decade-Plus of Reinvestment
The chairlift overhaul is the latest in a string of upgrades since Rick and Mike Schmitz — known locally as the Schmitz brothers — reopened Little Switzerland in 2012. Greater Milwaukee Today reports the brothers have since poured millions into snowmaking infrastructure, terrain improvements, facilities, parking and guest amenities. That includes a $1.5 million project for the 2022-23 season to retool and repave the resort's 800 parking spots, according to SAM Magazine.
The trade publication's reporting also gives a sense of scale for the family-owned downhill ski and snowboard area: Little Switzerland draws roughly 100,000 skiers a year and has built a combined 40,000 followers across Instagram and Facebook. In a statement included in the resort's release, Rick Schmitz said the team was proud of the work put into building the two new lifts and that they would transform the guest experience, adding the resort is excited for skiers and snowboarders to ride them.
