{"id":3042,"date":"2021-02-18T15:07:17","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T22:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.snowvalley.ca\/ski-hill\/blog\/?p=3042"},"modified":"2022-08-09T14:20:12","modified_gmt":"2022-08-09T20:20:12","slug":"up-up-and-away-the-evolution-of-lifts-at-snow-valley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snowvalley.ca\/ski-hill\/blog\/up-up-and-away-the-evolution-of-lifts-at-snow-valley\/","title":{"rendered":"Up, Up and Away:"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Evolution Of Lifts At Snow Valley<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How We Got Here<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As you walk around Snow Valley, you can find guests lining up at four different lifts around the hill, heading on up before shredding down the slopes. Snow Valley currently has the quad chair, the triple chair, and 2 carpet lifts, but that wasn’t always the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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The first rope tow at Snow Valley, in the 1950s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From Humble Beginnings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When Snow Valley opened in 1953 as an official ski club, we used a rope tow that you could hold onto and it would pull you up the hill. The rope tow was designed to make sure the rope did not become wet and frozen from dragging on the ground (which was a common issue with rope tows). The rope tow was powered by a Mercury V8 engine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This Mercury V8 engine powered the rope tow.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Three years later, in 1956, the land at the top of the hill where the rope tow ended was sold for real estate and the original tow had to be relocated. Instead of moving the rope completely, we shortened the rope to 400 ft and added a second rope tow to the south, making it easier to access the south terrain. 
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The t-bar lift and the second rope tow to the right in the 80s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Getting Fancy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t until 28 years later, in 1981, that Snow Valley installed our first T-bar lift. It ran alongside the south rope tow. The original rope tow was still being used until 1988 when Snow Valley’s first triple-chair lift was installed. Eventually, the rope tow was removed as the t-bar and chair became the go-to lifts.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The “Rainbow Chair” triple chair lift in the early 90s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was in 2001 and 2003 that Snow Valley installed the two carpet lifts on discover and snowflake respectively. They are the same carpets that are on the hill today! The carpet lifts are a small conveyor belt that you walk onto, and are an easy way for beginners to get up the hill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n