18 replies to this topic

[pedro maia]

Hi, I´m portuguese, and with a spanish friend (Raul) I have a ski history blog, which is called Retro-Ski, it´s in spanish but we are now translating it to english.

You may be interested at least for one of our articles, about the First Skilift in the World in the world, maybe you didn´t know it.

I hope you enjoy it and give us your opinion.

Pedro Maia

[Lift Dinosaur]

Very nice, Pedro, thank you. I see even in the beginning that the trails were mixed use - skiers and sledders on their Rodels!

Do you have any photos of the first detachable chairlift - Grindelwald, Germany 1945?

Dino

[pedro maia]

Lift Dinosaur, on May 23 2006, 07:38 AM, said:

Very nice, Pedro, thank you. I see even in the beginning that the trails were mixed use - skiers and sledders on their Rodels!

Do you have any photos of the first detachable chairlift - Grindelwald, Germany 1945?

Dino

Hi Dino, I´m glad you liked it.

Let me correct one thing, Grindelwald is in Switzerland, not in Germany .

I made an article about the history of lifts in Switzerland, here you have it:

http://www.nevasport.com/reportajes/articu...d_articulos=288

This one is not in the blog, so it isn´t translated, but you´ll figure out the pictures.

I don´t think I have that one you mention, but I´ll try to find it.

Pedro Maia

[pedro maia]

Dino, I´m not an expert on ski lifts, but as far as I could check, the first detachable chairlift is not from Grindelwald, is from Flims, also in Switzerland, and it´s picture is on my article, here you have it:

Pedro Maia

Attached File(s)

•  image022.jpg (44.05K)
  Number of downloads: 91

This post has been edited by pedro maia: 23 May 2006 - 08:12 AM

[Lift Dinosaur]

Thank you, Pedro. I guess I do not get a passing grade for my European Geography class!

[iceberg210]

The first skilift in the US is in Sun Valley and the second was at Alta. The first one is still up but the second one is long gone.

[WBSKI]

The first chairlift in Can was in Quebec somewhere, its in the Red Mtn History Book sold at the Rossland Museum.

[pedro maia]

iceberg210, on May 23 2006, 05:42 PM, said:

The first skilift in the US is in Sun Valley and the second was at Alta. The first one is still up but the second one is long gone.

I think the first skilift in the US was instaled in Woodstock, Vermont, in 1934.

 1__teleski_america__woodstock_1934_2.JPG (28.2K)
Number of downloads: 36

In Sun Valley was instaled the first chairlift, not only of the US, but of the world, in 1936.

 sun_valley.JPG (15.17K)
Number of downloads: 24

In Alta was instaled the second chairlift of the US, the Collins Chair, which started to operate in 1939.

 collins_chair__alta__1940.jpg (23.75K)
Number of downloads: 60

Pedro Maia

[SkiBachelor]

There were actually two chairlifts built at Sun Valley in 1936. They were at Dollar Mountan and Proctor Mountain. I believe the fallowing year, the lift at the ski jumping hill was built. So that means that Alta actually had the 4th chairlift in the world.

However, a lot of ski resorts market false things as a way to get more skier visits and resorts don't do their homework to make sure that their assumption is true or not. For example, the other day I got a brochure from Mt. Bachelor saying that it would be replacing its 1986 Pine Marten Express because it was the 2nd HSQ installed in the United States and the equipment was getting old. However, vail installed 5 high-speed quads in 1985 and every one of theirs is still in operation so Mt. Bachelor is totally wrong about their statement.

[pedro maia]

SkiBachelor, on May 24 2006, 11:50 AM, said:

There were actually two chairlifts built at Sun Valley in 1936. They were at Dollar Mountan and Proctor Mountain. I believe the fallowing year, the lift at the ski jumping hill was built. So that means that Alta actually had the 4th chairlift in the world.

And which would be the 3rd?

Pedro maia

[Jonni]

SkiBachelor, on May 24 2006, 03:50 PM, said:

There were actually two chairlifts built at Sun Valley in 1936. They were at Dollar Mountan and Proctor Mountain. I believe the fallowing year, the lift at the ski jumping hill was built. So that means that Alta actually had the 4th chairlift in the world.

However, a lot of ski resorts market false things as a way to get more skier visits and resorts don't do their homework to make sure that their assumption is true or not. For example, the other day I got a brochure from Mt. Bachelor saying that it would be replacing its 1986 Pine Marten Express since it was the 2nd HSQ installed in the United States since the equipment was getting old. However, vail installed 5 high-speed quads in 1985 and every one of theirs is still in operation so Mt. Bachelor is totally wrong about their statement.

I know that I'm getting but Jay Peak makes a similar marketing ploy. They state that their HSQ, the "Green Mountain Flyer" is the longest (7000') and fastest HSQ in New England. This is undoubtly not true since the Slide Brook holds both of those titles. In a way I can see them trying to use that because there is the argument that the Slide Brook doesn't necessarily service any terrain, but it's still the longest and the fastest in NE.

[SkiBachelor]

Check out this thread:

http://www.skiliftforum.com/index.php?show...9&hl=sun+valley

[liftmech]

SkiBachelor, on May 24 2006, 01:50 PM, said:

There were actually two chairlifts built at Sun Valley in 1936. They were at Dollar Mountan and Proctor Mountain. I believe the fallowing year, the lift at the ski jumping hill was built. So that means that Alta actually had the 4th chairlift in the world.

However, a lot of ski resorts market false things as a way to get more skier visits and resorts don't do their homework to make sure that their assumption is true or not. For example, the other day I got a brochure from Mt. Bachelor saying that it would be replacing its 1986 Pine Marten Express since it was the 2nd HSQ installed in the United States and the equipment was getting old. However, vail installed 5 high-speed quads in 1985 and every one of theirs is still in operation so Mt. Bachelor is totally wrong about their statement.

I'll second that- Summit at WP was also built in '85, Colorado (Breck), Pioneer (also at WP), and American Flyer at Copper were also built in '86 while F-chair at Breck was retrofitted as a detach that year.

[pedro maia]

SkiBachelor, on May 25 2006, 07:50 AM, said:

Check out this thread:

Thanks, interesting those photos on that thread.

I think I will prepare an article about «first» ski lifts at Retro-Ski.

Another curious story, you probably know it, is about the first underground ski lift in the world, you can read it here:

To the slopes by the mine

Pedro Maia

This post has been edited by pedro maia: 25 May 2006 - 02:15 PM

[hyak.net]

Did you know.........the first organized ski area west of Colorado was in Cle Elum WA (1921-1934). They did not have an official ski lift, but I did read where people would sometimes ride in coal cars or be pulled by horse to the top of the hill. The ski area I believe used the same slope where they had coal mines.

[maplevalleymaster]

iceberg210, on May 23 2006, 05:42 PM, said:

The first skilift in the US is in Sun Valley and the second was at Alta. The first one is still up but the second one is long gone.

The first one is still up? Where is it, Alta? What lift?

[Limelight]

maplevalleymaster, on Jun 1 2006, 04:45 PM, said:

The first one is still up? Where is it, Alta? What lift?

One of the first chairs is still up. Two were built in Sun Valley in 1936 (first two ever), one was sold, the other was moved off Dollar Mt but still stands in Sun Valley on Ruud Mt. Or was that the third one built in 1937????

[SkiBachelor]

The chairlift on Ruud Mountain was the 3rd chairlift installed. I presume the single chair on Dollar Mountain remained for quite some time.

[Allan]

WBSKI, on May 23 2006, 07:06 PM, said:

The first chairlift in Can was in Quebec somewhere, its in the Red Mtn History Book sold at the Rossland Museum.

Mt Tremblant had the first in Canada, we had the second... The first in western Canada though! :)