Beech is making some big investments in their lift infrastructure:

https://liftblog.com/2018/03/27/beech-mountain-adding-two-doppelmayr-quads/

Bout time.  Maybe too little too late?  At least a decade of being notirous for lift breakdowns and not offereng refunds when the only lift to the summit and 60% of the terrain goes down several times each season.  Hope it gets done though.  Such a cool place and nice terrain for the southeast.  I'll definitely check it out next season.

Fixed grip makes sense. Liftblog did not mention cost? The existing lifts are ancient, almost as old as the ones at Timberline.

There is s touch if irony to add here.  I heard Sugar's NEW six pack broke down all day last weekend in March.  It's usually Beech that is notorious for lift problems.