In June, workers from Doppelmayr CTEC headed to the mountains of West Virginia to begin installation of a new high-speed quad chairlift at Snowshoe Mountain Resort. The new lift is replacing the older, fixed-grip Widowmaker chairlift, increasing uphill capacity on the Widowmaker slope system from 1,800 to 2,400 people per hour.

The new high-speed quad, which has not been named yet, will be Snowshoe’s third high-speed lift. The first high-speed lift, the Ballhooter Express, was installed in 1997. Snowshoe followed in 1998 with the installation of the Western Express high-speed quad servicing Cupp Run. The previous two lifts were installed by Garaventa CTEC. In 2002, Garaventa CTEC and Doppelmayr merged to form Doppelmayr CTEC.

Crews from Doppelmayr CTEC lower 8,000 pound masts and crossarms in mid-June, 2006. Photo provided by Snowshoe Mountain Resort.

Doppelmayr CTEC workers used helicopters capable of carrying up to 8,000 pounds to remove the old lift towers and install the new ones. During installation, the helicopter dropped new tower segments into footers that were poured during the spring. Once in place, the towers are topped with cross-arms. The cable and chairs will be installed later this summer, followed by load testing. The lift is expected to be on-line in time for the 2006/2007 winter season.

“We are very excited about the construction of the new high-speed detachable quad lift,” said Dave Kennedy, Snowshoe’s Lift Operations Manager. “The new, more efficient lift should help enhance our guest’s experience even further, reducing the ride time from 8-10 minutes to less than three minutes.”