Snowbird Replacing Historic 53-Year-Old Chairlift

Snowbird ski area in Utah is staying open at least to the Memorial Day holiday at the end of next month, but has just closed its historic double chairlift for the final time to allow construction crews time to work on its replacement.

The original Wilbere double chairlift, a resort stalwart and favourite for more than five decades,  was a Doppelmayr lift installed in 1971.

Snowbird's new Wilbere lift will also be a Doppelmayr fixed grip and there are no plans for it to run any faster than the 2.5m per second speed of its predecessor, but by doubling the number of seats on each chair its capacity doubles from 1200 to 2400 people per hour.  Old and new lifts take about 4.5 minutes to make the ascent.

The project will see the realignment of the Wilbere Chair however and its one of several upgrades being undertaken over the summer. Another is the start of a two-year renovation of the resort’s Mid-Gad Restaurant that will result in a new building featuring a modern single-story floorplan and a new, expansive outdoor deck.

"By announcing that we will be open through Memorial Day so early in March, we hope our guests can experience all that our late season has to offer—from skiing under blue skies to dancing on The Plaza Deck,” said Snowbird President and General Manager, Dave Fields. "We are also eager to begin construction in Gad Valley, breaking ground on two exciting projects that will greatly improve the guest experience for decades to come."