Image by Even Potter
Vermonters love their snow sports. The state can lay claim to having the nation’s first ski area which opened on Clinton Gilbert’s farm in 1934. Other firsts include nation’s first ski race, nation’s first ski patrol, nation’s first T-bar lift and Suicide Six Resort was the first resort in the United States to allow snowboarding. Vermonters love there snow-sports so much that skiing and snowboarding were designated Vermont’s official state sports in 2012. And now for a look at the Top 5 Ski Lifts in Vermont.
Top 5 Ski Lifts in Vermont
#5. Red Chair, Magic Mountain
Magic Mountain’s Red Chair is a 1971 Heron-Poma fixed grip double chair. The builder of the lift, Bob Heron, was a pioneering lift engineer building lifts such as Cannon’s Original Tramway and the nation’s first single cable double chair at Berthoud Pass, CO. The chairlift accesses 1700’ of vertical and almost 400 acres of fine southern Vermont skiing.
#4. Madonna Chair, Smugglers Notch
The Madonna Chair is a classic 1963 Hall double that was refurbished by CTEC in 2002 with a new summit terminal. It might be a cold ride up but the terrain off this iconic double is some of the best in the state. In the image above you can see ski patrol preparing the slopes for the Extreme Skiing Challenge.
Image: juskuz.com
#3. The Fourrunner Quad, Stowe
Built in 1986, the “quad” was the first detachable quad in the east. It replaced both the fabled Mt. Mansfield single and double chairs. It was replaced with the new Forerunner Quad in 2011. The new lift runs at 1,000 feet per minute and has an uphill capacity of 2,400 passengers an hour. The chairlift accesses what is known as the Front Four; four of the most technical and steepest ski runs east of the Mississippi.
#2. The Tram, Jay Peak
Jay’s aerial tramway, known simply as the “tram”, is the only one of its type in the state of Vermont. It was originally installed in 1966 but was upgraded in 2000 with new cabins from Swoboda. The tram accesses a mountain that receives an average snowfall of over 355″. That’s a higher snowfall average than Aspen, Taos or Telluride.
#1. The Single Chair, Mad River Glen
Mad River Glen is one of two ski areas in the country to use a single chairlift – that is, a chairlift which seats just one person at a time. The Single Chair has the distinction of being the fastest fixed-grip chairlift in the United States. Depending on the volume of skiers, average lift rides from base to summit are 9.7 – 12 minutes in duration. The chair even has its own beer named after it (Single Chair Ale by Magic Hat).