Cable cars include chair, cabin and gondola lifts. A fundamental difference here is that you can keep your skis or snowboard on while in the chair lift, but they have to be unstrapped while in the cabin lift. However, there is more to differentiate: Cable cars, for example, operate either in pendulum or orbital mode.

The primary difference between a cable car and a chair lift lies in their capacity, protection from the elements, and the level of passenger movement. A cable car (often called an aerial tramway or gondola) is a large, enclosed cabin that can carry anywhere from 4 to 100+ passengers at a time, protecting them from wind, snow, and cold. These are often used as "mass transit" systems in urban areas or as "access lifts" to reach a mountain peak. A chair lift, on the other hand, consists of a series of open-air chairs (ranging from 2 to 8 seats) that are permanently attached to a moving cable. Chair lifts are primarily used for skiing and snowboarding, as they allow for quick, continuous boarding and deboarding without the chairs ever stopping. While cable cars provide a more "luxurious" and stable ride for sightseers, chair lifts are the "workhorses" of the mountain, designed for speed and the convenience of those wearing sports equipment. In 2026, some resorts feature "Telemix" lifts, which combine both gondola cabins and open chairs on the same line to cater to both skiers and pedestrians.